A lot of the magic also happens down in the pit box, and most of the time, the crew’s valiant efforts go somewhat unappreciated.

They are there each week in a narrow pit stall alongside 42 other teams, all battling for the win: Front tire changer, front tire carrier, rear tire changer, rear tire carrier, jack man and gas man. 

As I sat in front of the television cheering on pole winner Brad in the Camping World RV Sales 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, I began thinking about what was taking place down on pit row at the Magic Mile.  Brad does an incredible job driving as we all know, but it occurred to me that a lot of the magic also happens down in the pit box, and most of the time, the crew’s valiant efforts go somewhat unappreciated.

Pit crews have been an important part of Nascar since its creation in the 1940s, but they’ve come a long way since those days of pre-impact wrench tire changes, and hand-written communication boards instead of radios. With the evolution of crews from the past, who have morphed into the world class talents we see in the pits today, fitness and agility are the gold standard used when putting together this part of the team. Pit crews now train as vigorously as any other professional athletes because Nascar teams have discovered that these qualities have a direct effect on pit stop times as well as race results. A stellar pit stop time in the box can actually move a car up in track position, and be a major part of making it into victory lane.

In an excellent article, ESPN.com writer David Newton explained that crew members train in specialized facilities, and work out with the same intensity as other professional teams do. David wrote that when Brad originally came to the Penske team, he “saw the importance of physical fitness for the entire team, and had a big part in the building of the team weight room.”

Cardiovascular fitness and resistance training help increase athletic speed, and the quicker a tire changer or jack man gets to his position, the quicker the resulting pit stop can be. Hours are now spent at training facilities working out during the week, in addition to practicing pit stops in preparation for the few seconds an actual in-race pit stop takes.

Facing danger week after week, being able to remain cool under intense pressure and maintaining the ability to think on their feet when things get crazy are all a part of the emotional make-up of these talented pit crew members. Each must work to perfection during a pit stop. If they drop the ball, the rest of the pit stop goes down like a row of dominoes. That is a lot of pressure to work under. Every fraction of a second is critical to the race outcome. It takes both physical as well as mental toughness to perform this important job on the racing team and for this reason, I think Brad himself would agree, the No. 2 Pit Crew deserves our appreciation for the job they do each week.

So, thanks guys, for all that you do for Brad and the team. You make a difficult, dangerous job look pretty cool.

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In the images, I used trading cards with certified race-used swatches of Hat, Firesuit, Glove, Shoe, Tire, Sheet Metal, Flag, Pit Sign, and Pit Wall Banner.

I chose my favorite of each type of material, being that I have a special connection with each. Some of them I was able to acquire from friends, some have special serial numbers on them, some have stellar swatches…and some of them are all of the above!

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I didn’t get to drive on the famed road course — the one that BKR drivers Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain will be tackling in late August. But I got to race on their half-mile oval called Mosport Speedway. The track hosts a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race, as well as a number of local weekly racing series. But for one morning in May, this short track in Ontario, Canada, would become my Daytona. Reflecting on my amazing experience, it was easy for me to compare some of my thoughts and feelings with what Brad might experience while driving a stock car. Obviously, BK is racing professionally, so they’re not the same thing, but after driving a race car, I feel like I got a glimpse of what Brad and the other drivers go through on a weekly basis.

Now if BK and the other NASCAR drivers were to read this list, they probably would wish that what I felt was all they had to worry about when driving their race cars.

The Pressures of Driving

One of my biggest feelings while completing my racing experience was pressure. I felt this during the training session, when the staff spoke about the cost of damaging a race car. They also mentioned that at sessions prior, they have had up to four people total a race car in one day. When they told me I would be out $60,000 for wrecking a car, it made me think twice about driving without a care. I felt the pressure from my brother and cousin, who also went on the experience with me. We all wanted to be the fastest at our session, and whoever was the fastest would definitely be bringing home some bragging rights with them. I also felt the pressure for personal success.  I didn’t want to be afraid of driving the car due to all the risks involved, but I wanted to drive to the best of my abilities as a first-time racer. I didn’t want any regrets when I was done with my experience.

Imagining the NASCAR Experience

Now if BK and the other NASCAR drivers were to read this list, they probably would wish that what I felt was all they had to worry about when driving their race cars. Throughout his career, BK has endured enormous amounts of pressure. As an up-and-coming racer, he had to prove that he belonged and could race, and be successful during his time with his family-owned team. Finally, he got his opportunity with JR Motorsports, and his first cup starts with James Finch in the No. 9 car, and then at Hendrick Motorsports.  Once he started winning races, he endured the pressure to keep winning and eventually be a title contender. Now that he has won a Sprint Cup and Nationwide Championship, there’s the pressure to stay on top and defend that title and continue to be up front every week. 

