dpkimmel2001
Team Owner
Drivers are by far the most important aspect of a race team. Without a good one, your team could be in trouble. Even with the best TEAM in the world, the amount of impact a driver has on the overall finish is huge. With that being said, drivers also have the biggest influence emotionally on a team. Influences that can be good or bad. A good driver can take an average team and bring them up during a race just by his attitude on the radio. Radio chatter is a big part of the race and the drivers tone can make a huge difference. The drivers listed below are the 5 best drivers to pit for in our opinion. We picked them based on what we see on TV and talking to crew members. These are our opinions that we have gathered from the limited information we have. Take a look at the list and let us know in the poll at the end whether you agree or disagree with the list.
#1 Jimmie Johnson
Besides bringing 5 championships to the table JJ is one of the best drivers on the radio to his crew. It’s a bit odd that he’s so high on our list yet his crew chief might not be. Regardless of how the race is playing out JJ has always managed to keep his calm. Over the last 10 years you can barely count the number of times on one had that Jimmie has said something bad on the radio about his crew. Not only does he keep his mouth shut but he is quick to compliment his team for good stops and races. You bring that kind of leadership and calmness to the track and you’ll find yourself on the top of the list.
#2 Tony Stewart
What you see is what you get with Tony Stewart. If you ask around pit road Tony’s name comes up continouesly as being one of the best drivers to pit for. He’s an outspoken owner/ Driver that has a magnetic personality that crew guys love. Don’t ever under estimate a crews guys want to win. Having a driver that has the same desire can be contagious. Over the years Tony has managed to get and give the respect that crew guys want. Whenever you have a driver that has the teams respect it makes the job much easier and more enjoyable even when things go good or bad. TS seems to always have his guys back and that can go a long ways in racing.
#3 Matt Kenseth
The old saying, “no news is good news”, can be true about our number 3 guy. Kenseth is very rarely in the news when it comes to radio outtakes and verbal scalding of his crew. He’s a professional at what he does and he seems to be the silent assassin when it comes to performance on the track. For years he had a loyal group of team members and crew guys at RFR. There was a reason they stayed with him. Now its time for the guys at JGR to experience one of the best drivers to pit for.
#4 Brad Keselowski
It’s not always if you win but how you win and Brad leads in a way that has his team follows. Over the last few years the maturity that he has displayed when things go wrong is what puts him on our list. Very few radio conversations, if any, have appeared over the years where Brad is laying into his team or crew over the radio. He understands there is a time and place for ranting but the radio isn’t it. With 8 wins and a championship in the last two years why wouldn’t you want to pit for him.
#5 Jeff Gordon
As a veteran of the sport JG has learned the importance of a good team. In order to get guys to follow you as a leader and continue to win, you need to be a professional at all levels. On the track he might have an aggressive behavior at times but what driver doesn’t. He has managed to keep his calm over the radio over the last few years and crew guys love to pit for him. It would be easy as a 4 time Champ to start throwing darts when things go bad but Jeff doesn’t. He’s always professional on his post race comments and seems to really value a good team around him.
From here
#1 Jimmie Johnson
Besides bringing 5 championships to the table JJ is one of the best drivers on the radio to his crew. It’s a bit odd that he’s so high on our list yet his crew chief might not be. Regardless of how the race is playing out JJ has always managed to keep his calm. Over the last 10 years you can barely count the number of times on one had that Jimmie has said something bad on the radio about his crew. Not only does he keep his mouth shut but he is quick to compliment his team for good stops and races. You bring that kind of leadership and calmness to the track and you’ll find yourself on the top of the list.
#2 Tony Stewart
What you see is what you get with Tony Stewart. If you ask around pit road Tony’s name comes up continouesly as being one of the best drivers to pit for. He’s an outspoken owner/ Driver that has a magnetic personality that crew guys love. Don’t ever under estimate a crews guys want to win. Having a driver that has the same desire can be contagious. Over the years Tony has managed to get and give the respect that crew guys want. Whenever you have a driver that has the teams respect it makes the job much easier and more enjoyable even when things go good or bad. TS seems to always have his guys back and that can go a long ways in racing.
#3 Matt Kenseth
The old saying, “no news is good news”, can be true about our number 3 guy. Kenseth is very rarely in the news when it comes to radio outtakes and verbal scalding of his crew. He’s a professional at what he does and he seems to be the silent assassin when it comes to performance on the track. For years he had a loyal group of team members and crew guys at RFR. There was a reason they stayed with him. Now its time for the guys at JGR to experience one of the best drivers to pit for.
#4 Brad Keselowski
It’s not always if you win but how you win and Brad leads in a way that has his team follows. Over the last few years the maturity that he has displayed when things go wrong is what puts him on our list. Very few radio conversations, if any, have appeared over the years where Brad is laying into his team or crew over the radio. He understands there is a time and place for ranting but the radio isn’t it. With 8 wins and a championship in the last two years why wouldn’t you want to pit for him.
#5 Jeff Gordon
As a veteran of the sport JG has learned the importance of a good team. In order to get guys to follow you as a leader and continue to win, you need to be a professional at all levels. On the track he might have an aggressive behavior at times but what driver doesn’t. He has managed to keep his calm over the radio over the last few years and crew guys love to pit for him. It would be easy as a 4 time Champ to start throwing darts when things go bad but Jeff doesn’t. He’s always professional on his post race comments and seems to really value a good team around him.
From here
