Seems like a lot to give up so one can spend 20 weekends a year playing in traffic for free, doesn't it? But these men and women don't go blindly over the wall. They practice their craft for the love of the team and with an eye toward a career in the business. There are present and future aspirations at work within each of them.
I quickly learned that being a part of a traveling pit crew is much like being a part of a sports team. My idea of climbing over the wall with them was akin to my having walked up to a college football team and asking them if I could go in at running back on their next offensive series.
Over the course of the season these people had learned their crafts as a team and had become incredibly close. Their pit stops had evolved into carefully orchestrated automotive ballets relying heavily upon timing developed during countless hours of practice.
"Being a part of a race team is no different than being part of a basketball or football team," according to fuel mileage calculator Traci Cywinski, Kevin's wife. "It's a camaraderie that you have. It's your family in a sense. You cover each other's back. Everybody's got their own position, but if someone should happen to need help, you definitely step in."
You can step in because you have been watching and learning all season. While you have been pushing your team toward what you hope will be a series championship, you have also been accumulating knowledge and developing relationships that might someday lead to a shot at the big leagues.
The drivers aren't the only ones at IRP hoping to someday work for a NASCAR Winston Cup team. "I would quit my job in a second," tire carrier Miller says when asked if he would like a shot at the big time. "This is a huge passion of mine, and I want to follow the dream, so absolutely, I would quit my regular job in a second."
It turns out that the ASA is the perfect breeding ground for those who would like to pursue crewing as a career. "This is a great way to gain experience," says the crew chief of the No. 21 car, Mike Chaffee. "The preparation is really similar to the Winston Cup cars, other than setup. Our pit stops are basically the same. In fact, I'd put our guys up against a lot of Winston Cup teams."
The Texas Roadhouse team was put to the test before my very eyes on that final night of the ASA season in Indianapolis. After a sub-par 17th place qualifying effort, Cywinski fought through traffic and finished fifth. Incidentally, two of those 12 positions were gained in the pits during a lightning fast stop.
I watched from the safe side of the wall. The action of a well-seasoned pit crew has always excited me. Watching this teamwork from a few feet away was breathtaking and inspiring. After the race had ended and the huge task of cleaning up had begun, I asked crew chief Chaffee how one would go about beginning a career as a crewmember.
"Go out to your Saturday night local track and really dig in there," he tells me. "If you like that, realize it's going to be about three times as much work to be a part of a traveling team over a 20 race schedule."
Are you willing to give up 20 weekends a year, all of your vacation days and maybe even your job to follow your racing dreams? It is a large price to pay, but there is no view like the one from atop pit wall.