Subscibe to our feedIn the Heat of Battle
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NASCAR drivers who keep themselves in top physical condition look forward to the hot summertime races because they see them as a chance to use their conditioning to gain an advantage over competitors who don’t work out as often.
And since many races are won or lost on pit road, pit crews take the same approach. The crew of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet has consistently been among the sport’s best performers when the heat is on – literally and figuratively.
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The tire-problem-plagued Allstate 400 at the Brickyard last year is generally considered one of the all-time tests of a pit crew’s performance under extreme conditions. Not only was it broiling hot on pit road, but tire problems necessitated a tire change every dozen laps or so.
Greg Morin, the pit crew coach for the Lowe’s team, saw all the preparation back at the Hendrick Motorsports shops pay off in a big way. With Johnson’s crew consistently getting him back on the track in a competitive position, he led a race-high 71 laps en route to victory.
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“It was real hot, and we did 12 or 13 pits stops,” Morin said. “Our guys were as fresh at pit stop 12 as they were at the first one. They got a look at, ‘OK that heat training really paid off.’”
It also helped the crew to see how other teams who weren’t as well prepared suffered when it counted in one of NASCAR’s marquee events. The Lowe’s team was in better shape both mentally and physically when the temperature soared.
“The better you feel physically, the clearer you will be,” Morin said. “The guys saw themselves and the condition they were in at Indy last year. Other guys were slumped over with their heads in their hands.”
But getting the No. 48 team to that level of conditioning wasn’t easy. Crew chief Chad Knaus has let his crew knows that he expects them to eat properly, stay in good shape and prepare for any situation, including summertime pit stops.
The rigors of being on the pit crew on top of his duties as car chief led Ron Malec to give up his over-the-wall chores this season.
“One of the major challenges I was always faced with was I had to prepare the race car and then do pit stops,” he said. “You’d work for four hours in the morning on the race car then go get ready to do pit stops for another four hours.
“It was a challenge for me, and that’s one reason I retired this year. I wanted to focus more on the race car, put more into the preparation of the race car.”
He said he won’t miss those hot summer days and nights on pit road.
“We went to California one time, and it was 112 degrees,” he said. “That was the hardest day of my life, having to do pit stops after working on the car in that heat. It is very challenging. The heat doesn’t escape through that Nomex [fire-retardant suit]. It seems like it sticks to you more and every movement is harder.”
It’s men like Malec that Knaus wants for his crew. Some crew chiefs over the years have sought out athletes from other sports to go over the wall. Knaus prefers to take mechanics and train them to do pit stops. That way they have knowledge about the inner workings of the car, knowledge that can be invaluable when something unexpected happens on pit road.
To get these mechanics in shape to give peak performance in mid-summer means lots of punishing practice sessions at the shop.
“We do mid-day practices as well as heat training in the mornings with our strength and conditioning coach,” Morin said. “This pushes them through various drills and workouts outside hopefully in the hottest part of the day. Everything we do caters toward the heat. We make sure they’re wearing pants, and sometimes throw a sweatshirt on them to push that envelope.”
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The endurance training includes a lot of high-intensity work to get the crewmembers’ cardio-vascular rates up, and it’s done four days a week, with crew members typically getting either Friday or Monday off.
Hydration and nutrition also are big parts of the preparation.
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The Lowe’s transporter in the garage area is not the place to grab a candy bar or bag of chips, much to the disappointment of some visitors. Instead, the fridge there is filled with oranges, apples and vegetables, and there are protein bars and power bars nearby. At mealtime, the crew gets a special serving, with fitness and stamina in mind.
“We utilize a catering service at the track,” Morin said. “Before, it was whatever the truck driver was cooking. “Chad’s a big proponent of healthy eating and portion-controlled pre-planned meals.”
There is one exception. The team is allowed to enjoy the famous Martinsville hot dogs two times a year.
“It’s superstition that they have to eat at least one Martinsville hot dog,” Morin said.
And even though it doesn’t fit the regular fitness plan, it could be the team’s best strategy of all, especially since Johnson and the Lowe’s crew have eaten up the competition at Martinsville, winning five of the past six races there.
