Teamwork & technology: how Evernham motorsports goes fast—& will become faster

Automotive Design & Production, Oct, 2003 by Gary S. Vasilash

Although a popular notion of the NASCAR Series (now Winston Cup, next Nextel) is that it is a group of good ol' boys who have about one degree of separation from the folks who used to drive moonshine through the hollows at speeds that would have the Revenuers eatin' dust. Technically, that folksiness is far from the reality of this enormously successful motorsports series. At least that's the case at Evernham Motorsports. Headquartered in Statesville, North Carolina, some 50 miles north of Charlotte, which is what seems to be to stock car builders what Indianapolis is to open-wheel teams, Evernham Motorsports sits across the road from an airstrip that, given the surrounding area, might be confused lot a pasture. The surroundings are unquestionably bucolic. But inside the 121,000-[ft.2.sup] facility, the level of activity and the amount of technology makes it seem as though it's not a NASCAR shop, but something even more exotic, like an aerospace firm. The hustle and bustle--people working on computer terminals that are networked to Evernham Engines in Concord, NC, people wielding MIG welding torches on exotic-looking tubular structures--are seemingly unceasing.

But in motorsports, time is key. If you don't show up at the track with competitive cars (Evernham Motorsports campaigns Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield in Dodge Intrepids numbers 9 and 19, respectively) each weekend, then you don't really matter. The clock drives forward, inexorably. There are 39 NASCAR events. There are various types of venues: super speedways, long and short ovals, road courses. Cars must be prepped for each. Developments have to be made on an on-going basis in order to work toward a competitive advantage. Apparently, if they get time off for Christmas, it is a good thing.

Dr. Eric Watson is not the person that I would have imagined meeting at Evernham Motorsports, where he is the technical director. For one thing, that Ph.D. it is in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Outside of a university, an OEM research center, an aerospace firm, or an engineering software company, you're unlikely to run into someone with a Ph.D in CFD. There is another place. NASA. Watson used to work there before he became involved with NASCAR.

Apparently, Evernham Motorsports is not wholly unlike other NASCAR teams. The level of technology that is becoming increasingly pervasive in the sport is, indeed, rising. Watson admits that compared with, say, Formula One, they are way behind. But gaining.

One way Evernham Motorsports is different is the way that it came into existence. Ray Evernham, who had been Jeff Gordon's manager (the duo put together 47 NASCAR wins and won three championships), was asked in October 1999 to bring the Dodge division back into NASCAR after 20 years out of the series. Which was certainly a big opportunity. But there was also something of a caveat attached: the task was to be completed in 500 days. Ready to race. And no extensions to the deadline. None. What this meant was a new team. A new company. A new engine. A new car. And a deadline tighter than a gnat's anatomy. Evernham is a charismatic leader who has even been featured in as non-racing a magazine as Fast Company (its name sounds quick, but it is a business publication, if you're not familiar with it). He has what he calls "20 Points for Success." They include:

2. Hard Work. That sounds cliche ... but it takes hard work to be successful ... Life is not easy ... It's not supposed to be.

3. Doing What Ever It Took. Do whatever it takes ... any job that must be done ... any position that must be filled to complete the mission is your responsibility ... Find A Way.

4. Being Surrounded by Good People. "Over achievers" ... Learn to identify good people ... Figure out how to get them on your team ... Learn what motivates them and provide that motivation.

Which he presumably called upon to be ready for the first race: the prestigious Daytona 500. On February 18, 2001, Evernham Motorsports driver Bill Elliott started the race in a Dodge Intrepid--from the pole position. What might have seemed impossible to many was probably just difficult for the Evernham Motorsports team.

Evernham Motorsports was not the only team to have Intrepids during the '01 season. Bill Davis Racing, Petty Enterprises, Melling Racing, and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates also had the cars. But Dodge, which took what was described as a "one-team approach," designated Evernham Motorsports to serve as a team coordinator for the development activities with relation to Dodge. In fact, when I visit, there is a group of people who actually work for other teams who were being briefed on a 3D scanner, the Capture 3D ATOS, from a German company (Gesellschaft fur Optische Me[Beta]technik), which will be used to scan entire bodies, from bumper-to-bumper, with an accuracy of 0.003 in. They're inside the Evernham shop. Of course, whatever's proprietary is kept out of their view.

The invitation to visit Statesville came from IBM. Having had the opportunity to visit the shops of teams from other series, I had expected that the Evernham shop would be much the same. Some small pockets of technology that are interesting, but not particularly astonishing. But in point of fact, the team is doing some things that companies much larger ought to model themselves after.