UPS RACING

Hello from Texas!

We got out here early on Thursday since the Nationwide Series had tech at the track. We all fly together, so all of the Cup guys had the day off on in Texas to have some fun. Some of us did have to work as David had two sponsor appearances on Thursday, but it looks like some of the No. 6 team hit the golf course. I’m not sure what the rest were up to, but the weather was beautiful for the first day of the race weekend.

Last week we were in Talladega, Alabama. That was such a stressful weekend because things happen so fast there and you never know who is going to get caught up in a wreck.  We survived right up until the end when David got bumped and took a trip through the grass. We still finished okay and actually moved up a spot in the point standings. 

We also got to have a little fun in Talladega. I’m not sure if you’ve heard stories about the infield there, but it’s crazy. The wildest fans go to Talladega and camp out for the whole week! A lot of the crew guys make an annual trip to ‘cruise the infield’ to see what’s going on inside of the largest tracks on the schedule. The Zac Brown Band played a free concert to anyone with an infield pass on Saturday night before the race. Of course it had rained all day Saturday, but it stopped by late afternoon. Event though the weather cleared, it was definitely a muddy mess. The concert was really good and David even stopped by for the start of it. He left early since he had to get up and race the next day. 

Now back to Texas. We’ve got a really cool car this weekend and everyone is excited to see it on track. We’ve gotten to visit some Boys and Girls Clubs of America locations this year on behalf of UPS, and those visits are always a lot of fun. Our paint scheme this weekend is cool with a lot of the BGCA kids’ handprints on the car. I even tried to match up my hands with theirs on the car, and I actually fit a few. I’m not sure if they’ve got some growing into their hands to do or if my hands are just small!

Well, that’s about it from here for now. Hopefully we get a good run this weekend to make up for last time. David had such a good run going in the spring, but debris got caught on the grill and overheated our car…bad luck. Here’s hoping it’s all behind us!

- Nancy

Sam at work during a UPS pit stop

Sam Gibson is the front tire carrier for the No. 6 UPS team. Before leaving for Talladega, Sam took some time to talk with UPS Racing about his job at Roush Fenway Racing.

How did you get into the sport?

I knew a friend working for a different team that got me a job in 2000. Five years later, I started at Roush with the No. 6 Truck. From there, I moved over to the No. 17 Nationwide team before moving up to the No. 6 Cup team.

What’s your favorite part about being on a NASCAR team?

My favorite part would probably be the traveling and getting to see different parts of the country.

What’s your normal “run of show” during the week?

During the week I work in the shop tearing down cars, building suspensions, puttin in motors, and have pit crew practice.  When I’m not working I enjoy just relaxing and hanging out and going to the movies.

What are your normal responsibilities once arriving to the track each weekend?

Once I get to the track, I prep the tires for the race, get them to the pit box, lay them all out, and clean them. After all my work is done, I help anyone else out that may need it.

What are you responsible for during the actual race?

I’m the front tire carrier

Anything significant about the upcoming weekend?

It’s a restrictor plate track where I a lot can happen fast, but David runs really well there.

If you weren’t working in racing, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably be a chef at a restaurant or working at an auto dealership.

Where did you grow up?

Boone, NC

What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-weekend?

On off weekends, I go to the lake to go surfing.

Something interesting about yourself?

I enjoy yoga even though the guys make fun of me about it.

Favorite Movie: Any Vince Vaughn movie

Favorite TV Show: Californication

Favorite Cartoon as a Kid: Curious George

Favorite Pizza Toppings? Greek pizza

Favorite Place to Eat? Fusion Bowl

Favorite Music: Dave Matthews, Metallica, Korn, Chevelle

Sam during pre-race with the rest of the UPS team

Justin with the mini UPS package car at Martinsville Speedway

This past weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Justin Chaney was part of the UPS Trackside Services team. Justin took some time on Sunday to talk with UPS Racing about what he does both at and away from the track.

My name is Justin and I am an on-road supervisor out of the Danville, Virginia Center. I’ve been with UPS for five years and first started working with the company unloading trucks.

I was glad to be able to go out to the track this past weekend and work for the UPS Trackside program. I really like going out to the track because I like seeing the people involved in the sport and making sure they have what they need for the weekend. It’s fun to see everything that goes on at the track that regular race fans don’t get to see.

During my spare time, I enjoy riding mountain bikes, going camping and riding four-wheelers.

- Justin

Another cold and rainy weekend in Charlotte is behind us and we’re off to Martinsville this week. It always seems to rain wherever the race is, and this past weekend was no exception. We had rain on Thursday (qualifying day), which made for a long day, but we were able to get everything in. For the race on Saturday night, it was cold standing out on pit road, but we all had on lots of layers and even got some hot chocolate halfway through the race from our hauler driver Bill!

David had a good car until a tire going down hurt our track position, but ultimately, he ended on the lead lap in 20^th. This weekend is Martinsville, which is another race close to home. That is something that we always enjoy. Plus, it’s a short track, and David likes short tracks. Hopefully the weather will be warmer and we’ll get a good finish!

On Tuesday, David filmed an episode for CMT ‘Cribs.’ It’s funny how 5-7 minutes of what you see on the air takes about 10 hours to shoot. David wasn’t on camera that whole time, but he did take them on a tour of his house and his race shop. Once he was done, I stuck around with Alexis while the production crew took a lot of b-roll shots. It made for a pretty long day. I think it will all turn out really good and everyone will have to check it out in January when it airs. We don’t know what day it’s going to air yet, but we’ll keep you up to date when we find out.

Having 10 hours of filming creates some down time, so we had a little fun while waiting at David’s shop……check out some of our photos!

TJ stretching in the UPS pit

TJ Hamilton is the rear tire carrier for the No. 6 UPS team. TJ took some time to talk with UPS Racing about his job at Roush Fenway Racing.

How did you get into the sport?

I took a welding class in high school. After I graduated, Roush needed someone to be a welder, and I got the job.

What’s your favorite part about being on a NASCAR team?

The adrenaline that comes with it.

What’s the coolest thing that you’ve gotten to do since being a member of the No. 6 team?

The PBR Bull Riding Event. The riders came to the shop and learned about what we do in the pits.

What’s your normal ‘run of show’ during the week?

It is always really busy in the shop.  Sunday is the big race day, typically. Monday is the resting day, and on those days, I love taking naps with my dog. On Tuesdays I try to make it up to the lake after work and do a little surfing. Wednesdays I hangout with my 11-year-old daughter, Makayla.  After that, the race cycle starts all over again.

What are your normal responsibilities once arriving to the track each weekend?

At the track, my main responsibility is cleaning tires and getting them ready to race.

What are you responsible for during the actual race?

During the race, I am in the pits as a tire carrier. The adrenaline you get from the race gets you focused and you can’t think of anything else but what you have to do during the next pit stop.

If you weren’t working in racing, what do you think you would be doing?

I think flying fighter jets would be pretty cool.

Where did you grow up?

Greensboro, NC

What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-weekend?

Go to the lake for wakeboarding and surfing.

Something interesting about yourself?

I am very superstitious.

Favorite movie: Rudy, Rocky Movies (except the last one), and of course, Days of Thunder

Favorite TV Show: I don’t really watch TV.

Favorite cartoon as a kid: Transformers

Favorite pizza toppings? Ham

Favorite place to eat? Mexican

Favorite music: Country

TJ during a UPS pit stop