Catchfence

No. 11 Team is 13th Winner of Pit Road Competition

Denny Hamlin’s crew took top honors in the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award during Saturday night’s (July 11) Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Hamlin’s No. 11 crew became the 13th Tissot winner in the 19 Cup races contested in 2009.

The pit crew win was the result of Hamlin’s FedEx Toyota Camry spending the least amount of time on pit road – 194.055 seconds. The quick work helped Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing team to a fifth-place finish in the 267-lap, 400-mile race.

“The No. 11 FedEx team was awesome on Saturday night,” said Hamlin. “I think we gained or held positions each time I was on pit road and as competitive as this sport is that makes a huge difference. We need to keep improving during this summer stretch so everyone is at their best for the Chase. I see how hard they are working to improve and it paid off on Saturday.”

Hamlin’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Jonathan Sherman (front-tire changer), Brandon Pegram (front-tire carrier), Mike Hicks (rear-tire changer), Heath Cherry (rear-tire carrier), Nate Bolling (jackman), Scott Wood (gasman), John Eicher (catch can) and Bobby “Spike” Christenson (windshield). The team’s crew chief is Mike Ford and the pit crew coach is Paul Alepa. The athletic director for Joe Gibbs Racing is Michael Lepp.

The No. 11 team will collect $5,000 for the pit road win. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule will receive a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver.

The crews for Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle lead in the Tissot standings with three wins each. Tony Stewart’s and Jimmie Johnson’s crews are tied for third with two wins each.

Tissot has been the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR since 2006. The company is also the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Cycling World Championship.

2009 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Standings

Pos Team No. Pit Crew For Wins Prize Money

T1 24 Jeff Gordon 3 15,000

T1 16 Greg Biffle 3 15,000

T3 48 Jimmie Johnson 2 10,000

T3 14 Tony Stewart 2 10,000

T5 43 Reed Sorenson 1 5,000

T5 33 Clint Bowyer 1 5,000

T5 39 Ryan Newman 1 5,000

T5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 5,000

T5 1 Martin Truex Jr. 1 5,000

T5 00 David Reutimann 1 5,000

T5 99 Carl Edwards 1 5,000

T5 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 1 5,000

T5 11 Denny Hamlin 1 5,000

2009 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Winners

Daytona, 2/15 Reed Sorenson Team

Fontana, 2/22 Tony Stewart Team

Las Vegas, 3/1 Greg Biffle Team

Atlanta 3/8 Clint Bowyer Team

Bristol, 3/22 Jimmie Johnson Team

Martinsville, 3/29 Jeff Gordon Team

Fort Worth, 4/5 Jeff Gordon Team

Phoenix, 4/18 Ryan Newman Team

Talladega, 4/26 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team

Richmond, 5/2 Jeff Gordon Team

Darlington, 5/9 Martin Truex Jr. Team

Charlotte, 5/25 David Reutimann Team

Dover, 5/31 Greg Biffle Team

Pocono, 6/7 Carl Edwards Team

Michigan, 6/14 Greg Biffle Team

Sonoma, 6/21 Juan Pablo Montoya Team

New Hampshire, 6/28 Jimmie Johnson Team

Daytona, 7/4 Tony Stewart Team

Chicagoland, 7/11 Denny Hamlin Team

- DMF Communications for Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, Press Release