Speed Channel’s NASCAR Nation reports that #21 Motorcraft Ford / Wood Brothers Racing crew chief Michael ‘Fatback’ McSwain will not be at California Speedway as he had some out patient back surgery this week. Eddie Wood will serve as the crew chief for Ricky Rudd in the Auto Club 500. The team is working on a way that McSwain will be able to call the shots from his home.(2-24-2005)
UPDATE: Crew chief Michael “Fatback” McSwain will not be physically present for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, but the Wood Brothers Racing team will have his live input through the electronic technology of Nextel, Racing Radios engineering and NEXTEL Track Pass on NASCAR.com.
According to team co-owner Eddie Wood, “As soon as we found out Fatback would have to have his surgery this week we started exploring possible options for communication. In the process we discovered between Nextel and Racing Radios we would be able to hook up a line of direct contact between Fatback, Ricky, team engineer Hoyt Overbagh and me. Fatback will be able to monitor the race as it progresses in real time on NASCAR.com.” McSwain underwent back surgery in North Carolina Friday morning while his Motorcraft Genuine Parts Team prepared its #21 Ford Taurus for practice in California. The team plans to communicate with the crew chief during practice sessions at the track Friday afternoon, before qualifying on Saturday and during the race on Sunday.
“The positive part of this is that we had a real good test in California,” said McSwain. “We were happy when we came home. That makes it a little easier. If we hadn’t tested out there with this new aero package and we were going out there green, it would be different.” McSwain is scheduled to have a micro-endoscopic procedure on the L-5 disc in his back Friday morning to correct a problem that was discovered when he returned from Daytona. The crew chief had surgery late last year for a back ailment that developed during the 2004 season. Doctors advised immediate surgery to resolve the current situation. Friday’s operation is an outpatient procedure that will allow McSwain to return to his Charlotte area residence that afternoon.(Motorcraft Racing PR)(2-25-2005)
