source:
redbullcheeverracing.com
If there's one adage Max Jones knows about pit stops, it's this: The sum is
equal to its parts.
For Red Bull Cheever Racing's team manager, no single member of the team's two
pit crews is more important than the others. Their roles are intertwined and
dependent on one another. If one member doesn't deliver, the entire pit stop is
ruined. If, on the other hand, all six members are flawless, then so is the pit
stop.
"It's the way the whole team works as a unit," Jones explains. "Each guy has a
really important role. If you look at the air jack guy, for example, he's got to
get the car up in the air as fast as he can. When the tires are done, he has to
drop it as fast as he can. At the same time, he has to be looking at all of the
other guys. If one guy is struggling with a nut or a gun, he can't just drop the
car. The fueler has to get plugged in as quick as possible, and then get
unplugged in a timely fashion. Each one of the tire guys has to change a tire as
fast as possible without making a mistake. Nobody's role is more important than
anybody else's. It's about the entire movement."
That's why Red Bull Cheever Racing has adapted a serious, technical and athletic
approach toward its pit stops. It's also why the team has become one of the best
in the IRL IndyCar Series at changing four tires and fueling a car. When the No.
51 Toyota-powered Dallara driven by Alex Barron and the No. 83 Toyota/Dallara
driven by Patrick Carpentier hit their marks in the pits this May at the
Indianapolis 500, they'll be surrounded by the best athletes in the business.
"The fastest guys get the jobs," says Craig McCain, crew chief and right-front
tire changer on the No. 51 car. "We work out at least twice a week with the
trainer, and we encourage the guys to do it in their off-time. Not only do you
need to be more of an athlete from a performance standpoint, but from a safety
standpoint, too. The better shape you're in, the less chance you're going to
hurt yourself."