Ex-football players hit race car pits

OWENSBORO, Ky. - A year ago, David Colognesi and Erick Wettstain were lifting weights for the Apollo High School football team. - College Football -
Now, they're lifting tires at Brewco Motorsports Inc. based in Central City, recruits in a battle of pit crews heating up in the NASCAR Busch Series. The pair, along with Donnie Eaves, a 2004 graduate of South Spencer (Ind.) High School, were scheduled to make their debut in the Automobile Racing Club of America race July 8 at Kentucky Speedway near Sparta, but will have to wait after their driver had a non-injury crash in practice that morning.
It's an experiment at BMI, hiring personnel to primarily do pit stops. Up to now, the two-car operation owned by Clarence Brewer Jr. has pitted its cars the way NASCAR teams have since the sport started in the 1940s; using crews whose members are mechanics in the shop during the week, but who grab an impact wrench to change tires on the weekends.
But much has changed in NASCAR the last few years. Teams are hiring men who do nothing but pit stops. The extra time they have to practice, plus hiring people who fit an athletic profile, are huge advantages for big-money Nextel Cup teams. - College Football -
Those crews are also used at the Busch Series level with Chip Ganassi Racing, Rick Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and others using the division as a driver development program. - College Football -
"That's what we've run into, and that's what pushed us to do this," BMI president Todd Wilkerson said. "Ganassi, Hendrick and RCR are bringing their Cup guys down, Ganassi especially, and just killing everybody. We'd do very good stops based on what we did last year and lose four or five spots. ... - College Football -
"That's the biggest advantage the Cup guys have over us. They have their Cup crews competing against us. We have mechanics doing pit stops on the side."
BMI officials kicked the idea of hiring pit crew specialists for a few years, Wilkerson said. He choose to go with high school graduates instead of college grads because they'd get an earlier start and be available longer in a sport where retirement age for crew members is around 35, he said. - College Football -
Wettstain heard BMI was looking to hire pit crew trainees while still a senior at Apollo. He thought about playing college football, but said he never got serious about it and figured he hung up the pads for good last fall.
The three interviewed for the job about a month ago. Wettstain's father, James, was a longtime dirt late model driver in the area, but Wilkerson said racing experience wasn't a prerequisite for the job. - College Football -
"I stayed in fairly good shape," Erick Wettstain said. "Kentucky Wesleyan College had contacted me a couple of times about playing football. There wasn't real serious talk. I was interested in it, but racing is my first love.
"This is right up my alley. As soon as I had an opportunity, I jumped on it."
Eaves spent a semester at the University of Southern Indiana last year and as a partner in his father's roofing business. Colognesi also considered going to college.
Neither has been on a race team before but are familiar with the growth of NASCAR's popularity. - College Football -
"There are probably millions of people that would love to have a job like this," Colognesi said.
The three practice pit stops every day. At first, Wilkerson thought it would take until February before they would be ready to pit BMI's primary cars, the No. 27 Kleenex Ford driver by David Green and the No. 66 Duraflame Ford driven by Greg Biffle.
But after watching their progress, Wilkerson estimated they'd be ready in 30 to 60 days. Their debut, though, was scheduled for much sooner.
Colognesi, Eaves and Wettstain were to pit for an ARCA car for fellow Owensboro racer John Hayden July 8. - College Football -
There were also plans for the trio to head to Joliet, Ill., for a Busch Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, but travel arrangements couldn't be worked out, Wilkerson said.
The three fit the same athletic profile, around 5-foot-10, 165 pounds. Trying to find the right combination of speed and power is the key, Wilkerson said.
"These tires weigh 50 or 60 pounds apiece with it mounted to the wheel," Wilkerson said. "It takes a lot of strength to pick up a tire and put it where you want it."
Wilkerson said BMI's plan is to keep the three recruits together since pit crews do best trained as a unit. The trio will also pit the car driven by Aaron Fike, who drives a part-time schedule for BMI.


JAKE JENNINGS
Associated Press