Paul Wolfe earns crew chief of the year honors: Coming off of a 2012 season that featured five wins, 13 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes and culminated with a Sprint Cup Series Championship, Paul Wolfe, crew chief for the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, has been named the Kimberly-Clark Professional Crew Chief of the Year.(Charlotte Observer)(11-29-2012)

Pit-crew competition may not be held in 2013: Sprint shifted its sponsorship of the pit-crew competition during all-star week to the Daytona event to give it sponsorship of both non-points Cup events, the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel. The pit-crew competition currently is without sponsorship, and NASCAR has not determined whether it will be held this year. "We are working to continue the event," NASCAR Senior Vice President Steve O'Donnell said in a statement.(Sporting News)(1-22-2013)

#48 My Lowe’s Chevrolet Victorious at Eighth Annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge: The #48 My Lowe’s Chevy captured the championship title for the eighth annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge held at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mirroring the 2011 final round, the #48 pit crew defeated the back-to-back reigning champions, the #11 FedEx Toyota, with a time of 22.239 seconds.
The My Lowe’s Chevrolet pit crew consists of jack man TJ Ford from Charlotte, N.C.; gas man Brandon Harder from Oak Harbor, Ohio; front-tire changer Dave Collins from Riverside, Calif.; front-tire carrier RJ Barnette from Pinson, Ala.; rear-tire changer Calvin Teague from Taylorsville, N.C.; and rear-tire carrier Matt Tyrrell from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The winning pit crew will walk away with a purse of $80,675 as well as a donation to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in the amount of $9,169.15. In addition, the team will have first pit selection for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 19 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
During the individual skills competition, three event records were broken including the gas man, front-tire changer and carrier, and the rear-tire changer and carrier. Tom Lampe, gas man for the #18 M&M’s Toyota set a record time of 8.610 seconds. Teammates from the #18 pit crew, Jake Seminara and Kenny Barber, captured the record for rear-tire changer and carrier with a time of 13.073 seconds. Tim Sheets and JD Holcomb from the #31 CAT Chevrolet pit crew secured the front-tire changer and carrier record with a 13.615-second performance. Jeff Kerr, a three-time individual champion (2006, 2009, 2012) and team champion in 2006, scored the best time of the night for the jack man position with a time of 5.291 seconds. To note, Seminara and Barber are two-time individual champions (2009 and 2012). Each individual champion scored a $10,000 bonus for their performance.

2012 Team Champion - #48 My Lowe’s Chevrolet
Jackman: TJ Ford (Charlotte, N.C.)
Gas Man: Brandon Harder (Oak Harbor, Ohio)
Front-Tire Changer: Dave Collins (Riverside, Calif.)
Front-Tire Carrier: RJ Barnette (Pinson, Ala.)
Rear-Tire Changer: Calvin Teague (Taylorsville, N.C.)
Rear-Tire Carrier: Matt Tyrrell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

2012 Individual Champions
Car Skill Name Time
#5 Jack Man Jeff Kerr (Salisbury, N.C.) 5.291
#18 Gas Man Tom Lampe (Odell, N.C.) 8.610*
#31 Front Tire Changer/Carrier Tim Sheets (Indianapolis, Ind.) / JD Holcomb (Whitesburg, Ky.) 13.615*
#18 Rear Tire Changer/Carrier Jake Seminara (Steubenville, Ohio) / Kenny Barber (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) 13.073*
*denotes new individual record

Johnson's team wins Sprint Pit Crew Challenge: Jimmie Johnson's #48 team won the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, avenging last year's loss in the finals to Denny Hamlin's #11 team. Hamlin's team was the two-time defending champions coming into the event and cruised into the finals, but lost to Johnson's team by three-tenths of a second. Johnson's six-member team changed four tires, put in gas and pushed the car 40 yards in 22.3 seconds without a penalty to earn the $80,675 first-place prize and their choice of the top pit stall in Saturday night's All-Star race. Johnson's team included gas man Brandon Harder; front tire changer Dave Collins and carrier R.J. Barnette; rear tire changer Calvin Teague and carrier Matt Tyrrell; and jack man T.J. Ford. Their crew chief was Chad Knaus.(Associated Press)(5-17-2012)

NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge Official Entry List Announced: Entering its eighth year of competition, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge will feature 24 of the top NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesTM pit crews in a head-to-head competition at 7:00 pm/et Thursday, May 17 at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling Time Warner Cable Arena box office at (800) 745-3000. SPEED’s broadcast of the event begins at 8:00pm/et.
The 20 teams eligible for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 19 automatically qualified for the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. The remaining four positions were assigned to the car owners ranked highest in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner point standings as of May 14, 2012, who were not otherwise eligible for this event.
The official entry list for the event is outlined below.
· #2 Miller Lite Dodge
· #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy
· #9 Stanley Ford
· #11 FedEx Office Toyota
· #14 Office Depot-Mobil 1 Chevy
· #15 5-Hour Energy Toyota
· #16 3M Ford
· #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
· #18 M&M’s Toyota
· #20 Home Depot-Dollar General Toyota
· #21 Good Sam-Camping World Ford
· #24 DuPont Chevy
· #27 Menard’s Chevy
· #29 Budweiser Chevy
· #31 CAT Chevy
· #34 MHP-Power Pak Pudding Ford
· #39 U.S. Army-Quicken Loans Chevy
· #48 My Lowe’s Chevy
· #51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevy
· #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
· #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
· #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy
· #88 National Guard-Diet Mountain Dew Chevy
· #99 Fastenal Ford
For more information, visit www.pitcrewchallenge.com.(5-15-2012)

SRI provides supplies for pit stops: This week, the jacks will drop, the fuel cans will drain, and the shrill noise of air wrenches will ring in the ears of all spectators at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. For eight years running, the blazing fast pit crews of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series have showcased their athleticism and precision at the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. Once a year, the pit crew members can go head-to-head and answer the question: “Who has the fastest crew in NASCAR?”
In order to show support for such a unique event, SRI (Supplies for Racing and Industry) has provided several cases of brake cleaning chemicals and lug nut glue. These two items are involved in the preparation stages before a pit stop, when a crew member cleans the wheel and glues the lug nuts to the wheel itself. This prevents the tire changer from having to start threading the lugs by hand, which is what your local tire service store would have to do for your street car.
SRI keeps crews and cars running strong. Every weekday, the SRI delivery truck stocks the race shops and pit boxes with various supplies, such as sanding discs, nuts and bolts, tapes, and cutting tools. SRI also carries the famous yellow lug nuts that will be spun off-and-on by the hundreds this coming Thursday night. See full story at sri-supplies.com.(5-16-2012)

Sprint Pit Crew Challenge returns in May: The eighth annual NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge returns to Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, May 17, 2012. Tickets to the pit-crew skills competition are on sale at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling Time Warner Cable Arena box office at (800) 745-3000. Similar to other leagues' all-star skills competitions like the slam dunk contest or home run derby, the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge features the top-24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pit crews and settles who the best on pit road is with individual and team trials. The #11 FedEx Toyota team is the defending back-to-back team champion. As one of several events during NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week, the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge will take place at 7:00pm/et and will air on SPEED at 8:00pm/et that evening. Tickets prices start at $15 while children ages two through 12 are half price ($7.50 each).
To qualify for the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, teams must be eligible for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 19 or be the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge Champion. NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race eligibility includes all NASCAR Sprint Cup race winners from 2011 and 2012, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners from the past 10 years and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions from the past 10 years who are active drivers and have competed in at least one series event during the 2011 or 2012 season. Remaining unfilled positions will become available to the car owners ranked highest in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner point standings as of May 15.
The following teams are currently eligible: #2 Miller Lite Dodge, #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy, #9 Mac Tools Ford, #11 FedEx Toyota, #14 Office Depot Chevy, #15 5-Hour Energy Toyota, #17 Best Buy Ford, #18 M&M's Toyota, #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy, #27 Moen/Menards Chevy, #29 Budweiser Chevy, #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, #39 US Army Chevy, #48 Lowe's Chevy, #51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevy, #55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota, #78 Furniture Row Chevy, and #99 Cheez-It Ford.(Sprint PR)(4-13-2012)

