November 1, 2002

One your marks, get set, Go!

Fans once again its time for one of most entertaining moments of the NASCAR Winston Cup season. The Union 76/Rockingham World Pit Crew Championship.

This week at the “Rock” we will see the best of the best square off in what has become a tradition in the sport. The Winston Cup magic men of the air gun go head to head looking to walk away with the 2002 season bragging rights.

Last year (2001) we witnessed history with the Dewalt Power Tools team turning out a blistering effort with a new record at 17.695 seconds. That’s four tars changed with the lugs tightened.

After this precision process takes place the lugs are checked with a calibrated and certified torque wrench. In the 2000 event Steve Parks DEI crew under the leadership of Paul Andrews knocked off a blistering stop of 17.907 seconds but, suffered a loose lug nut and was penalized three seconds. The 2000 competition would see the Roush Racing team of the No. 99 Ford Taurus walk away with bragging rights after firing off with an 18.355 second stop.

After looking at some past events we see a trend toward faster times every year. The 1999 times were crushed by .811 seconds in the 2000 event. In 2001 the winning effort blew away the 2000 results by .660 of a second. So we can see a trend of nearly half of a second per year as a basis of improvement from the teams.

The fastest team does not always win as stated above with the DEI team that had a great stop but was red flagged for a loose lug. This competition is a one shot deal that offers a lot of tension and pressure for the teams.

We have come along way since we first started noticing the pit crews of NASCAR. Looking back to 1965 we note a turning point when the Wood Brothers were asked to go to Indianapolis to pit the car of Jimmy Clark. The Ford Motor company wanted the Woods in what would turn out to be a victory for Clark whom led 190 of 200 laps that day. Ford Motor Company got the win in what was their first ever at Indy.

Sure things have progressed since those days with the Woods but, from that envisioned passion the modern day pit crew of today was born. Weight training and specialized programs coupled with endless hours of practice have pointed the way to the pit times that we see today. Communication and an emphasis on detail leads the way to the future of this process.

Will we see another .500 second shaved off the record this year?

I actually look for the pit crews to be an area that will come to the forefront of this sport in the future, even more so than what we see today. It will take perhaps one superstar to emerge in this field to make this happen. One day we will look to the pit crew as a team of noted stars. We are not at that point yet. This is an untapped area crying out for fame.

So its hats off to all the Winston Cup pit crews this week in what should be an exciting event. If history is any indicator we may see the record fall this year.

You can contact Joe at: Insider Racing News