Pit Crew Competition at the Rock UPDATE #17 WINS and results: The annual Union 76/Rockingham World Pit Crew Competition will be held Saturday, November 3rd at North Carolina Speedway, and Jeff Burton along with his #99 Citgo SUPERGARD Ford crew are preparing to defend their title as the “Fastest Pit Crew” in NASCAR racing. Burton and team won last fall’s pit crew competition and set a new world record with a time of 18.355 seconds. They defeated fellow competitors John Andretti, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the $26,000 prize and bragging rights for a year as the best pit crew in the business. There will be a few changes in the line-up for this year’s competition. Only those crews and cars of the top 25 car owners in the current 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship car owner point standings as of the completion of the October 28 NASCAR event will be eligible to participate. Total prize money for this year’s event is $76,000, with $30,000 going to the winner and a $1,000 bonus if they set a new world record. The object of the competition is for each crew to empty 14 gallons of gas into the tank of the race car from two cans, each holding seven gallons, and change left and right-side tires in as short a time as possible. Penalties will be applied for loose lug nuts, fuel spills, and fuel left in can. Time will be added to each team’s speed based on penalties they receive. The team with the fastest time becomes the new champion. The Union 76/Rockingham World Pit Crew Competition is the only NASCAR sanctioned pit crew contest on the circuit. The event has been held annually at North Carolina Speedway since 1967. See more at the North Carolina Speedway site(10-31-2001) UPDATE: Matt Kenseth’s #17 team kept the Union 76-Rockingham Pit Crew Competition championship in the Roush Racing family on Saturday, ripping off a record-time to beat 24 other teams at North Carolina Speedway. Kenseth’s team, led by crew chief Robbie Reiser, changed four tires and emptied two gas cans, each containing seven gallons of fuel, into the #17 Ford in 17.695 seconds. That broke the record of 18.355 seconds set by Jeff Burton’s team, also part of Roush Racing, in last year’s competition.(See Full story at That’s Racin’) and see the National Association of Pit Crew Members site for the Rank and Times of 2001 Pit Crew Challenge(11-4-2001)
