KANSAS CITY, Kan. — NASCAR weekend is on the horizon at Kansas Speedway, and with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race only two days away, crews are starting to roll in.
The truck drivers are often the first to arrive at the track, and the last to leave.
“We all drive hard and we work pretty hard too,” said Mike Freeman, a truck driver for Timothy Peters and his race team.
The haulers travel thousands of miles a year, carrying precious cargo by transporting cars, trucks and equipment from race to race.
“We got a tool box, pit carts, crash carts, generators, motors, transmissions, gears, basically everything to rebuild a truck,” Freeman explained.
Inside the huge semi-trucks, there are storage cabinets for everything, from fire suits, to tires and PR supplies.
There is also a makeshift kitchen, a lounge and of course, the trucks – a primary and backup. But it takes a lot more than just the right tools to make the most of Race Day; it takes the right attitude.
“These are our jobs,” said Doug Powers, a mechanic for Turner Scott Motorsports. “This is our life. So if you don’t show up with everything you have, it doesn’t matter who’s in the car, then you’re really not doing your fullest.”
The NASCAR Truck Series race is Friday and FOX 4 will air the first night race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Saturday.