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DECADES of RACING Top 10 Drivers / First Wins / Nascar Origin / Busch Origin / BookStore / Hall of Fame Life in the Pits At first, nobody paid much attention or gave much thought to the role of pit stops during the early years of NASCAR. For one thing, most of the Strictly Stock (later Grand National, and finally renamed Winston Cup) races were only 100 to 150 miles, so crews didn't need to do much more than occasionally change tires and add fuel. Out of inactivity, it seemed, came apathy. The other factor was that NASCAR's early cars were strictly stock in more than name only. There wasn't much a pit crew could do because the rule book didn't allow much freedom of innovation. Crews were pretty much limited to cosmetic changes if their car crashed. They loosened lug nuts with tire irons, twisted open stock fuel caps while refueling cars, and generally didn't worry about how long any of it was taking. That began to change when Darlington Raceway opened and held the sport's first 500-mile race in 1950. And it changed even more dramatically in the '60s as more superspeedways were built and races were scheduled for up to an unimaginable 600 miles. With more miles to run and more tires and gas to be used, teams began to realize that the quicker they got in and out of the pits, the quicker they'd get to the checkered flag. Additionally, it was during the early '60s when cars went from street-legal, showroom-fresh family sedans to cars that looked stock but had the inner workings of a purpose-built race car. The newer cars sported all manner of adjustable parts and pieces to enhance performance and give crews something to tinker with. The Wood brothers of Stuart, Virginia, raised pit work from an "oh, by the way" afterthought to something resembling an art form. Their pit work became so famous that Graham Hill recruited them and brought them to Indianapolis to service his car during the 1965 Indianapolis 500. When he won the race by spending less time on pit row, their legend was born and pit stops came into their own. Every second counts, It has come to this in the past 20 years: half-seconds are so precious that some teams hire physical-fitness experts to train their crewmen during the week to keep them sharp for their Sunday job. And many competitive teams have on-site gyms so crewmen can maintain their strength and flexibility. Almost every team films pit stops, whether under green- or yellow-flag conditions, then reviews them on the spot. They mount a small camera on the end of a long pole attached to the mobile tool chest. The camera points directly into the pit box below and starts working when the car enters. This is what the camera sees during a four-tire-and-gas stop: One crewman dashes around the front of the car and slides a manually-operated pneumatic jack beneath an arrow painted midway along the car's right-side rocker panel. With two mighty pumps of the handle, the right-side tires come several inches off the ground. By then, the front-and rear-tire carriers have delivered fresh tires to two crewmen on their knees, air wrenches poised to spring into action. If things are going smoothly, a crewman with an air-wrench has loosened five lug nuts and is removing the worn right-front tire. At the same time, another crewman is doing the same to the right-rear tire. The jackman-his primary duty completed for the time being- stands poised to help either of the changers. Within seconds, the tire changers change direction of their wrenches from "LOOSEN" to "TIGHTEN." They hoist the fresh tires on the wheel studs and tighten the lug nuts with the distinctive BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT of their wrenches. The instant they're finished, the jackman twists the handle to lower the car. When the tires are in place and things look to be in hand, the carriers sprint around the car for the left-side tires. While the tires are being changed, two other crewmen are refueling the car. NASCAR fuel cells hold 22 gallons and each team's dump cans hold 11 gallons. The gas man jams the aviation-style refueling nozzle into the gaping mouth of the spring-loaded fuel hose and lets gravity do the rest. He empties one can, tosses it aside (only seven crewmen may cross the wall to perform service), then takes the second can from another crewman. A crewman with a catch can follows the car for a few yards to catch fuel that spurts from the overflow as the car accelerates. It takes less than 20 seconds to change four 40-pound tires and empty two 11-gallon cans of fuel, each weighing 18 pounds. The windshield and radiator grill have been cleaned, and somebody has handed the driver a cup of water or soda. If the driver asked, someone might have bent the rear spoiler up a little bit or added pressure to the rear springs with a wedge adjustment. The contribution of pit crewmen might last no more than 90 seconds out of several hours, but what crucial seconds they are. Look at it like this: at racing speed, on second at the Daytona International Speedway is equal to about 100 yards of real estate. And where would you rather try to make up the deficit: chasing the leader on the race track, or beating him by two seconds in the pit? UNOCAL 76 PIT CREW WINNERS 1967 THRU 1981 1981--Leonard Wood (Crew Chief)--Neil Bonnett (Driver)--Ford 1980--Maurice Petty (Crew Chief)--Richard Petty (Driver)--Chevrolet 1979--Junior Johnson (Crew Chief)--Cale Yarborough (Driver)--Olds 1978--Jake Elder (Crew Chief)--Benny Parsons (Driver)--Chevrolet 1977--Maurice Petty (Crew Chief)--Richard Petty (Driver)--Dodge 1976--Maurice Petty (Crew Chief)--Richard Petty (Driver)--Dodge 1975--Mario Rossi (Crew Chief)--Donnie Allison--Chevrolet 1974--Bill Hammer (Crew Chief)--Bobby Allison (Driver)--Chevrolet 1973--Harry Hyde (Crew Chief)--Buddy Baker (Driver)--Dodge 1972--Herb Nab (Crew Chief)--Bobby Allison (Driver)--Chevrolet 1971--Bad Weather Cancelled.......................! 1970--Don Lawrence (Crew Chief)--Bobby Allison (Driver)--Dodge 1969--Herb Nab (Crew Chief)--LeeRoy Yarborough (Driver)--Ford 1968--Leonard Wood (Crew Chief)--Cale Yarborough (Driver--Mercury 1967--Leonard Wood (Crew Chief)--Cale Yarborough (Driver)--Ford
Truck Series Origin / LINKS/ Career Records / Multiple Winners/ Birthdays Check out the new Nascar Memorial page.
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