#56 Over-The-Wall Crew wins pit crew award: The #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota over-the-wall crew members have won the first-quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, which is determined by a vote of each team's crew chief and given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The #56 crew's performance during the season's first-quarter cemented driver Martin Truex Jr.'s solid start to the 2012 season. Truex Jr. has mounted four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 10.7 through 11 races. "The NAPA Know How pit crew has done a great job this year," said Truex Jr. "They've been very fast, but most importantly, they've been consistent. Anytime I come in on green or yellow flag conditions, I can count on those guys to hold their own and make no mistakes." Crew chief Chad Johnston's over-the-wall pit crew consists of Brian "Hootie" Chase (jackman), Eric Maycroft (front tire changer), Craig Curione (front tire carrier), Brandon Hopkins (rear tire changer), Adam Mosher (rear tire carrier), and Wes Evans (gas man). Greg Miller is the team's pit crew coach. The NAPA Know How pit crew was presented its award prior to Saturday night's NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.(NASCAR)(5-22-2012)

Freightliner Trucks Run Smart Hauler Challenge: The first round of the 2012 Freightliner Trucks Run Smart Hauler Challenge took place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Ken Pitcher, driver of the #36 hauler for Tommy Baldwin Racing, claimed top honors with a perfect score. This year, 43 hauler drivers signed up for the Challenge, which is open to all full-time Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series NASCAR hauler drivers. Pitcher won $250 for his first round victory. While 32 hauler drivers advanced onto the next round at Talladega Super Speedway, the 11 eliminated drivers aren’t done just yet. This year Freightliner has given the fans the power to vote one driver back into the competition. Be sure to check out the Freightliner Trucks Facebook page to cast your vote to send one eliminated hauler driver back into the competition after each round. The final round will take place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC before the Bank of America 500 on the weekend of October 13, with the winner taking home the grand prize of $30,000. More info at freightlinertrucks.com)(5-6-2012)

Gibbs Hauler driver wins challenge: Joe Gibbs Racing driver Tom McCrimmons was announced as the 2012 champion of the Pilot/Flying J Truck Driver Challenge Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was McCrimmons’ second title, having won in 2009. It was also the fifth win in nine years for a JGR driver. McCrimmons pocketed $30,000 for his win in this year’s contest. “I told him, ‘Hey it’s just like [NASCAR] drivers; you’ve gotta split that with us. It’s 50-50,’” Joe Gibbs Racing President JD Gibbs joked. “When the race is over, we all travel home, fly home, ride home. The guys who drive the trucks – your job just begins. So I just want to say thank you on behalf of what you guys do for the sport, the way you guys do it with safety, the way you guys do it with class. It’s a big deal.” Eric Burgoyne of Champion Tire and Wheel finished second, earning $7,500, and Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bob Decker finished third, picking up $2,500. The 2013 Pilot/Flying J Truck Driver Challenge will celebrate the event’s 10-year anniversary and will be supported by special advertisements created with the hauler drivers promoting highway safety.(CMS)(10-13-2012)

MWR's Lewis takes 1st in latest Pilot Truck Driver Challenge: On Monday, William “Stump” Lewis, #56 NAPA Racing truck driver, placed first in the second segment of the Pilot Truck Driver Challenge. Out of 28 drivers, Lewis scored the only perfect score of no penalty points. Two more rounds at the Bristol and Charlotte fall events will determine the championship (MWR), more info on the Challenge at pilottruckchallenge.com.(5-24-2012)