S
SuperTex14
Guest
I know there are some insiders around here, so I'd like to throw this out for discussion:
During the pre-race show yesterday before the Pure Michigan 400, they showed a segment about Hendrick's try-outs for new pit crew members.
A little background if you didn't see the piece: Hendrick Racing (and probably all the other big teams) has an ex-pro football scout who's job is to identify and recruit mostly college athletes, so they have fresh young talent in the pipeline. They are invited to Hendrick's facility and put through a bunch of pit-stop type drills to see if any have natural talents, and the ones who show potential are offered positions on their 'developmental teams'. During the piece, one or more of the guys said something to the extent of "I don't know anything about racing or racecars...", to which the scout and coaches said "that's okay, we don't want you to know anything. We are looking for people with natural ability..." (paraphrasing here).
That makes sense, but then something happens during the race like what happened to the 48 yesterday, and all of the tire carriers/changers, jackmen, and fuel monkeys are peering under the hood trying to diagnose a mechanical problem while Chad hollers on the radio from the war wagon. Those are the same guys, right? I mean, did I miss that the engine guys went over the wall and were the ones looking at the car in the pit stall? I'd assume that the regular pit crew would be the first ones out there to go through their choreographed routine first, then do extra stuff like open the hood or pound out sheet metal.
I know that most teams cross-train pit crew members to do different jobs depending on circumstances, so do they hire football players, then teach them engine stuff? I don't mean wrenching chassis adjustments or pulling/packing spring rubbers, that's easy stuff to teach as they get brought up through the system.
Here's the TL;DR - If the best pit crews only have to be fast with a lug gun or floor jack, how do they know what they're looking at under the hood of a racecar when the engine breaks?
During the pre-race show yesterday before the Pure Michigan 400, they showed a segment about Hendrick's try-outs for new pit crew members.
A little background if you didn't see the piece: Hendrick Racing (and probably all the other big teams) has an ex-pro football scout who's job is to identify and recruit mostly college athletes, so they have fresh young talent in the pipeline. They are invited to Hendrick's facility and put through a bunch of pit-stop type drills to see if any have natural talents, and the ones who show potential are offered positions on their 'developmental teams'. During the piece, one or more of the guys said something to the extent of "I don't know anything about racing or racecars...", to which the scout and coaches said "that's okay, we don't want you to know anything. We are looking for people with natural ability..." (paraphrasing here).
That makes sense, but then something happens during the race like what happened to the 48 yesterday, and all of the tire carriers/changers, jackmen, and fuel monkeys are peering under the hood trying to diagnose a mechanical problem while Chad hollers on the radio from the war wagon. Those are the same guys, right? I mean, did I miss that the engine guys went over the wall and were the ones looking at the car in the pit stall? I'd assume that the regular pit crew would be the first ones out there to go through their choreographed routine first, then do extra stuff like open the hood or pound out sheet metal.
I know that most teams cross-train pit crew members to do different jobs depending on circumstances, so do they hire football players, then teach them engine stuff? I don't mean wrenching chassis adjustments or pulling/packing spring rubbers, that's easy stuff to teach as they get brought up through the system.
Here's the TL;DR - If the best pit crews only have to be fast with a lug gun or floor jack, how do they know what they're looking at under the hood of a racecar when the engine breaks?
Jimmy hit the wall at Pocono came in and went out..drove around the track with a plug wire off. If I had my head under the hood, I sure could tell if it was running on seven cylinders. I see your point for sure. They think it is more important to be fast
