Bench Racin’ with NASCAR Tech Patrick Reynolds: Employment Rollercoaster

“Change” has been the word of the day on so many fronts as our country deals with the causes and effects of our struggling economy.

NASCAR has not been immune. Today, we learn from a guy who’s lived the trip that, in reality, the world of professional sports (not unlike media) may lead to nomadic existence vocationally.

Here’s NASCAR mechanic Patrick Reynolds on the unpredictable realities of pro racing:

Being a laid off employee from a team competing in one of NASCAR’s top three series, puts one in not so rare company. These things happen constantly in this business. If one wants to make a living with a professional race team, be prepared for an inevitable bruised ego. There are plenty of good times to be had , friends to meet, a good living to be made, but racing can also be a very tough experience. Similar to what many of you see on a race broadcast, one week your favorite driver is in victory lane and on top of the world, the next week he can be on his roof in a lap two crash. This is unpredictable and can change in an instant.

Many people in the garage area have experience with being laid off or fired in their careers. It is sometimes more acceptable in this industry than non-racing jobs. This off season had shed light onto this story of race team cutbacks because of the sheer volume, but is something that has always been here.

A sponsor can leave an organization, leaving employees with no paychecks. A new crew chief can be hired, and he sometimes will bring employees he already knows for his new team. This can leave workers who were in place, looking for a new job. I have been on both ends of that scenario.

When I was unpacking my boxes in my first apartment, I was thinking my move here was all about working on race cars. Turning wrenches, cutting aluminum, checking tire temperatures and whatever else I knew how to do or would be willing to learn to do. And I was right. What I didn’t know was this is about all that, and a whole lot more.

If you want to be a professional actor Los Angeles is the best place to move. One is where the action is. Acting, movie making, and television production work are big part of the lifestyle and economy in that area. In stock car production and competition, the equivalent is Mooresville, NC. Sure the surrounding areas are just fine as well, as in the neighboring areas of L.A. But Mooresville is nicknamed “Race City U.S.A.”. What better town to move since I didn’t have a job anyway?

Once I got settled in to my one bedroom I started looking for a job with a race team. Driving from shop to shop, handing out resume after resume, killing who knows how many fossil fuels. I began to get on a first name basis with some receptionists from repeating my rounds and not giving up. This was October of 2001. Another period in United States history with a bad economy.

Weeks went by and turned into months without any employment. Many phone calls and faxes were made. I had interviews with several crew chiefs. I seemed to be doing all the right things. But I just wasn’t getting hired. My savings was getting low.

A friend I made from knocking on so many doors helped set up a job interview so I could at least start collecting some kind of paycheck and stay in the area to continue reaching for my goal. It was for a company that makes racing hoses. High pressure items for fuel, oil, brake fluid, water or any liquid on any type of racecar. I was working in racing, although not on a team.

I continued to knock on doors in my spare time. In 2004 I got the proverbial call. It was a Busch Series team that wanted to interview me. For real.

The team was owned and driven by a then current Nextel Cup Series competitor. He was in search of a sponsor for the effort and was funding this project out of his own pocket. I took the chance and made the jump. For $20.00 less a week than what I was already earning, but “Hey Mom, look at me. I’m working for a race team!”

Less than three months into the job, he was replaced in his Cup ride by another driver. His steady paycheck disappeared, and so did mine. This was my first experience with being laid off and having to return to pounding the pavement.

I restarted my routine that I had nearly perfected years before. Updating my resume and contacting area shops. With one exception: for the first time in my life under “employment history” I could list an actual race team.

Within two weeks, after calling people I met through racing, I was back to work on a new car and for a little more money. Another Cup driver owning his own equipment and expanding his operation. Another group of guys to meet and work to be done. And inevitable changes to come.

Another three short months later came a new crew chief hiring. A month later personnel started to change. Roughly two months following, I became part of a personnel change. Our new crew chief did not do a mass firing but did a slow swap. One man at a time for several weeks. Until finally, eight months after I was hired, no one remained with the group that I started with. And the people remaining were ones he had longstanding relationships with. The harsh life of professional NASCAR racing was serving up some lessons in reality.

The next three months were spent searching- again- for race team employment. Another phone call came from a friend on the other end. Another Cup driver owning his own team. Another interview and another start date.

We got off to a tough start, not qualifying for the first two races, and our crew chief resigning. Before we ran another race the team was sold from driver to sponsor and a new crew chief was hired.

Did I mention things happen fast in racing?

Throughout the summer, our new owner had a difficult time getting paychecks to us on time. He also had difficulty issuing ones that were any good. So I had no difficulty looking for an owner who could.

Lo and behold a crew chief I had worked for previously called with another opportunity. Sponsors were in place, paychecks were clearing, and off I went to my new team.

Fourteen months later, the shop was closed. The sponsors that were in place had fulfilled their contract and were not renewing. Fortunately I had made some contacts by now and my next employment opportunity was only two weeks away.

This was a multi-car Cup Series team with a large budget. A lot of people worked there and I felt like a goldfish swimming in a Michael Phelps approved pool. This became my first and only company I resigned from because I just did not like it. Fortunately, a friend contacted me from another team and a new chance became reality.

But that team was Germain Racing which I went into detail a few weeks ago in my first written piece. It is a good place. But for economic reasons my good times came to an end.

Resumes of some workers in racing have many entries listing their experience. They are not bad employees. They are good employees. A nice way to describe our environment is unpredictable. An accurate description is volatile. So many determining factors to our careers are simply out of our hands.

My history is not unlike so many others that live around Charlotte, N.C., and make a living in NASCAR competition. Sometimes we take a job because we think it is right for us. Circumstances out of our control sometimes change. Decisions are often made for us, not by us. If we feel a team is heading down a bad road, we try to head disaster off at the pass and do what is right to take care of ourselves and our families. Only history can judge whether the move was correct.

Patrick Reynolds is a NASCAR mechanic, most recently employed by Germain Racing on the team of Mike Wallace and the #7 Geico Toyota. Reynolds is an aspiring writer/broadcaster living in the Mooresville, North Carolina. Reynolds also contributes for Race Talk Radio, dot com and Spin Out Zone dot com.