When a team does well in a race, who gets a lot of the credit? The crew chief, car chief, driver. When the car doesn’t do so well, misses a cue on pit road, who takes the fall? The pit crew. A lot of race fans seem to want to blame the pit crew for all the bad and never give credit for the good.
So why is it that the crews tend to take so much heat if the driver they work for does poorly in a race? Is it really fair to the crews? These men spend countless hours each week practicing so that they can be the very best they can be each week.
They’re only human. They make mistakes. Sometimes very costly mistakes. Sometimes NASCAR’s fans can be cold and unforgiving to the crews of their favorite drivers. These men have families, wives and children to feed and for the fans to berate them and say they’re not giving 100% is truly unfair to the teams. To say they are not dedicated to their jobs and their driver is beyond unfair, it is possibly one of the worst insults you could throw at them. They work and travel and practice together, they are perfectly choreographed. It’s like a dance to watch them. They throw themselves into the face of danger each week and some have paid dearly for it.
Sometimes the drivers get angry and rebuke their crews when they make mistake, it’s true, but when do you not see a driver thanking their crew before just about anyone else after the race? A team is a team, through good times and bad. The drivers in the cars are fully aware that if not for the dedication of their pit crews, they would not be success full. So why don’t the fans seem to understand that?
I believe, and you can agree to disagree, that the fans don’t really understand the dedication, time, and practice that it takes to be a member of one of the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup pit crews. Four tires and gas can be done in 13 seconds or less. Could you do it? Even in the best shape of your life, do you really have what it takes to do what they do each week?
I encourage you to do some research. Learn just what it takes to do what they do. Watch the All-Star week Pit Crew Challenge. It’s all about speed and pure brute strength. Watch practice. Really study what they do and then when you think you have a good idea, reevaluate what you think it takes to be out there doing what they do each week.
Genesis
The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the author and not those of SkirtsandScuffs.com
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