American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 5 | Page 11

By Paul Page | IndyCar PR

other celebrations happen
with other teams who have
met a different goal they
sought. And the disappointment of those who tried as
hard as possible. It’s INDYCAR! Wouldn’t you love to do
that?
Hold on a second. All the glory comes after heavy payment.
Consider these weeks in midsummer. Drivers are constantly being pulled from all
directions with appearances
and sponsor commitments
and yet their key job racing
and testing. It is constant. But
think about the people, the
team members.
One race right after another.
Go to a race in a romantic
place – of course, you don’t
see much other than the
track and your hotel room –

and come home. Not so fast.
Crews are at the track at first
light. They are the last to
leave and it is not uncommon
to work into the night.
While winners are celebrating and we are talking about
results, the crews are taking
everything apart and loading
the transporters. The trucks
drive overnight, sometimes
straight to a test as is the case
this week with everyone going Thursday to Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course ahead of
the next race July 31, The
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
When races run back-to
back, it gets harder. After a
race, teams hustle their cars
back to the shop in Indianapolis, North Carolina, outside
Chicago – wherever they are
based – scramble to fix any
crash damage, get the car set

up for the next race and head
back on the road on Wednesday or Thursday. Load the car
and send it to be all set up
Friday morning at the next
event.
And when it’s only a shop
week, the long hours are
tough. Again, assuming you
didn’t wreck the car.
These crew members have
families and private lives and
try to balance both. But racing requires this dedication
and they are happy to give.
Again, the price is heavy. The
life is unpredictable in a wide
variety of ways.
INDYCAR is at the pinnacle of
racing, but not without sacrifice, dedication and devotion. Is it worth it? These
hard-working crews think so.