Denny Hamlin Wins Race Off Pit Road

It’s a very lonely strip of concrete that lies between the garage area and the front straightaway, unless of course it’s a short track, and then it wraps itself around the entire track like some mighty python waiting for its next victim.

However you choose to view this small piece of real estate, it has just as much significance as the asphalt that surrounds its outer edges that the drivers race on at very high speeds.

At any given moment, this concrete area becomes a race within the race, which can have just as much and at times even more action then what is going on outside of its perimeters.

This is the only strip of land on the entire track, where the drivers can get the attention that their cars need during a race, without having to go beyond the wall into the garage area.

The crew members, or as they are called “The over the wall gang,” are a highly trained group of men that take exceptional pride in the 14 or so seconds that it takes them to gas up, and get four fresh tires installed while working in a stall that is no bigger then the car itself.

Denny Hamlin’s crew took top honors in the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award during Saturday night’s (July 11) Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Hamlin’s No. 11 crew became the 13th Tissot winner in the 19 Cup races contested in 2009. The pit crew win was the result of Hamlin’s FedEx Toyota Camry spending the least amount of time on pit road, 194.055 seconds.

The quick work helped Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing team to a fifth-place finish in the 267-lap, 400-mile race.

“The No. 11 FedEx team was awesome on Saturday night,” said Hamlin. “I think we gained or held positions each time I was on pit road and as competitive as this sport is that makes a huge difference."

"We need to keep improving during this summer stretch so everyone is at their best for the Chase. I see how hard they are working to improve and it paid off on Saturday.”

Hamlin’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Jonathan Sherman (front-tire changer), Brandon Pegram (front-tire carrier), Mike Hicks (rear-tire changer), Heath Cherry (rear-tire carrier), Nate Bolling (jackman), Scott Wood (gasman), John Eicher (catch can), and Bobby “Spike” Christenson (windshield).

The team’s crew chief is Mike Ford and the pit crew coach is Paul Alepa. The athletic director for Joe Gibbs Racing is Michael Lepp.

The No. 11 team will collect $5,000 for the pit road win. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule will receive a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver.

Congratulations to not only Hamlin’s crew, but to all the pit crews who put their lives on the line each and every race weekend.

The over all the wall gang deserves just as much as recognition as the drivers themselves. It’s because of their very well timed actions, and the precision in which they carry out their specific duties.

That puts our drivers in the best position to hopefully bring home a win. So far here are the standings after the first 19 races.

Good luck to all the teams, as we get ready to head down the final stretch that will take us into the chase for the Sprint cup championship.

2009 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Standings
Pos – Team No. – Pit Crew For – Wins
T1 – 24 – Jeff Gordon – 3
T1 – 16 – Greg Biffle – 3
T3 – 48 – Jimmie Johnson – 2
T3 – 14 – Tony Stewart – 2
T5 – 43 – Reed Sorenson – 1
T5 – 33 – Clint Bowyer – 1
T5 – 39- Ryan Newman – 1
T5 – 88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.- 1
T5 – 1 – Martin Truex Jr. – 1
T5 – 00 – David Reutimann – 1
T5 – 99 – Carl Edwards – 1
T5 – 42 – Juan Pablo Montoya – 1
T5 – 11 – Denny Hamlin – 1