Carl Edward’s Pit Crew Wins the 2011 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award and $100,000 Grand Prize
LOS ANGELES (December 1, 2011) – There’s no insurance for good finishes like a great pit crew. And the pit crew for the No. 99 AFLAC Ford Fusion of Carl Edwards did just that – delivering the best average finish of 4.9 for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Edwards’ second place finish in the final standings. That hard work, flawless performance and strong motivation earned them the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award for 2011 and a $100,000 bonus.
The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, which is determined by a vote of each team’s crew chief, is given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award presented during Champion’s Week in Las Vegas – and the $100,000 grand prize.
This year celebrates the 10th annual Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Championship – the only authentic competition voted on by crew chiefs – as well as the safety innovator’s 20th year in the sport. Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the Official Glove of NASCAR® used by nearly all pit crew members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
That’s why Mechanix Wear is proud to announce that the No. 99 AFLAC pit crew from Roush Fenway Racing is the winner of the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award for the 2011 season.
The No. 99 AFLAC pit crew was selected for its fast pit stops, flawless performance and incredible effort over the 38-race season. The team also won the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award for the fourth quarter.
The No. 99 AFLAC pit crew joined Edwards in Las Vegas as part of their award to be honored at the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup celebration, where they took home the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew trophy and the $100,000 grand prize.
Members of the No. 99 pit crew include.
· Gas man – Joe Karasinski, Spotswood, N.J.
· Rear tire carrier – Jody Fortson, China Grove, N.C.
· Rear tire changer – Dwayne Ogles, Hoover, Ala.
· Jack man – Dennis Killian, Wentzville, Mo.
· Front tire carrier – Alan Troutman, China Grove, N.C.
· Front tire changer – Kale Uphoff, McFarland, Wis.
· Pit crew coach – Andy Ward, Kannapolis, N.C.
· Trainer — Les Ebert
About Mechanix Wear
Mechanix Wear, the #1 glove in racing, is the motorsports industry’s first and foremost company dedicated to providing gloves to help you work faster, safer and cleaner. From the introduction of the Original glove in 1991, Mechanix Wear has continually defined the state of high quality performance work gloves by adding products specifically designed to enhance comfort and resist extreme wear, temperatures and impact. Mechanix Wear gloves can be found in toolboxes in homes, garages and workshops and used by emergency, military and professional tradesman as well as do-it-yourselfers.
