Jeff Gordon usually gets all of
the accolades for the success of the DuPont Chevrolet.
After all, he's the driver of the car. He's the one that race fans
see on TV every week. However, he wouldn't come close to victory lane
without a hard working team behind him.
Led by crew chief Steve Letarte, the DuPont team is the premier
team in Sprint Cup racing having captured four Cup titles
since 1995.
The team isn't just made up of the pit crew that performs the
lightning quick pit stops. It includes "the guys back at the shop"
such as fabricators, engine specialists, chassis specialists,
aerodynamicists, all the way down to the people that answer the phones. With the
#48 Lowe's team sharing a building with the DuPont team, many of the shop crew
are interchangeable.
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Steve Letarte stepped into the crew chief position in September 2005 following the departure of Robbie Loomis. Letarte joined the DuPont team in 1996 as an 18-year-old mechanic. He worked his way up the ladder and served as a tire specialist and also the car chief. This is his first job as crew chief in motorsports. For 2008, he'll work with car chief Jason Burdett in helping Jeff Gordon pursue that elusive fifth championship.
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| Caleb Hurd | Gas man |
| Jeff Knight | Rear tire carrier |
| Mike Houston | Front tire carrier |
| Jeff Cook | Jackman |
| Clay Robinson | Front tire changer |
| Tim Ladyga | Rear tire changer |
| Jamie Frady | Catch can |
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| Jason Burdett | Car chief |
| Greg Morin | Pit crew coach |
| Michelle Durkin | Scorer |
| Kirk George | Truck driver |
| Darian Grubb | Lead engineer |
| Andy Kruep | Mechanic |
| Aaron Kuehn | Tire specialist |
| Travis Mack | Mechanic |
| Shannon McGlamery | Spotter |
| James Nunn | Truck driver |
| Kane Replogle | Engineer |
| Jason Seitzinger | Shock specialist |
| John Smeltzer | Engine tuner |
| Joe Zanolini | Mechanic |
At The Raceshop
These are the people who make the #24 DuPont Chevrolet and #48 Lowe's Chevrolet perform at such an optimum level.
A great driver behind the wheel is important, but the "guys back at the shop" are the
real reason for the success of the #24 and #48 teams. Along with other engineers, mechanics, and chassis specialists, they're the main
reason why the cars are usually fast right from the first practice of a race weekend.
Without the people listed below, the drivers wouldn't see victory lane. These are the
people who make it possible.
| Justin Alexander | Shock builder |
| Jason Altiers | Fabricator |
| Mike Atwell | Fabricator |
| Wes Ayers | Fab shop mgr |
| Ron Bates | Machinist |
| Steve Bergh | Aero specialist |
| Don Bishofberger | Aero specialist |
| Paul Christman | Mechanic |
| Matt Clark | Pit crew coach |
| Greg Clute | Parts procurement |
| Billy Coan | Fabricator |
| Mark Connolly | Fabricator |
| Robert Deering | Shop manager |
| Paul Desrosiers | Equipment maintenance |
| Matt Donoly | Parts procurement |
| Brad Eichenlaub | Chassis set-up |
| Keith French | Fabricator |
| Jim Glenn | Mechanic |
| Tony Grams | Chassis set-up |
| Scott Grant | Fabricator |
| Jason Gray | Test truck driver |
| Rich Gutierrez | Mechanic |
| Dan Heddleson | Paint/body |
| Dave Henslee | Fabricator |
| Lynn Hess | Office manager |
| Wayne Hewitt | Parts manager |
| Casey Hill | Paint/body |
| Mike Houston | Mechanic |
| Caleb Hurd | Engineer |
| Greg Ives | Chassis set-up |
| Charlie Langenstein | Mechanic |
| Jeff Marr | Fabricator |
| Dave Muckenthaler | Gear/transmission |
| George Nelson | Paint/body |
| Ashley Nicholson | Receptionist |
| Andrew Overstreet | Mechanic |
| John Rannow | Paint/body |
| Justin Raybourn | Lead engineer |
| Adam Roberts | Mechanic |
| John Sauber | Test truck driver |
| Robert Savage | Fabricator |
| Kyle Schmidlin | Mechanic |
| Michael Siegers | Chief mechanic |
| Wayne Sivertsen | Mechanic |
| John Smeltzer | Engine tuner |
| Dan Stonemetz | Mechanic |
| Mark Thoreson | Team manager |
| John Tretow | Machinist |
| Sam Tubbs | Fabricator |
| Joe Zanolini | Mechanic |
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Total 50-70 hours a week.
"Pit Crew"
(includes Mike, Clay, Tim, Jamie, and
Jeff)
12-14 hours on raceday plus 4 hrs/week for practice in addition to their regular "shop" hours.
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| Previous Job With #24 Team | Current Job | |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Evernham | Crew chief | Multi-car team owner for Dodge. |
| Robbie Loomis | Crew chief | Executive Vice President, Petty Enterprises |
| Ed Guzzo | Chief mechanic | Operational director for Robert Yates Racing |
| Charlie Siegars | Engine builder | Engine advisor to Dodge |
| Ron Thiel | Spotter/Shop Foreman | Fabr./Chassis Director for Evernham Motorsports |
| Craig Curione | Tire carrier | Tire carrier for Scott Riggs |
| David Smith | Tire changer | Car chief for Robert Yates Racing |
| Robert "Bootie" Barker | Shock specialist | Crew chief for #0 team |
| Tony Gibson | Car chief | Crew chief for DEI |
| Rich Hubbs | Mechanic | Car chief for #21 Wood Brothers team |
| Andy Papathanasiou | Pit crew coach | HMS Director of Personnel |
| Patrick Donahue | Mechanic | Evernham Motorsports Truck team director |
| Ashton Lewis | Engineer | Busch series driver |
| Eddie Nawrocki | Mechanic | Shop foreman for DEI |
| Matt Clark | Pit crew coach | Pit crew coach for RCR |
| Jeff Meendering | Car chief | Crew chief for Bobby Labonte |
| Chad Knaus | Tire changer | Crew chief for Jimmie Johnson |
| Michael Landis | Spotter | HMS Busch team manager |
| Darrin Mariska | Catch can | Catch can for Evernham Motorsports |
| Shawn Parker | Mechanic | Brewco Motorspots competition director |
| Barry Muse | Jackman | -- |
| Mike Trower | Front tire changer | Front tire changer for Jimmie Johnson |
| Darren Jolly | Front tire carrier | Front tire carrier for Robby Gordon |
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