Here is the thing about pit road in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: it can turn into a disaster zone in the blink of an eye. Bryan Backus had zero warning that his routine stop was about to go sideways. Operating as the rear changer for Brent Crews’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he simply headed for the right-rear wheel when the field pitted for the first time on Lap 49 during last weekend’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
That was when chaos erupted from a chain-reaction crash at the front of pit road on Sept. 12. Nick Sanchez hurled his No. 87 Chevrolet right into the path of the No. 19 machine. Rajah Caruth’s No. 88 Chevrolet spun sideways, tagging the incoming left-rear tire held by carrier Brad Donaghy and knocking it free. Backus took the brunt of it, getting struck by Sanchez, which knocked the Toyota off the jack and sent Backus flying over top of the equipment.
“Get one lug nut in, and next thing you know, I’m laying over top of the jack,” Backus said.
Miraculously, Backus, Donaghy, jackman Matt Wilps, front changer Dustin Necaise, and fueler Luke Deal all walked away relatively unscathed. Luck played its part, but preparation was just as crucial. Because pit stalls are assigned mid-week based on prior qualifying results, the No. 19 crew knew Crews would have to angle his entry around the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of another competitor. To prepare for that specific challenge, Backus had actually spent Thursday before the race working solely on angled approaches with pit coach Terry Spalding.
“So in that aspect, it got me extremely prepared for coming around,” Backus noted.
When jackman Matt Wilps picked Backus up off the equipment, the immediate assessment was disbelief. Looking at the crushed quarter panel, the realization set in just how close it had been to a catastrophe. Yet, there was no time to dwell on what could have been. When another caution waved, Backus was anxious to get right back on the wall and complete another stop to flush the incident from his mind.
That kind of wild moment cements a bond among teammates. Donaghy immediately checked on Backus once he got up, proving that the crew looks out for each other well beyond the pure performance metrics on the pit pad. This exact same crew handles pit duties for Nick Leitz's No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota and will be back in action for the Food City 300.
