One of the best things about watching a NASCAR race is that fans have the opportunity to listen in to the complete radio discussion from every driver in a race. Sometimes other sports put out selected bits of audio from players on occasion, but with NASCAR you get the complete unfiltered and uncensored talk as teams discuss strategy and some of the stupid things their competitors do.
New Hampshire kicked off the second race in the NASCAR Playoffs, and after a mostly dull race in Chicagoland the previous week, the race was hoping to get the excitement back on track. That didn’t really happen either, which isn’t that surprising given the track, but it still provided some great sound bytes over the radio.
The main talking point during the New Hampshire race was the pileup down the backstretch at the end of Stage Two. Kevin Harvick spun, and in trying to stay on the lead lap floored his Mobil 1 Ford, causing so much smoke that the people behind him couldn’t see. And then chaos ensued.
The spotters tried their best to maneuver their drivers around the wreckage, but sometimes it can be an impossible task.
Tony Raines (Kurt Busch’s spotter) – “Spin there, he’s low, he’s low, he’s low! Coming up high, coming up high! He’s stopped.”
Kurt Busch – [Hits Harvick] “Oh, wow.”
TJ Majors (Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter) – “Spinning off of two, stay high, stay high. Go low. And we’re in it. All right. You can back up, #78’s right there” [Hits Truex while backing up]
Dale Jr. – “I think I spun myself out or did I not?”
Majors – “Oh I don’t know.”
Jason Jarrett (Ryan Newman’s spotter) – “He’s right up there spinning. Both lanes in front of you. Clear one lane up, clear one lane down.”
Newman – “We’re all clear on the lead lap.”
Jason Hedlesky (Matt Kenseth’s spotter) – “Yeah, he just gassed it up and came up in front of all you guys. I thought he’d stay there, but he gassed it up. Surprised the whole field.”
Martin Truex Jr. – “We’re rolling through there easy. The #33 come in and side-swiped me. I mean, you couldn’t see anything.”
Cole Pearn (Truex’s crew chief) – “All right, we’re going to have to clear the left rear quarter, that’s gonna be the biggest thing.”
Tony Hirschman (Kyle Busch’s spotter) – “There’s enough room there, right?”
Kyle Busch – “Woo, by an inch!”
Tim Fedewa (Kevin Harvick’s spotter) – “Got banged in the right side door.”
Rodney Childers (Harvick’s crew chief) – “What happened there?”
Fedewa – “#3 hit us.”
Austin Dillon – “Coming left, I don’t know what he wants me to do.”
Andy Houston (Dillon’s crew chief) – “Nothing wrong with that.”
Later in the race, Clint Bowyer was talking about how bad his car is handling and his crew having no idea what he’s saying.
Bowyer – “This thing’s a fucking turd.”
Mike Bugarewicz (Bowyer’s crew chief) – “I’m not sure what he meant when he said turd?”
Bowyer – [unintelligible audio]
Brett Griffin (Bowyer’s spotter) – “What did he say?”
Bugarewicz – “Nobody down here knows what he said.”
Griffin – “I can usually buy a vowel, but I can’t buy shit on that.”
During the race, Landon Cassill got into the back of Danica Patrick and she wasn’t pleased.
Freddie Kraft (Cassill’s spotter) – “Got into the back of her a little bit. Nose looks fine though.
Danica Patrick – “What the fuck is he doing?”
Brett Griffin – “Landon Cassill and Danica Patrick are in a pissing match off four.”
Patrick – “Going to hell in a handbag out here! I mean, I’m fucking racing the #34 for crying out loud! I mean I get that you’re scared to try something, but at some point you gotta know what to do.”
Billy Scott (Patrick’s crew chief) – “We were one of the fastest cars so we will change something when we stop.”
Patrick – “Ohh God.”
Kyle Busch would wind up winning and would advance to the second round of the NASCAR Playoffs. The first round ends this weekend at Dover, which should provide a great finish.
