Last night's Sprint Pit Crew Challenge was a real barn burner. For a while, it seemed as though the streak would continue and that we would see a different winner for the sixth straight year. Twenty four teams began the night, all of them capable of bringing home the trophy. Teams like the wood Brothers #21 and the Furniture Row #78 were knocked out early, while the #11 and #14 teams set the pace for the rest of the teams. when it came down to the final round, it was a flashback to last season's championship battle. The #11 FedEx team, the defending winners of the event, were up against the #48 Lowe's team. Both teams were penalty free and who would win came down to the team effort aspect of the event.
Each member of the pit crew each performs their own skill simultaneously. The jack man lifts one car, the gas man fuels another and the tire changers and carriers change tires on two other cars. Then all the team members sprint towards their waiting Cup series car a push it four yards in a raced with the other team.Time penalties are assessed for loose lug nuts and excessive fuel spillage, so this foot race really makes or breaks a teams night. When it came down to the final round, the Mike Ford led #11 crew beat out the Chad Knaus led #48 team. Since both teams were penalty free so beating the 48 team in that four yard dash was all it took for the 11 team to repeat as pit crew champions. They had a final time of 22.298 seconds to the 48's 22.714. The individual skills winners were also impressive, breaking previous records in all categories:
Jackman: Mike Castro (#14 team) with a record time of 5.071 seconds
Gasman: Rick Pigeon and Ryan Flores (#14 team) with a record time of 8.652 seconds
Front Tire Changer/Carrier: Jason Pulver and Austin Craven (#33 team ) with a record 13.901
Rear Tire Changer/Carrier: Dustin Necaise and Matt Kreuter (#33 team) with a record 13.846
This event has really grown in popularity since it's beginning in 2005. It's really great to see the unsung heroes of the sport get their due and be able to show off their skills. Some of the crews even give back to the Charlotte community. The #00 Aaron's Dream Machine team is donating all their winnings to send a child to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a camp for sick and disabled kids started by Kyle and Patty Petty. All the teams involved deserve recognition because a lot of great teams were eliminated due to penalties. They all earned ther way into the event and, in my opinion, are all All Star teams. But their hard work doesn't stop with this competition because their drivers will have to make a four tire pit stop during qualifying for Saturday night's main event. But the #11 team already has an advantage, earning the first pit stall for Saturday night's main event with their victory in the Pit Crew Challenge. They have also thrown down the gauntlet, sending a message to the rest of the field that they will be a team to deal with come Saturday.
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