Mike Calinoff is the spotter for the #17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion of Matt Kenseth in the NSCS, #6 Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the NNS and the #8 Chevrolet of Nelson Piquet Jr. in the NCWTS. Calinoff's professional career has been centered on the sport of auto racing. And most of his involvement in the sport has included winning races. In fact, he has visited victory lane more than any other active NASCAR spotter.
Melissa Wright (MW): Tell me a little bit about Mike Calinoff the person:
Mike Calinoff (MC): I guess the standard answer to this question is that I'm a "simple guy who loves racing," but it isn't the case. I've got a pretty hectic life by choice. I usually have two or three business projects going at the same time and I like being busy. In addition, I write a column for SPEED and Ford Racing, and I'm on Sirius NASCAR Radio once a week. Every day is different for me and, with the exception of the weekends, I don't have much of a schedule -- I kind of do things when I want. That takes a while to get to a point where you can do that, but I've worked pretty hard to make that happen. I like making people laugh because life is too short. And I always say that "misery is optional."
MW: How and when did you become a spotter?
MC: NASCAR defines the spotter’s role as a “safety device,” but over the years it has evolved into much more than that. The drivers are basically in a cocoon when they’re in their cars, and they’ve got very limited visibility. Although they can see well through the windshield, they cannot see past the car ahead of them. So, if there is trouble on the track, they rely on the spotter to give them that information. There is no visibility on either side, so if the driver is making a pass, we need to tell them when it is “clear” to move up. So, we are giving a lot of different information , pretty much at the same time, throughout the race. We only get a quick break when there is a caution period.
MW: How long have you spotted for Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Nelson Piquet Jr.?
MC: I started with Matt in the Cup Series in his rookie year, 2000. I left at the end of 2005 to go work at Ganassi with David Stremme. He lost his job at the end of 2007, but Chip asked me to stay and work with Dario Franchitti. I did that until they lost their sponsor in the middle of the year and then I spent my weekends at the beach for a few months. Tony Stewart and I have been friends for a long time so he asked if I would go and spot for the Chase in 2008 with him. I had already signed to go back to Roush Fenway and work with Matt at that time, so I knew it was only going to be for 10 races. We won Talladega, which was a race that eluded him for many years, so that was pretty cool to be able to do that with him.
I've been with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the Nationwide Series since he started in 2010 and with Nelson in the Camping World Truck Series since this year, which is also his first.
MW: Describe your relationship between you and Daytona 500 winner, Matt Kenseth.
MC: Matt and I have a really great relationship. We both share the same sense of humor and we get along very well. There is a great level of trust that the driver has to have in his spotter and that definitely exists with us. He's a awesome driver and a really good friend. I'm blessed to be able to work with a guy like that.
MW: Which teams have you spotted for (other than your current status)?
MC: Back when I first started, I'd spot for just about anyone who needed a spotter. Pretty much any under-funded team who was willing to give me a radio. I did that for a few years until I started meeting more people who would give me an opportunity to get with a better team. I've worked with Brett Bodine, Jimmy Spencer and Ricky Craven. When Roush started the No. 17 team with Matt, they asked me to do a trial race. Apparently, it went well!
MW: How would you describe the way you spot for each driver, is there a different technique?
MC: Everybody wants and needs something different. When I'm working with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. or Nelson Piquet, I take on a coaching role in addition to the standard spotting. With Matt, I'm giving him plenty of information about how the leaders are driving the track so that he can improve his lap times if necessary. With all the drivers, I'm also usually a cheerleader. But I don't wear the skirt or shake any pom-poms.MW: When it comes to incidents on the track, how do you feel about the criticism the spotters receive?
MC: Typically, the criticism comes from the TV broadcasters, which is kind of funny because that's all speculation. Unless they are listening to the radio chatter in real time, they have no idea whose fault in an incident was. We all make mistakes; just like a tire-changer leaves a lugnut loose or the jackman lets the car down to early or a gas man doesn't get the car full. It's all part of it, none of us are perfect. If I feel that I've made a mistake -- and I have -- I just own up to it and we all move on.
MW: How do you prepare for race day?
MC: About an hour before the race I start listening to music on my iPod which takes me away from over-thinking the race. I also eat sunflower seeds.
MW: Tandem two-car packs or pack racing?
MC: Love the three-wide packs!
MW: How do you feel about the yellow line rule?
MC: I think they should paint it a different color.
MC: All the peripherals of the travel are what makes it tough most of the time. It's a lot of time away from home and I miss my dogs all the time. As far as the job itself, the only challenges we face are views from some of the spotters stands on the circuit, although most places are pretty good. The other element is being able to deal with adversity on the track. Drivers typically get antsy when things aren't going well. It's our job to help keep them in the game and focused.
MW: What is your schedule like between spotting for Trucks, Nationwide and Cup series? How do you stay alert on the stand for such long hours?
MC: I actually enjoy when all three series are running together. The practice days are long, but you do get three chances to win -- so that's pretty cool.
MW: What are your favorite/least favorite tracks to spot at?
MC: I love them all really. I enjoy the plate races because it is a different style of spotting these days. I'm not a big fan of the two-car push, but it's pretty nuts to spot and I kind of like that. I also enjoy the short tracks like Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond because it reminds me of my roots and the action is pretty tight. I could do without the road courses.
MW: What is your greatest achievement? Future goals?
MC: I guess my greatest achievements would have to be winning the championship with Matt in 2003 and the Daytona 500 in 2009. For the future, I'd like to be part of winning the Nationwide title with Ricky and Rookie of the Year with Nelson.
MW: What is your best and worst memory in your career?
MC: There are plenty in both categories, but winning Daytona and a championship is tough to top. There aren't a lot of bad memories really. Maybe days when you had a great car and blew an engine or something. Those are pretty disappointing days.
MC: Honestly, I like the way things are with NASCAR these days. They've made some cool adjustments to the races with things like the double-file restarts. I think the races need to be shorter at places like Pocono and I would like to see more Saturday night Cup races so that we can be home on Sunday.
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After just 10 starts in the 2011 season, Kenseth has one pole, one win, three top 5s and four top 10s. He is currently 10th in the Cup Series points. Stenhouse Jr. has one pole, two top 5s, seven top 10s and is currently 5th in the Nationwide Series points after 10 starts. Rookie Piquet Jr. is 17th in points after all five starts in the NCWTS. He has both a top-5 and top-10 finish.In addition to his work as a spotter, Mike serves as CEO of many companies. One of which includes Activ8 Development, a full-service agency and consulting group for young drivers. Calinoff followed the footsteps of his father Len Calinoff. Mike spent most of his time working on the media side of the sport. He was the head announcer for a number of years at Riverhead and Islip and also wrote for various racing publications throughout the '80s. He never had the interest in driving himself. His focus was always getting into other sides of the sport – broadcasting, officiating, marketing, those types of areas and he has succeeded.
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Melissa Wright is a freelance writer who currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas. Her column, Over the Wall consists of the unsung heroes in motorsports. She can also be found on Twitter
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