“Doing This All Within Two Seconds”- the Challenges Faced by the Pit Crew Members Highlights the Significance of Precision in the Role

If there was one word to describe NASCAR pit crew members, it would be: synchronized! Pit crew members do a complicated and choreographed dance at the pit stop. And while it might not look like NASCAR is a team sport, it is one. They are the invisible athletes of NASCAR, without whom a driver and a team cannot win the race.

2 seconds—that’s how long it takes for the pit crew to do their job and send the drivers off back to the track when done right.

The dance of synchronicity by pit crew members

On paper, it all looks simple. A driver pits then the crew members take off the old tires and change them with the new ones. But is it all really that simple? No! These crew members practice day in and out to get their timings and sync right so that their driver gets going as fast as possible on the track. If even one crew is inexperienced—it has shown its effects! 

The entire process is a combined effort of two teams

• Tire Carriers

• Tire Changers.

First, you have five tire carriers jump in front of the driver carrying two five-pound tires. Then they place the first tire for the jackman and make their way quickly to the rear of the car to hang another. To do this is not simple, it requires speed and agility. They also make any wedge adjustments needed and then put the old wheels away. The entire time, they are coordinating not among their team but with tire changers.

Next, the tire changers, loosen the lug nut, take out the tire, and tighten the lug nut back down on the newly installed wheel–simple, right? No, not really. 

Because within just half a second of a car coming to the stop in the pit box, tire changers engage their pit guns with the lug nut, pull the wheels off, and then tighten down a fresh one. Best of all, they do all this—within 3 seconds! The teams need hand-eye coordination and failure, which not only ends up with the racer losing out track position but also a race. Recently we saw how pit crew woes shook up the No.8 team.

Pit-crew blunders can cost an entire race for teams

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Pit crew mistakes have plundered many races. Just recently this year, Kyle Busch had suffered from pit crew woes and had to make changes to the team. In Las Vegas this year, Busch’s crew team serviced the car with the splitter barely over the line. Busch had to pay the price- he was penalized for pitting outside the box and relegated to 26th place finish! As we mentioned earlier, the entire race’s cost can be at stake because of a crew mistake.

Busch was all fired up and before Friday’s practice at Phoenix, he shared his thoughts on it. He said, “I don’t have any idea of where guys are coming from, what their background is, or what their experience is. I always just kind of assume that the Cup guys were the Xfinity guys, so news to me. We’ll find out how good they are come around on Sunday.”

 At the end of the day, everyone makes mistakes and for pit members, slacking is not an option, but sometimes one can help it. Moreover, whenever there is a big name joining, they too are wary of the media attention and how all eyes will be on them, and that naturally makes them pressurized.

There is no such thing as an easy job, but one thing is for sure, they are the unsung heroes of NASCAR and they need more recognition.