Convo: Pete Wright (cont'd)

Some of the kids nowadays realize what they got. But do the pit crews? I remember Junior [Johnson] doubled my pay to come from Hagan's to jack his racecar. But yet, he hired me as a mechanic. These kids now work as a mechanic and get one salary, and jack or change tires on a racecar and get another salary.

Give me a break. When I was doing it that was my job. A lot of times, you got a job as a mechanic because you could jack the car or change tires. But that didn't have any impact on what you were going to make. It was a job.

In '84, I was making $275 a week working at Billy Hagan's -- we won the championship with 14 people and worked our living butts off. And we got a $500 bonus for winning the championship.

Now, there are people who make four times that just to come here and work on Sunday [at the track on a pit crew]. I know things are more expensive, but some people need to sit down and look at what they got, and enjoy it and appreciate it a little more than what they show.

That's just the way I feel.

Q: One thing that's changed is guys now specialize. You've done a lot in your career, so what are you doing, now?

Wright: I don't know exactly what it is I am doing, but I do take care of the drivetrains. I don't build all the stuff any more [because] we have good guys who do all that.

While we were at Ginn, we hired Mike Waters from [transmission specialist] Tex Racing and [getting him] took the load off me and allowed me to work in some other areas. I take care of the fuel cells for the cars.

At the track, I help where I can, because there ain't much I haven't done. I kind of troubleshoot, and when I see something I don't like, I'll bring it up.

Q: Who's been the most impressive owner you've worked with?

Wright: Junior Johnson. I worked there into the late '80s, and I didn't really want to leave Junior's [in the early 1990s], but Terry [Labonte] was going back to Billy Hagan's and he wanted me to go with him.

Junior gave me his blessings and told me if I ever needed anything -- he told me "don't even call; just bring your tool box back, because that's the kind of employee you've been."

That was why I stayed at Ginn Racing, which formerly was MBV and MB2, for so long; was working for Jay Frye [former Ginn general manager]. Jay realized the way to run a team sometimes, is the people you hired, put trust in 'em -- and that was what was good working for Junior.

When I worked there, we practiced pit stops one time -- and I jacked the car for him the whole time I worked there. Junior drove up while we were practicing and he said, "If y'all need to practice, I need to hire me another pit crew."

His thought was "I hired you to jack my racecar and be a mechanic -- and if you need to practice, I need to hire someone who don't need to practice." So Junior was probably the best.

Q: Who were some of the most impressive teammates you've had -- or people you respected the most?

Wright: You've got to consider: I've been teammates with Robert Yates, Gary Nelson, Robin Pemberton, Gary DeHart, Steve Hmiel, Dale Inman -- I don't think there's anyone left [in the sport] who's had the chance to work with all those guys, I really don't.

See, I always told myself I sold myself too short when I was coming up through the ranks. I've been a crew chief. I was crew chief for Hut [Stricklin], Darrell [Waltrip], Terry Labonte -- that wasn't me. I just didn't like that.

And I think about the people I have worked with, and where they're at right now -- and I think, "What in the world did I do wrong?" Well, I didn't do anything wrong because I did what was right for me and I've enjoyed every minute that I've been here.

I quit school in the ninth grade to do this. And everyone always asks me, "Would you do it again?" If I had it to do again, well, I never thought the sport would get to where it's at, as far as computers and all. Back then, we didn't even know what a computer was -- we didn't have debit cards or none of that stuff.

If I had to do it again I would have stayed in school, and maybe thought about going to college. But I didn't. So what's the saying, "I made my bed, and now I'm going to lay in it?" And I've liked the bed I've been laying in.

Q: Who'd you work for, first?

Wright: I went down to Daytona, and I hung around the racetrack helping whoever I could, for whatever I could get. It might have been Joe Frasson, I helped H.B. Bailey -- whoever needed help that day, I would help, and they would pay me.

Back then you were there for three weeks. So I worked for Cecil Gordon, and I worked for Buddy Arrington for a while. I got around. I can't answer the question of who I first worked for, because I worked for so many. You found out, and that was one thing I was smart at, instead of going to work for one guy at a set price I could work for several guys on a good weekend and make twice the money.

The first time I went down to Daytona, I went with 27 dollars in my pocket and I came home with 47 dollars, so I did OK. (Continued)