No. 42 crewman's big risk turns into a career reward

Eric Bilyeu wasn't a good ol' boy from the South. He didn't go to his local race track on Saturday nights, and he certainly didn't know anything about no NASCAR.

He was from Michigan. He played college hockey and then worked in a glass factory. His wife, working for the auto industry in Detroit, knew more about cars than he did. But by sheer persistence, the 32-year-old Midwestern is now living in the South, traveling to dozens of race tracks each year and is the front tire carrier for Juan Montoya.

Keep in mind, this unsuspecting voyage didn't come by way of a sweepstakes challenge or a prize-winning contest. You know the ones. Win a chance to be a NASCAR pit crewman for a day -- those type of ordeals.

No, Bilyeu made some major sacrifices, as did his wife and young son. His parents thought him to be an idiot and his friends were baffled by his choice to leave the security of Middle America for the turbulence of NASCAR.

"My parents thought I was crazy like someone who goes out to Hollywood to become a star," said Bilyeu as he was preparing tires for a recent Sprint Cup race.

Four years ago in a newspaper article, Bilyeu read about an opportunity where he could leave his 9-to-5 existence for something more fast-paced. NASCAR teams in North Carolina were recruiting ex-college athletes to pit race cars.

He had attended races at Talladega Superspeedway while in school at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and was intrigued at the athletic ability involved with the pit stops. Sure, he thought it would be a dream to be one of those "over-the-wall" guys, a Killer Bee for Matt Kenseth or a Rainbow Warrior for Jeff Gordon. But what were the chances of that really happening? (Continued)