Getting to know Greg Morin, head pit crew coach for the Nos. 24/48 teams

CONCORD, N.C. (April 22, 2010) – From breaking down film to coaching live pit stops, Greg Morin’s week is spent training the Nos. 24 and 48 pit crews for race day. The New England native never really gave NASCAR much thought until six years ago when he received a phone call from PIT Instruction in Mooresville, N.C. Since then, the sport has become a staple in his life, and he’s gone on to play an integral role in the No. 48 team’s Sprint Cup Series four-peat. Meet Greg: Full name: Gregory Charles Morin. Nickname: The Big Ragu. I got it from a co-worker for being the biggest Italian guy he’s known who makes the best spaghetti sauce he’s ever had. It just stuck from there. Birthplace: Waltham, Mass. Hometown: Enfield, Conn. Education: East Carolina University (graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation in 2001). Team/job duties: Head Pit Crew Coach, Nos. 24 & 48 Pit Crews Time at current job: In my third season. Years in racing: Six years. First racing job: Pit Crew Instructor at PIT Instruction & Training in Mooresville, N.C. First job overall: Bus boy at Oh! Brian’s restaurant in Raleigh, N.C. If I wasn't in racing I would be: Owning/running my own restaurant. Best racing memory: Tie between winning my first championship in 2008 and winning the Brickyard 400 in 2008 after coming down pit road in third and beating Carl Edwards for the lead. Favorite track: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Hobbies outside of racing: Cooking, wood working, working in my yard, playing with my two sons. Favorite sport other than racing: Football. When I'm not at the track you can find me: Playing with my sons, working in my yard. On an off weekend you can find me: Playing with my sons, working in my yard. Pets: 8-year old Retriever/Yellow Lab mix named Jasmine. Favorite movie: “The Godfather” and “Tommy Boy.” Favorite book: “Wins, Losses and Lessons” by Lou Holtz. Favorite music: All kinds. My current car is: 2006 Cadillac DTS. What you’ll find on my iPOD: Everything from Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra to the latest that’s playing on the radio. If I could meet anyone, I’d meet: My great grandfather Francesco Riccio who came over from Italy in 1911 and then brought his family over in 1921. Favorite food: Steak. When I’m training, I always: Focus on the fundamentals and technique over the speed and time. If I ran NASCAR, I’d: Shorten the season. One thing people don’t know about me: I’ve read most of Shakespeare’s works, plus other books like Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” “War and Peace,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Dante’s Inferno,” all of Charles Dickens, etc. Before the race, I always: Check over everything at both pit boxes and talk with each guy on both of my teams. During a pit stop, I’m thinking: A hundred different things all at once. I knew I wanted a job in NASCAR when: I was offered my first job.