CONCORD, N.C. – While Chase Elliott’s exciting win at Martinsville Speedway was the highlight of last Sunday’s race, it was T.J. Semke’s actions that saved the No. 9 team’s championship hopes.
During a routine pit stop, the jackman jumped over the wall too soon as Elliott was pulling into his stall. Immediately realizing his mistake, Semke leapt back to the wall and tagged his foot before he did any work on Elliott’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. That quick thinking prevented a penalty and Elliott from having to restart at the rear of the field.
“First thing going through my head was, ‘Man, I just messed up and ruined the race for my guy Chase and cost us a shot at a championship.’ That’s not a very good feeling,” Semke said. “Fortunately, I think I jumped early enough and corrected it quickly enough. It didn’t end up killing us for our shot at the championship, but that definitely was an uncomfortable, tough moment that I hope I never have to go through again.”
Luckily for Semke, his quick thinking kept Elliott in the thick of the race. He said the pit crews are trained for all scenarios, including the small rules that can make or break a team’s run during a race. Section 10.9.8.g in the Rule Book says: “Should a crew member’s feet prematurely touch the pit road surface prior to servicing the vehicle, said crew member(s) can re-establish their position back to or behind service wall prior to servicing the vehicle to avoid a penalty.” Since Semke fulfilled that requirement, he was able to pull off one of the top pit crew moves this season.
Pit crew coach Chris Burkey said he was proud of NASCAR for sticking to the rulebook and Semke for reacting immediately to save the race for the No. 9 team.
“At first glance when I saw that happen I was like ‘oh man’ and then he was able to correct it, do what he’s supposed to do, then go around the right side of the car and complete the pit stop,” Burkey said. “Initially, it’s a big mistake but he applied the rule perfectly. I got a phone call from NASCAR after the race that they took the time to clarify, apply the rule and make the right decision. That was the game changer for us.”
Crew chief Alan Gustafson said Semke’s leap back to the wall was “amazing,” adding that Burkey and the entire pit crew deserve credit for their quick thinking and training.
“T.J. gets so amped up, I think he was so ready to go and jumped early,” Gustafson said. “To have to make that split-second decision and get back on the wall, reset himself, and then go back and pit the car, not make any mistakes or make it worse was really an amazing effort. I think it’s a great experience for him to go through and it will make him better moving forward.”
Semke echoed Gustafson and credits Burkey and the other Hendrick Motorsports coaches for making sure the pit members don’t even have to think when they are faced with crucial situations in the pit box - they simply react.
“(It’s) definitely something that we’ve talked about,” Semke said. “Maybe not that week or that month or that year even, but we have talked about those things. They’re embedded in your mind so when you are facing a situation like that, you know how to handle it.”
Thanks to Semke’s quick reaction, Elliott and the No. 9 team will compete for a title this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.