CONCORD, N.C.—When children are asked at a young age what they want to be when they grow up, a NASCAR pit crew member is typically not a common response.
That goes for front-tire carrier RJ Barnette, as well.
While studying education at Samford University, Barnette met with his exercise physiology professor after an exam. In the meeting, which the professor holds with all his students, he asks each student about his or her passion in life.
“I was an education major, so I was going to say ‘I love kids,’” Barnette recalled. “I like kids and want to help them learn and grow, but for some reason, and I have no idea to this day why, I blurted out NASCAR.”
Having been a college athlete and playing on the Samford University football team as a defensive back, Barnette found his path into the racing industry.
During the summer of 2008, Barnette interned at Hendrick Motorsports in the department of human performance, training the pit crew members.
“I just remember looking at some of the guys and thinking, ‘I’m fresh out of football, I can do their job.’ Granted it was much harder than it looked, but that’s where I kind of got the idea that maybe I would rather do this than be a teacher.”
Barnette kept in contact with Hendrick Motorsports as he return to Samford University for his final semester of college and his final football season.
During that time, Barnette became close with teammate Andrew Childers, who played tight end and long snapper. The two roommates shared a passion for athletics, eventually transferring their role of teammates on the football field to teammates at the racetrack.
Childers grew an interest in NASCAR after learning from Barnette and seeing the correlation between the two sports.
“There’s a lot of repetition. Once you do something so many times, it becomes second nature. That’s the same with pit stops,” Childers said. “Once you snap a football or jack a car so many times, it becomes second nature and you can start to focus in on the little things.”
Having the opportunity to still pursue an athletic career without joining the NFL is what caught Childers’ attention.
Barnette described the two sports by saying, “you still get to work closely with your teammates—like the quarterback and receiver have a relationship and a carrier and a changer have a relationship, a bond. They know each other’s technique and tendencies.”
It’s that relationship that drew Barnette and Childers to the pit crew and what makes them so successful.
Still keeping in touch with their Samford University football team, the two teammates look forward to hearing how their Alma Mater plays each weekend.
As the Bulldogs prepare to take on Virginia Military Institute’s Keydets this weekend, Childers is confident in his team.
“I think we’ll smoke ‘em,” he said.
Tune in to Samford University’s Week 5 game against VMI this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET.