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BKR's take on trucks: Pit crew enjoys success today built at BKR

Crew members look back at opportunity given to them at Brad Keselowski Racing with Ryan Blaney and other drivers that enabled them to move up the NASCAR ladder.

Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing Ford pit stop
Race winner Ryan Blaney
Race winner Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Ryan Blaney recently scored his first-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway, edging Kevin Harvick by less than a car length to capture a thrilling victory.

The driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford for the famed Wood Brothers team certainly didn’t accomplish the feat alone. In addition to a technical partnership with Team Penske, the team also uses over-the-wall pit crew personnel.

Throughout the 2017 season, the No. 21 pit crew has consistently excelled on pit road and their excellent work shined through when Blaney took the checkered flag last month at Pocono.

The crew consistently beat their competition off pit road during the 160-lap, 400-mile race, giving Blaney precious track position and culminating in their trip to victory lane together in the Cup series.   

Even more special is the fact that five members of the No. 21 over-the-wall pit crew Andrew Lackey, Ryan Flores, Jesse Mills, Chris Conklin and Wade Moore - started with Blaney back when they were at Brad Keselowski Racing between 2012 and 2015 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 

Team owner Brad Keselowski takes pride in developing talent not only in the driver’s seat but also with crew members. 

Langley said that Keselowski’s truck series team is far from just a developmental-type team.

“The biggest takeaway is there are a lot of teams that have development drivers and pit crews but not many teams have development drivers and teams that have equipment that can go and win races every week,” Flores added. “You can get reps in back marker trucks, but by the time were ready to move up to the 22 car in NXS we were ready because we had been prepped to handle the pressure. You can’t recreate that practicing pit stops in the parking lot at the shop. That’s the biggest difference in our program.”

Gasman Andrew Lackey got his foot in the door through a chance meeting with the strength and conditioning coach at Team Penske, Johnathon Rowan. Lackey played center at Pembroke State University and was working out with a friend at the time when he got an invite to visit the race shop.

“I was working out at Davidson College and was asked by (Rowan) to visit the shop for a tryout and that is how it started for me,” said Lackey. “I was hired and sent to work with the truck team for experience. If it wasn’t for Brad’s truck team, I would have probably never gotten in NASCAR or had a chance to work today.”

Wade Moore was also a former college athlete playing baseball at N.C. State University. He said part of the reason his team is so successful is the way each member of the pit crew supported and worked with one another while at BKR.

“When I look back at it now I hardly had any experience when I started the season,” said Moore, who serves as rear tire carrier on the team. “Chris and Ryan had been working on the crew and were really talented and we had a core group that needed a job and needed to prove something.

“We leaned on each other and pushed each other and having a driver like Ryan who could win races really pushed us to get better and be as good as we could be as a team.”

Front tire changer Ryan Flores came to the team from Stewart-Haas Racing.

“My first year was 2014 and I was working in the Cup Series with Stewart-Haas but it wasn’t where I needed to be at the time,” Flores said. “I needed to come back down and work on some stuff. Good opportunity to work with Brian who is our pit coach and he’s molded us to what we are today.”

 Jackman Chris Conklin is the veteran of the group having worked at Team Penske since 2009.

“In 2010 I got lucky and got a spot on the NXS team at Team Penske and later worked my first truck race at BKR in 2012,” said Conklin who played tight end at Wingate University. “Pitting the truck got you ready for was you got used to overcoming obstacles that we still face today. A truck is not the easiest pit-friendly vehicle to pit but pitting the truck helped me develop my skills.”

Front tire carrier Jesse Mills previously worked at Red Horse Racing and came to BKR in 2013.

“I had a friend who got me a tryout and I got a start in 2014 with Ryan and we won the truck race that year in Canada,” said Mills. “Then I worked with Tyler (Reddick) and won Daytona with him. That was a great opportunity for me.”

The guys also pitted the Team Penske No. 22 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and won the NXS championship in 2015. They’ve been with Blaney on the Cup car since 2016.

TEAM ROSTER:

Andrew Lackey – Gas Man

Ryan Flores – Front Tire Changer

Jesse Mills – Front Tire Carrier

Chris Conklin – Jackman

Wade Moore – Rear Tire Carrier

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