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Editor’s note: This story is part of our Fit Row series that focuses on the health and fitness aspects of racing and its superstar drivers. Presented by Lilly Diabetes, the exclusive diabetes health partner of NASCAR, the series will feature 10 themed stories.
Joey Galloway knows speed. The former college football standout at Ohio State University and NFL wide receiver knows how to move the chains, too. An avid NASCAR fan that has attended some “30 to 40 races,” the now-ESPN college football analyst gained further appreciation for the job of a pit crew member.
Galloway spent a cool morning during the offseason at the headquarters of Joe Gibbs Racing working out with some of the team’s crew members and learning the ins and outs of pit stops – like when to go over the wall and how to serve as a tire carrier or change a tire on a race car.
The visit to JGR’s Huntersville, North Carolina-based shop came from a long-standing invite of driver Matt Kenseth and his crew chief Jason Ratcliff. At one race, Galloway stood near the wall for a pit stop and called it the “most exciting thing I’ve ever seen in sports.”
“Because I had that experience, doing this out here today was great,” Galloway told NASCAR.com. “The car’s coming in and I didn’t go because that car is coming faster than you think it is. When you are there at eye level, you see that car coming at you, it’s tough to jump out there in front of it because now you are trusting that other guy is going to stop the car before it takes you out.”
Galloway also appreciated learning additional knowledge about a sport he loves – such as the intricacies of applying lug nuts on a pit stop and the skill level required to execute fast pit stops of around 11 seconds.
“The appreciation for the skill level that these guys have because after I got us through about a 45-second pit stop and then to watch the professionals do it and how quickly, you get a big appreciation for what they’re doing,” Galloway said.
Speaking of Galloway’s performance in the pit drills, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Senior Athletic Advisor Mike Lepp was very complimentary.
“We saw some really good things out there,” Lepp told NASCAR.com. “Great foot speed. Hitting lug nuts is something he’s never done (Galloway hit three). We have tire changers that are a little less accurate but they have great foot speed and that kind of erases missing lug nuts because they are great to the car and around the car. Joey was great with that – kind of a natural.”
Using former college athletes on pit road, usually former football players, has been a rising trend in NASCAR. Lepp said as a result of the competition to gain spots on pit road, the importance of the athletic component on pit road has evolved over the last 10 years.
“Can you take a guy that was fast and quick in another sport and evolve him into this?” Lepp said. “Certainly, we do. If you look at our pit crews, a lot of them are ex-college athletes, things like that. I think most teams have evolved to that.”
JGR has a full athletic facility for the pit crews to work out in over the course of a grueling 38-week season and the organization, like many in NASCAR, takes great steps to keep their crews as healthy as possible
As a receiver, Galloway had 701 receptions over a 16-year NFL career in some high-pressure environments playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Washington Redskins. Being on pit road is a pressure-packed gig and the 45-year-old thinks that former college athletes bring a special skill set to the job.
“Athletes have an ability to deal with pressure,” Galloway said. “We have an ability to deal with harsh coaching and an ability to deal with direct communication.”
Lepp went one step further on that thought.
“Usually with athletes, you’ll have what we call the athletic mindset,” Lepp said. “That mindset is usually what separates the guys that make it from not making it. … Everybody is going to make mistakes in 38 races but who comes back from that mistake, who’s fast again.
“Every pit stop is filmed and when you make that mistake, it’s going to get played over and over and over again. It’s kind of like military special ops – I always say pit crews are like that. If you make a mistake, everybody knows about you. If you did your job, nobody knows your name. The driver goes to Victory Lane, you are kind of off to the side.”