Mainers scattered among race teams Howland’s Worthing back with Mayfield

While most of the focus at Daytona during Speedweeks 2007 will be on the drivers as the NASCAR season gets under way, some Maine families will also be following the action along pit lane.

Several Maine natives are a part of the behind-the-scenes story of a race weekend.

Veteran front tire changer Dana Worthing from Howland is with Bill Davis Racing’s No. 36 OTC Toyota driven by Jeremy Mayfield. Worthing is reuniting with Mayfield after serving as his tire changer in 2004 with Evernham Motorsports.

That year, the team finished in the Nextel Chase for the Cup and won a race at Richmond, Va.

Worthing enthusiastically remarked, “I think we are going to be good. I think all three Bill Davis Racing’s Camrys – the [Mike] Skinner, [Dave] Blaney and Mayfield cars – will qualify. All three cars look nice, we’ve made lots of changes, we’ve had lots of wind tunnel work, and we’ve got ourselves prepared.”

During the week Worthing works in the shop as a mechanic and is on the traveling team as a mechanic.

The Craftsman Truck Series also takes to the high banks as well.

Last year’s series runner-up, Johnny Benson in the Bill Davis No. 23 Toyota Tundra, is picked by some to win the driver’s championship this year.

The team’s pit stops will hinge in part upon St. Albans’ Patrick Morse, the team’s rear tire changer. Morse, a graduate of NASCAR Technical Institute in North Carolina and the 5 OFF 5 ON Pitcrew School, eventually landed a spot on the Benson team last year. Morse works during the week at Davis’ North Carolina shop.

One of the most famous names in NASCAR is that of Rusty Wallace.

Wallace’s RWI No. 66 team will compete in all the races that make up the Busch Series this year with son Steve at the wheel. Leading the race in the pits to service the No. 66 car will be Bethel’s Wade Luxton. Luxton is in his second season as the Wallace team jackman. Jackmen must be rugged to lift a 3,500-pound stock car off the ground with a high-performance racing hydraulic jack with only a couple of pumps.

Luxton, a former baseball player at Telstar, fits the bill and is gaining a reputation as steady, reliable, and quick. “It should be exciting for the No. 66 team,” said Luxton. “Steve [Wallace] is running the full Busch series schedule this year. That boy is fast!”

Luxton said he spends about 95 percent of his time in the shop as a fabricator working with his brother Adam.

Windham native Brett Morrell is the front tire carrier for the Evernham No. 19 Dodge driven by Elliott Sadler. Morrell moved south immediately after graduation from high school. Like Patrick Morse, he also attended NASCAR Technical Institute and the 5OFF 5On Pitcrew School.

“I’m looking forward to a good year with Elliott and the No. 19 team. I’m now in my second season with this team,” said Morrell.

The Most Popular Driver of the Year for several years, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has York native Brian Chase as his jack man. Chase has served in that capacity for the past five years. Chase in the past has run Hobby stocks at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire.

Chase and friend Dave Hansen began volunteering as crewmen for a Busch North car when they decided to load a couple of pickups with all their worldly goods and head south.

Chase said about the No. 8 team and Earnhardt, “We are going to make the Chase. We have a good bunch of guys. This could be the year of the championship. Also look for my friend Dave Hansen, who is now the shock specialist for the No. 20 Tony Stewart car.”

Chase’s younger brother Ben is the jack man for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Busch series car driven by Denny Hamlin. Chase has served in that capacity for the last three seasons. Both brothers and Hansen at one time worked for Joe Gibbs Racing.

These are just some of the young men who will add a Maine touch to the 2007 NASCAR season.

Tom Hale is a freelance writer from Westmanland with an interest in auto racing. He can be contacted at thale@mfx.net.