Ten Questions With Nick Hayes (Richard Childress Racing)

[CPG Marketing]

Nick Hayes has proven to be a major force in two championship winning race programs. In the international racing scene, Hayes is known as the former Cosworth Engineering chief engine designer who worked on the Cosworth engine that won the 1994 Formula 1 World Championship with driver Michael Schumacher and the Benetton team.





In 2005, Hayes brought his wealth of Formula 1 engine expertise to NASCAR. As Engine Development and Research Director for Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Hayes and his team earned the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Championship and conquered the 2007 Daytona 500 in NASCAR Nextel Cup, both with driver Kevin Harvick.

P & P: How did you get your start in engine building?
N. H.: It’s a long story but I’ll keep it short. One day I got a call from Keith Duckworth, the founder of Cosworth Engineering who wanted to talk to me. After a five-hour chat, he offered me a job.

P & P: Did you drive race cars?
N. H.: Oh no, I’m just not capable. I know what to stay away from. Being an engineer and working toward making things faster for other people to drive is as far as I should go!

P & P: How did you start working with RCR?
N. H.: Richard Childress decided he needed to invest in engine R & D. From that decision, I received a call from Spenny Clendenen RCR Engine Shop Business Manager and he asked if I knew someone who would be interested in coming to RCR. Long story short, I said I might be interested and over two years later here I am at RCR.

P & P: Working for RCR carries a lot of responsibilities for success, what one thing keeps you on the cutting edge of engine building?
N. H.: That’s simple. It’s the people we have here. A common trait of successful teams is the people - people who are dedicated to the team and are the best at what they do.

P & P: Who has been the biggest influence in your engine building?
N. H.: Working at Cosworth was the biggest overall influence. I learned the most about engines from the people who worked there. But it was Keith Duckworth, founder and chairman of Cosworth Engineering, who had influence on everyone there.

P & P: You are a part of the organization that was built around Dale Earnhardt. How does his legacy affect the performance philosophy at RCR?
N. H.: I have a great sense of his legacy because it comes through from all who work here. Many of the people I work with were here during the Earnhardt era, and they convey the sense of competition that was at the core of his career.

P & P: What has been the most important moment in your racing career?
N. H.: The 1994 Formula 1 season when we won the 1994 Formula 1 World Championship with Michael Schumacher and the Benetton team. Today, the most important moment is the next race and doing as well as we can in that.

P & P: Looking forward, what do you believe will be the most critical area of concentration for continued engine development?
N. H.: When it comes to engine building, you have to focus on the total engine. That means each part of the engine has to become better. That’s why we make sure we are working to make every part of the engine better.

P & P: What do you do for Rest and Relaxation?
N. H.: What’s that? No really, I do get some. If there is something my son wants to do, then that will be high on the list (like taking him to see a soccer game).

P & P: If you were not building engines, what would you do for a career?
N. H.: I always wanted to be in racing, so if it wasn’t with engines, it would have been working with the chassis.