Risky fuel decisions keep Harvick's chief on edge

Nov 09, 2009 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- PZL | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- It was billed as "The Best Seat in the House." Perhaps it should have been called the hottest seat in the house.

The invitation was to spend Sunday's Dickies 500 atop the pit box of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team, directly behind crew chief Gil Martin.

It turned out that Martin wound up having to make risky fuel decisions that resulted in driver Kevin Harvick finishing fifth after starting the race from the 24th spot.

An anxious Martin spent most of the final five laps rubbing his hands on his legs, stopping only to lean over and check fuel mileage numbers with engineers Jeremy Bullins and Matt Swiderski, then to press the button on his headset so he could tell Harvick, "Save, save, save."

"My hands were sweating like I was on a first date," he said after the race. "Or about to get sent to the principal's office."

Harvick ran out of fuel on the final lap, but there won't be a trip to the principal's office because his team members were thrilled with the top-five finish after, Martin said, "putting ourselves in a hole" during qualifying.

Martin's fuel-conservation strategies and decision not to pit late paid off as Harvick moved up from eighth to second heading into the final lap after cars ahead of him ran out of fuel.

The tense finish capped a race during which Martin sat on the edge of his seat at the beginning and spent long runs in the middle sitting back with arms outstretched.

One thing that should be noted about the best seat in the house: You actually see less than half of the race from there.

If you look over your shoulders, you can watch the cars from Turn 3 around to Turn 2. But without needing a chiropractor at the end of the race, the cars are in view only from when they come out of Turn 4 through Turn 1.

Martin would watch Harvick race down the frontstretch, but when the No. 29 car turned the corner and headed out of sight, Martin would look up to one of the pit box's five television monitors. So, for Martin, the race took on sort of a rhythm of Turn 4 to Turn 1, look up to the monitor to see Harvick's last lap time, then back to Turn 4 to await his car's arrival.

The two outside monitors were tuned into ABC's coverage, the next two displayed race standings and data, and the middle one was tuned into NFL games.

Of the five people along the front row of the pit box, only Martin's 14-year-old son, Ford, would occasionally glance up to catch the score of the game.

Even the television race coverage provided little benefit because of the broadcast's seven-second delay. About the only time Martin would check out one of those monitors was to watch replays of a wreck.

During cautions, Martin would tell Harvick what happened to cause the wreck, but other than Harvick relaying how the car felt and Martin having brief adjustment discussions with him, Martin and Harvick spoke little to each other during the race.

There was one Harvick comment, however, that made Martin shake his head and chuckle.

On Lap 252, with Harvick tailing the No. 47 Little Debbie car of Marcos Ambrose, Harvick told Martin, "I wish they wouldn't put those cupcakes on that car, because they look good right now."

The fuel-conservation talk began on Lap 280 when Harvick asked if the car was short on fuel.

"We're about two [laps] short," Martin said as Bullins held up five fingers.

With Harvick in eighth place, the strategy became more of a race against the fuel gauge than against the seven cars up ahead. Harvick slowed slightly as Martin kept him informed of his lap times, every so often encouraging Harvick to "keep saving a little."

If the team had been able to save just a little more, Harvick would have finished second behind Kurt Busch.

But just as Harvick crossed the start-finish line for the white-flag lap, he reported, "Out. Out of fuel."

Harvick's wife, DeLana, sitting to Martin's left, grimaced. Martin, standing, turned toward Turn 4 to see if the car would make it back around to the checkered flag.

It did, barely, in fifth place.

"Damn!" Martin said as removed his headset. "One more lap."

David Thomas, 817-390-7760

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