NASCAR SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012 C7 “There Was No One Directing Traffic Last Year, and the Policemen NOTES Were Just Driving Around
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LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER | KENTUCKY.COM NASCAR SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012 C7 “There was no one directing traffic last year, and the policemen NOTES were just driving around. They weren’t doing anything. This year, Kentucky-Duke you’ve got people telling you where to go and what to do.” Valerie Pitts, NASCAR fan rivalry alive and well on pit row By Mark Story Dillon’s victory Friday [email protected] Whitesburg native J.D. clouded by infraction Holcomb is a die-hard Uni- SPARTA — Friday was a night versity of Kentucky basketball of emotions for Austin Dillon, who fan. He also spends his week- enjoyed the euphoria of his first ends as the front-tire carrier NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, for Jeff Burton’s No. 31 Chev- followed by the depressing news rolet in the NASCAR Sprint that his No. 3 Chevrolet had failed Cup Series. the height stick test in post-race What makes that especially inspection. interesting is that Burton is a Dillon took over the series lead Duke basketball season-ticket from Richard Childress Racing teammate Elliott Sadler, but his holder. slim two-point advantage is in Before Saturday’s Quaker jeopardy in the face of a possible State 400 at Kentucky Speed- NASCAR penalty because the rear way, Holcomb was asked if of his car was deemed too low. he gave Burton a hard time “I’ve never seen Austin so high after UK won the 2012 NCAA and so low at the same time,” title. team owner Richard Childress, “I didn’t say much,” Hol- Dillon’s grandfather, said Saturday comb said. afternoon in the Sprint Cup garage. Pause. “It was like he’d been shot.” “You have to remember, I Dillon won the Feed the Chil- run in front of his car,” Hol- dren 300 at Kentucky Speedway comb said with a laugh. by 9.828 seconds over Kurt Busch. Kentucky is a bumpy track, and Last year, Holcomb worked running laps around the undulat- on the pit crew of Kevin Har- ing surface can affect the ride vick. In the off-season, car heights of the cars. That’s what owner Richard Childress re- Childress says happened to Dillon assigned him to Burton’s car. on Friday night. “It’s not uncommon in “We use 1,200-pound springs this sport of owners to to keep the back end up,” shake teams up, move crews Childress said. “A rear jack bolt around,” Holcomb said. worked its way back on a rough Going into Saturday night’s track. It was certainly nothing in- race, Harvick was sixth in the tentional — and it certainly wasn’t Sprint Cup standings, Burton an advantage.” JIM OSBORN 19th. Dillon probably will have to Fan traffic made its way along Ky. 35 toward Kentucky Speedway in Sparta Saturday for the track’s second Sprint Cup series race. wait until early next week to Yet that doesn’t mean this learn the price of the infraction. has not been a memorable NASCAR typically assesses penal- year for Holcomb. ties on Tuesday after the weekly Along with front-tire competition meeting. changer Tim Sheets, Holcomb NASCAR WIRE SERVICE NO TRAFFIC TROUBLE won their individual event in the 2012 Pit Crew Challenge. For winning, Holcomb got tory he has been a part of as a $10,000. pit-crew member. “That’s pretty sweet,” “I’m pretty proud of that,” FOR FANS THIS YEAR he said. “But the govern- Gay said. ment (taxes) is taking their During the week, Gay fair share, but it was nice to works in the shop as a rear- IMPROVEMENTS win.” brake specialist for Michael GET CARS RIGHT Waltrip Racing. On race week- Feel the burn ends, his job is to change the INTO THE TRACK Former Kentucky defen- front tires during pit stops for By Amanda Hancock sive tackle Mark Jacobs is the Bowyer. and Daniel Moore jackman for driver Juan Pablo Asked the key to his role [email protected], Montoya in the NASCAR in the pits, Gay said, “You just [email protected] Sprint Cup Series. need to be clean and smooth. SPARTA — Kentucky Before Saturday night’s You just need to concentrate Speedway left Carmageddon race, Jacobs said the thing on the task but not ‘rush,’ if in the dust Saturday. that worried him about the you know what I mean.” A new $11 million traffic unusually high June heat was Gay broke into NASCAR strategy gave fans at Satur- its potential effect on his feet. pretty much through hap- day’s NASCAR Sprint Cup “I talked to a guy who penstance. He was working Quaker State 400 a much worked in the pits at the as a