No. 9 Pit Crew finishes first at Loudon

Elliott's Pit Crew akes center stage for third time.

Bill Elliott's No. 9 pit crew showcased its fast and accurate skill again - winning the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade at Sunday's New England 300 in Loudon, N.H.

It was the third time this season the No. 9 Dodge pit crew captured top honors and the $20,000 first-place prize that comes with winning the weekly McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship. The team's other wins were at Bristol (March 23) and Talladega (April 6). The only other pit crew to win three times is Michael Waltrip's No. 15 team.

Elliott's No. 9 Dodge, owned by Ray Evernham Motorsports, totaled 165.612 seconds on pit road Sunday, nearly three seconds ahead of Robby Gordon's car (168.115). Kurt Busch's Ford was third with 175.217 seconds.

Elliott's over-the-wall crew consists of: Todd Colburn (jackman), Nick Bailey (front tire carrier), Jim Pohlman (front tire changer), Eric Wakeland (rear tire carrier), Joe Kruschek (rear tire changer), Rodney Rhodes (gasman) and Mike Goins (catch can). The team's crew chief is Mike Ford and the pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

"These guys work hard every week," said Elliott. "It's a total team effort and that's what you need these days with the competition so close. Every position on the track counts and being able to pick up spots on pit road is important. My guys are doing a good job, and I'm proud of them. It's nice to see their efforts rewarded."

Despite not joining the program until the fifth race of the season, Elliott's pit crew is ranked 11th in the season standings with 524 points. Waltrip's No. 15 crew continues to have a comfortable lead with 719 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr's crew is second with 644. The season champion of the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade will receive a $200,000 bonus.

During each 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points event, the participating team whose car spends the least amount of aggregate time off the race track will be named the weekly winner of the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE, provided the team's driver takes the green flag at the beginning of the event and the checkered flag at the conclusion of the event. A timing line at the entrance and exit of pit road triggers the car's transponder and records the total time spent off the race track.

The point distribution per race is: 43 points for first place, descending in increments of one.

The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE is the largest monetary contingency program in NASCAR history. <pre> Top 10 Pit Crews For Participating Teams In Sunday's (July 20 New England 300 at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway)

1.  Bill Elliott Team           165.612  Seconds
2.  Robby Gordon Team           168.115
3.  Kurt Busch Team             175.217
4.  Dale Jarrett Team           175.468
5.  Tony Raines Team            191.540
6.  Michael Waltrip Team        197.258
7.  Dave Blaney Team            202.557
8.  Bobby Labonte Team          212.518
9.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team     214.413
10. Steve Park Team             222.943

2003 Winners of The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE:

Race                            Team Winner
Daytona (Feb. 16)               Michael Waltrip Team
Rockingham (Feb. 23)            Dave Blaney Team
Las Vegas (March 2)             Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Atlanta (March 9)               Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team
Darlington (March 16)           Jeff Green Team (Richard Childress Racing)
Bristol (March 23)              Bill Elliott Team
Texas (March 30)                Robby Gordon Team
Talladega (April 6)             Bill Elliott Team
Martinsville (April 13)         Bobby Labonte Team
California (April 27)           Bobby Labonte Team
Richmond (May 3)                Jeff Burton Team
Charlotte (May 25)              Dale Jarrett Team
Dover (June 1)                  Michael Waltrip Team
Pocono (June 8)                 Todd Bodine Team
Michigan (June 15)              Sterling Marlin Team
Sonoma (June 22)                Robby Gordon Team
Daytona (July 5)                Jeff Burton Team
Chicago (July 13)               Michael Waltrip Team
New Hampshire (July 29)         Bill Elliott Team

Point Standings For NASCAR Winston Cup Teams Participating In The McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERADE: (following New Hampshire 7/20/03; pit crew wins in parentheses)

Pos.    Car#    Pit Crew of                     Points
1       15      Michael Waltrip Team (3)        719
2        8      Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team (2)     644
3       31      Robby Gordon Team (2)           621
4       18      Bobby Labonte Team (2)          618
5       97      Kurt Busch Team                 585
6       40      Sterling Marlin Team (1)        584
7       16      Greg Biffle Team                573
8       38      Elliott Sadler Team             570
9       77      Dave Blaney Team                539
10      42      Jamie McMurray Team             530
11       9      Bill Elliott Team (3)           524
T12      1      Jeff Green Team                 506
T12     41      Casey Mears Team                506
14      20      Tony Stewart Team               505
15      99      Jeff Burton Team (2)            504
16      30      Steve Park Team (1)             501
17      88      Dale Jarrett Team (1)           490
18      21      Ricky Rudd Team                 487
19      54      Todd Bodine Team (1)            480
20       7      Jimmy Spencer Team              473
21      43      Christian Fittipaldi Team       472
22      45      Kyle Petty Team                 466
23      01      Jerry Nadeau Team               449
24      74      Tony Raines Team                445
25       0      John Andretti Team              438
26      49      Kenny Schrader Team             415
27      14      Larry Foyt Team                 221
28      11      Brett Bodine Team               128
29      09      Phoenix Racing                   97
30      66      Hideo Fukuyama Team              46
31      37      Derrike Cope Team                28
32      02      Hermie Sadler Team               28
33      57      (Edward Campbell car owner)      26
34      33      (Andy Petree car owner)          22

*joined program at fifth race of season - Darlington, 3/16

-macdonalds-