As vital as a good motor or good setup is to a race car, so too is communication. With that in mind the teams have though the years tweaked and dialed-in two-way radio systems to fit the unique rigors of racing. Dont think a radio is an important part of the mix? Just tell that to the driver who is patting the roof or door panel as he tries to tell his crew chief whether his car is loose or tight. And the driver who doesnt have a working radio is living in a world of chaos and thats just if his outbound communication has failed. The problem increases 100-fold when the drivers radio cant receive a radio signal because he losses not only his crew chief but also his spotter. And with the current cocoon style of driver restraint the drivers reliance on his spotter easily becomes a safety issue. There are currently two major suppliers for two-way radio gear in NASCARs top three series with Racing Radios and Racing Electronics [Jayski sponsor of the Scanner Freq page ] handling the majority of installation and service requirements of the industry. With communications vital in the racing game the issue was naturally brought up shortly after Nextel was named the series sponsor of NASCARs elite series for 2004. Nextel, with its Direct Connect offering, is obviously in the radio business and this reality led to questions as to whether NASCAR would require the teams to start using Nextel radios, beginning next year. Well, lets see now. Currently Racing Radios provides the communications, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, George Pyne, hedged at Sears Point several weeks ago. I think that will all work itself out. Continuing Pyne added, Its interesting when you look you need tires, you need fuel and you need to be able to communicate. When asked directly if Nextel would replace the teams current two-way radio systems Pyne replied, I think you can expect [Nextel] to be a provider of communication if the technology and service is as good or better than what it is today. Well work through that with Racing Radios. Again, I expect that to be a very positive and seamless situation. Giving a practical indication of where team communications might head in the near future comes from a job listing for the program manager for the Nextel Motorsports program. The job description lists one of the position’s responsibilities as: “Develop relationship with Nextel engineers, track operators, teams and other third parties to insure smooth transition from 2-way radios to Nextel”.( Ford Racing )(9-4-2003)
