Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 39, Issue 7


Volume 39, Issue 7. Today is .

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Volume 39, Issue 7
December 4, 2001

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2 from Mesa picked for NASCAR crew

BY Michelle Pickel
Mesa Legend

On Oct. 26, two Mesa teens got a chance to see first hand what it’s like to be up close and personal at NASCAR.

They served as part of an honorary pit crew for Vince Whitmire’s No. 61 Chevrolet Silverado at the Phoenix International Raceway. Whitmire is from Flowery Branch, Ga., where he began racing go-carts, motorcycles and trucks. Whitmire’s debut in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was in 2001.

Brad Burnham and Curtis Reams, both 18, were the two students chosen to work on the pit crew. Burnham is a freshman at MCC, and Reams is a senior at Westwood High School in Mesa.

Both students were chosen to be part of the pit crew by Jon D’Ambrosio, an MCC automotive technology instructor. D’Ambrosio was also with them while they were on the track.

This is the second year that D’Ambrosio chose the students through the Automotive Service Excellence Grass Roots Race Program.

D’Ambrosio said that he chose Burnham and Reams because they were both "standout seniors."

"I thought it would be a lot of fun and I could see NASCAR up close," Burnham said.

"It is very unusual to be able to participate at this level," D’Ambrosio said. "We were down in the pit area with guys like Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon."

Burnham and Curtis were in charge of getting tires and wheels ready for pit stops and had two 20 gallon cans that they used for holding the fuel. In between pit stops, Burnham had to run to get them filled up.

Reams maintained the tire pressure, and D’Ambrosio said that Burnham was also "literally fixing the lug nuts to the rims of the tires."

"They can typically change four tires and fill 40 gallons of fuel in 15 to18 seconds.

"If you’re really good, they can get it down to 14 seconds," D’Ambrosio said. "When you’re down in the pit, it’s pretty impressive to see what it takes to get those cars out on the track."