CONCORD, N.C. – Not everyone can say that they grew up near a racetrack.
But for two of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 over-the-wall pit crew members, they can call Michigan International Speedway their “home” track.
The No. 48 fueler, Brandon Harder, grew up in Oak Harbor, Ohio, roughly 90 miles from the speedway.
For Harder, growing up around racing made him interested in the sport, and visiting Michigan was always a family affair.
“As a kid we would go up there, not every year, but it was something that we did,” Harder said. “We would go there and Indianapolis and make it kind of like a guys' trip when I was younger with my dad.”
Harder attended Bowling Green (Ohio) State University and became a member of Jimmie Johnson’s crew in 2010.
Ryan Patton is the rear-tire carrier for the No. 48 crew and he also hails from Ohio. He joined the team in 2013 after spending some time as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant for the Ohio State football team.
Growing up in Delphos, Ohio, Patton was only 105 miles south of Michigan International Speedway.
“I think my home track would be Indianapolis,” Patton said. “But I went to my first ever NASCAR race at Michigan with my grandparents and my dad.”
Patton grew up a race fan because his father used to race go-karts, and he said he has been attending races since before he could even walk.
Harder and Patton are just two of six over-the-wall pit crew members for Johnson’s No. 48 team, but both being from Ohio, there is a special camaraderie between them.
“Brandon has been a great influence for me from the time I got on the team -- and we are both Buckeyes, and that runs pretty deep,” Patton said. “So he has been a great teammate since the start, helping me learn things, and he continues to be.”
Harder said that even though the two didn’t know each other before, it proved to be a small world as they found out they had mutual friends in common back home.
As they both travel up north this weekend for the race at Michigan, Harder and Patton will have family and friends in the stands watching as they try to help clinch Johnson and the No. 48 team’s second career Michigan win and fifth victory of the 2015 season.