I had no idea that members of NASCAR pit crews were so physically fit.

"One exercise we do is the equivalent of climbing straight up a 1,500-foot wall," says Mike Lingerfelt, the front tire changer for the 3M "Pit Bulls" and the No. 16 driver Greg Biffle.

Lingerfelt also told me that their trainer is also the trainer for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Jackman Rodney Fetters, at 6-foot-3 and 250 lbs., looks like an NFL lineman, but he insisted that even a puny, pencil-pushing runt like myself could do his job.

"I could teach you no problem," Fetters said. "It's more about technique."

Pit Crew Challenge

First, I watched these guys run around like madmen during the Pit Crew Challenge, a skills competition that showcases the talents of the top 24 pit crews in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. At the end of each contest, the teams have to push the cars down a straightaway, running full bore and sometimes scattering onlookers when the cars overshoot their mark and barrel into the crowd. That's right, I said push the cars – Flintstones-style. I suppose that's where the NFL training comes in.

At one point, I found myself sandwiched between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who were discussing abdominal exercises called "planks." Here we go talking physical fitness again. By the way, Gordon looks no more than 5-foot-6, a buck forty-five in weight. Jimmie's no big deal either – maybe 5-foot-9, 160. For some reason, I thought Dale Earnhardt Jr. was tall, but he also looked no more than 5-foot-9. These guys are as small as jockeys!

Carl Edwards, the eventual winner of the All-Star Race, did a victory backflip on Saturday. I also heard he recently showed off his "six-pack" on the cover of Men's Health.

Again, I had no clue. Make no mistake: these guys are big-time athletes. I make a mental note to hit the treadmill when I get home and stop eating fast food.

Race Day

On race day, I met "Bondo," a former collision repair technician who is now a member of the Pit Bulls alongside Lingerfelt and Fetters.

"Is making it to this level from working in a body shop the equivalent of making it to the Major Leagues?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said after some thought. "Yes, I think it is."

I hung out in the pit Saturday night and watched the crew as they got stretched out before the race. Lingerfelt was kicking his legs absurdly high, with his feet going over his head – probably to stretch his hamstrings. Fetters groaned as he lay on the ground while a teammate bent his legs into positions that made me grimace. A few of them had stony looks on their faces due to their intense focus on the task at hand. After all, a million bucks was at stake for their driver. They had their "game faces" on.

Just before Biffle would pit, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Okay, maybe it was just me who was nervous. I had thoughts of an air hose wrapping around my leg and hauling me over the wall and onto the track to become Tony Stewart's hood ornament. Or getting scalded by a hot tire fresh off the car, which Bondo would roll behind the pit for measuring. It's safe to say, though, that the crew was simply "ready," not nervous at all. Lingerfelt, who is short in stature, would perch on the wall, waiting to spring when Biffle's car squealed in. The entire process of changing tires took about 12 to 14 seconds. After each pit, Lingerfelt would be out of breath, looking like he just ran a 100-yard dash. It's that intense.

One more interesting note: a giant, new 200-foot-by-80-foot LCD screen at Charlotte Motor Speedway had been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world just days before. If there are aliens, I'm pretty sure they can see it from Planet Zorb.

Garage Visits

On Thursday, before the Pit Crew Challenge, All-Star Qualifying Race and All-Star Race, I toured several racing garages in the area: Roush Fenway Racing, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing and Ray Evernham Enterprises.

I learned that each car on the NASCAR circuit must conform to a template, and the variance is much smaller than would be acceptable on your average car out in the real world. I watched as damaged panels were simply cut away and replaced. At one of the garages, an English wheel is used to custom design panels.

At Pastrana-Waltrip, I talked with an employee who is in charge of putting all the decals on the cars. One car was composed entirely of a one-piece vinyl wrap. I marveled at the skill such a task would take – especially since I can hardly install a bumper sticker without getting an air bubble or a wrinkle.

Evernham has a nice collection of cars, some of which he bought and restored, others which were gifted to him for winning a race back when he was the pit crew chief for Jeff Gordon. He even had a replica drive-in movie theatre, 1955 diner and service station that was made to look like the one his father used to own that he used to work at.

That evening was the Jimmie Jam, a private fundraiser that raises monies for The Jimmie Johnson Foundation. The featured act was country music duo Montgomery Gentry, who even got a hard rock-loving urbanite like me to tap my toes.

Dream On

All in all, the trip really opened my eyes to what it takes to work on a racing team: hard work, commitment and focus. The driver of a car is the face of the team, the most visible and well-known person, but behind him or her are hundreds of other people who really make things happen. Everyone has to work together like a well-oiled machine to achieve the ultimate goal: a win.

Those collision repair and automotive technicians who aspire to one day work for a racing team should know that it is possible – but only the best get there. Like many professions, you have to start at the bottom. And a lot of times, it comes down to who you know.

Now, I'm off to get a personal trainer. In a year's time, maybe I can be the jackman for the next NASCAR star...

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