Mike Lingerfelt is one of the top hands on pit road in terms of changing tires. In the high-speed world of Sprint Cup Series racing, that's saying something.

Lingerfelt changes tires for three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, and that's as pressure-packed a position as there is in NASCAR. If he makes a mistake, Johnson loses precious track position and potentially the race.

Of course, Lingerfelt and his mates on the No. 48 Chevrolet team don't make many mistakes. For their effort on pit road, they've won the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew championship -- the most sought-after title for NASCAR pit crews voted on by crew chiefs -- for the past two seasons. No other team has won the honor more than once in the seven-year history of the award.

"I feel very fortunate to have been on some very good teams, and being able to win that award twice means a lot to me," Lingerfelt said. "You work so hard through the year and you really don't do it for the accolades and all, but to get a big award like that at the end of the year, it really does mean a lot."

Like a lot of pit crewmen, Lingerfelt is a former driver. That gives him a unique perspective on race days.

"I grew up racing dirt cars for a living," he said. "It got to a certain point where I figured out I was going to have to work on them or drive them. It was costing so much to drive late models, I felt like it would be more beneficial to work on them and I chose that path in 1994."

Lingerfelt's path to the Cup Series is paved in versatility.

"I started out with Shane Hall in All Pro and a limited Nationwide Series schedule. From there, I went to Jason Keller's family owned team in Greenville [S.C.] and worked there for a couple of years. I was fortunate to go from there to Richard Childress Racing on the No. 31 team. It all went really quick once I got my foot in the door. We were having good stops then, and we started getting noticed."

A native of Travelers Rest, S.C., Lingerfelt is a jack-of-all-trades when not on pit road.

"In the shop, I'm a mechanic," Lingerfelt said. "I do all the special projects in the shop."