The Parrotts

In his days at Northwest Cabarrus High School in Kannapolis, N.C., Todd Parrott could swing a golf club with the best of them. Had he pursued that profession -- ironically much as is the case with his NASCAR Winston Cup driver Dale Jarrett -- there's no telling the fame and fortune he could have achieved on the PGA Tour.

But considering who his father was, there wasn't much doubt as to where Parrott's career path would take him.

With well-known NASCAR mechanic and crew chief Buddy Parrott as his "mentor," Todd was destined to make it as a successful crew chief in NASCAR Winston Cup racing.

"Racing was in my blood," said Todd, the crew chief for Robert Yates' No. 88 Ford Taurus team. "I had the XL 406 Fords, the hopped-up cars most of my life, drag racing and things like that, so racing came natural.

"My father was a mechanic extraordinaire. We worked on our own cars and obviously in high school I played a little golf. I guess I could have followed up a career in golf possibly. I chose racing instead, and I haven't regretted it at all."

And with good reason. Todd Parrott has become one of the more high-profile and successful crew chiefs on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. He and Jarrett and their team finished in the top-three in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings in 1996 and 1997, since Robert Yates decided to go with a second team following the 1995 campaign -- then paid off his faith by winning the Winston Cup championship in 1999.

Todd actually got his first experience as a crew chief at the end of 1995, working with Ernie Irvan and the No. 28 Texaco Havoline team for two races.

And Buddy, a pretty fair crew chief in his day, has been there to not only watch his son blossom as a NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief, but to guide him along the way. In his more than 20 years as a crew chief, Buddy Parrott has worked with the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, Johnny Rutherford, Morgan Shepherd, Richard Petty, Joe Ruttman, Derrike Cope, Ted Musgrave, Rusty Wallace and Jeff Burton - for whom he currently serves as team manager at Roush Racing.

"From the time Todd was playing football in the infield with Kyle Petty and Sterling (Marlin) and all of those guys that now are race car drivers, and Todd to pick out and follow in my footsteps and not want to be a driver but a crew chief like his old man, and for him to be successful and win the Daytona 500, I'm real proud of him," Buddy said.

"Growing up and knowing all of the people in the sport, I mean from the head people in NASCAR all the way through the drivers and the families and stuff, I mean it's just great," Todd said. "It's a great bunch of people and I really enjoy being around them."

Buddy Parrott won 44 races during his career as a crew chief before moving up the ladder at Roush Racing at the end of the 1996 season. His most successful years came with Waltrip between 1977 and 1980, when the two teamed to win 21 events.

In 1993, the duo of he and Wallace won a whopping 10 races, but still finished second to Dale Earnhardt for the NASCAR Winston Cup championship. Buddy never managed to be part of a NASCAR Winston Cup championship team, but successfully pinned those family hopes on Todd.

Younger son Brad Parrott, formerly a tire specialist with Yates' No. 88 team got his first crew chief's experience in the 2000 season with PPI Motorsports, an experiment that was short-lived.

The three even all worked together at one time at Penske Racing in the early 1990s, where Buddy was both Todd's and Brad's boss.

"When Todd and Brad were at Penske Racing, I could see that those two guys were destined to be a little more than just tire guys and whatever or mechanics on the cars," Buddy said. "They're thinkers."

"You know, he (Buddy) was a little harder on me because it's just the way he had to be," Todd said. "I mean we just didn't want the rest of the employees, and I didn't want myself feeling like I was getting special attention. I've been very fortunate in this sport. I've had a bunch of great teachers. I've had probably the best in the sport to learn from (Buddy), so I've just tried to carry on the things that I've learned growing up in this sport to the position I'm in now."

When Todd left the Penske shop to join up with Robert Yates Racing, it didn't take Brad long to follow, although the move was a reluctant one.

"I believe my dad was hurt the most, but it was a decision I had to make," Brad said. "It was either learn from my dad or learn from my brother. He's (Todd) a whole lot smarter than I am, and dad's a whole lot smarter than I am. I'm just trying to learn from both of them."

The two factions have become extremely competitive. Roush Racing has a five-car alliance in the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, while Yates is a highly-successful two-car team.

Competitive or not, however, the respect and love between father and sons has never been stronger in NASCAR Winston Cup racing than it is with the Parrotts. And, maybe someday, they might even start their own organization.

"I think it'd be neat for us, as much as we've grown up in the sport as a family, for there to be a Parrott Racing in the future," Todd said.