Being part of the pit crew for a really bad driver?

Question

Like Stewart. Haha just kidding.

But really, what goes on in your head? Your driver is a consistant loser. You go out every weekend, fillin the gas tank, changing tires....knowing that your driver is just gonna crash, blow the engine or simply not have a chance at winning. How do you keep going? You feel you put out the best strategy to win but your driver always has their own plan and always loses... I would quit.

To those that have answered so far...

I wasn't asking if you would still keep the job or anything, or what the life of a pit crew person is, does anyone read?
I asked, how do you stay motivated...when YOU as a member of the pit crew, put out so much hard work, the best strategy, the best times, everything, you give it your all, build the best car, etc...and your driver loses...all the time...how would you feel?

Answer 1

It shouldn't be about your strategy or your driver's strategy, it should be team strategy. If nothing else, it is your job to do your best. Do you not do your best at your job on a daily basis, whether you like it or not? Quitters never win!

Go Jr.>>>>

Answer 2

Ya know.......if you changed "really bad driver" to "severely underfunded", and leave off "just gonna crash, blow the engine, or", I would think you wrote that about me.

I run my dad's UMP Late Model operation, and we are probably the lowest funded team at our home track. We haven't won a feature since we started running late models back in 1984. That's not to say we haven't won any heats, but we just don't have the engine to be a serious contender for a feature win week after week. We have set fast time once, and won a couple of dashes (for the 6 fastest qualifiers). I think the highest we have finished in a feature was 5th, many times.

Now, as to how this makes me feel.......I have no regrets about it. If someone offered me a position on a "faster" team, i might take it, depending on if I would still be allowed to work on our car or not. if it were not allowed, I wouldn't take the job. Back when I was in High School, I used to get made fun of because I was into racing. Every time the "motor-heads" would start giving me crap, I would shut them down by asking how they would set-up the car. They had absolutely no idea how to respond. Even when I would ask them the simplest question...something like what jet to use in the carb, they would be stymied. i never have let anyone get me down for not being on one of the top runners at our track.

Answer 3

Being on a pit crew is often like any other job. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up . You might be on a team that doesn't win at all or that much ,but a top notch crew chief or team owner has his eye on your raw talent and skill ,so he makes you an offer $$$ and you move on up.

And like Stang said there is more that goes into being on a race team than what you see on race day . A lot of the guy's not only work pit road ,they also work in shop too. Then there are those that do work just on race day aka "weekend warriors" .

They put in a lot of hours at the race shop . Sun up to sun down and sometimes around the clock when a car has to be pushed to get done .

They make a lot of sacrifices to say the least and a lot of it goes unacknowledged .

They might join a team that doesn't do so good ,but its called getting your foot in the door and its not an easy door to get into .

They surely must love it or they wouldn't do it. They would have a 9-5 job like the average race fan . I bet not many race fan's can say that they love their job.

Answer 4

If you are on a pit crew -- IT AIN'T ABOUT U. It is something called teamwork, and if you quit because you're not winning, I wouldn't want U on MY team to start with. A lot of people are not team players, and never were meant to be. Would you ride the back of a garbage truck? Probably not, neither would I unless it was all I could do. Some people are about doing a better job no matter how successful the team is. Those are the ones I want on my team.

Answer 5

My last job on a pit crew was with a real moron. He crashed in every race and ran at the back all the time. After several races, I had enough, quit working for other teams, and haven't been on a pit crew since. If the car's going to get wrecked, I can do that just fine all by myself. Fixing wrecked race cars and not having a shot at running well gets old real fast. Anyone who thinks it's all fun and glamor is dead wrong. Working on a race team means 80 hour work weeks, very little sleep, darn few rewards and no guarantee that you'll have a job tomorrow. The stuff you see on tv is one small part of motorsports.

Answer 6

Most of the guys breath racing. I never won anything worth anything in 25 years of drag racing, except bills, blown motors, divorce etc. My kids said it was the best time when they were growing up. The only reason I stopped is because I had a stroke, lost partial use of an arm.
I love any type of racing with a motor. That's why those guys stick with it.

Answer 7

If you want to be on a pit crew, then being on a pit crew of a
bad driver is better than not being on a pit crew at all. And
if you're really good, who knows, you could work your way
up to being with a better driver.

Answer 8

If I could be a race track every weekend, I'd work my A** off to do it. Who cares if you don't get to wipe Jimmy Johnson's mouth after he eats. You still get to be part of the big show.

To all the under dogs out there: KEEP UP THE HARD WORK!

Answer 9

man you get to travel every week, plus the pay aint bad either. I would just go for someone else if the driver i worked for was a loser

Answer 10

sure, it'd be better to crew for a great driver, but most of those guys are just happy to be out there getting paid to do what they do. Heck, it beats what I do for a living.