Elliott's Pit Crew Becomes First Four-Time Winners

The inaugural McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade has paid out $500,000 to pit crews during the first 25 NASCAR Winston Cup races of the 2003 season.

Leading the prize money list is the pit crew for Bill Elliott's team, which swiped its fourth victory of the season Sunday at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Elliott's crew has earned $80,000 ($20,000 for each win) and is the first four-time winner of the championship that recognizes and awards the unsung heroes of the sport.

Bill Elliott

Elliott's car, which finished fifth in the Darlington race, spent the least amount time on pit road for participating teams. The No. 9 Dodge was off the track for 469.770 seconds, edging Bobby Labonte's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet that spent 470.354 seconds on pit road. Third was Elliott Sadler's Ford at 471.403.

"With the level of competition the way it is now you shoot to spend as little time on pit road as possible," said Elliott's crew chief Mike Ford. "That's a combination of your driver, calling the race and your pit stops. Your goal is keeping the car on the racetrack and not in the pits."

Elliott's over-the-wall crew consists of: Todd Colburn (jackman), Nick Bailey (front tire carrier), Jim Pohlman (front tire changer), Eric Wakeland (rear tire carrier), Joe Kruschek (rear tire changer), Rodney Rhodes (gasman) and Steve Lawrence (catch can). The team's pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

With 11 races remaining, Michael Waltrip's crew leads the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship with 912 points, a 53-point lead over the second-place pit crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Elliott's team, which did not join the program until the fifth race of the season, is ninth with 777 points. The season pit crew champion will receive a $200,000 bonus.

During each 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points event, the participating team whose car spends the least amount of aggregate time off the race track will be named the weekly winner of the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE, provided the team's driver takes the green flag at the beginning of the event and the checkered flag at the conclusion of the event. A timing line at the entrance and exit of pit road triggers the car's transponder and records the total time spent off the race track.

The point distribution per race is: 43 for first place, descending in increments of one.

The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE is the largest monetary contingency program in NASCAR history.

Top 10 Pit Crews For Participating Teams In
Sunday's (Aug. 31) Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Time Car # 1. Bill Elliott Team 469.770 Seconds 9
2. Bobby Labonte Team 470.354 " 18
3. Elliott Sadler Team 471.403 " 38
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team 472.043 " 8
5. Jamie McMurray Team 472.806 " 42
6. Greg Biffle Team 474.394 " 16
7. Kurt Busch Team 475.161 " 97
8. Jeff Burton Team 518.381 " 99
9. Jeff Green Team 532.100 " 1
10. Steve Park Team 543.187 " 30

2003 Winners of The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade:

Daytona (2/16) Michael Waltrip Team
Rockingham (2/23) Dave Blaney Team
Las Vegas (3/2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Atlanta (3/9) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Darlington (3/16) Jeff Green Team (RCR)
Bristol (3/23) Bill Elliott Team
Texas (3/30) Robby Gordon Team
Talladega (4/6) Bill Elliott Team
Martinsville (4/13) Bobby Labonte Team
California (4/27) Bobby Labonte Team
Richmond (5/3) Jeff Burton Team
Charlotte (5/25) Dale Jarrett Team
Dover (6/1) Michael Waltrip Team
Pocono (6/8) Todd Bodine Team
Michigan (6/15) Sterling Marlin Team
Sonoma (6/22) Robby Gordon Team
Daytona (7/5) Jeff Burton Team
Chicago (7/13) Michael Waltrip Team
New Hampshire (7/20) Bill Elliott Team
Pocono (7/27) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Indianapolis (8/3) Kurt Busch Team
Watkins Glen (8/10) Elliott Sadler Team
Michigan (8/17) Greg Biffle Team
Bristol (8/23) Kurt Busch Team
Darlington (8/31) Bill Elliott Team

Point Standings For NASCAR Winston Cup Teams Participating In The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE:

(following Darlington 8/31/03; pit crew wins in parentheses)

Pos. Car # Pit Crew of Points
1 15 Michael Waltrip Team (3) 912
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team (3) 859
3 97 Kurt Busch Team (2) 853
4 18 Bobby Labonte Team (2) 831
5 31 Robby Gordon Team (2) 824
6 40 Sterling Marlin Team (1) 788
7 16 Greg Biffle Team (1) 785
8 38 Elliott Sadler Team (1) 784
9 9 Bill Elliott Team (4) 777
10 42 Jamie McMurray Team 765
11 77 Dave Blaney Team (1) 762
12 20 Tony Stewart Team 743
13 88 Dale Jarrett Team (1) 737
14 99 Jeff Burton Team (2) 735
15 30 Steve Park Team (1) 727
16 1 Jeff Green Team 726
17 54 Todd Bodine Team (1) 711
18 21 Ricky Rudd Team 705
19 7 Jimmy Spencer Team 698
20 41 Casey Mears Team 696
21 01 Jerry Nadeau Team 681
22 74 Tony Raines Team 661
23 45 Kyle Petty Team 643
24 0 Jason Leffler Team 623
25 43 Christian Fittipaldi Team 584
26 49 Kenny Schrader Team 583
27 14 Larry Foyt Team 306
28 11 Brett Bodine Team 144
29 09 Phoenix Racing 122
30 37 Derrick Cope Team 94
31 02 Hermie Sadler Team 81
32 57 Kevin Lepage Team 76
33 150 A.J. Foyt Racing 64
T34 66 Hideo Fukuyama Team 46
T34 33 (Andy Petree car owner) 46

*joined program at fifth race of season - Darlington, 3/16