Winning a race is not a one-man job; it takes the collective efforts of several people. However, we often tend to overlook the things that these unsung heroes do in the NASCAR race teams. They are the hauler drivers, who carry 80,000 pounds of responsibility not just during the race weekends but also throughout the entire week.
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In a recent Joe Gibbs Racing video, the fans got a glimpse at what these drivers do in a week. One might assume that the hauler drivers get to just relax and watch the races, but this video busted completely the myth. From cooking to cleaning, they have everything on their plate.
On a Tuesday, the drivers head to the track and park in the infield with the swap-out haulers. The video said, “Our swap-out hauler is loaded with four fresh race cars. It has extra parts and even spare engines. It’ll hit the road and drive all the way out to Las Vegas. There, it’ll meet our other four haulers.”
“The used cars are loaded in the swap-out hauler and the four new cars are loaded into the team haulers. The swap-out hauler heads on home meanwhile, the hauler drivers are getting everything ready for the next race.”
Till the next race weekend, which is Friday, they are responsible for getting gas cans filled, doing all the grocery shopping, checking the radios, ensuring that the firesuits are fresh, and even cooking for the team.
Veteran Stewart-Haas Racing hauler driver spilled the most ironic aspect of his profession
It’s funny how the hauler drivers do so much for the team and yet, most of the time, they don’t even get to watch the race. Bill “Stump” Lewis, the then-hauler driver for ex-NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer’s #14 car, said, “Sometimes I don’t even know who won the race.” However, that didn’t seem to matter to Lewis, who has always loved doing his job.
But why is this job of such grave importance? The answer is simple. Each hauler holds equipment worth $1.5 million. Take the cars and everything else in the haulers, and one might be looking at an entire fortune that could feed multiple families for several years.
Moreover, the drivers always need to be on time. They’re typically the first to arrive at a racetrack and the last to leave. Needless to say, the entire race depends on these drivers in the sense that, if by chance these gigantic haulers get stuck in the traffic, the race for that team is ruined. After all, NASCAR wouldn’t postpone or cancel a race just because a team’s hauler hasn’t arrived on time.
