Behind the fence

Have you ever been in a NASCAR garage? No? Well, let me tell and show you a thing or two.

Most of all, it’s crowded. I mean really, really crowded. There are fans. Then you have sponsors and their entourages and other invited guests. Next, but certainly not least, there are the people who are actually working – media of all sorts, drivers, crews, caterers and NASCAR officials.

Put the sea of humanity in a fairly small space considering what’s packed into the area behind the fences, which includes team car haulers, drivers and owners’ motor homes, TV trucks and folks who are camping in the infield. It’s just crazy, I tell you.

Pit passes are one thing. Garage or Hot Passes are another.

Prepping Danica's tires

Stroll along pit road and watch the teams set up war wagons, prepare all the tires they will use during a race and generally get ready to do battle on the track. Occasionally a team owner will come by and check on things, especially the closer to race time it becomes. I’ve seen Jack Roush, Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick all come by and climb topside of the wagons.

But in the garages, there’s a lot of work happening in a short time span. It’s like you and me going to work in the morning. We work in cubicles, they work in garages with hundreds of people milling in and out, walking in front of you, and taking photos of your every movement. The main rule is, it’s their house, don’t interfere. Don’t talk to them and don’t get in the way. These folks move 4 tires weighing at least 70-pounds each at any one time on a dolly, or 2 90-pound gas cans in a wagon. And even bigger, a 3,200-pound stock car is being moved back and forth. They’re mighty good at what they do and make it look effortless.

Every car goes through inspection before a race. If they fail any part, no matter how minute, the get pulled out, looked at again, sent back to the stall to fix it then go through the tech again. The time can get tight on crews trying to correct something NASCAR officials say just isn’t quite kosher. There are templates for both sides and the top to place on the car to make sure they fit.

You know when a driver takes off a helmet and beans another car? Not that it's ever happened before. Or maybe was a bit too aggressive in the watchful eyes of NASCAR? They get called to the big red truck. But it's not really red. It's big and black and has the series logo on the side.Yup, this is it.

So, in this blog offering are some Pit Road and Garage photos for you from the All-Star Challenge at Charlotte on May 18.