PIT STOPS: JACKS OF ALL TRADES
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Four tires; 22 gallons of fuel; seven men; 18 seconds. These
are the numbers comprising a successful NASCAR Winston Cup pit stop. The media might interview the driver in the winner's circle, but often it's the teamwork of his pit crew that gives him the winning edge. For Terry Labonte, the work of his pit crew helped the Winston Cup champ claim his first victory of the season in the Sears DieHard 500 at Talladega.
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As the car pulls into the pit, the front tire changers (FT & FC) and the Jack Man
(J) are already onto pit road. They slip around the front of the car and the jack rolls under the car as it
comes to a stop. Within seconds, the right-side tires have been changed, the gas tank is filling, and the
tire crews are heading to the left side of the car. Refueling is a two-man operation, with the Gas Man (GM)
and the Gas Catcher (GC).
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| Midway through the stop, the Front Tire Carrier (FT) is able to find some time to clean the grill of debris. To avoid getting in the way, he then waits at the pit wall with a new tire until the Jack Man (J) comes around. Likewise, the Rear Tire Carrier (RT) and the Gas Man (GM) wait at the wall for the Rear Tire Changer (RC) to come around to the rear left tire. NASCAR regulations allow only seven men to work on the car during stops, so the additional support (S) must stay on the wall, unless there is an emergency.
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