maintenance man for an smoother experience com- truck race Thursday,” Jacobs apartment complex in Char- pared to last year’s inaugural said. “He told me the track lotte when one of the resi- race. temperature was like 160 de- dents recommended he apply The infrastructure im- grees. He said it was burning for a similar job with Hen- provements included widen- through to his feet.” drick Motorsports. ing roads near the track and When his plane landed in From that foot in the door, adding 220 acres of gravel- Kentucky on Sunday morn- he eventually got the chance covered parking lots, a pe- ing, Jacobs said the pilot wel- to start work both in the pits destrian tunnel and a shuttle comed passengers to “the face and, eventually, on race cars. system. of the sun.” Over the years, Gay has Fans arrived early and BUD KRAFT | ASSOCIATED PRESS Jacobs, 35, was a starter pitted cars/trucks for drivers without delay, many saying Speedway water trucks traveled around the track to help fans cool off in the 100-degree weather. on Kentucky’s 1998 team that such as Terry Labonte, Jack they appreciated the organi- went to the Outback Bowl. Sprague, Jimmie Johnson, zation. Kasey Kahne and now Bow- Last year, Roger and Val- ‘Anxious’ homecoming yer. erie Pitts left their home in William Sturgill, the for- In 2007, he was the cham- Paris around 11 a.m. and sat mer Paul Laurence Dunbar pion front-tire changer in the in standstill traffic for five football standout, was slated annual pit crew challenge. He hours, which they blamed to work as a jackman in a was a member of the cham- on a small and overwhelmed Sprint Cup race in his home pion pit crew team in 2005. parking staff. state for the first time ever in Gay, whose wife, Michelle, “There was no one direct- Saturday night’s Quaker State is from Cincinnati, says Ken- ing traffic last year, and the 400. tucky Speedway is a special policemen were just driving “I’m not nervous,” said venue for him. around,” Valerie said. “They Sturgill, who works in the pits “I love that area and it’s al- weren’t doing anything.” for driver David Ragan. “I am ways fun to go back,” he said. This year, however, the anxious. It’s my home state. I couple said they drove right want to have a really strong Driver/jailer into one of the newly graveled night in the pits.” Laurel County jailer Ja- parking lots without stopping An all-city football center mie Mosley drove the No. 24 once. They were shocked, for Dunbar in 2000, Sturgill Telmate Chevrolet to a 29th- they said, to be standing in is the grandson of well-known place finish in Friday night’s the parking lot by 12:30. Kentucky coal magnate and Nationwide Series Feed The “This year, you’ve got peo- political figure William Stur- Children 300 at Kentucky ple telling you where to go BUD KRAFT | ASSOCIATED PRESS gill. Speedway. and what to do,” she said. Race fans, from left, Ed Stratford, Karen Winchester, Joey Clark, Walt Bramble and Trae Bevill Mosley was elected to his Amanda Schwettman of soaked in a makeshift pool built in the back of their pickup truck before race. Glad to be back current position in 2010, de- Cincinnati was one of the 300 Jason Gay only lived in feating 11 other opponents. parking attendants hired from Lexington two years after his Before going into politics, Veteran Security Parking as birth before an IBM transfer he was a longtime Kentucky part of this year’s parking caused his family to move State Police dispatcher and See photo galleries online. plan. As she motioned cars west to Colorado, then back part-time race-car driver. into one of the lots, she gave east to North Carolina. The last time Mosley ran friendly but direct instruc- couraged to do the same. But Gay, 39, still has some at Kentucky Speedway, he fin- tions to keep order among “Everyone wanted to see Kentucky cred. He knows to ished 29th in a trucks series the hundreds of tents. the inaugural race, and it left pronounce the Garrard Coun- race in 2009. “If you guys are tailgating, a bad taste in their mouth ty seat, Lancaster, as “LANK- For his career, Mosley has pick up your mess,” Schwett- with some of the basics being uh-ster,” not “LAN-cast-er.” run 13 times in the Nation- man said. “That’s all I ask.” ignored,” he said. “Almost all my family is wide Series. His career-best Along with the attendants, The race, which sold out still in Garrard County,” Gay finish in the Nationwide Se- a large contingent of state its 107,000 capacity last year, said last week. “Aunts, uncles, ries is 21st at Nashville in troopers directed cars into had thousands of empty seats cousins, grandparents, all 2003.