Steve Letarte knows all about crew members.
As a former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., not to mention being a pit crew member himself early in his career, Letarte is well aware of the hours and sacrifices pit crew members make.
He calls pit crew members the unsung heroes of NASCAR, and Letarte couldn’t be more correct. While the driver and crew chief get the most attention and media notoriety, crew members typically operate in a world of little notoriety if things go right and immediate blame if things go wrong.
In Thursday’s edition of NASCAR America, Letarte featured his first weekly set of pit crew all-stars. This week’s picks: engine tuner Frank Mathalia, gasman Caleb Hurd and tire specialist Jeff Zarrella.