Justice gives up pigskin for chance on pit crew

You don't hear about guys turning down an opportunity to play professional football for a job in the pits of a Craftsman Truck Series team ... but that's exactly what Chris Justice did.

Justice went from the gridiron to the asphalt, and knows he made the right decision.

"In a sense it was a tough [decision], but at the same time I knew I wanted to continue in racing and the opportunity of working with Brendan Gaughan out-gains the football aspect," Justice said.

Justice was born and raised in Greensboro, N.C. Athletic his entire life, he was a standout track star his senior year at Dudley High School in Greensboro, winning the state title in the 100-meter dash, setting the state record in that race.

That earned Justice a track scholarship at East Carolina University in 1997, where he was a walk-on with the Pirates football team.

A year later, he transferred to Wake Forest, where, after sitting out the 1998 season due to NCAA regulations, he played defensive back in 16 games over two seasons for the Demon Deacons, recording 14 tackles and one interception.

Justice also ran track for the Deacons, and was part of Wake Forest's ACC championship 4x100 relay squad in 1999.

But Justice didn't follow the football path after graduating from Wake Forest in 2003. Instead, Justice got into motorsports and it was his connections at Wake Forest that pushed him in that direction.

"A couple former teammates from Wake Forest -- Dion Williams and Mike Washington -- got into racing before I did and they contacted me, telling me about the diversity program and how NASCAR was trying to get more athletic individuals for over-the-wall pit crews, so from that point I contacted Drive for Diversity and was accepted for the 2004 class," he said.

After working for a couple different teams, Justice found himself on the outside looking in at the track, and it was then his old passion of football was creeping back into his life and Justice had to make a difficult decision.

"I had the opportunity to go try out with the Carolina Speed over in Concord, N.C., and made the cut and signed a letter of intent, but then I got the call from South Point Racing so I kind of had to let go of the Arena [Fooball] deal to continue racing," Justice said.

Justice handles the catch can on race day for Gaughan's No. 77 Chevy and fills in as jackman when needed. Gaughan couldn't be happier Justice decided to stay with auto racing, especially with him joining the No. 77 crew.

"We heard there was this guy running around who was a hell of an athlete -- a great tire changer, tire carrier, jackman and is a tire guy who was without a job," Gaughan said. "With his athletic background, he can do just about anything over the wall. I really like a guy that has that many uses."

Justice likened the camaraderie and action in the pits to that of a football team, but the margin for error is clearly what separates the two.

"There are similarities," Justice said. "With football you have 10 other guys you depend on, and with the pit crew you have six other guys. There is a lot less room for error with a pit crew than in football. Everything is down to the millisecond in the pit stop as opposed to football where you have time to recover, time to react and make a big play."

Although one would think in a sport based on speed -- both on the track and in the pits -- Justice's track history would prove beneficial, but Justice said it's actually just the opposite.

"Track is really not a factor because the pace of the pit stop, its really more choreographing and patience," Justice said. "We always say in this business slow is fast, meaning the slower you feel the faster your stop will be as opposed to track where fast is fast."

For someone who didn't grow up around racing, Justice said he owes his career to the Drive for Diversity program where he got his start. He said "outside of ESPN" he didn't have any insight as to what NASCAR and racing were all about. But Justice has the tools and the knowledge now, and the 28-year-old looks to turn this into a very lucrative career.

"At this point I'm really not interested in driving; working for a Cup pit crew is the goal," Justice said. "Everyone that enters in the sport wants to reach that ultimate level of going to the Cup side. It's kind of like playing football -- every young man dreams of playing in the NFL so it's kind of similar. You start with trucks or ARCA or Late Model, you want to get to the top which is the Cup Series."

As one of few black men in the garage, Justice's dream of reaching the Cup level isn't the only way he will judge his success. He also wants to help bridge the gap of race in NASCAR, something he knows will be a difficult task, but rewarding at the end of the day.

"If I can help just one kid create a dream or fulfill a dream in this business, it would be very satisfying and a success," Justice said. "Being more of a mentor or a role model or something, just to help out with someone's dream, I definitely would feel successful."