Getting to know Caleb Hurd, gas man for the No. 24 team

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 8, 2009) – In the race shop, Caleb Hurd is crunching numbers as an engineer. But at the racetrack, the former Virginia Tech football player also is responsible for refueling Jeff Gordon’s ride. Being in shape is key, as each can weighs around 85 pounds when it’s full and the team sometimes needs two cans during a pit stop, which generally lasts around 14 seconds. Recently we caught up with Caleb: Full name: Caleb Daniel Hurd Nickname: Cable Guy. When I first started, some of the guys would accidentally call me Cable instead of Caleb, and the Jim Carrey movie was new at that time so it stuck. Hometown: Pulaski, Va. High School: Pulaski County High School. College: Virginia Tech. I played football there for four years. Team/job duties: Data acquisition engineer for the Nos. 24 and 48 teams; Gas man for the 24 team. Time at current job: Eight and a half years (excluding a summer internship in 2000). Years in racing: Eight and a half years. First racing job: Engineering intern for the 24 team (summer 2000). First job overall: Food Lion – bag boy (and I was fast). If I wasn't in racing I would be: A full-time college student. Best racing memory: Watching Jeff Gordon knock Rusty Wallace out of the way at the Bristol night race in 2002 to get my first official win as part of Jeff’s pit crew. Winning the 2005 Daytona 500 is a very close second. Favorite track: Bristol for the atmosphere. Hobbies outside of racing: Playing golf and tuning my eye/hand coordination on PS3 and Wii. Favorite sport other than racing: Football (especially college). When I'm not at the track you can find me: On the golf course. On an off weekend you can find me: Sleeping in at the beach! Pets: Just a rock. But it died. Favorite movie: “Old School,” only because I still haven’t seen “The Hangover” yet. Favorite book: “The Last Jihad” Favorite music: I’m well rounded in the music department -- just depends on the mood. But I’ll go with “Stevie Ray style” blues. Dream car: Jeff Gordon’s Ferrari. Cell phone ring: The ESPN SportsCenter theme. What you’ll find on my iPod: Anything you want since the ’70s. It ranges from Waylon Jennings to Tupac Shakur, but I’ll deny any Michael Bolton that you find. If I could meet anyone, I’d meet: Tom Landry. That’s right. I’m a Cowboys fan. But if he’s not available, the cheerleaders would do, I guess. Favorite food: Sushi (especially tuna!). When I’m training, I always: Plug in my iPod and drift into my own little world for about an hour. If I ran NASCAR, I’d: Shorten the races and go to each venue only once a year. Before the race, I always: Get out to the pits at least an hour early to make sure everything is in order out at the pit box. Then I just lay back, relax, and do a little people watching in the stands. During a pit stop, I’m thinking: One step ahead in the choreography of the stop. I’m thinking -- “Where do I need to be next with the adjustments that are going on?” And then of course, ”Don’t ignite! Don’t ignite!” as I watch sparks from the rear lug nuts fall in the fuel around my feet. I knew I wanted a job in NASCAR when: When a lot of my college teammates were going to the NFL. Knowing that the NFL wasn’t in my future, I realized that I really didn’t want to wear a tie and sit in a cubicle all of my life. NASCAR was a perfect fit for using both my engineering degree and athletic training. Plus, I was a fan.