Matt Kenseth’s pit crew claimed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night’s (Sept. 11) Air Guard 400 Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.
It was the third Tissot win of the season for the No. 17 over-the-wall crew out of the Roush Fenway Racing stable. The win moved Kenseth’s crew into a second-place tie with Jamie McMurray’s crew in the Tissot standings. Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew continues to lead the pit road competition with four wins.
The weekly-winning crew receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.
Kenseth’s Crown Royal Ford spent the least amount of time on Richmond’s pit road – 157.637 seconds – during the 400-lap, 300-mile race. Coming in second was Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet (158.848) and third was Carl Edwards’ No. 99 Kellogg’s/Cheez-It Ford (159.202).
The No. 17 over-the-wall crew consists of: Justin Nottestad (front-tire changer), Joe Crossen (front-tire carrier), Dave Smith (rear-tire changer), Garrett Reding (rear-tire carrier), Cameron Cobb (jackman), Brad Robison (gasman) and Dave McDonald (catch can). The crew chief is Jimmy Fennig and the pit crew coach is Andy Ward.
“I think one of the reasons the No. 17 Crown Royal team had a successful night on pit road is because we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on night races and our night race technique,” said Ward. “The guys did a really nice job executing under pressure. This team has now earned its third Tissot award of the season, and I think that recognition gives our organization as a whole even more motivation to defend the title which the No. 16 team earned last season. I’m incredibly proud of this team for their accomplishments.”
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