ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610220018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING
DATELINE: ROCKINGHAM, N.C.
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
Almost 225 NASCAR Winston Cup crewmen worked their guts out Saturday changing tires and dumping gas into NASCAR Winston Cup stock cars in the Unocal/Rockingham world championship pit-crew competition.
But you may never hear any of their names, because for the most part, crewmen work anonymously, even those on the winning crew, which happened to be Terry Labonte's team.
Labonte's crew changed four tires and dumped 14 gallons in 22.056 seconds, beating their sister crew, Jeff Gordon's staff, by 1.446 seconds in Saturday's contest at North Carolina Motor Speedway. That pleased them to no end.
``If you look at who they beat, I think that's what really pumped them up,'' Labonte said.
For the record, Walter Smith jacked the car. Jeff Torrence handled the gas cans, while Dennis Hartsell caught the overflow. Gary Smith and Andy Graves carried tires. Mike Bumgarner changed the rear tires, while a fellow named "Slugger" Labbe changed the front tires.
These guys are typical crewmen, and if you had a chance to sit down and explore their lives in racing, they could tell you a thing or two about what it's like to dedicate themselves to a 3,500-pound motorized steel machine.
The typical crewman is used to left-front fenders of 3,500-pound stock cars whizzing two feet past his head, but he never worries about it and scarcely pays attention to it.
``You can't be afraid to be a member of the over-the-wall gang,'' said Mike Knauer, jackman for Morgan Shepherd's car. "If you do, you'll get paranoid.''
A typical crewman tends to mimic his driver. If the driver gets mad, starts screaming and throwing stuff, the crewman may well do the same thing.
``If you make one mad, it's like shaking a bee's nest,'' said crew chief Gere Kennon.
About the only time a typical crewman will talk frankly about his driver is when he's with the other crewmen and nobody else can hear.
But a crewman must be careful about what he says and who he talks to. He won't last long if he badmouths other crewmen on his team behind their backs, or talks trash about his driver to people on other teams.
The typical crewman likes race fans. He likes them best when they're sitting in the grandstands. He likes them least when they're standing in his garage stall and getting in his way.
The typical crewman may not like Dale Earnhardt, but he respects him.
But he also respects Hut Stricklin, because when the garage opens, Stricklin walks in with his team. And when the garage closes, Stricklin walks out with his team.
The typical crewman feels guilty because he spends so much time away from home.
``But the best ones feel guilty about how much time they spend away from the shop,'' said crew chief Steve Hmiel.
The typical crewman has his favorite jack, or his favorite air gun, or his favorite pair of gloves. He has his own tool box on wheels, and if things really go bad, he might arrive for work at one shop and end the day at another one.
On several occasions at the NASCAR-populated Lakeside Industrial Park in Mooresville, car owner Michael Kranefuss has seen crewmen literally pushing their tool boxes down the street as they changed jobs during lunch hour.
Many crewmen are superstitious, and will go through the same routine before a race. It may be eating at the same restaurant, wearing the same briefs and socks, or sitting on the same spot on pit wall.
The typical crewman doesn't understand why tracks have enough money to build new grandstands and add thousands of new seats, but can't find the money to build decent bathrooms in the garage.
One of the most unpleasant tasks a typical crewman will have to face is changing a rear-end gear under the gun on a hot summer day. He knows it's going to take at least 15 minutes, and the driver always thinks it can be done in 10.
One of the worst jobs a crewman can have is cleaning up a car after an engine blows at the end of a long race at a track where sealer has been used to fill cracks in the asphalt. Not only is there oil everywhere, but there are hundreds of splotches of sealant that must be cleaned off the body.
A typical crewman likes to have a good time and enjoy himself, but you'll rarely see him out and about past 11 on the night before a race.
On those rare off weekends, when he doesn't have to work at the shop, the typical crewman probably is still doing something related to racing, whether it's riding go-carts with his kids, helping a buddy build a Late Model Stock car or watching racing on television.
The most important attributes for a good crewman are a good attitude and an even demeanor. He needs to be able to keep his emotions in check.
And the most common expression you'll hear from a crewmen who won't make it in the NASCAR Winston Cup series is, ``I never thought it would be this hard.''
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB