CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The pit crews at Stewart-Haas racing practiced Tuesday morning for the Coca-Cola 600.

  • There’s the physical toll of lifting 75-pound tires and more
  • Crews say it's like "playing in traffic"
  • The Coca-Cola 600 is 6 p.m. Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway

Director of Orthocarolina Motorsports William Heisel, who helps make sure the team stays healthy through the NASCAR season, says it’s actually the pit crew that tends to get injured during race week more than the drivers.

“It is incredibly important to keep that pit crew healthy,” Heisel said. “There is not a lot of depth at any position and each one of those guys is accustomed to working within their small group.”

 

 

There’s the physical toll of lifting 75-pound tires, operating industrial equipment, and the risk of getting hit by a driver.

“The drivers are coming around pit road 50, 55 miles per hour and they’re inside the car while we’re running around in traffic,” tire carrier for Kevin Harvick Michae Morneau said. “ It’s like playing in traffic.”

The Coca-Cola 600 is 6 p.m. Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.