The Red Bull Crew: Winning It In The Pits
Thursday, May 15th, 2008 by Jim Mc Coy
Are you looking for athletes in NASCAR? If you can’t buy the argument that the drivers are, then look no further than the pit crews.
Depending on your job- it takes strength, agility, and even some foot speed. Besides that, you need precision thinking and a clear head to change tires, put gas on the car, make the needed chassis adjustments, and tear off or bang out whatever needs it on the car. Many crews have guys who’ve excelled in everything from football to hockey. These guys are a far cry from the brothers, cousins and mechanics down the street who used to make up a driver’s crew. I once watched a condensed version of the 1963 Daytona 500, the race that Tony Lund won- man, back in those days, you were doing good if a pit stop took 26-30 seconds. More than twice the time it takes now!
Tonight, congratulations are due to the Brian Vickers crew. The #83 Red Bull boys fought off the the likes of the crews for Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart to win the All-Star Pit Crew Challenge. What set them apart is all seven guys running hard clean to the finish. On more than one occasion, the team rallied in the back half of the dash to the checkered line.
Tonight’s competition is just one example of the fun during all-star week. It’s also cool to see NASCAR’s true unsung heroes with the spotlight on them for doing. All too often NASCAR pit crews are like offensive linemen in football- nobody notices them until they screw up. It’s a sight to behold watching a team doing more in 15 seconds than what my mechanic does with my car in 4 hours.
That’s just the beginning. We’ll be talking more about the upcoming race and all it’s history.
But tonight..the light shines….on NASCAR’s lesser lights.
Never let it be said that it doesn’t take athleticism to compete in NASCAR.
Spread the Boom:
