| If you're into mechanics and cars, then perhaps this | | | | After attending one of the country's mechanic schools, |
| scenario appeals to you. Just picture this: as you stand | | | | Cunningham began putting his resume out to everyone |
| at your station, you are patient despite the excitement | | | | he could. "I tried out with a lot of teams," he says. "You |
| that abounds. Screaming fans, loud engines, and | | | | start to know a lot of people that way." This kind of |
| brightly colored cars surround you. This is where you | | | | networking is extremely vital in securing a job as one |
| work. As your car pulls into the pit, you work like a | | | | of the NASCAR mechanics. In October 2005, |
| maniac to make sure your driver can get back out on | | | | Cunningham received an offer for a job as the eighth |
| that track. You may not change tires or gas up the | | | | employee at Michael Waltrip Racing. "I wanted to learn |
| car, but you ensure the proper working of the vehicle | | | | just coming out of school," he says. "It was a start-up |
| so that your team can win! After all, you are one of | | | | and a small shop so I got to know people quickly and |
| the best NASCAR mechanics. | | | | they got to know me. It was a good learning |
| Steer Your Way to a Mechanic Career | | | | experience for me." |
| NASCAR mechanics have a variety of tasks in which | | | | Cunningham says that the most challenging part is the |
| they may specialize, including tires, brakes, and welding. | | | | competition both on and off the racetrack. "The pit |
| And it's best to attend mechanic schools to learn | | | | crew is pretty challenging because you are competing |
| these skills. Just ask Lee Bob Cunningham. During the | | | | against some of the Cup guys and people who have |
| week he works as a mechanic on the Aaron's Toyota | | | | been at it for 15 years," he says. But with a certificate |
| Camry (#99) in the Busch Series, fielded by Michael | | | | and training at an accredited institution, you're sure to |
| Waltrip Racing, and at races, Cunningham shifts gears, | | | | get great experience and train to become one of the |
| changing rear tires in the pit. But Cunningham didn't just | | | | great NASCAR mechanics. |
| walk off the street and into a job at NASCAR after | | | | Competition is also fierce among peers. "The |
| he realized he wanted to work with cars. His decision, | | | | probability of getting in [as one of the NASCAR |
| prompted him to decide on one of the mechanic | | | | mechanics] right away is pretty slim," he says. "The |
| schools, the NASCAR Technical Institute (Mooresville, | | | | teams usually call the school for the top five people |
| NC), to provide him with training that would get him the | | | | and there were roughly 1,600 kids in my program." But |
| job he desired. | | | | one shouldn't allow that to get in the way of a dream. |
| "I've been a big NASCAR fan for as long as I can | | | | Cunningham didn't. His advice to overcome this |
| remember," says Cunningham. When he heard that | | | | obstacle? "Never give up," he says. He knows how |
| there was a school where he could learn to do what | | | | hard it is to start out and not know anyone. However, |
| NASCAR mechanics do, Cunningham looked into it | | | | "if you keep going back to the same places and ask |
| immediately. He needed to gas up his mechanic career | | | | for the same people, they get to know you." By |
| in order to go far. After spending about a year and a | | | | making yourself a known presence you're sure to get |
| half at the school, Cunningham was ready to look for | | | | somewhere, he says. |
| work with teams seeking NASCAR mechanics. He | | | | The job, though, does have some perks as |
| had had training in many different concentrations, as | | | | Cunningham says. "I like to travel and here I get out |
| each class lasts for three weeks. He learned basic | | | | and see the country," he says. And he gets to do |
| automotive skills, along with fabricating, welding, and | | | | something he likes best: work on cars. Not to mention |
| set-up. He then attended a training school that taught | | | | that during any given race, "there are 150,000 fans |
| him to do a pit stop correctly. | | | | dying to do what I'm doing. |
| Crossing the Finish Line | | | | |