Penske Is Hiring Pit Crew Members And Experience Is Optional, But The Must-Have Will Surprise You

Being a race car driver is a dream job for just about every car enthusiast, but unless you were put in a kart before you could walk, it’s a dream that most people will never achieve (at least at the professional level). The next best thing, then, is working on some other part of the race car, whether that be an engineer, a mechanic, a team manager, or a pit crew member.

That last position doesn’t require as much experience as you’d think. Even if you don’t have experience working on cars or any prior experience in the racing world, you can still qualify… so long as you were an athlete in college.

Penske—the most powerful American name in racing right now—is currently looking for people to join its growing team of pit crew members. Though the job listing doesn’t specify where you’d end up, Penske races in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and the FIA World Endurance Championship—all top-level series where the best of the best compete.

Being a pit crew member for Penske means performing all of the duties you’d expect during race day—switching tires, adjusting aero, the car’s gas tank—stuff like that. But you’ll also be responsible for building up and breaking down equipment, tents, and work areas. And, as with anyone on a professional race team, you’re expected to be available 37 weekends or more per year for traveling across the country (and sometimes out of the country) for race weekends.

The job listing notes previous pit crew experience as a plus, but doesn’t say anything about it being required [Ed note: I’m filling out an application right now – Pete]. Instead, the description puts far more emphasis on physical fitness [Crumples up application]. Specifically, it notes previous athletic experience at the collegiate, semi-professional, or professional level is required. The job goes as far as to expect applicants to be able to perform “the physical requirements of a professional-level athlete (i.e., jump, run, squat, lift, etc.).” You’ll be required to participate in practice and workout sessions with the rest of your team. With proper training, the listing says, pit crew members should be able to lift and carry objects up to 100 pounds on their own. Damn.

In some sense, it feels like Penske runs its pit crews like a pro sports team (which, in a way, it is). From the listing:

Our pit crews contribute greatly to our continued success on the racetrack.  The pit crews train and work out on a regimented schedule to perfect the timing and coordination of on-track pit crew and racecar performance […] Train as a team and attend all practice and workout sessions; organized by the Sports Performance and Pit Crew Coaches.

These requirements shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s watched a pit crew rip tires over the wall like they’re empty boxes of cardboard. Like being a driver, being a pit crew member is a physically demanding job. You need to be able to lift heavy-ass wheels and tires, jacks, and other car parts quickly and accurately to have any hope of getting your team’s car back out on track in a reasonable time. Indeed, the listing mentions that qualified applicants will need solid hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills for precision pit crew activities (like zipping off a nut for a tire, or changing the angle of a front wing).

All of a sudden, I have even more regrets about playing video games throughout high school and college instead of playing a sport or two.

Top graphic image: DepositPhotos.com

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