Read the prompt and answer the following questions. The fourth question is an extra credit opportunity and will require some additional research. Please make sure to include any links you find in your research.

When you think of auto racing, do you first think of drivers $...$ or teamwork? Watch any televised race, and the majority of the camera time is dedicated to the drivers and their cars. But the driver is simply one member of a larger team that works together to achieve maximum performance. When the driver wins, the team wins as well, and the driver is the first to thank them.

In the world of competitive auto racing, the drivers are the sport$$s rock stars. They$$re courted by sponsors, adored by fans, and made the subject of interview after interview by the racing press. While it goes without saying that drivers are absolutely essential to earning a trophy, racing enthusiasts, teammates, and especially drivers will tell you that they can$$t win the race by themselves$$it takes a great team to win a race.

Although three of the major forms of professional auto racing$$NASCAR$,$ Formula One, and rally car racing$$each use different vehicles, rules, and team structures, teamwork is the common denominator among them. Ray Evernham, former crew chief and team manager for Hendrick Motorsports$$s DuPont car, describes teamwork this way: $$We$$re all spark plugs. If one doesn$$t fire just right, we can$$t win the race. So no matter whether you are the guy that$$s doing the fabricating or changing tires on Sundays and that$$s the only job responsibility you have, if you don$$t do your job then we$$re not going to win. And no one is more or less important than you.$$

What are the qualities of successful racing teams? Let$$s take a look.

NASCAR

NASCAR is the most widely known and watched racing sport in the United States, and the popularity and success of Jeff Gordon have more than a little to do with that. Gordon has the most wins in NASCAR$$s modern era, has the third$-$most all$-$time wins, and has become a spokesperson for the importance of teamwork in NASCAR racing. $$My job to communicate is probably the most important thing,$$ Gordon has said. $$Because I$$ve got to send a message from the race car and the racetrack back to the team so that they can make the proper adjustments.$$

Cars running in NASCAR races hit speeds over $200$ miles per hour. But winning or losing can be decided by tenths of a second. Although it$$s the driver who gets featured in the winner$$s circle and in all the advertisements, the difference between crossing the finish line first or losing the race often comes down to the pits, where the efforts of teammates with titles like Car Chief, Fueler, Jackman, Tire Carrier, and Changer have to operate together in just the right way. It$$s in a crowded pit lane that tires get changed, windshields cleaned, fenders bent back into shape, and spring and balance adjustments fine$-$tuned. Any seconds saved by pit crews are a driver$$s best friends. Little wonder that racing teams give high priority to hiring the right crew chiefs and building high$-$performance pit crew teams to maximize their winning chances on race days.

In his analysis of successful NASCAR teams, Robert Williamson notes that an essential characteristic is a team$$s sense of ownership for all actions$$We won the race, we hit the wall, we had a tire problem, we missed the setup for the track, we nailed that pit stop,$$ rather than noting the success or shortcoming of an individual.

It$$s impossible for a car to complete a NASCAR race without multiple visits to the pit, and these pit stops are often the best example of teamwork in the sport. Aside from the skill and muscle memory of the pit crew members, other teammates contribute by modifying parts and equipment so they can be changed out in less time. In Sprint Cup racing, NASCAR$$s highest designation, pit stops can happen in fewer than $20$ seconds!

Sprint Cup winner Jimmie Johnson cites the importance of cohesive teamwork even before a car is assembled and tested on the track. $$If you really know each other then, you know what each other is looking for, you$$ve built that foundation and belief on the teammates $[$and$]$ the engineers, you can split those hairs and get it right.$$

Formula One

The Formula One drivers, team members, and fans have one quality that sets them above all other racing participants: the need for speed. Formula One fields the fastest circuit racing cars in the world, screaming down the track at top speeds as high as $225$ miles per hour. Unlike in other racing sports, Formula One teams are required to build their own chassis. Although teams procure specialized engines from specific manufacturers, they are primarily responsible for building their cars from the ground up$.$

Each formula has its own set of rules that eligible cars must meet $($Formula One being the fastest of these designations$).$ The McLaren team, one of the most successful in Formula One, and former McLaren engineering director