(Photos by Wes Allison) – There are many things that I love about the sport of drag racing but the tradition that fans and teams still honor regarding open pits is my favorite. It creates an interesting flow over the course of a race as fans are literally able to make their own “laps” as cars run and are serviced back in the pits. Not knocking any other form of motorsport but this is a unique world that drag racers and drag racing fans live in. From the Thursday pre-weekend service to the Sunday morning final checks before round one, it’s a tough way to make a living but one that many crew member would never trade.

Who’s the typical crew guy or girl? In many cases it is someone who has loved drag racing, pursued another field of work, and realized that they cannot have a happy life without the sport being front and center for them. We know guys that are nurses that service the bottom end of cars, we know girls with engineering degrees getting dirty between rounds.

A team sport to the core, these photos show exactly how team oriented it is.

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