It’s the drivers who stand on the podium. It’s their faces that become recognizable to the fans given enough skill and success.
However, they do not reach those heights alone. The best drivers stand on the shoulders of their pit crews. NASCAR and their sponsors acknowledge this fact through a number of awards and prizes that are award to the fastest and best performing pit crews.
Why is the pit crew so important? Any second lost in the pits equates to valuable track space. When winning margins average only two seconds no driver can afford to be stuck in the pits. Pit crew members are athletes who have to do their work very quickly and precisely. On top of that, everyone except the gas man and gas catch man (who catches fuel overflow) has to handle the tires. Each nitrogen-filled tire weighs about 58 pounds and pit crew members toss them around as if they weighed nothing. These men are physically fit athletes who are highly trained to work together as a team. Losing a pit crew member to injury or illness can be a disaster for a driver and a team. Bringing in a new man can upset the entire system the crew uses.
A good pit crew is an essential part of a driver’s success and their skill can make or break a race or even a career.The information party rocks on: Students exercise muscles and STEM skills for pit crew challege