Rockingham N.C.

Robbie Reiser and his Roush Racing crew won the Tosco 76 World Pit Crew Competition at Rockingham for the second consecutive year "It's pretty cool to win again," said Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford Taurus. "I don't have that much to do with the pit crew deal obviously, but it feels good to have the guys do this. It feels good to have the confidence that when Robbie is calling the race to know that when you come in and need four tires you have the best in the business doing it. They do a good job every week.”

Breaking their own World record, the team blistered a four-tire stop with a time of 16.823 seconds. In doing so, they became the first team since 1988 to repeat as champions. “I think there is a lot more pressure on us, because it is harder to repeat than to win for the first time” said Benjy Crubbs, gasman for the 2002 champions.

Finishing behind the Kenseth crew team were Roush crews of Mark Martin and Kurt Busch making a top three sweep for the stable. The competition has been in existence since 1967, and has become a way to celebrate the unsung heroes of motor sports. “Just as drivers set goals to accomplish during their career, so do crew members. Winning the pit crew competitions is one of those things on the list: notes Mark Armstrong, a tire changer for Joe Gibbs Racing.

The competition is open to the top twenty five teams in points and requires them to enact a four tire stop, and fuel the car with two seven gallon cans of fuel. After the stop penalties may be assessed for loose lug nuts, and spilled gas. The drivers of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series pilot the cars, but take a secondary role in the competition. “It’s another opportunity for the driver to make a mistake”, jokes Michael Waltrip.

All of the drivers express support of the competition, noting the crews deserve the recognition. 2002 marked the final year that gasman Danny Chocolate Myers participated in the event. Myers, long time gasman for Richard Childress Racing is the remaining active competitor of Kirk Shelmerdine’s “Flying Aces”, who with driver Dale Earnhardt won the competition four years running from 1985 through 1988. At the age of 54, the world’s most famous gasman is calling it a career.

The DEWALT Racing Crew took home $40,000, $30,000 for first place and a $10,000 bonus for setting a new world record.