|
| For the individuals who work on Mark's Winston Cup team, there is nothing more rewarding than helping create and/or service a fast car, a car that is capable of winning races. And when that car does win a race, that's when team members smile and admit the hard work and long hours were worth it. |
Who are the crew members and what do they do?NASCAR Winston Cup team members come from all walks of live, but they all have one thing in common: a love of cars and racing. Let's get one thing straight. Being a member of a NASCAR Winston Cup team is hard work. The hours can be long and the travel can be extensive. And, yep, a team member does get dirty. After all, he works with cars - and that means grease and oil... you get the idea. Today's NASCAR Winston Cup teams are housed in gleaming, clean shops that have all the latest in technology. The equipment used can range from a simple wrench to a very expensive computer or dynamometer(that's a huge, computerized machine designed to test engines) But nothing works right without the teams members' skill and expertise. |
How many people are on a Cup team?It varies. Some teams have many people while others have a rather limited number. The difference is based on the financial resources a team has. Teams with more money tend to hire more people. And the competition in NASCAR Winston Cup racing is so intense it often requires teams to bring certain services in-house when they used to have them outside of the shop, like engine building and car fabricating. Most of today's teams strive to build all their engines and cars from the ground up in their own shops, and that means acquiring the people necessary to do the jobs. |
What are the various jobs on a team?THE CREW CHIEF: The crew chief is not only responsible for making keen and quick decisions on a race car but is also totally responsible for his team. He is a: PIT BOSS Strategy is a central part of NASCAR Winston Cup competition. For a crew chief,that means determining when to pit and what to do during each pit stop. It also means determining when not to pit. He evaluates the pit crew and decides what exactly will be done on each pit stop and who will do each job. Imagine a football coach on the sidelines, wearing a headset and intensely watching his team on the field. He's calling he plays, he's making substitutions, he's thinking about what to do next. That gives you a pretty good picture of a NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chief. 
COACHHe is responsible for the quality of his team, like the coach in any professional sport. To that end, he has to motivate, energize and communicate. He also has to help develop the talents of his crew and use the right people in the right jobs. Teamwork is the key here, and it is the crew chief's responsibility to see that it exists. If members of a team aren't working well together, then the entire team will suffer. But a crew chief doesn't do it all by himself. He usually has a close relationship with his driver. Few NASCAR Winston Cup teams have been successful without the right chemistry between the driver and the crew chief. They have to trust each other. A good crew chief will always try to communicate with and accommodate his driver. After all, it's the driver who has to run all those fast miles in the car. If something is not right on the car, the driver must be able to communicate the problem to the crew chief so he can correct the problem. 
SKILLED MECHANICIt goes without saying that a crew chief has to know pretty much everything there is to know about a race car. He has to understand fully how a car works and what it takes to make it run at optimum effieiency. Some crew chiefs go well beyond the call of duty and actually perform pit crew duties, such as changing tires, themselves. In fact, being a member of a pit crew and gaining valuable hands-on experience (and, obviously, learning from another crew chiel) is how many crew chiefs are born. |
|
THE PIT CREW:
If you look at the pit area for any NASCAR Winston Cup team, you'll
see a lot of people. That's because, as we have said, many
individuals who work at the shop are also needed at the track.
The engine builder and the chassis specialist are a couple of examples. But the actual pit crew is composed of individuals who service the car during a pit stop. NASCAR allows only seven individuals to go "over the wall" to service a car during a pit stop. The active pit crew is composed of: 
THE FRONT TIRE CHANGERObviously, it's his job to change the right and left front tires. THE REAR TIRE CHANGER You can probably figure him out. He's the guy who changes the right and left rear tires. THE JACK MAN He has been known as the "leader of the pit stop." It's his job to jack the car up so that the tires can be replaced. The faster he works, the faster the tires can be changed. The jack man uses a special rolling jack that is designed to be light (it weighs about twenty pounds) yet powerful, allowing him to to raise the car quickly and with minimal effort. When he's done on the right side he goes to the left. The driver takes off when the jack man drops the car. 
THE GAS MANThe gas man, uh... puts the gas in the car. He uses a special gas can equipped with a customized valve that fits easily into the car's gas port and empties the fuel quickly. When this can is full, it can weigh up to ninety pounds. Most regular pit stops require him to empty two full cans. THE GAS CATCH MAN He is responsible for catching any overflow of fuel. He applies a special container( a "catch can") to the car's gasoline overflow vent to allow him to gather up any gas that flows back from a full tank. The amount of gasoline caught in the catch can is sometimes crucial to a team's strategy. The gas catch man may also be responsible for holding the second full gas can on his shoulder. THE TIRE CARRIERS There are usually two tire carriers(one each for the front and the back of the car). They bring the new replacement tures and help guide them correctly onto the lugs. The front tire carrier may also be responsible for cleaning the grille. Depending on the team, there may also be many additional members of the team working in the pit crew. Other important responsibilities are giving the driver a drink (many times by a special pole that is reached into the car from behind the wall), washing the windshield, assisting the tire changers and carriers, filling gas cans and holding the pit board. But remember, no matter how many people a team has working in the pits, NASCAR mandates that only seven are allowed over the wall at any given time. 
THE SPOTTERSA spotter acts as a watchdog for a driver during the race. He works at the highest point available at a speedway (i.e. on top of the control tower) and intently watches the race for everything that is going on. He is in constant communication with the driver and tells him things like where and when an accident has occurred and how to avoid it, when he has cleared another car while making a pass and where the leaders are on the track. Essentially, he sees what the driver cannot see and thus performs an invaluable duty. 
HEAD ENGINE BUILDERThis individual is responsible for building and maintaining engines. It's his job to create the most powerful and durable engines possible. He acquires all the necessary parts and oversees the assembly and testing. Most head engine builders have several assistants because many specific types of engines have to be built for all the different types of tracks the NASCAR Winston Cup series races on. They are required to be ready well ahead of time - and, obviously there have to be several of them. The assistants may be specialized, working solely with cylinder heads, qualifying engines, or the dynamometer, among other things. THE FABRICATOR In a sense, the fabricator builds the car. Specifically, he takes the sheet metal delivered from the car manufacturer and attaches it to the frame of the car. He also shapes and hangs custom sheet metal - sheet metal that he fashions himself. After all the sheet metal is placed, it must conform to NASCAR templates. Most teams have several fabricators. 
THE CHASSIS SPECIALISTWhile the fabricator works on the outside of the car, the chassis specialist is responsible for much of its internal workings. This individual works with the shock absorbers, springs, sway bars, weight ratios... in general, he's responsible for the overall handling of the car while it's on the race track. Some chassis specialists actually construct the chassis itself. THE TRUCK DRIVER He is the truck (hauler) driver. He's in command of the team's tractor-trailer rig, and that means much more than just driving it. He has to keep it properly serviced, stocked fully with all necessary equipment (from extra parts to food), and cleaned. He transports pretty much everything but the people to and from each race track. GEAR AND TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST This individual builds, maintains and replaces gears, transmissions and all the necessary parts. MECHANICS Most teams have an army of mechanics and many of them specialize in particular areas. Some work exclusively on brakes. Some work with tires. Some are welders. Some are body men. Some are in the paint shop. Some are machinists. Some are required to work exclusively in acquiring and warehousing parts. You get the idea. TEAM MANAGER The team manager is responsible for the overall operation of the team, which means most, if not all, of the administrative and personnel work. They pay the bills, set the schedules, hire workers... just about everything required for the smooth day-to-day operation of the team. Of course, like any good business, a team has all the necessary "nonracing" personnel, including marketing and public relations representatives, receptionships, secretaries, accountants, office managers, pilots and even folks who sweep the floors. |
| BACK |