After the drivers, crew chiefs are probably the most important members of a race team. They are the ones who deploy the strategies that help a driver win a race, thus, placing a lot of responsibility on them. Since it’s one of the most coveted positions in a NASCAR race team, plenty of people might dream of being a crew chief but the process of becoming a crew chief has changed vastly throughout NASCAR’s storied history.
Advertisement
Back in the day, former racers often got into the role, especially those who could not achieve much in their driver roles. Now, crew chiefs are mostly the engineers carefully selected for that specific role as they make their way up a team.
Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte spoke about the matter on the Awful Announcing podcast. Back in his day, the likes of Ray Everham were running the show in the Cup Series. As time went on, the sport got more competitive. It turned out that a person with the knowledge of how the car worked was crucial to be in a place of determining the strategy of a race. Some fans might not be happy with the shift it has worked out well for several teams.
“When I started, the crew chief was the guy that worked his way up the shop, he’s raced his whole life, he is just a racer,” he said. “Now, a huge percentage of crew chiefs are engineers and they are groomed for this position”
Determining race strategies is not the only job a crew chief does. He also has to overlook the other aspects of the team including the pit crew. He has to make sure that the pit stops are made at the right time and that there are no mistakes by the crew members. Even the slightest error can completely ruin the team’s chance of winning a race.
How well are NASCAR crew chiefs compensated?
It is an extensive job so those doing it should be compensated fairly and well, they are more often than not. Multiple sources suggest that a crew chief’s salary can range from $200,000 to $1 million. The pay depends on the team and how good a crew chief is. A successful and experienced crew chief will get a higher package than others. They can also earn $10,000 for a race and a bonus of $2500 if they win the event.
A championship victory will have its perks as well. At the end of the day, motorsports is an expensive sport and everyone working is compensated fairly on most occasions. Some of the great crew chiefs in the sport go down in history as big of a legend as the drivers. Chad Knaus, Dale Inman, and Kirk Shelmerdine are some of the greatest of all time.
The Cup Series currently has several revered crew chiefs as well. Rodney Childers and Alan Gustafsson are two of the longest-serving ones in the competition today. For race teams, a crew chief can even be more important than a driver in certain races.
