Changes at RGM

Hearing the new Foreman at RGM's facility is none other than Johnny Kaiser .

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Permalink Reply by NIKAL on September 17, 2008 at 12:37pm

As far as moving the off-road shop back East, I too heard that a year or two ago also. I would think it would be a challenge. The reason why is they are two different worlds. IMO the off-road world, not to knock the NASCAR scene is way more technical and the quality of what is being built is way better then what these NASCAR teams are doing. I'm not saying that NASCAR is not high tech. I's saying they dont build their cars to last like off-road cars. They wreak a chassis they toss it out. NASCAR uses seemless mild steel and in off-road we use chromoly, in NASCAR they mig weld their cars where in off-road most top cars are tig welded. RG has said his one TT cost more then his whole fleet of Cup cars minus motors.

Also labor is much cheaper back East and to get a off-road guy to commit to moving back their and then to keep paying him what he is worth in California is probably not going to happen. Would and could RGM still afford to keep Roger who runs the off-road side in Cali? Would Roger even want to leave? How many guy's that work their would actually want to go back East? Where do you find guys back East that would understand a sport that is basically a West coast sport?

One example is wiring. I was talking to one of RG's good friends at Fontana and I we were talking about the electrical issues RGM has had. I was saying how does this happen? Its not like RG does not know how and who to speak too, to get good wiring. It was then said to me that a guy who wires stock cars might get a few hundred dollars per car. Most are wired in house by a guy who does more then just wire cars. He might make $30- 40 grand a year. In the off-road world we have wiring specialist who wire these cars. Thats all they do is wire cars. And to wire a TT can cost as much as $8-$10 grand. Depending on how much high tech computers and gadgets you have in the TT. I personally know a basic off-road car like what I race is around $3 grand to wire.

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Permalink Reply by Blues on September 17, 2008 at 2:14pm

All very good ponts. No shit, Nascar tubes are mild steel? Is that because they want them to bend when they crash?

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Permalink Reply by NIKAL on September 17, 2008 at 3:40pm

Technically the material is called DOM. Basically its a seemless mild steel. I'm guessing they require DOM because it is seemless and wont split during impact, yet it is soft enough to bend at impact. Chomolly is much lighter and stronger, but it does not want to bend like mild does. Also mild or DOM welds easier and making sure you have good weld penetration is easier with mild. Thats also why I was told they do not allow TIG welded chassis. And the fact to TIG a chassis will take twice as long and cost much more.

I have not looked very close at any COT cars. But in the past I have looked at many COY and current Nationwide cars. And I have seen how these teams replace front and rear clips, and just how some of these cars are built. Some of my comments have been like "What the F*ck! I would not want to hit the wall at 180 in that!" I swear I have seen better stick welding.

You have to figure though in the NASCAR world where the industry in Charlotte is saturated with people, so these teams are probably not paying these guys top dollar, compared to other welding industry's. And the fact that these guys are cutting up bent cars and welding clips on every week, just knowing it will be back again. If I was them I to would not be looking to weld a bead that looks like a row of nickals either.

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Permalink Reply by Blues on September 17, 2008 at 4:06pm

Thanks for the info. I've seen some of the hack jobs on the show cars, but I figured they were just stuck together strong enough to get in and out of the trailer. I'm so confused, I thought Mickey Mouse lived here in Anaheim....

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Permalink Reply by HazMat870 on September 17, 2008 at 12:26pm

Why not bring in the off-road guys. They have a fresh view of what is going on and they can think outside the box. If you keep hiring nascar guys you keep getting the same old ideas.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on September 17, 2008 at 1:29pm

Thinking outside the box might have been helpful with the old car.COT's(crap of today)limit
creativity or out of the box think'n-Thanks Na$crap. Mike

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Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on September 17, 2008 at 3:18pm

I would think RG bringing the Off Road program into the shop to be a show piece would generate more sponsor revenue and credibility to the Cup side. This would clearly generate way more for both programs in the long run than the cost for the increased labor and transport.

Similar to how Penske and Ganassi have their Indy programs in-house and on display.

I think the main reason the offroad program is 3000 miles away is to keep RG focused in his day job.

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Permalink Reply by Mike/WC77 on September 17, 2008 at 3:28pm

I'd like to see the o-r guys do the shocks. Don't know that much else they do translates.
I mean a racer, is a racer, but we've seen the learning curve this COT has put on the regular guys. On the other hand, it might be a good thing to have someone who is learning how to make this car fast, instead of trying to make it like the old cars.
I'm on the fence, I guess we'll see how it works...

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Permalink Reply by Butterknife7 on September 17, 2008 at 4:08pm

I love the comment about his "day job". I often wonder deep down in his heart which Robby is...An off-road guy that races in Nascar guy or a Nascar guy that off-road is a hobby? And I wonder if his heart has a different answer than his head! (Just things that wander around in my head from time to time). He certainly straddles two very different worlds, and seems to make himself half crazy trying to be amazing in both.

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Permalink Reply by Mike/WC77 on September 17, 2008 at 4:33pm

Butters, go check out the 9/15 issue of SI. Theres a 1 page interview with Robby in there. He says that it wouldn't matter if they got 43 Polaris RZRs,& raced them in a parking lot, he'd have just as much fun. RG continued to say he'd race somebody on a big wheel, given the chance. The guy just loves to compete.
Oh, on a sidenote, theres also a pole of approx 1/2 the active Sprint Cup drivers in there. The question who do you least like to pass came up also. Robby was the top name with (I believe) 38%