Over the years I have learned that if you walk in another person’s shoes you gain even more respect for them. Once you learn more about someone’s profession and what it takes to do that job you look at that profession in a different light. Yet it seems that now more than ever someone can easily hide behind a computer and say, “Oh that is not so tough. Anyone can do that.”

I would love for those people to try working for a pit crew for a NASCAR team. I have gained so much respect for NASCAR with my different experiences with that sport. A few months ago I was invited by Disney to take part in a Cars 3 Blogger event in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was there with a few other bloggers to check out all things NASCAR and Cars 3. Besides getting a chance to chat with NASCAR legends, the Cars 3 cast and crew, we got to ride in an actual race car on a NASCAR track and also learn what it takes to be part of a pit crew. How cool is that? When I heard that we could get a chance to get trained by a pit crew I could not wait.

After each event, riding in a race car and learning what it takes to be part of a pit crew at the Performance Instruction & Training facility my respect level for the sport of NASCAR increased to a whole new level.

When you go to the Performance Instruction & Training facility you learn what it takes to work as a team for a common goal. Everyone needs to be on their game to make sure each pit stop is performed perfectly without any issue so the driver can get back on track. There is a lot of training that goes into someone’s career path if they are looking to become a pit crew member. There is a lot of competition in that field and you always need to be on your game if you want to keep your role on that pit crew team.

For the pit crew training we were walked through their facility and meet a few team members. Each instructor presented us with some history of the pit stop and how the advancements of technology helped to make a pit stop time shorter and shorter over the years.

After our training we were split into groups and we had to figure out each of our roles on the pit team. I was asked by my team to be one of the people who brings the tires to the car. I gladly accepted that role and we then started to learn from our coach and then made a game plan.

Performance Instruction & Training (PIT) is a one-of-a-kind pit crew training facility that offers programs for those who aspire to become a full-time over-the-wall pit crew member. PIT also uses the pit crew concepts to relate to business and teaches companies how to become more effective, efficient, and profitable using the pit crew framework.

PIT began doing business as 5 Off 5 On Race Team Performance in 2000 and became Performance Instruction & Training in 2003. Since it’s inception in 2000, PIT has trained over 500 pit crew athletes from nearly every state and four foreign countries and has worked with more than 200 businesses from large Fortune 500 organizations across the country to small, local companies.

Located in Mooresville, NC, PIT’s campus encompasses 5.5 acres and 32,000 square feet. A 98-seat theatre, meeting and classrooms,  a six-stall pit road, a quarter-mile approach track, a full athletic training facility, and a banquet space are just some of the amenities offered at the facility.

So we got to learn how to help a driver and improve their performance in regards to their car. We also got to experience what it is like for a NASCAR driver on the track. We went to the Charlotte Motor Speedway where we were able to ride shot gun in a real NASCAR race car. We were the passenger in a real race car for three laps at top speeds with a professional racing instructor driving. You can see my experience in the video below.

I want thank the good folks at Disney Pixar for the invite to the Cars 3 Blogger event. I got to get some inside information on the making of Cars 3, was able to chat with the cast and crew from the movie, meet NASCAR legends and learn more about the sport of NASCAR.

Please note: I was invited to a Cars 3 blogger event from Disney, but my thoughts are my own.