Keselowski's tire changer keeping eye on the ball

Forgive David Mayo, rear tire changer for cars driven in the Nationwide and Cup series by Brad Keselowski, for getting a little nostalgic this time of year.

Long before he joined Keselowski's pit crew, Mayo once played for a Little League team from Warner Robins, Ga., that helped lay the foundation for the Warner Robins American team that won the Little League World Series in 2007.

With this year's Little League World Series currently in the news, Mayo, now 26, sat down with NASCAR.COM and talked about how his own experiences as a young baseball player helped shape his future that now includes working in NASCAR's top two national touring series -- and also about what kind of player he thinks Keselowski might be.

Q: You once played Little League baseball for a team from Warner Robins, Ga., that experienced success. What was that like?

Mayo

Mayo: It was definitely an adventure. We never thought we would make it that far. It was the first time we had a Warner Robins team make it that far and come home with a championship. That was very cool. We were a small town. It was just a good feeling, knowing you were able to do that at that age.

Q: What position did you play?

Mayo: Shortstop.

Q: What kind of player were you?

Mayo: I was a very good player. I took coaching well. I was dedicated to it, and my parents helped me out with it. My mom [Peggy Mayo] was a big softball player who won championships of her own in her day. I had a lot of heart and passion that I put into it, and I never gave up on it. It was a fun sport and a fun time, but I also put a lot into it.

Q: Did you go on to play much past Little League?

Mayo: I went on to play in junior high and a little bit in high school. At Peach County High [in Georgia].

Q: Have you been watching the current Little League World Series?

Mayo: We were watching it on the pit box [before last Saturday night's race at Bristol]. And I've watched it on TV before that. It's definitely changed a lot from when I was playing at that level. It was a big deal then, but not the major deal that it is now.

Q: How exciting was it to watch the Warner Robins team win it all a couple years ago?

Mayo: It was very exciting. The kids now are very, very talented and very, very good at what they do -- plus they put a lot of heart into it. I could see on TV that they take it very seriously. It's good to watch players from your town respect the game that much and bring it to that level.

Q: How does your past experience as an infielder in baseball help you in your current job?

Mayo: Right now I currently change rear tires on the No. 22 Nationwide car and on the No. 12 Cup car for Brad Keselowski. Playing baseball and changing tires are two different things, but the hand-eye coordination you have to have in baseball and changing tires is very similar. I never thought playing baseball would help as much as it has -- but being able to watch something coming at you, like lug nuts, requires you to have that hand-eye coordination. And you've got to think fast and move fast.

That part helped out a lot. And our pit crew coach, Trent Cherry, he says he likes to recruit a lot of athletes because we've already learned how to listen. We listen very well and we're easy to teach. We've also got a lot of former football players on our team, in addition to two former baseball players -- myself and the front tire changer. For his way of training, it's just easier to get athletes because for the way he teaches, he can communicate better with someone who is used to having been coached before.

Q: What about Keselowski? To your knowledge, did he ever play any baseball?

Mayo: I don't think he ever played baseball. But we throw the football a lot. He's pretty big into that now. We do the football-throwing pretty much every weekend. We have fun with that. He's a really good guy, and he's just fun to hang out with.

Q: If he were a baseball player, what position would Keselowski play -- and would he charge the mound if someone pitched him high and tight?

Mayo [laughing]: Well, of course he would definitely charge the mound. I think his position would be more along the line of a first baseman or an outfielder. But I'm pretty sure if you hit him with a ball, he would charge the mound -- or if he was a pitcher, he would try to scare you a little bit.

Q: He would try to pitch you high and tight if he didn't like you [or your name was Kyle Busch]?

Mayo: Definitely. No question about it.