teamwork

plus: more on nascar and terrifying races ONE CRACKED FACT | [View in Browser]( [logo]( NASCAR Recruits Athletes ... To Change The Cars' Tires By: [RM Avatar] [Ryan Menezes]( • September 13, 2021 [09132021]( The driver is just one member of a racing team. The other five or six members are the crew, the people who refuel the car and change its tires during pit stops. The driver may not show off too much strength and physical prowess, but the crew very much do, managing the sort of physical feats only athletes can pull off. And that's why, when it comes time to find new members for their pit crews, NASCAR recruits college athletes. That wasn't always the case. When NASCAR began, they staffed pit crews with the best mechanics in the business, figuring those guys had the relevant knowhow and experience. Then in the 1990s, one Chevrolet team realized something. The man who changes a race car's tires doesn't need to be an expert on all things motor-related. He just needs to change tires. So unlike other racing teams, this one assigned each pit crew member to a single job. They soon had the quickest stops in all of NASCAR. Other teams followed suit. And then they realized, hold on. If this guy on the crew just changes tires (and another just jacks the car up, and another just refuels the car), he doesn't need any prior auto knowledge at all. It's a simple task, one easy to learn. The challenge is doing it fast, which requires speed, agility, and strength, stuff that's hard or even impossible to learn. So, we shouldn't be rounding up mechanics and telling them to get in shape. We should be rounding up athletes and teaching them how to change tires. Kind of like how it's probably easier to teach astronauts how to drill than to train miners to survive in space. Not too many college football or basketball players go pro in their sport of choice. So when a NASCAR recruiter approaches them, offering six figures, it's a good opportunity. Working in the pit might not be as glorious as playing in the NFL. But they do get to be a professional athlete, and they get to be part of a team. For more ways racing's not like you think, check out: - [NASCAR Was Started by Bootleggers]( - [Redefining Auto Racing Through Cheating]( - [The 6 Most Terrifying Historical Car Races]( Top Image: [Johnny Bivera]( [Daily Digest]( [Ernie Hudson (And Winston) Kept Getting Screwed Over By The 'Ghostbusters' Franchise]( [By Zanandi Botes / September 13th, 2021]( [15 Practically Hidden Cameos We Didn’t Catch In Famous Movies]( [By Andrea Meno / September 13th, 2021]( [NASCAR Recruits Athletes ... To Change The Cars' Tires]( [By Ryan Menezes / September 13th, 2021]( [5 Movie & TV Plots That Get Ruined By Basic Science]( [By JM McNab / September 13th, 2021]( [13 Blockbuster Comedies (That Cost Practically Nothing)]( [By Jesse / September 13th, 2021]( [READ MORE]( [fb]( [tw]( [yt]( [flipboard]( [insta png]( [tiktok png]( [ARTICLES]( | [PICTOFACTS]( | [Videos]( Literally media Ltd. 190 West St, Suite 17B, Brooklyn NY 11222 COPYRIGHT © 2005-2021 Cracked is published by Literally media Ltd. [Unsubscribe](