NASCAR Airforce ?

[P3-Adub]

Just wondering if there are any of these flight crews on these boards and if so, care to shed some light on who is flying what these days ? What does Dale Jr. ride around in ? How about Gordon ? I heard Rusty Wallace flew his own Lear 35 ??? I have heard there is some big iron making it's way into these ranks ? Just curious. What is life like, how many days on the road each month and so forth ? Do you get to play in the pits ? Take a car for a spin ? I know, fat chance but you never know ?

One of my past companies sponsored a CART team for a 4 race deal and they had sponsor day where the principals got to drive a REAL car, I almost got the chance myself, the VP could not make it that day. Man are they fast !!!!!!! They used the actual car that was in the California 500 a couple weeks before. It is one thing to sit in the stands, another to stand next to the cement wall while they go by at those speeds !

It looks like it would be a lot of fun but you would be gone a bunch.

Thanks.

 

[Hopeless_in_GA]

It might actually surprise you as to who is surfing these boards and posts on occasion. I know one well-known face that roams here on occasion, because he and I have chit chatted about the aviation web community once or twice. He is a pilot typed in his own jet, flies when he can and occasionally charters with us.

Check out the back issue of Pro Pilot, September of 2001, did a big article about the redneck airforce complete with fleet info and who’s flying what and how the get those spit cups to stay put in those King Airs.

……….

 

[boilerflyer]

Rusty was piloting his own Lear. Mark Martin was going to get a CJ2, I believe. Tony Stewart has a Citation Bravo. Jeff Gordon was flying in a Falcon (200, I think)--although I think Brooke might be after it! I've seen Petty Enterprises with a corporate Jetstream 31, but that might be for the crew. I know Jack Roush has a couple of 727s (fortunatly, he's not doing the flying though). That's all I can think of right now. I do remember lots of drivers with KingAirs though...and yes, it sure is a good o' boys network.

As for time on the road, they race 38 weekends out of the year (which usually consists of being at the track Thurs-Sun.), not to mention countless testing sessions all over the country, and celebrity appearances and autograph sessions---so you can do the math there.

 

[spike]

Nascar

Dale Jr and DEI have a couple of Brazilias ( they look bad in the dark DEI colors)

You have to work all the time, tons of hours and absolutely no family life or normal schedule. Most of the time you can't catch a race because you have to be ready to go as soon as your driver crashes or finishes his last lap. I have seen people finish the race and they are in the plane and outa there in less than 15min.
Also seen a crash and driver take off 15min later (sometimes you score if it is hard for them to get out of infield).

It is possible to get some fringe benefits but most pilots spend the race over at the FBO getting some comp food and preping for the race home.

 

[Race Pilot]

Mostly correct

Most of what the previous guys have said is correct. In my case, however, I fly one of Jack Roush's THREE 727's (we primarily use one for races) on any given weekend. Jack is a GREAT pilot by the way, could probably fly circles around most of us. Just had a slight lapse of good judgement once that almost cost him. Thank God it didn't!! Remember, don't fly unfamiliar planes that belong to other people. I am part time so I don't get caught up in the doing the same thing every week deal. I fly for the USAF full time and am looking at a few majors right now. Jack doesn't allow any alcohol or tobacco products on his airplanes so we don't have to worry about any "spit cups". Also, since we carry all four Winston Cup teams we usually have to wait until the end of the race because it's rare for all four to crash out. This allows us time to go to the race at many of the tracks if they are not too terribly far away from the airport. We usually have everything pretty much ready to go before we even get there in the morning so as long as a few people stay back it works out fine. Next year we'll have five cup teams so we're looking for places to put everyone right now.

We usually only carry one driver most weekends as the others have their own planes. Both Jeff and Mark have CJs, not sure about Matt. Sometimes they do ride with us to test sessions though, guess they try to save a few hours on their jets.

As far as driving the cars, not yet but I'm working on it. Got a great deal at Richard Petty driving school though and had a good time there. I also race my own Corvette when I get a chance although it's usually for time on an autocross course although I have run at Road Atlanta twice.

Getting on with a team can be a tough nut to crack but if you're persistent and really want it you can get there. I don't know about some of the smaller equipment but I can tell you that I truly love the job. The guys we carry are some of the best people in the world. Very, very hard workers and down to earth. They get up usually at 4:30 AM or thereabouts to be at the airport around 5:15 for a 5:30 takeoff. Get to the track at around 7 when they open the garage, prep the car or set up the pits, get a little lunch (not always), then work the car for 3 hours or more just to tear it all down, load it up, and get back to the plane for the ride home. They work their butts off. We try to give them the best ride we can because they are what keep the cars going. And without that none of us would be working.

