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 |
| Matt Vermeer | 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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| Justin Alexander | Race engineer |
| Bart Apple | Tire specialist |
| Jason Burdett | Car chief |
| Michelle Durkin | Scorer |
| Kirk George | Truck driver |
| Andy Kruep | Mechanic |
| Aaron Kuehn | Tire specialist |
| Michael Landis | Team manager |
| Travis Mack | Mechanic |
| Shannon McGlamery | Spotter |
| Kevin Meendering | Asst race engineer |
| Greg Morin | Pit crew coach |
| James Nunn | Truck driver |
| Jason Seitzinger | Shock specialist |
| John Smeltzer | Engine tuner |
| Matthew Todd | 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 |
| Drew Beason | Set-up plate |
| Steve Bergh | Aero specialist |
| Don Bishofberger | Aero specialist |
| Brad Buskirk | Co-op engineer |
| Paul Christman | Mechanic |
| Greg Clute | Parts procurement |
| Billy Coan | Fabricator |
| Mark Connolly | Aero development |
| Robert Deering | Shop manager |
| Paul Desrosiers | Shop maintenance |
| Brandon Evans | Engineer |
| Jamie Frady | Fabricator |
| Keith French | Fabricator |
| Robbie Geist | Mechanic |
| Jim Glenn | Fabricator |
| Scott Grant | Fabricator |
| Lynn Hess | Office manager |
| Wayne Hewitt | Parts manager |
| Mike Houston | Mechanic |
| Caleb Hurd | Engineer |
| Mike Knauer | Mechnanic |
| Michael Landis | Team manager |
| Charlie Langenstein | Post-race mechanic |
| Pete Michel | Chassis set-up |
| Dave Muckenthaler | Gear/transmission |
| George Nelson | Paint/body |
| Andrew Overstreet | Mechanic |
| Ashley Parrott | Receptionist |
| Andy Parsons | Paint/body |
| Kevin Pimm | Mechanic |
| Cody Plemmons | Engineer |
| Dale Pooler | Mechanic |
| Marc Puchalski | Mechanic |
| John Rannow | Paint/body |
| Justin Raybourn | Lead engineer |
| Dan Richardson | Fabricator |
| John Sauber | Test truck driver |
| Robert Savage | Fabricator |
| Kyle Schmidlin | Mechanic |
| Wayne Sivertsen | Mechanic |
| John Smeltzer | Engine tuner |
| Dan Stonemetz | Mechanic |
| Dave Tallman | Mechanic |
| John Tretow | Machinist |
| Sam Tubbs | Fabricator |
| Wesley Walker | Mechanic |
| Ron White | Chassis set-up |
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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 | Track owner. |
| 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 Gillete Motorsports |
| David Smith | Tire changer | Car chief for Robert Yates Racing |
| Robert "Bootie" Barker | Shock specialist | Crew chief for #55 team |
| Tony Gibson | Car chief | Crew chief for DEI |
| Rich Hubbs | Mechanic | Car chief for #21 Wood Brothers team |
| Andy Papathanasiou | Pit crew coach | Ex. Dir., North Carolina Motorsports Assoc. |
| Patrick Donahue | Mechanic | Evernham Motorsports Truck team director |
| Ashton Lewis | Engineer | Finance manager |
| 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 |
| Darrin Mariska | Catch can | Engine tuner at Petty Enterprises |
| 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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