Elliott's Pit Crew Strikes Again, Claims Eighth Win of Season

Pit Crews For Waltrip, Earnhardt Jr. Tied In $200,000 Points Battle

While Bill Elliott drove to an impressive victory in Sunday’s 400-mile race in Rockingham, N.C., his pit crew was just as awesome, claiming top honors in the McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade.

It was the eighth win of the season for Elliott’s pit crew, which increased its season earnings to $160,000.

Though Elliott’s pit crew leads the McDonald’s/POWERade series in victories and prize money, it’s the DEI crews of Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. that are in contention for the inaugural title and the $200,000 champion’s bonus.

Waltrip’s and Earnhardt’s crews are tied in points with 1,213. With Earnhardt’s crew finishing third in Rockingham and Waltrip’s crew 25th, the Earnhardt team was able to pick up 22 points and tie the series standings with one race remaining – the Ford 400, Sunday (Nov. 16) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We’re all friends here at DEI, but both of the teams want this really bad,” said Walt Smith, DEI pit crew coach. “It’s not only the money, but also the bragging rights to win the first McDonald’s/POWERade championship. It’s a tremendous amount of pressure, but both teams know what they have to do and I know they will handle it very well. No matter what happens, I am very proud of all our teams at DEI.”

Elliott’s No. 9 Dodge spent the least amount of time on pit road at North Carolina Speedway – 203.760 seconds. Bobby Labonte’s Chevrolet was second at 214.373 and Earnhardt’s Chevy was third at 252.034.

“The guys were flawless on Sunday,” said Elliott’s crew chief Mike Ford. “They didn't make any mistakes all day long. They got Bill in and out of the pits without any trouble. In fact, we gained spots on our first stop. Then we were pretty much up front all day and never once lost a spot on pit road. They were very deserving this week. I'm very proud of all of our guys.”

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.
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 Sunday’s (Nov. 9) race at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham

Time Car # Points
1. Bill Elliott Team 203.760 seconds 9 43
2. Bobby Labonte Team 214.373 “ 18 42
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team 252.034 “ 8 41
4. Ward Burton Team 255.725 “ 0 40
5. Dave Blaney Team 268.023 “ 77 39
6. Tony Raines Team 298.371 “ 74 38
7. Tony Stewart Team 306.750 “ 20 37
8. Steve Park Team 308.418 “ 30 36
9. Robby Gordon Team 329.874 “ 31 35
10. Jeff Green Team 331.826 “ 43 34
(25. Michael Waltrip 1,884.097 (DNF) 15 19)

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
Martinsville (Oct. 19) Michael Waltrip Team
Atlanta (Oct. 27) Bill Elliott Team
Phoenix (Nov. 2) Michael Waltrip Team
Rockingham (Nov. 9) Bill Elliott Team

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

(following Rockingham 11/9/03; pit crew wins in parentheses)

Pos. Car # Pit Crew of Points Prize Money
T1 15 Michael Waltrip Team (5) 1213 100,000
T1 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team (5) 1213 100,000
3 18 Bobby Labonte Team (3) 1163 60,000
T4 9 Bill Elliott Team (8) 1148 160,000
T4 97 Kurt Busch Team (2) 1148 40,000
6 31 Robby Gordon Team (2) 1121 40,000
7 20 Tony Stewart Team (1) 1103 20,000
8 42 Jamie McMurray Team 1094
9 40 Sterling Marlin Team (1) 1086 20,000
10 99 Jeff Burton Team (2) 1063 40,000
11 38 Elliott Sadler Team (1) 1061 20,000
12 16 Greg Biffle Team (1) 1059 20,000
13 88 Dale Jarrett Team (1) 1047 20,000
14 77 Dave Blaney Team (1) 1046 20,000
15 1 John Andretti Team 1045
16 21 Ricky Rudd Team 1026
17 30 Steve Park Team (1) 991 20,000
18 7 Jimmy Spencer Team 971
19 01 Joe Nemechek Team 964
20 54 Todd Bodine Team (1) 946 20,000
21 41 Casey Mears Team 939
22 74 Tony Raines Team 938
23 0 Ward Burton Team 910
24 45 Kyle Petty Team 855
25 49 Ken Schrader Team 852
26 43 Jeff Green Team 835
27 14 Larry Foyt Team 373
28 09 Mike Wallace Team 242
29 02 Hermie Sadler Team 180
30 37 Derrick Cope Team 146
31 11 Brett Bodine Team 144
32 44 Christian Fittipaldi Team 80
33 57 Kevin Lepage Team 76
34 150 (A.J. Foyt Racing)