by Larry McReynolds

Unfortunately, I never found the off-season. In fact, teams probably work harder during the off-season than they do during the race season. They may not travel as much, but I've been in the wind tunnel the night before Christmas Eve. It's a cycle that never ends, especially when major changes are thrown at the teams by the manufacturer (Dodge's new Charger) and NASCAR (cutting an inch off of the rear spoiler).

I always felt very fortunate if I could give my guys a week away during the off-season. As the competition and technology grew along with the accessibility to wind tunnels, time off got harder and harder to come by. When we went to the 2000 Monte Carlo during my last year as a crew chief, the only day we did not work during the off-season was Christmas Day. We left the shop at about lunchtime on Christmas Eve, and we let the guys come in a little bit late on New Year's Day.

We tried to be smart with our teams, and I know a lot of teams are letting the guys pick the week that they want to take off. Not every guy would want a week off between Christmas and New Year's. Some guys would want to take off during Thanksgiving. You're still able to give guys time off without slowing down preparations for the upcoming season because it creeps up on you. In two months, Speedweeks will be over, and in less than a month, all of the testing at Daytona will be completed so the off-season flies by.

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I try to slow down around the holidays and remember what the holiday is all about. I especially like to spend time with my family. You hope that teams try to allow their people to do the same, especially the people who are on the road for 38 to 40 weeks a year.

Let's also remember families who have lost loved ones this holiday season. Tommy Baldwin will not be able to celebrate Christmas with his father this year. NBC Universal Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol and his family will not have their youngest son to enjoy the holidays. And, of course, the holidays will be very different this year for the families of the 10 people who died in an airplane crash near Martinsville, Va. in October. We want to make sure we remember all of those families, like the family of Scott Lathram, Tony Stewart's helicopter pilot. Lathram left a wife and three children who will be without their husband and dad this Christmas as well.

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FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"Larry McReynolds: The Big Picture" is on bookstore shelves now, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.