Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 5, 1993 TAG: 9308050113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: TALLADEGA, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
There he was, a burly former football player, the person who pumps the tire jack when Rusty Wallace brings his car into the pits, having to do aerobics, of all things.
"The other guys in the shop stood around, laughing and giggling at us," said Robinson, remembering the aerobics sessions that began in January for the entire pit crew as part of a new training program. "We had no rhythm at all."
America's obsession with fitness finally has found its way to the good ol' boys in NASCAR Winston Cup racing. At the forefront is the Roger Penske team, which has Wallace's pit crew spending several days each week hitting the weights, climbing on a stair machine and grooving to an aerobic workout.
"I think every pit crew is going to have to do this . . . if they want to have fast pit stops," said Bob Pressley, hired as a full-time trainer for the Penske team. "It can make or break you in a race."
Wallace's team has noticed the difference. Crew chief Buddy Parrott said pit stops now are 2 to 3 seconds faster than last year, with a top time of 16.1 seconds to change four tires and refuel during a race in Rockingham, N.C.
"It wasn't something we did just to get press coverage," Parrott said. "It was something we needed to get into shape. Now we've set the precedent. We're the ones everybody is chasing on pit row."
Not everyone is sold on the idea. Ken Schrader's team, which won the annual pit-crew competition last year, stays in shape by playing basketball at lunch.
"Rusty's guys are obviously good, but how much of that has to do with the training program is questionable," said Ken Howes, Schrader's crew chief. "I think some guys are just extra-good tire tenders. Would they be as good if they were not training and just relying on their talent? I think we could get into a pretty deep conversation about that."
Still, on the highly competitive Winston Cup circuit, rapid pit stops can be the difference between winning and finishing out of the top 10.
"It's just as important to have a fast pit crew as it is to have a good driver and a good car," Parrott said. "In my 25 years of racing, I have never seen so much emphasis on the pit crews."
That was apparent at a race July 18 in Long Pond, Pa. "We did not have a second-place car, but we helped Rusty get up to where he was," said Robinson, who played football at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C.
When Parrott joined the team last year, Wallace let it be known that he wanted to improve his pit crew's physical training. At the time, the only facility was a small, concrete-floored room that contained a stationary bicycle and antiquated weight machine.
"You could tell by the dust that it wasn't used very much," Parrott said. "Rusty told me, `We have to get a serious program going.' "
The room was painted and carpet was laid. More importantly, state-of-the-art equipment was purchased and Pressley was brought in to coordinate the training, which became mandatory for the seven crew members who go over the wall each week: the tire changers, the jack operator and the refueler.
"My main function here is to try to get the team faster on their pit stops," Pressley said. "It all has to do with speed, flexibility, coordination and agility."
Pressley said it has been a challenge to him, as well.
"I've worked with track teams and football teams, but the way a pit crew works is just totally different," he said. "They require more balance and coordination."
In the beginning, the team worked out five days a week, but the schedule has been cut to three days a week now that there is a race almost every weekend. Along the way, nearly everyone in the garage in Charlotte, N.C. - including the wives - has joined the fitness craze.
Pressley's fiancee, Donna Crenshaw, leads the aerobic workouts, which have stopped temporarily because she recently underwent foot surgery. Looking back, her early sessions must have been a sight to behold.
"We all listen to country music and she brought in this rap music," Robinson said. "But she really got us going and it's turned out to be a lot of fun."
Not that Robinson or any of his cohorts is ready to visit the nearest disco.
"We can do it, but we're not good at it yet," he said. "I mean, we're no Fly Girls or nothing like that."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB