May 15th, 2009 
T.C. So in case you don’t happen to follow us on Twitter, both Journo and myself were at Time Warner Cable Arena tonight for the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. We invited anyone who spotted us to come up and say hi. Shockingly, we had no takers.
This year’s version of the challenge was the same format as last year, with a bracket style competition that saw RCR’s #31 team of Jeff Burton prevail over RPM’s #43 team of Reed Sorenson. It was a fairly surprising result, as the #43 team certainly wasn’t the best crew on the floor tonight, but they made very few mistakes and were able to advance to the final. In the end though, a record breaking run by the RCR crew earned them the win. Congrats to RCR’s CAT guys.
And no, I will neither confirm nor deny whether I was personally involved in the challenge.
Moving on, I believe that if you get the chance to attend this event, you have to go. The JHE production group does a great job putting the competition together, and from the start of the show at 7PM to the end, there is never a lull in the action. Fans get to see the best in the business square off in a fierce battle to the finish, and there is no shortage of drama. It’s a great chance to see the usually faceless crew guys up close and personal, and it gives us a chance to be in the spotlight for a night. And you can get a ticket for only $15!
On top of that, it gives race fans the opportunity to rub elbows with both crew guys and drivers, as there are a ton in attendance. You never know who you might run into, or end up sitting next to. Guys like Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Kyle Busch, and Brian Vickers were all in the house tonight.
Before I finish, I wanted to add a quick sidenote. This event just wasn’t the same this year without the angry rantings of the late, great David Poole. In case you missed it, Poole did some live blogging from last year’s PCC and wasn’t so kind. See Journo’s thoughts here.
Don’t worry Mr. Poole, the Craftsman “hoochies,” bad host (who introduced Carl Edwards as the driver of the #9 car), and bad house band were again in full effect tonight.
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I enjoy the pit crew challenge very much. It’s nice to see the unsung heroes get a time to shine. I found it pretty upsetting that the media seemed to be more interested in talking to the drivers wives who were inside the car than the crewmen working on them.
I have nothing against Nascar wives, I just don’t see why the spotlight was placed on them when it should have been all about the crew.
One other note. I would like to see qualifying for races done like it is for the all-star race. With a pit stop included. How do you feel about that as crew members?
Congrats RCR 31 crew. It was a joy to watch. Maybe in some future life I can go. Thanks to SPEED for broadcasting the challenge. It’s great to see the crew guys get the recognition they deserve.
I think that the media did a good job of talking to everyone involved. It’s much easier to talk to someone whose job is to sit in the car, steer straight, and NOT press the brake until they cross the line, than someone who is preparing for a 23 second sprint to do their job and push a 3400 lb car. Of course crew members that were not competing in that match-up could have been found, just like drivers are found before qualifying. Plus, the driver’s wives/gfs are more used to dealing with the media while the crew members may just want to compete and not be interviewed.
Now that I think about it… it was the band and hoochies that ruined it for me last year. Couldn’t make it this year, but I’d love to go back next year.
Since we don’t know what team you’re on:
Sorry you didn’t make it in this year. I hope you make it next year!
or
Sorry you didn’t win. Better luck next year!
or
CONGRATS!!!!! You were awesome!