Sorry for the rambling but I hope there was some useful info in here somwhere.

 

[Freightdog75]

Ganassi has 2 1900C's and a few King Air 200's I believe. Ultra Motor Sports(Casey Atwood) has a JS31. Petty Enterprises has JS31's, Turbo Commander, and a few citations(not sure what heven't seen them in a while and based out of GSO). John Andretti personally owns a citation IV. I fly out of CLT so I see those guys around all the time. Looks like they have a hell-of-a-good time!!

 

[banned username 2]

John Andretti personally owns a citation IV.

I was wondering when Cessna was FINALLY going to make a Citation 4, I guess I can stop wondering!

(Just being a Smart A$$, I assume you mean Citation VI)

 

[Freightdog75]

opps. Citation FIVE. I'm no good with roman numerals.

 

[OtterFO]

When did John Andretti get the Citation?

I spent part of last season flying him and his family around in an F-90 King Air. The 135 outfit with the king airs all but closed their doors at the end of the season....

 

[P3-Adub]

Andrettis

What do Micheal and Mario fly around in these days ? Mario once owned an MU2 ?

 

[Snakum]

To add to all the confusion ...

I thought I heard/saw the Petty family (not the team) in a Jet Commander/Westwind at GSO? My girlfriend works with the pilot's wife ... I'll have to ask ...

Didn't the Petty race charter shut down and lay all the pilots off, and weren't they flying JS31s at one time?

I though I saw RCR at EXX in a non-descript E120, looked like an old Skywest (red and alum.) and also a couple King Airs. Are the black E120s new? I also was told they were getting two Hawkers ... but you know rumours ...

Doesn't Michael Andretti fly an old Jetstar?


Minh Thong
(A veritable wellspring of completely useless speculation and dumb questions)

 

[kamikaize]

Here is a list of team's and their a/c as far as I know.

DEI- two emb 120's and a lear

RCR- two emb 120's,a saberliner and one or two king air's

Evernham- has at least one emb 120

Bill davis- has a 1900 and a king air

Ganassi- has one 1900 and is looking at a saab 320

mark martin- CJ2

Michael Waltrip- a king air

Bodine- has a lear

wallace- has a lear

Blaney- Cheyenne three

Sadler- Cheyenne two

Rousch- has 3 727's and a few toys including a nice P51 Mustang

There are always a bunch of chatered planes and king airs that fly some of the teams/ drivers in.

Hey Otter did you used to work for US motorsports for DK ulrich

 

[Race Pilot]

Pictures of some planes

I almost forgot. I have some pictures that I have taken of some of the planes so if anyone wants to look just go to this photo album: http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=68009318088_37553340503&US=0&collid=80663340503

 

[Freightdog75]

otterfo. I'll find out what my friend was talking about as far as John Andretti's plane. He was supposed to fly for him but fell through. He's still with Ultra though.

 

[kamikaize]

Hey Race Pilot,

Those pics are great! they look exactly like the ones i took last year when i was home in ELM I saw alot of new a/c this yr when they were here in DAB. Do you have any photo's of the inside of jack's 727's? I've heard a few stories about them.

 

[Race Pilot]

Roush Aircraft pictures

Elmira all right. Those were from last August up at The Glen. Good eye. Got some of the glider ride also but didn't put them in the album.

Roush aircraft pictures are below. I need to take some more with my new camera as some of these are a little dark. The first ones are of the race plane and the later ones are one of the planes we use for charters. http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=276562200758_47215440503&US=0&collid=69055440503

 

[F/O]

One of the a/c sales mags is advertising a Jetstar owned by Michael and Mario Andretti for sale.

I was in Owensboro KY a few days ago. Richard Childress was on his way out in a Brasilia with "RCR" and a checkered flag stenciled on the tail.

 

[imploded]

Kenny Schrader...

My uncle grew up racing with Kenny, and he comes up here 2 or 3 times a year to visit. IIRC, he flies his own Citation V.

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[Timebuilder]

F/O-

I think the Jetstar is in Executive Controller. It lives in our hangar. Those underwing tanks are HUGE. Supposedly, Mario and son live out near the Nazareth Speedway, visible to you on the approach to runway 24.

When I was at GSO a couple of months ago, Richard Petty taxied up in a King Air.... with the trademark hat, too. Just as his reputation would suggest, he waved back when I waved from the cockpit window of the 55 as he walked to his car. I remember watching Richard when they were racing stock cars.

Does anyone know when they changed from a true "stock" car to the frame and body race machines they use today? Was it 1973?