In the world of racing, the spotlight is on the drivers. They receive most of the recognition for the success.  From week-long national events to local track races, the drivers are the ones in the foreground, but no driver is a one-person team. So, what about those who help support from behind the scenes? Enter the crew members; The crew members are the heart and engine of any team. From staying up late fixing cars to driver coaching, game planning, and much more, they are the unsung heroes of any racing team.

Working as a crew member is fulfilling, as many of the crew love to see the car they’ve worked on ride into victory lane. Some members of the crew prefer watching others get the win in the car they’ve worked on, as Nick Morabito, a crewman for 860 Motorsports, describes the feeling as, “The best feeling. Everything is worth it after that point.”

His favorite memory as a crew member was Neal Dulin’s comeback during the Cook Out Summer Shootout. Sometimes, if a car isn't performing as expected, it can test one's motivation, but to see the car they’ve worked hard on cross into victory lane can be a huge boost to a crew members motivation,

“He came into the hot pit three times; that's a big motivator.” Morabito added.

When gone for week-long national events, work can be stressful for everyone. It often be described as organized chaos. Regardless of location or duration of an event, a local race or multi-day event, the preparation of a Legend Car does not change as every team strives to win, no matter the event. Nobody knows the preparation that goes into a Legend Car like Joe Ryan's mechanic and driver, Jacob Staten.

“We don’t really change our preparation. When you go to a multi-day event or a national event, you would think that you would put a little extra time in the cars and do that little bit extra,” he said. “But in reality, the way we do things, we treat every race like Asphalt Nationals.”

The atmosphere in the pit area can be highly competitive as teams have to make sure their cars are fast while also being away from the shop.  One of the most common struggles working away from the shop is running out of parts.

“Our shop is conveniently laid out, [but] you're in a different spot at the track. You gotta find your tools and find all that kinda stuff versus at the shop you know where everything is,” said Davis Rochester, a mechanic of Miller Performance Motorsports.

Time is the biggest factor at the track. Not having a tool conveniently at your disposal or in its usual spot in a mobile tool box can push back the time it takes to repair a car which in turn, can affect the drivers as well. That’s when communication is key at the track. Whether a crew member is working on a car alone or with multiple other members, every crew member must work as one. Knowing who has worked on what issue already, where a tool is if misplaced, or where spare parts are located when having to conduct a larger repair.

Staten shared, “It comes down to the little details at the end of the day. You can sit there and be like, ‘This is going to take me 30 minutes.’ But when you wanna be perfect, it's gonna take double that time.”

Working on cars is not the only set of responsibilities that a crew member can have. Differences in responsibilities could be driving coaching, cleaning the cars, or the post-race breakdown of the car to name a few. After races, the post-race tear down is never the same at any track. When it comes to tech, the breakdown of the cars can range from just taking out an oil pan to a car returning with no throttle bodies. After tech, the cars return to the shop where they are routinely maintained, kept clean, and prepared for the next race.

Not every crew member entered the motorsports first as a crew member. Some come from body shops or manufacturing. Others raced cars themselves before during in the helmet for a baseball cap, like Rochester.

“I used to race Legend Cars from 2015-2019,” he said. “I got introduced to Zach Miller when I was racing, and we became buddies. I started helping him at the Summer Shootout when I lived in Charlotte, which led to a full-time job.”

Staten shares a similar story, recounting his first time getting introduced to the Legend Car scene.

“I got started in Legend Cars in 2019 after going to a race at the Texas Motor Speedway. A couple of months later, my dad and I got a kit car from USLCI, and we put our heads down and started building it even though we knew nothing about a Legend Car. We just used our knowledge of cars to figure it out. 2020 was my first-year racing.”

With Staten's experience building and working on his own Legend Car with his father, it opened the opportunity for him to work and race for Joe Ryan Race Cars. Now he races in select events across the racing season.

Some crew members were inspired by family members and their experiences at a race track to get into Legend Cars. Morabito was inspired by his grandfather racing at Riverhead Raceway in the 1970s, motivating him to get into racing Legend Cars.

“I always liked racing, so one day I came home and told my dad I wanted to go racing, so we went racing in Legend Cars.”

Not every crew member got their start directly through just racing Legend Cars. Chris Cangemi, crew member for Race Driven Performance, comes from a background in drag racing, where he won multiple championships. Wanting to do something a bit more stimulating, he moved into circuit racing, where he met Ron Thomas when he needed a bit of assistance.

“I had my own two cars that my brother and I raced, I was having some problems with the car and started talking to Ron. He was very helpful.”

To many, working in the racing industry is a never-ending shift. If it’s one’s full-time job, their lives can be swamped with work. Rochester knows this very well, particularly during the busiest parts of the season.

“Zach and I work six days out of the week, sometimes seven if we need to, getting everything ready, especially during the summer.”

With everything you must have a work life balance and finding time for themselves is important. However, not every crew member is full-time crew member, let alone full-time in motorsports. For example, working as a firefighter for the Charlotte Fire Department, Cangemi spends most of his time outside of racing either keeping the public safe fighting fires. And like many, Cangemi spends as much time as he can away from the race track and the fire station with his family.

“I have a huge family, a big Italian family that we just do everything together,” said Cangemi. “Whether it's having get-togethers at the house, [or] I have a dirt track beside the house that we hang out and race go-karts."

If you are in motorsports, you often live and breathe the sport. But one common piece of ground for many is that family is number one. That is no exception for Cangemi, who cherishes the time he gets to spend with his wife and daughter.

Staten admits that when you work in racing, you’re going to put in many hours working a variety of tasks in a variety of locations. When not turning the wrench on a car or strapped in behind the wheel of his own Legend Car, he prefers to be active and outside. He enjoys exercising, playing some basketball, being on the lake or on a boat wake surfing and more.

Not all crew members are at the shop or covered in grease and rubber at the track. Some are spouses, siblings, and parents who make sure the driver is ready to go, the driver’s suit is clean, and there are snacks and water when there is a moment to take a break. Sometimes it’s even a subtle tap on the shoulder with a water bottle as a reminder that in order to look after the car, you must look after yourself first. Even a neighbor, who doesn’t go to the track, can be considered a crew member when the driver gets home, unloads the car, and works with only a single light bulb illuminating the workspace. All the neighbor might do is grab a wrench or a part, so the driver doesn’t have to get off the crawler repeatedly.

Even in the highest form of motorsports, the most recognition in any championship or single-race victory goes to the driver and forever in that driver’s name. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the majority of record books will only list the name of the driver beside any achievement. Motorsports is undeniably a team sport, and crew members are heart of every car and driver’s achievements and triumphs. They are often the unsung heroes whose blood and sweat are the fuel to the engine that produces memories through the highs and lows of motorsports.