AR1 Faces in the Paddock: Wayne Selman
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| Wayne Selman |
The AR1 Faces in the Paddock series shares the stories of the men and women behind the scenes working in the racing industry. In our latest installment, AutoRacing1 IndyCar Correspondent Lucille Dust spends a few minutes with racing lifer Wayne Selman. A former crewman and current transporter driver for CFH Racing, Selman shares some of his experience from two-plus decades working in Indy Car racing. Enjoy!
AR1: Where did you grow up and how did you get started in racing?
Selman: I was originally born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I moved to California, had a couple of kids and I raced Motorcycles. I raced speedway bikes in California and won a couple of events.
In my twenties, I could not race anymore. I got a phone call from some guys that I went to high school with. They were working on Rick Galles' team and they needed a truck driver. I moved back to Albuquerque and started driving for Rick, when we had Al Unser Jr driving back in 1992 and 1993. And then Al left the team. Then I moved to Indy in 1996. Rick was downsizing and I figured if I wanted to stay in IndyCar Racing, I needed to move back to Indianapolis. I worked for Eddie Cheever in the IRL and then Pac West with Mark Blundell and Mauricio Gugelmin. I worked with Jeff Ward in the IRL. And then I went back to Champ Car and then came back to IndyCar with Dreyer and Reinbold. I am currently working for Carpenter, Fisher and Hartman Racing.
[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]AR1: What are your job responsibilities?
I drive the transporter for CFH from event to event, take care of all the pit equipment, I do tires on pit stops. I used to fuel on pit stops but I quit that 2 years ago. I let some of the younger kids do it.
AR1: Do you drive the transporter by yourself from event to event?
No, I have a co-driver most of the time. You pretty much need someone to help you nowadays because of the way the schedule is, weekend to weekend. Having someone with me gives me a bit of slack, especially on the long runs. Some of the shorter drives you can do by yourself. You work all day at the track and then you have to drive at night. Most of the time, I drive back to the race shop in Indy. Unless the trip is so far that we have to go. Being in Indy, we are centrally located for most races. It is easier for the team to work on the car at the shop. You have all the parts there. I probably drive 50,000 to 60,000 miles a year. Sometimes I caravan with the other rigs, but most of the time, we get spread out.
AR1: What is your role at the shop?
I clean up, restock supplies on the truck, fix anything that needs to be fixed on the truck or pit equipment. I never have to touch the car, I have enough stuff to do when we get back from a race. I clean the wheels and get the laundry bagged up for pickup.
AR1: What do you do in the pit for sessions during race weekend?
I set the pressures on the tires for every session. I do the deadman for the fueler during the race since I am familiar with everything after fueling for 20 years. It gives a good heads up if something goes wrong with a hose or a gun.
AR1: Do you have a favorite driver?
I have a few of them. Jeff Ward always has been a favorite because he raced motorcycles. Eddie Lawson he raced for us at Galles years ago. I kind of favor motorcycle guys but there are a lot of them. You get to know these guys and its personal. Just because we are like a big family traveling around from race to race. When something happens to one of them, like Justin Wilson, it kinda hits home.
[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]AR1: Tell me about your family
All my kids are in racing. My wife, Valerie, works for Sam Schmidt. My son, Jason, is team manager at Dreyer and Reinbold. He is married to Danica Patrick's sister, Brooke. My other son, Cody, used to travel with Kyle Busch in NASCAR and he married Jamie Little, who is a TV announcer for NASCAR and has done some IndyCar races also. When we have big family reunions, everyone kind of looks at us and says "oh, now I get it".
Lucille Dust is an IndyCar Correspondent for AutoRacing1.