Hamlin’s Team Wins Tissot Pit Crew Award
Hamlin’s No. 11 crew became the 13th Tissot winner in the 19 Cup races contested in 2009.
The pit crew win was the result of Hamlin’s FedEx Toyota Camry spending the least amount of time on pit road – 194.055 seconds. The quick work helped Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing team to a fifth-place finish in the 267-lap, 400-mile race.
"The No. 11 FedEx team was awesome on Saturday night," said Hamlin. "I think we gained or held positions each time I was on pit road and as competitive as this sport is that makes a huge difference. We need to keep improving during this summer stretch so everyone is at their best for the Chase. I see how hard they are working to improve and it paid off on Saturday."
Hamlin’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Jonathan Sherman (front-tire changer), Brandon Pegram (front-tire carrier), Mike Hicks (rear-tire changer), Heath Cherry (rear-tire carrier), Nate Bolling (jackman), Scott Wood (gasman), John Eicher (catch can) and Bobby “Spike" Christenson (windshield). The team’s crew chief is Mike Ford and the pit crew coach is Paul Alepa. The athletic director for Joe Gibbs Racing is Michael Lepp.
The No. 11 team will collect $5,000 for the pit road win. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule will receive a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver.
The crews for Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle lead in the Tissot standings with three wins each. Tony Stewart’s and Jimmie Johnson’s crews are tied for third with two wins each.