Catchfence

LOS ANGELES (February 6, 2010) – The warriors on pit road battle every week for positions in the field, points in the standings and opportunities to go to victory lane.  Now, they are battling for an additional incentive – cold hard cash.

Mechanix Wear created the Most Valuable Pit Crew Championship – the only authentic competition voted on by crew chiefs – nine years ago.  Today it is the most sought-after title for pit crews.  And, the $100,000 grand prize awarded to the top team at the end of the season makes the bragging rights even more valuable.

For the 2010 season, Mechanix Wear is fueling the fire with cash bonuses for the winning crew each quarter.

“We work with pit crews every week to jointly develop products that help them do their job better,” said Ted Abdon, Director of Racing for Mechanix Wear. “We look at the changes in the cars and the pit stops, and create products that make them safer on the job and help them do it more effectively.  We’ve worked hard to reward them for being the best in their sport, and now we want to make it even better for them.”

Each quarter, the crew chiefs vote on the best crew on pit road the previous week.  They look at speed, performance, precision and innovation in making their decisions.  Their votes are tallied to select the quarterly winners and the annual recipient of the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew.

For 2010, Mechanix Wear will give the quarterly winner a cash bonus to go with their accolades — $5,000 in cash for the pit road crew.  This bonus leads up to the $100,000 grand prize awarded at the Myers Brothers event during the season-finale banquet.

The Mechanix Wear award has proven a true indicator of the hardest working pit crew on pit road.  While Jimmie Johnson’s team took home honors in 2007 and 2008, the No. 42 crew proved their worth in 2009, taking home the top prize.  They delivered consistent, flawless pit stops that helped driver Juan Pablo Montoya earn his top-10 honors in 2009.

Past winners of the long-running Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award include:
·    2002: No. 40 team of Chip Ganassi Racing
·    2003: No. 17 team of Roush Racing
·    2004: No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports
·    2005: No. 20 team of Joe Gibbs Racing
·    2006: No. 31 team of Richard Childress Racing
·    2007: No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports
·    2008: No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports
·    2009: No 42 team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

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