CONCORD, N.C. – When it comes to four-wide pack racing at Talladega Superspeedway, or navigating a new layout at the Charlotte ROVAL, all in the midst of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, there’s certainly pressure to be felt both behind the wheel and atop the pit box.
But the burden isn’t any lighter atop the spotter’s stand.
That’s where you’ll find Branden Lines, who serves as the primary spotter for William Byron and the No. 24 team. And perhaps no other stretch of two races will demonstrate his importance more than this one.
Last Sunday on the high banks in Alabama, Byron – along with most of the rest of the Cup Series field – found himself in some relatively unprecedented territory, turning lap after lap around the 2.66-mile tri-oval in the middle of a four-wide pack. One false move could’ve resulted in a day-ending crash that could’ve put Byron on the outside looking in at the Round of 8, which will be set at the conclusion of this Sunday’s race.
Helping Byron through and serving as his eyes in the sky, was Lines.
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“I remember (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) asking William if he thought we should get out and William was like, ‘We’re pretty committed here. I can’t get out,’” Lines said. “At one point I thought, ‘Man, this is not great.’ And then, I’m like, ‘Wait a second, there’s a lot of (playoff drivers) in here too. If a wreck happens, we’re all going to get wrecked together.
“In the moment, you have some definite anxiety as you always do at those plate races. I don’t think it’s just me. Because, yeah, we’re not locked in at that point. You try to paint the picture as good as you can and hope nothing goes wrong.”
Luckily, Byron, Fugle, Lines and company were able to guide the No. 24 to a third-place finish and that was enough to lock the team into the Round of 8. Certainly, that takes pressure off of this week’s race at the ROVAL.
And yet, unique challenges remain. Most notably, an overhaul of turn 7 now presents a nearly 180-degree corner all while transitioning from the infield onto the banks of the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval.
One thing working in Lines’ favor, the ROVAL is the rare road course where a spotter can see the entire track. In other circuits of this type, multiple spotters are used as the track is too large for one person to see the whole thing. While a second spotter will be used this weekend, his primary responsibility will be updating the crew via the backup channel to incidents going on around the 17-turn circuit. With Lines being the primary voice talking to Byron this weekend, he can stay locked in more effectively this week than on other serpentine layouts.
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“Most road courses we go to, you can only see a partial amount. Now we’re going to a road course where you can see the whole thing, so you definitely feel more engaged,” Lines explained. “Turn seven will probably have a lot of havoc, the angles you have to make to make the corner are definitely going to be different than before.”
Lines added that the tasks between last week and this week couldn’t be more different.
“I don’t want to say it’s a relief because anything at this level is pretty hard and it should be, but it’s not drafting,” Lines said. “There’s still a lot of things going on at a road course. You’ve got to be ready to clear when you’re clear because the way these cars can’t pass now on road courses, that’s huge, especially on restarts. All the little things. You’ve really got to pay attention to braking zones, that’s where wrecks can happen.”
Having already clinched, the team has some added freedom and reduced concern heading into Sunday. Playoff points, one of which is awarded to the winner of each stage and five more to the winner of the race, are the top priority for Byron, who’s also still looking for his first career win at his home track.
For Lines, his job is to try and do everything in his power to make that happen.
“Truthfully, for our team and our situation, there’s only three laps that matter: The end of stage one, end of stage two and the race win,” Lines said. “I’m just thankful to be locked in to where if something crazy happens, we’re not truly affected by it. Just hope to go have another team-24 type of day, which is to be up front all day and have a shot at the end."