June 23rd, 2008 
T.C. I think any athlete will tell you that they have a specific routine they go through on game days in order to be mentally and physically prepared. They eat certain foods, have a certain schedule, and do certain warmup activities. NASCAR is no different. The drivers have their rituals, as do the pit crew guys. I know that when my routine is disrupted for whatever reason, I don’t feel quite right when I step off for my first stop of the day.
When we arrive at the track, we’ve got our own checklist of things that need to get done before the race starts, including setting up the pit box, gluing up our wheels, and getting all the necessary equipment and tools to pit road. Normally you need about three hours for the lugnut glue to setup, so once that is done and pit road is ready, you’ve got a little time to kill.
I’ve never been a big eater on race days. I will eat breakfast and a very light lunch, but that’s it. Jumping off the wall with a full stomach is not pleasant. But while I don’t eat that much, I definitely hydrate a lot. Wearing a firesuit and a helmet when its 95 degrees outside is rough, and I have seen guys pass out from dehydration.
Normally, about an hour and a half before the race, our team will meet quickly in the hauler so the crew chief can get everyone up to speed about the weekend and the day’s strategy. When that is over, we get dressed and head to pit road. The hour or so before the drop of the green flag is my time to get my equipment ready and to get prepared.
Once my gun is oiled, hooked up, and I’ve set my air pressure I’ll do some stretches. When I start my stretches, I’ll put my ear buds in and listen to some music. I have certain songs I like to hear, and I think the music helps me drown out some of the race track noise and get focused.
We have a practice wheel hub on our box, and when I’m good and stretched out I’ll sit down and hit some taps to get warmed up. Taps are hitting lugnuts but without actually pulling the trigger and knocking the lugnuts off. If I feel so inclined, I’ll do a few off and on patterns as well.
After we are on pit road for the invocation and national anthem, we will meet as a team real quick and go over any last minute info and get a breakdown. Then its time to pull on the gloves, turn on my radio, strap on the helmet, and get prepared for the first stop of the day.
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How many tires can you (the team) change before you run out of nitrogen in the pit box tank(s)? I imagine those guns move a lot of it, albeit for a very short time.
Also, what helps the socket get onto the lug nut so smoothly? Are there ramps on the inside of the socket to rotate it whatever little bit it may be off?
Me and my brother tried doing the Jimmie Johnson pit crew experience deal a couple years back at Richmond where we had to change the right sides … yeah, we didn’t do so well.
Todd: To be honest with you, I’m not really sure how many tires we can change on one bottle of nitrogen. Full tanks come with about 2500psi of nitrogen in them, and most changers run their guns at about 100psi. The reason I don’t know, is because we change out the bottles after every race. Sorry!
In terms of impact sockets, there isn’t a whole lot that is special about them. They are pretty standard, except for the fact that they have a spring in them to eject lugnuts. I believe race guns spin up at about 20,000RPMs, so you can imagine when the socket hits a lugnut at that speed, nothing is really “smooth.” Its more like brute force. And because of this, sockets don’t last long. A few races depending on the number of stops you are doing.