Kyle Busch’s #5 Kellogg’s pit crew earned its fourth win of the season in the weekly Checkers / Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, moving them into a tie with Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew for first-place in the season-long contest. “My crew worked on my car all day long making major adjustments,” offered Busch. “We missed it in qualifying and had a terrible pit stall selection for the guys to work with. They dealt with it, gave me awesome stops and got me positions on the track with each stop.” Busch’s over-the-wall team spent just 230.550 seconds on pit lane during Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. This is the crew’s second win in the last three NEXTEL Cup events-they also took top honors in the July 16 race at New Hampshire International Raceway. “I think Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) told the team at the start of the race over the radios, ‘heroes don’t make a team, a team makes heroes,’ and that’s what we have been rolling with,” said Busch. Checkers/Rally’s will present the team with the weekly $10,500 check awarded to the crew that spends the least amount of time on pit road each week. In addition, a $105,000 bonus will be rewarded to the season champion at the completion of the 36-race NEXTEL Cup schedule. Busch’s over-the-wall team includes: Rick Pigeon (jackman), Jeremy “JD” Holcomb (front-tire carrier), DJ Richardson (front-tire changer), Jason Jones (rear-tire carrier), Josh Kirk (rear-tire changer), Brad Pickens (gasman), Jason Dalrymple (catch can), and Whit Satterwhite (eighth-man). The pit crew coach is Mark Mauldin.
The Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge is in its second season of rewarding pit crews, the unsung heroes in the Nextel Cup Series. The competition awards $10,500 per week to the top pit crew. In addition, the pit crew with the most wins will be awarded a $105,000 bonus at the completion of the 36-race schedule. Checkers/Rally’s is the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, more info at checkers.com.(DMF Communications PR)(8-9-2006)
