Elliott’s Pit Crew is Awesome Again

Captures Record Sixth Victory With Strong Performance in Charlotte

Bill Elliott’s No. 9 pit crew became the first six-time winner of the McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade with its narrow victory in Saturday night’s (Oct. 11) NASCAR Winston Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

Bill Elliott

The six McDonald’s/POWERade victories also put Elliott’s crew on top of the prize money list with a season total of $120,000. In the overall point standings, Elliott’s pit crew is ranked sixth.

Michael Waltrip’s No. 15 crew, which finished second to Elliott’s team in Charlotte, continues its season points lead in the McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship. Waltrip’s team has 1089 points, 37 more than the second-place crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The season pit crew champion will earn a $200,000 bonus.

Elliott’s Dodge edged Waltrip’s Chevrolet for least amount of time spent on pit road during Saturday’s UAW-GM Quality 500. The No. 9 Dodge, owned by Evernham Motorsports, was clocked with a pit road time of 216.244 seconds. The time for Waltrip’s NAPA Chevy was 216.573. Earnhardt Jr’s Chevy was third with 220.870.

“This is great, we’re jelling and knew we had a good race in Charlotte,” said Greg Miller, pit crew coach for the No. 9 team. “The McDonald’s/POWERade championship means a lot to the crew. It’s kind of our way of gaining the hidden respect. The guys really look forward to this every week and it makes everybody want to be at their best.”

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 crew chief is Mike Ford.

How it Works
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. 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 Saturday’s (Oct. 11) UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Time Car # Points
1. Bill Elliott Team 216.244 seconds 9 43
2. Michael Waltrip Team 216.573 “ 15 42
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team 220.870 “ 8 41
4. Jamie McMurray Team 221.746 “ 42 40
5. Bobby Labonte Team 223.353 “ 18 39
6. Tony Stewart Team 223.459 “ 20 38
7. Jimmy Spencer Team 259.994 “ 7 37
8. Jeff Green Team 262.722 “ 43 36
9. Jeff Burton Team 271.611 “ 99 35
10. Dave Blaney Team 297.512 “ 77 34

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
Richmond (9/6) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
N. Hampshire (9/14) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Dover (9/21) Bill Elliott Team
Talladega (9/29) Tony Stewart Team
Kansas (Oct. 5) Bobby Labonte Team
Charlotte (Oct. 11) Bill Elliott Team

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

(following Charlotte 10/11/03; pit crew wins in parentheses)

Pos. Car # Pit Crew of Points Prize Money
1 15 Michael Waltrip Team (3) 1089 60,000
2 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team (5) 1052 100,000
3 18 Bobby Labonte Team (3) 1040 60,000
4 97 Kurt Busch Team (2) 1022 40,000
5 31 Robby Gordon Team (2) 1003 40,000
6 9 Bill Elliott Team (6) 998 120,000
T7 40 Sterling Marlin Team (1) 977 20,000
T7 42 Jamie McMurray Team 977
9 20 Tony Stewart Team (1) 962 20,000
10 16 Greg Biffle Team (1) 946 20,000
11 38 Elliott Sadler Team (1) 942 20,000
12 77 Dave Blaney Team (1) 930 20,000
13 99 Jeff Burton (2) 929 40,000
14 88 Dale Jarrett Team (1) 928 20,000
15 1 John Andretti Team 911
16 21 Ricky Rudd Team 907
17 30 Steve Park Team (1) 878 20,000
18 7 Jimmy Spencer Team 870
19 54 Todd Bodine Team (1) 846 20,000
20 01 Mike Skinner Team 844
21 41 Casey Mears Team 840
22 74 Tony Raines Team 810
23 0 Jason Leffler Team 784
24 45 Kyle Petty Team 771
25 43 Jeff Green Team 754
26 49 Ken Schrader Team 733
27 14 Larry Foyt Team 323
28 09 Mike Wallace Team 216
29 11 Brett Bodine Team 144
30 02 Hermie Sadler Team 139
31 37 Derrick Cope Team 94
32 44 Christian Fittipaldi Team 80
33 57 Kevin Lepage Team 76
34 150 (A.J. Foyt Racing) 64