CONCORD, N.C. - There's no doubt, the competition in the NASCAR Cup Series, and in particular, on pit road, is as stiff as it's ever been in the sport's history.
But for many of the athletes servicing cars on a weekly basis, tough opposition is nothing new.
With so many pit crew members having come from the college football ranks, there is no shortage of stories from the gridiron, including some of the notable players they competed against. At Hendrick Motorsports, the names of NFL Hall of Famers and current stars are never far away when it comes to conversations such as these.
So, we polled some of our own, asking, 'Who was the toughest opponent you ever lined up against?'
Here are some of those answers:
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Spencer Bishop, TE, Wake Forest
Toughest opposing player: Luke Keuchly, Boston College (NFL: Carolina Panthers)
"(Keuchly) was an animal, obviously. There’s a few guys from Florida State, I played against Jalen Ramsey. You take your shots here and there, but there’s definitely a group of guys that I remember."
Brandon Grier, LB, Appalachian State
Toughest opposing player: None
"I always considered myself the toughest player."
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Hugh Nelson II, DB, Georgia/Hawai'i
Toughest opposing player: George Pickens, Georgia (NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys)
"George Pickens (in practice) without a doubt. That guy was different, and I will say that until my deathbed. Just one of the most complete athletes I ever played against. He did things and it just took no effort."
Donovan Williams, QB/WR/TE, UConn/Elon
Toughest opposing player: Haason Reddick, Temple (NFL: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
"We played them at Temple my first game starting and he was a beast. I know I'm on his draft profile video highlights. He hit me pretty hard and forced a fumble and he went in the first round of the (2017 NFL) draft."
John Gianninoto, OL, UNLV
Toughest opposing player: J.J. Watt, Central Michigan/Wisconsin (NFL: Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals)
"I'm probably dating myself there, but he was a beast. We did alright, we didn’t give up any sacks ... we triple-teamed him every time but that’s neither here nor there. But he was a beast. You just know some of those cats when you step out on that field when you see them that they’re league bound and they’re going to have a pretty long career.
Jarius Morehead, DB, NC State
Toughest opposing player(s): Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars); Mike Williams, Clemson (Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers)
"(Williams) was always on the back side, thankfully, so, I didn't have to deal with that too often."
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Landon Walker, OT, Clemson
Toughest opposing player: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (NFL: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, LA Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions)
"We played them in the Gator Bowl and he was actually a defensive tackle but we were behind, so he played defensive end the whole fourth quarter. He didn't get a sack on me, but I was doing everything I could, man. He was a monster. I feel like he picked me up out of my shoes a few times trying to bull rush me. He's an animal. Probably the strongest player I ever played against for sure. When he lined up, it was not good."
Dax Hollifield, LB, Virginia Tech
Toughest opposing player(s): Jahmyr Gibbs, Georgia Tech/Alabama (NFL: Detroit Lions); Kyren Williams, Notre Dame (NFL: LA Rams)
"By far, the shiftiest guy was Jahmyr Gibbs. He shook me out of my shoes multiple times. That was a long day, to say the least. And then, me and Kyren Williams had a good battle when he was at Notre Dame. Both of those guys. I had some good matchups with them."