What it's like to be a mechanic in the Daytona 500.
It’s a warm Sunday afternoon in Daytona Beach, Florida and I’m standing with Washington Commanders player Jamin Davis in front of the number 84 Chevrolet Camaro of Jimmie Johnson. We’re watching as Pete Davidson is escorted over to the Corvette pace car a few feet away from us. I’m not at Daytona International Speedway to make content. I’m not here to do any tech talks.
The Daytona 500 is what I consider one of the crown jewel races of North American motorsport alongside the Indy 500 and Rolex 24. I was incredibly excited to be able to have the opportunity to start the year with a contract for two of those races. My first trip down to Daytona was in mid-January as I worked on the number 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for Vasser Sullivan Racing and competed for 24 hours to reach a podium finish in the Rolex 24.
All of the people that have been assembled for the team are experienced in racing but many of us have never worked on the NASCAR Next Gen car. Johnson’s approach allows us to feel at ease, and it’s support from our teammates working on the full season cars of Erik Jones and Noah Gragson that gives us data to set up a top-tier car. After practice, we assemble to complete prep and pick up apparel so we can be ready for our flight down the following week.
I am familiar with many of these stations as I’ve spent a lot of time following the Next Gen car and even done some technical content for NASCAR on it, but I can see that the officials have made developments during the off-season to help curb exploitation of gray areas. One such change is the underbody scanner, which used to be a stationary laser scanner that teams pushed cars over.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What It's Like to Be a Mechanic in the Daytona 500I’ve always had an interest in working on a NASCAR Cup car, an interest that only increased when the Next Gen car was introduced, but most offers I got didn’t go under my consideration. That all changed with a chance text message in late December. “Come do the JJ races?”
Read more »
There are still opportunities in VC firms despite a drop in funding, says 500 GlobalOne global firm maintains a positive outlook, as venture funding took a hit in 2022 amid economic uncertainties and a higher cost of capital.
Read more »
Warner Bros stock beats Tesla, S&P 500 peers, on hit game 'Hogwarts Legacy'Warner Bros stock beats Tesla and other S&P 500 peers in a fierce comeback as Hogwarts Legacy's massive success rekindles Harry Potter mania
Read more »
500-million-year-old 'star-like' mystery may never have been aliveResearchers are yet to figure out what an unidentified 3D star-like 'thing' could be. Now, a new study puts to question whether it's a fossil at all.
Read more »
Corporate Stock Buybacks Help Keep Market AfloatU.S. stocks have received support from a key source during 2023’s shaky market environment: companies repurchasing their own shares
Read more »
U.S. stock futures start week with advance after latest relapseThe S&P 500 in line to bounce off five-week lows as Treasury yields pull back
Read more »