Red Horse owners pit school now licensed: Retired Mobil executive Tom DeLoachs affinity for racing didnt end when the Statesboro, Ga., native left the company in 2000. He simply channeled his passion for the sport in a different direction. A year after retiring, DeLoach realized the over-the-wall crews were attaining a new level of professionalism and a training facility was needed for those seeking that type of motorsports career. The Mooresville resident partnered with NASCAR championship crew chief Jeff Hammond, who had recently accepted a TV analyst job with FOX Sports, and together they implemented the training facility the personable DeLoach envisioned. They purchased the pit crew school known as 5 Off 5 On, created the Performance Instruction and Training facility, and constructed a state-of-the-art complex in Mooresville. Earlier this month, school officials were notified they were now licensed by the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges, an objective that took at least five years to achieve. Four years after DeLoach retired from Mobil, PIT opened its 33,000-square-foot facility on slightly more than five acres in Mooresville. The facility includes a 24,000-square-foot building, a 9,000-square-foot garage and a quarter-mile track. Pit Crew U, an eight-week course that involves classroom and hands-on training, recently graduated its 98th class. In addition to learning pit stop choreography and each of the six positions on an over-the-wall crew, the students studied race-day preparation, equipment maintenance and selection, and pit road rules. Those who excel in that course receive an invitation into PITs 5 Off 5 On Race Team Performance program. In that program the person receives athletic training, skills coaching and the opportunity to serve on an over-the-wall crew in stock car racing.(Lake Norman News)(3-14-2014)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:34:09 +0000
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