CREW SPOTLIGHT BRYAN KINCHELOE KEEPS TY DILLON’S TIRES ROLLING
Bryan Kincheloe, tire specialist for Germain Racing and driver Ty Dillon, saw his first NASCAR race 22 years ago during a leisurely weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He traveled a long way from home to watch the NASCAR Cup Series guys fight for the win on the high banks of the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Kincheloe set out to pursue a career in law enforcement, earning his degree in criminal justice from Kansas State University in 1998. That was his career path until he realized his heart was in racing. Like so many others before him, the native of Glen Elder, Kansas, eventually packed his car and headed east to become a crew member in NASCAR’s premier series. “My first year in NASCAR was in 2002 and that was with Roush Fenway Racing,” Kincheloe said. “I’ve also worked at RCR and Michael Waltrip Racing as well as a couple of smaller Xfinity Series teams when it was the Busch Series.” His role with the team is to keep the tires in tip-top shape under the No. 13 Chevrolet during practice, qualifying and races. “When we get here to the track, we measure them for stagger,” Kincheloe said. “We put them in sets of four and do tire pressures, tire temperatures and tire wears. During any given weekend, there is a lot of repetition. You do a lot of the same things. But the air pressures and things like that are always changing.”
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POLE POSITION 2018
USUALLY, IF THE CAR IS A FEW PIT STALLS AWAY DURING PIT STOPS AND THE CREW CHIEF YELLS TO TAKE A POUND OF AIR OUT OF THE RIGHT REAR, YOU’VE GOT TO GO FAST. SO THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE OF A PRESSURE SITUATION.”
PLAYING FAVORITES WITH BRYAN KINCHELOE VACATION SPOT: ■■ The Bahamas SEASON: ■■ Fall HOLIDAY: ■■ Thanksgiving TV SHOW: ■■ Deadliest Catch MOVIE: ■■ Slap Shot MUSIC: ■■ Country
JIMMY HOLDER ADDS VERSATILITY TO RFR
Jimmy Holder, secondary transporter driver for Roush Fenway Racing and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was introduced to NASCAR through his uncle, a longtime crew member for seven-time champion Richard Petty. “My uncle, Donald Holder, was in NASCAR in the late 1960s and early 1970s and worked for Richard Petty,” Holder explained. “Everyone called him, ‘Duck’. He worked with the Pettys for years and years, and they remained friends until my uncle passed away.” Through building everything from lawn mower engines to engines raced on the drag strip, Holder gained a reputation for providing strong, reliable power plants. “Engine building is what got me into NASCAR in 2008,” he said. “I drove a truck for a living, so building them was something I did as a hobby and a passion and something I could go to the track with. So when I got a chance to go to work for Roush Fenway Racing when they were in Liberty, North Carolina, I built all the show car engines.” Before joining Stenhouse’s No. 17 team in June 2015, the Randleman, North Carolina, native served as a transporter driver for Roush’s No. 6 NASCAR Xfinity Series team with driver Darrell Wallace Jr. “Unfortunately, with all the cuts and downsizing, I’ve driven a truck to be able to keep working with the team,” Holder said. “I appreciate how they have let me fall back on something else I can do.”
WHAT I ENJOY MOST ABOUT DRIVING IS THAT IT’S BLACK AND WHITE. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AND IT’S THE SAME JOB ALL THE WAY THROUGH. THERE ARE NO GIMMICKS OR CATCHES.”
PLAYING FAVORITES WITH JIMMY HOLDER VACATION SPOT: ■■ The Mountains SEASON: ■■ Spring HOLIDAY: ■■ Christmas TV SHOW: ■■ NFL football MOVIE: ■■ Forrest Gump MUSIC: ■■ Blue Grass
BY BEN WHITE