CONCORD, N.C. – An enormous amount of preparation goes into each and every race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, making sure the weekend goes off without a hitch.
A major component of those weekends involves the hauler drivers, who get the cars and equipment safely from Hendrick Motorsports headquarters in Concord, North Carolina, to the racetrack. For those team members and the entire organization, the West Coast swing of the schedule multiplies that preparation.
Extra miles, extra staff and extra room for error are no problem for the teammates who drive the haulers all across the country.
No. 24 team hauler driver Mark Ellis thinks shared that it is a huge team effort to make it all work.
“It takes everything and everyone to make this whole deal function,” he said.
After lots of teamwork and attention to detail, the haulers are currently at the last stop on the West Coast swing, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California -- a long 2,083 miles from "home" in North Carolina.
Check out the video above for more on what goes into the challenging stretch of the schedule.