ESPN analyst Andy Petree never ventures very far from his roots as the one-time crew chief for Dale Earnhardt—even if it’s during a few hours of fishing the day before races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Petree is in his rookie year as an ESPN expert on all things NASCAR. He was a driver from 1988 to 2004, with a career-best 16th place finish in a Busch Series race. He owned two cars, the No. 33 Skoal Bandit Chevy and No. 55 Oakwood Homes Chevy.
But Petree achieved greatest prominence as a crew chief, helping Earnhardt win two Winston Cups while also helping Harry Gant win four consecutive Cup races in September 1991.
So when the trolling motor quit as he fished Lewisville Lake on Thursday, Petree laid aside the rod-and-reel, picked up a pair of pliers and fixed a devilish breaker switch that was interfering with catching bass.
“I’ve been doing so much for so little for so long that I’m now qualified to do anything with nothing,” Petree joked as he fiddled with the battery.
It wasn’t the first time Petree, an avid fisherman who quickly shows off prize catches on his cellphone camera, has stepped up as “crew chief” on a fishing boat. He once started a single-engine boat off the Alaskan coast two hours out from Seward.
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