Kenseth and crew win pit competition

By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
November 3, 2001
6:48 PM EST (2348 GMT)

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Pride, efficiency and bragging rights are what belong to the winner of the Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Challenge each year. Any oh, $30,000 in prize money, too.

That’s exactly what the No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford team won when they set a new world record in the annual competition held at North Carolina Speedway with a record pit stop of 17.69 seconds.

Each of the top-25 NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams in points was eligible to compete. Each team had to change four tires and empty two 22-gallon gas cans into the car without any mistakes.

There was a three-second penalty for each loose lugnut, one second for each liter of fuel that didn’t get in the car and if the driver crossed over the pit stall line it warranted a disqualification.

The No. 24 Chevrolet team of Jeff Gordon was second with a stop of 18.323 seconds, with Ken Schrader and the No. 36 Pontiac team placing third with an 18.950-second stop.

Robbie Reiser is the crew chief of the Jack Roush-owned No. 17 team and knows what it means to the guys in the pit crew. The team includes: Benjy Grubbs, gasman; Mark Demarco, catch can; Jeff Vandervoss, jackman; Phil Drye, front-tire changer; Ed Young, front-tire carrier; Dave Smith, rear-tire carrier and Bryan Dunaway, rear-tire carrier.

“These guys are the ones that do all the work,” Reiser said of the crew. “The over-the-wall guys do a great job. This team has pretty much been together for two years.

“This is really special for them, but I’m pretty proud of the job that they do. As far as the money, we’re going to talk to Jack about that. They deserve it.

“They are kind of the unsung heroes all year. Here, they get to be themselves and have fun with this. This is the top-level of racing. Plus, they got a world record here today, too.”

With Kenseth’s team taking the honors this year, it makes it two in a row for a Jack Roush team. Jeff Burton and the No. 99 Ford team were the defending champions.

“They get to go toe-to-toe with their peers and show what they can do,” Kenseth said. “Each week we can have 14-second pit stops on pit road. This is their day because they beat everyone else and everyone knows about it.

Roush said it’s all part of planning on the team’s part.

“They practice real hard on their pit stops each week,” Roush said. “Buddy Parrott is the one who put this whole crew together. He brought all his experience and knowledge to this. We just followed his lead.

“They’re real talented. They work on their physical fitness, exercise and watch their diets. You still have to be lucky-and we were.”