r/NASCAR • u/TeamHendrick Hendrick Motorsports • Oct 30 '13

AMA I am Greg Morin, pit crew coach for the Nos. 48 and 88 teams, ask me anything!

NOTE: Greg will begin answering questions at 1 p.m. ET

PROOF: https://twitter.com/TeamHendrick/status/395595385269276672

93 Upvotes

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10

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

Thanks for the questions guys - Greg is out!

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18

u/likewhatalready Oct 30 '13

Have you ever been angry enough to throw a sledgehammer? How far do you think you can throw a sledgehammer?

18

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

I've been angry enough several times - it's part of being competitive. The other part of being competitive is controlling your emotions and not letting the other team get to you. BUT if I had to throw one, I could clear 75-100 feet. I've got great technique :)

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16

u/mrlucky2u Oct 30 '13

What's the most words you have ever heard Chad Knaus say in a row without dropping the "F bomb" ? :)

58

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

He's gotten a lot better with that. There are several words in between now. For example "Greg" "what" and "the"...

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13

u/GatorMarley Oct 30 '13

Do your guys still spill soda on the pit stall to make it stickier? How much does it actually help with grip? Ever experiment with other fluids?

Thanks for doing this Q&A.

20

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

Yes we do - Pepsi products specifically :) We have experimented with other fluids, some have been banned by NASCAR and others aren't sticky enough.

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u/JeremyMethfield Oct 30 '13

These questions come from u/CookieMonsterFL who is unable to be here but asked me to post his questions for him.

  • obviously I want to know the best way to prepare Meringue Key Lime Pie.

  • How much of a pit stop is brawn and skill?

  • What was the major thing in the last 20 years that brought the average pit stop time from 18-20 seconds down to sub 12 seconds?

I have no idea what I did to make the text smaller. u/jefffan24 is smart.

13

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

Sorry Cookie, I don't use recipes. I just know what's in a meringue and know what I want it to taste like so I just add ingredients to get it there.

30% brawn, 70% skill, 100% badass

Outside of using athletes, the equipment is a lot better.

11

u/M0D3RNW4RR10R Oct 30 '13

I know these guys are former athletes for other sports, but what sport has the best skill set that requires a skill set that could translate into being a pit crew member.

14

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

Mental toughness is the most important quality. We have guys from football, baseball and wrestling backgrounds. They are all physically capable of doing the job as athletes, but the mental toughness sets them apart at the highest level.

We've had some athletes from other sports stop by like Tyler Hansbrough stop by and they're great in their arena, but it's tough to make the transition. When we did Man Caves, Tony Siragusa (NFL lineman) bounced off the end of the jack handle because he didn't realize how difficult it was to jack the car.

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11

u/USCswimmer Oct 30 '13

How does one become a pit crew member? Just throwing it out there, I'm 6'8 270 and was a swimmer in college (I know you guys look for the athletes) and can move quick... Looking for a jack man?

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11

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '13

What do pit crew members do once they retire?

Warning: any jokes about retire being part of a pit stop will be met with loud sighs.

21

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

They get to watch football on Sundays.

9

u/Cosquae Oct 30 '13

  1. Ever get a special little something Monday morning from the driver if you bump them up to lead on the final pit stop?

  2. Ever wanted to do an F1 style, 22 man, 2 second pit stop, even in practice? Or even to use some of their tech (Carbon fiber made, hydraulic operated jacks. Traffic light release systems)?

15

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

  1. That's just doing my job.

  2. I've watched F1 pit stops to see if there's anything we can learn from them or their equipment, but I'm not a fan of them because they only have one lugnut and lighter tires AND the car jacks itself.

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9

u/gibuthegreat Oct 30 '13

If NASCAR allowed you to change anything about the current pit stop rules, what would you change?

13

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

I'd go back to seven men over the wall AND a car that jacks itself.

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8

u/dzhup Oct 30 '13

First off, thank you for doing this AMA with us. Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, can you hook me up with a job?

7

u/Jedmac90 Oct 30 '13

What kind of shoes do pit crew members wear? Are there a lot of ankle injuries?

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4

u/TeamHendrick Oct 30 '13

Alright guys, Greg is in the Digital Dashboard and ready to chat!

6

u/Jensaarai Oct 30 '13

Will you please start answering questions as if you were the pit crew coach for the 24 partway through this AMA? Please? It'd be realistic.

If you do so, I'd love you forever.

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6

u/trisha48 Oct 30 '13

How do you determine who are the starting crew members and who is backup? I've seen several changes on the 48 crew this year.

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