Real Men Work in the Pits

“Jeff Hammond has been around racing for a long time—almost as long as me—and he has seen a lot. He’s had a lot of success down in the pits where races are won, and he has a lot of stories to tell—some good, some bad—and they are all right here, in this terrific book.” —Richard Petty When you stand out there before a race, and you hear the cheering of 150,000 people, and you know that millions of other people are watching on television… well, you just can’t imagine the pump. It is just something you can’t get enough of. I used to tell people when the day came that I could hear the words, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” and not get goose bumps, that was the day I was going to walk away. It hasn’t happened yet. I’m broadcasting now, instead of crew chiefing, but I still feel that way. Still get those goose bumps. “Racing is all about chemistry. Hammond and I had it. We were always on the same page. Sometimes I was on the front page though, and he was on the back page!” —Darrell Waltrip