Free NASCAR Nation by Chris Myers Page A

could. As soon as I got back on the road and accelerated up to speed, the tire flew right off. A lesson that would be hammered home once I began broadcasting for NASCAR: success lies in the details.
    Unfortunately, the drivers seem to get the most attention – not when the car is running well and the race is going smoothly, but when they make a mistake. That mistake, like a loose lug nut, is enough to throw a race. That lug nut and the guy who didn’t tighten it are now infamous. The casual fan doesn’t pay attention to the crew unless something goes wrong. That seems to be the sad case with someone who is not always front and center – the time the spotlight hits them is when they call attention to themselves with a major flop, such as a cashier who miscounts the money in the register or the construction worker who leaves the job half-finished or poorly done. Sometimes the gift of good labor isn’t recognized until it’s not there.
    It’s important to appreciate every team member, because each one is vital to the success of whole. Theassembly line, which is what put the American car industry on the map and made faster manufacturing of cars possible, is a good example of the value of teamwork in American society and business. Everyone has a role to play, a car part to place in the vehicle. No one built the car alone – that would have been inefficient and taken far too long. Yet by working together and developing an effective system of doing so, our automotive industry was able to flourish and pump out vehicles quickly. Teamwork is essential to American business and industry, and it’s essential to NASCAR. These pit crews work to the very best of their ability, and just like the hard-working Americans who keep our country running, they work behind the scenes and out of the limelight.
    To be honest, there was a lot I didn’t realize about pit crews until I got inside the NASCAR community and closer to them. The pit-crew members are really some of my favorite people to interact with in the sport. They’re regular guys who probably shop at the same stores as everyone else and send their kids to the same schools. They live closer to the reality of everyday Americans. When their day starts, they don’t sprint out of bed to run laps like pro athletes or fly stunt airplanes like some drivers. They start the day off shuffling to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, just like everyone else. Then during the week they work at the shop, probably from nine to five likemany other Americans, then head home for dinner. Yet somehow, on race day, they come together to form a super task force.
    The crew is like a team of volunteer firefighters who spring into action on a moment’s notice. They transform from your average next-door neighbors into a task force that is jumping over walls and working at high speeds in perilous conditions. They have to be on their toes, and they have to work together flawlessly in a short time. These crews are, in fact, perfectly choreographed. Joe Gibbs began videotaping pit crews and having them practice their moves, changing tires and refueling cars until their routine was fast and flawless. Every second is utilized, no movement wasted.
    Even though everything is happening rather quickly, there are certain things fans can watch for when crews are doing their high-speed dance. Our broadcasting team tries its best to show what the pit crew is doing from every angle, giving fans bird’s-eye views, close-ups, and low angles. We even time the crew and keep the clock up for fans to see.
    There are many stages to the pit-stop process. First, the driver pulls into the pit stall, which is trickier than it sounds. They have to reduce their speed considerably otherwise they get penalized. Then the crew jumps into action. While one crew member is tearing off a windshield (instead of wasting time cleaning it,debris is removed quickly by installing windshield tear-offs