On top of the on track pressure there is the off track pressure, which can include: sponsor engagements, maintaining and getting new sponsors to help continue to fund a successful team, being available to fans, signing autographs when you can, and going to fan and sponsor appearances during the week as well as during the race weekend. There are plenty of media obligations, press conferences, interviews for TV or satellite radio or all the interviews during a race weekend.  There is the pressure to help with team morale and to stay on the same page as the team, as they go forward race weekend to race weekend.

Pressure is what drives these gladiators of speed. It can be their fuel for success or in certain drivers’ cases, the pressure can be their downfall.

How Would I Do?

I know that through my short racing experience, I will never truly be able to grasp how it is to be a NASCAR driver, but I know my experience has helped me to understand what it’s like to be under pressure. I know that if I were ever lucky enough to be a big-time driver, I would hope I could climb the ladder through the ranks like BK did!

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As mentioned in my previous contributions, I am an avid Brad Keselowski trading card collector. And I am not the only one out there. Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure to get to know fellow BK fan, Tony D. I had been trading and communicating with him since early 2010, but up until June 2012, it was nothing more than that. Like all of us, around the holidays of 2011, he was having some darker days that even caused him to give up trading and collecting for some time. That’s like a racecar driver wanting to take a break from driving – and something must be horribly wrong for that. So in June of last year, I had an email from him saying he’s had a change in heart, and wants to help out my collection, and just get along in general. Another racing reference now: before that email I would have considered him as a “teammate.” You want to see them do well, but at the end of the day, you want to beat them. Or in my case, get the card. I fully accepted it, and it’s been history since there.

Without Brad, I’d never get to know Tony, and would be missing a huge part of my life.

Things may have started out smaller — we would talk for a couple hours about cards. I had some extras he could use, and he had some extras that I could use in return. From there, it was different. At some point, it changed from just being trading friends to real friends. Sometimes, one of us would pick up the phone and talk about our day, or family, or whatever was on our mind. There were lots of days when racing wasn’t even mentioned!

Over the last two months or so, after I realized I would be at the June Michigan Cup race, I realized that I’d be a lot closer to him in Chicago than where I live in the Pocono Mountains. We we’re able to talk it over, and found a place to meet up in between.

While we met up, we had a couple minutes to chat. Of course, we each had a couple goodies for each other. In addition to him collecting Brad’s trading cards, he also collects hero cards (or, really just anything with Brad’s name on it). His hero card collection, like his trading card collection, is stellar, and I set out a goal for myself to find something to add to it. I left home with four cards for him, and at the Michigan race I found an exclusive hero card only given out at that race, and knew I needed to snag an extra for Tony! When I pulled them out of the envelope in front of him, that look on his face was priceless and could not be made up. I wish I would have taken a picture of that!

In the last several years, not only has Brad outperformed on track: he had also attracted two diehard fans to follow him. Without Brad, I’d never get to know Tony, and would be missing a huge part of my life.

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He’s a cool combination of old school stock car driver and modern high-tech wizard, working his magic both on the track and off.

Like so many of the great drivers honored in the Nascar Hall of Fame, Brad is tough and knows how to think his way around the track, pulling every bit of speed out of the car, whether it is running well or held together with bear bond and prayers. He takes what he is given, and stares down adversity to get the car across the finish line.

I grew to admire his gritty style in 2011 as I watched him climb into the car with a painful ankle injury, and race as hard as he could without one word of complaint.

He’s a cool combination of old school stock car driver and modern high-tech wizard.

As a long-time Nascar fan, I get tired of certain former champions who whine and complain their way around the track crying about perceived injustices that they encounter during a race. As our 2012 Sprint Cup Champion, Brad is refreshingly different. I like his style. He doesn’t whine. He’s tough, he says what’s on his mind and he’s not afraid of a challenge. He looks straight ahead and never blinks, challenging anyone that gets in his way as he heads towards the finish line.

He’s also a very smart driver who prepares ahead of time, knows his car, knows the track and on many occasions, thinks his way into a move that provides him with an inside edge that often leads to victory. I’ve watched him win races on fuel mileage while leaving other drivers out of gas and out of luck.

I also admire the fact that when on reflection, he feels the need to correct a situation that occurred during a race, he steps up and shows integrity in his apologies. With Brad, we never get excuses or whining. I like the fact that he deals with the situation, corrects it and moves forward, no excuses.

To me, that’s cool.

It takes a lot of inner strength to go out week after week onto the track, work under so much pressure and still live according to his own heroic code. So, while he may have ended up at the back of the pack in the Sprint All Star Race, our 2012 Champion still rules Cool to his Crew.

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I hope the next time I get to see Brad, he signs this piece for me.

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