Relationships away from track important for crews

The trust fall, name tags, personality tests, awkward confessional circles about who stole the stapler last week ...

Sound familiar?

It does if you're one of the thousands living the 9-5 grind and have been forced to endure a team building exercise or corny field trip all in the name of office bonding.

But try a Cumbaya-style field trip in the "office" of NASCAR and you might be pelted with hot lug nuts and put on sanitation duty in the motorhome lot.

Team building within the NASCAR organizations is a priority, yes -- and more common today than in past years -- but they don't take their cues from "Office Space."

Whitewater rafting, trips to baseball parks and football stadiums, a day of wake boarding and boats is how NASCAR crews regroup and recoup to boost morale and communication, because in a sport where races are sometimes won and lost on pit road, crew and driver need to harmonize. And as the Chase nears, drivers especially depend on their pit crews to be on top of their game and vice versa.

Kyle Busch visits Michigan football practice.

Bonds were restored recently with Kyle Busch, who clinched a spot in the Chase at California's Sharp Aquos 500, and his crew via a Michigan football practice.

Busch and his engineer Chris Heroy watched how University of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr interacts and leads his crew of men on the gridiron.

The driver said he noticed similarities between his race team and the football team, specifically with trusting one another.

"You have to battle for each other to grind out success and you have to pick each other up," Busch said of the experience.

Picking each other up is exactly what the football players did after a brief shoving match where as soon as the whistle blew, they came together and got back in the huddle, which Busch said impressed him most.

"It just showed me that you're going to have your rough moments as a team, but you're teammates first and you know that at the end of the day everybody is working toward the same goal," Busch said. "So you just have to put it behind you and concentrate on the next play or in our case, the next race."

Experts say activities outside the workplace environment, in this case a racetrack, allow for new perspectives to be gained and communication can potentially improve. Disconnecting from work and enjoying each other's company opens new dialogues and appreciations.

Heroy, the No. 5 engineer, agrees and said it's easy to get caught up in your own individual responsibilities and forget the team element.

"During race weekends our team gets pretty locked in concentrating on the job at hand and at the shop we all go about doing our job and taking the extra step to ensure success for the next race weekend," he said. "We all have outside interests so to get a day when we can just do something together really brings us closer as a team."

A teammate of Busch, Casey Mears, is the driver of the No. 25 machine at Hendrick and has a standing lunch date with his crew and crew chief Darian Grubb, because he said it's important for him to show his gratitude.

Mears said the season is demanding, it can wear you down, but his crew keeps a high pace through it all.

"I've always felt like it's really important to let those guys know that I appreciate what they do week in and week out," Mears said. "It's a long season for everyone, and just taking some to talk away from work -- even just for lunch -- it's a good way to say, 'Hey, man, thank you.'"

Team sponsors in NASCAR also facilitate entertaining venues and events for their respective drivers. Mears, sponsored by the National Guard, took his No. 25 crew to a training facility near Salt Lake City, where they flew inside Black Hawk helicopters and performed weapons training with the guardsmen.

"It was just a fun day and a great way to bond as a team," Mears said.

Some crew members and drivers will liken the relationship to a marriage -- a lot of give and take is needed.

In May, Cup contender Denny Hamlin, the second driver to clinch a spot in the Chase this season behind Jeff Gordon, nearly divorced his crew.

Errors on pit road, Hamlin said, cost him wins earlier this season forced the team to make a major overhaul and staff change. And when Hamlin's frustration maxed out after the race in Darlington, S.C., the No. 11 Gibbs Racing driver thought to fire his entire crew.

Chip Ganassi Racing crew members said they are a close-nit group who don't foresee a situation escalating to that point.

However crew chief Steven "Bones" Lane on the No. 40 machine of David Stremme said when crews don't produce intended results, crew members can grate on one another's nerves.

So outings, such as their recent trip to Greenville, S.C., where the entire team loaded up in a Coors Light party bus and road tripped to the baseball park for the Greenville Drive game, is helpful.

And besides, lines of communication are always opened in long car rides or over frosty beverages.

"We need to see our crew for who they are outside the track," Lane said. "We don't spend enough time figuring out who we are outside the track or what we have going on in our lives. All we are worried about is racing and where we finish. This gives you a chance to get to know each other."

For engine specialist Tim Jones, the trip was refreshing.

NASCAR crew members, the No. 40 not excluded, are roommates from Thursday to Sunday and virtually eat every meal together. Getting along and learning the group dynamics is vital to success on the track.

And Jones said naturally you tend to take an extra step or go the extra mile for those you care about.

"We struggle sometimes and fight amongst ourselves but outsiders best not come in," said Jones as he watched his Stremme drive his car around the baseball field as part of promotion that evening.

"I hope he doesn't hit the wall," laughed Jones.

Stremme said there's a lot of fun to be had and the abuse goes both ways. But as long as you're willing to share blame and responsibility, the relationship functions well.

"I'm really close to my team -- we all live, eat, breath racing and need to go relax and watch a baseball game every once in a while," he said. "Anything we can do to get closer and understand each other better is good."