No. 48 crew earns pit road award in Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 24, 2009) -- Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe's team won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award after its performance during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The weekly competition recognizes over-the-wall pit crews for their speed in servicing the Cup cars. Johnson’s crew was awarded the Tissot win after its Lowe’s Chevrolet Impala SS spent the least amount of time on pit road (235.745 seconds) during the 503-lap race at the famed half-mile Bristol oval. The quick stops lifted the three-time defending Cup champion to a solid third-place finish. “Bristol is one of the most challenging as far as pit road goes,” said Chad Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. “There’s a lot that goes on and there’s not a lot of room to work. The (No.) 48 crew did a good job and the fact that they were consistent all day getting Jimmie out of the pits helped the No. 48 Lowe’s Impala to a third-place finish.” Johnson’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Mike Lingerfelt (front-tire changer), Art Simmons (front-tire carrier), Jeremy West (rear-tire changer), Andy Brown (rear-tire carrier), Kenneth Purcell (jackman), Rich Gutierrez (gasman), Mike Knauer (catch can) and Ron Malec (eighth man). The team’s pit crew coach is Greg Morin. For winning the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, the No. 48 team will receive $5,000. The team with the most pit road wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will earn a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the driver and over-the-wall crew members.