Jeff Gordon’s #24 pit crew claimed its second win of the season in the weekly Checkers / Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge competition, helping boost the Hendrick Motorsports driver to a fifth-place finish in Saturday night’s (Aug. 26) Nextel Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. “The DuPont crew did an amazing job on Saturday night,” said Steve Letarte, crew chief of the DuPont Chevrolet. “They’ve been phenomenal all year, and I’m glad they are starting to get the recognition they deserve.” Gordon’s over-the-wall team edged out other participating crews by spending the least amount of time on pit road during the Sharpie 500. The #24 machine spent 313.006 seconds on pit lane. Gordon’s over-the-wall crew, which will receive the weekly $10,500 reward from Checkers/Rally’s, consists of: Jeff Cook (jackman), Mike “Tiny” Houston (front-tire carrier), Clay Robinson (front-tire changer), Jeff Knight (rear-tire carrier), Kevin Gilman (rear-tire changer), Caleb Hurd (gasman), Jamie Frady (catch can) and Jason “Penske” Seitzinger (eighth-man). The pit crew coach is Matt Clark. With twelve races remaining in the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule, the over-the-wall crews of Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson are tied for first place in the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings with four victories each. 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)(8-31-2006)
