Unsung Heroes

Before we begin, I'd like everyone to please clear their desk for a short quiz... no cheating, and as always, eyes on your own monitors. Quickly, off the top of your head, name (out loud so we all can hear.) either 3 Winston Cup Champions, and/or 3 local track champions. Not too hard, eh? OK, now, I want you to name 3 crew members from one of those drivers team, (and no fair if you answered yourself as a champion and are now naming your own crew members!) Little tougher, huh? I would be willing to bet that for the most part we all know someone in this area that is associated in one way or another with a race team, but do any of us really know the sacrifices that are involved in
  the general upkeep of a race team? Probably not. These guys are the true unsung heroes of the racing business. For every Carl Brownell, Mike Duvall, Richard Petty or any other driver on a local or regional scale, there are literally hundreds of lesser known people that make these guys what they are.
How many people out there are familiar with names such as Colin Williams, Gene Murphy, or Jimmy Cabral? Unless you are a "die hard" fan, most of those names slipped right past you. Yet without people like them, would we know who people such as Freddy Smith or Dale Earnhardt are? Probably not. 

Crew members are an elite breed of guys. There is no set standard for a crew member... some are retired racers, some are mechanics by trade, yet others are bankers, lawyers or doctors. The one thing that binds each to the other is simple though; it is a love for racing. No matter what their backgrounds are, simply walk up to one of those guys hanging over a racecar on a Saturday night and ask, How's she running?" You will literally be overwhelmed by the answers most will give you. They will go into great explanation of how they were running so good last week, but something broke.... or how they were leading the race but some "no-drivin' SOB put 'em in the wall....or how they whipped everybody last week. Timeless hours spent under the hood with little to no

recognition of the job they serve are nearly all these guys have to show for their effort. While some achieve notoriety and fame, such as "Chocolate" Myers, Smokey Yunich, or Ray Evernham, most never reach that level. Instead, their greatest claim to fame resides with the car itself. "Special thanks to...." , "VIP'S.... or simply "Crew" precede a list of names to those tireless few who insure that the car is taken care of and prepped for raceday.
Yet these are the same group of people who will work a 40 hour week at their "real" job, come home and spend another 40-60 hours a week on the car. These are the same guys who stand tall and proud as nameless people in victory lane shots... the same guys who are checking tire pressures and set ups when things aren't going as well. The duties each fulfill either at the track or at the shop are just as varied as the members themselves. Unlike the "big time" shops where drivers have shock
specialist, engine techs, and even spark plug readers, these guys have to become experts in all facets of the cars overall performance. Tuesday they may spend cleaning tools and sweeping floors while on Wednesday they may need to rebuild a carburetor. No one is exempt either.... wives, girlfriends, brothers or sisters, in laws and friends, all do their part to ensure that the crew and car are taken care of. While I haven't the time nor the space here in this column to name every crewman I've had the opportunity to meet or come in contact with, I would like to send out my deepest and most heart felt words of appreciation for the job you guys (and gals) do. Without the tireless efforts you guys put into the cars week in and week out, tracks all across the nation would be a lonely place to be. So the next time you are at the track, remember those sweaty, grease covered, workhorses in the pits.... and if given the opportunity, thank them for their contribution to our sport. I'm sure they would be thrilled to know that their hard work hasn't gone unnoticed. So for myself, the crew here at Virtual1 and the thousands of fans across the nation.... Thanks