Pit Crew Preview: Iowa
Pit-crew athletes had some time to recharge on their first full off weekend of the year and many took the opportunity to enjoy some relaxing scenery or spend time with their significant others before they head to one of the busiest and most challenging pit lanes at Iowa Speedway.
Hendrick pit crews took three of the top four spots at Iowa last year, which is why I have my eye on defending winner William Byron as his No. 24 pit crew has been the hottest over the last few weeks. Their success last year was a combination of pit-crew speed and a gutsy call from crew chief Rudy Fugle to push the limits of their fuel economy. Byron had to put it all together and save enough fuel to allow the car to survive those last few laps of the race.
Iowa offers a lot of strategy options, and a fast pit crew combined with a good road crew can keep you in contention no matter what happens on track. We saw that last year with drivers like Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar, who pitted twice as many times as most of the field and still managed to finish in the top 10.
The No. 20 pit crew of Christopher Bell will see Blake Houston return to the front-tire-changer position after recovering from an injury to his right hand. This should allow them work their way back to their top pit crew status and we’ll be watching closely to see where they end up ranking this weekend. Houston’s return means Michael Louria will return to the No. 38 pit crew of Zane Smith, which should also give that crew a performance boost as they get their full group back in action with hopes to keep their averages around that top 10 mark.
Much like Martinsville, Iowa provides a challenge for pit crews when it comes to visibility because many of the pit stalls are on the corners, which can complicate crews’ ability to get their timing right and for drivers to stop on the mark. This will make qualifying even more important in order to secure a good pit stall.
There were a lot of fun spots that were visited by pit-crew athletes over the off week, so everyone should be recharged for 14 straight weeks of racing. Here are a few selections from some of their adventures.
Carson Hocevar’s tire carrier Jarius Morehead went to the Dominican Republic along with some other Hendrick pit crew athletes :
Michael McDowell’s front changer Max Marsh got married:
Austin Dillon’s tire carrier Paul Swan went back home to Wisconsin:
Hendrick crew members Dax Hollifield and Daniel Bach spent some time fishing in the Florida Keys:
Daniel Suárez’s tire carrier Donovan Williams enjoyed some time in Lake Tahoe: