By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent
Growing up in Waltham, Greg Morin was never a NASCAR fan. Nevertheless, there he was in Las Vegas earlier this month for the sport's Champions Week - the toast and talk of the town.
For the second straight year Morin coached the pit crew for the No. 48 Hendrick Lowe's car raced by Jimmie Johnson, who won a historic fourth consecutive championship title this season.
``It is definitely not something I directly pursued,'' Morin said via e-mail Monday. ``Not having grown up a race fan, I did not have a clear appreciation for the sport. After learning about it and becoming a part of it, I'm very glad that my adventure, even though it was done in a roundabout manner, has allowed me to accomplish and be a part of all that I have.
``Being at the awards ceremony was amazing. Not only is it great experience and reward for the work that was put in during the season, it's history. Being a part of history, especially sports history, is something that every guy dreams of, and we became a part of history this year. Simply amazing.''
Morin graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., in 2001 with a degree in Recreational Therapy before becoming a teacher and athletic trainer. He soon met the staff at Performance Instruction & Training (PIT), a motorsports pit crew training facility in Mooresville, N.C.
He decided to enroll in the school. After completing the school's Pit Crew U program, he moved into a coaching position. He eventually became PIT's Director of Motorsports, heading up the school's Pit Crew U program, and coached professional teams that came to PIT for training.
Morin began the 2008 season with Hendrick Motorsports as the head pit crew coach for the No. 48 team, as well as Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team. The No. 48 team won the 2008 Sprint Cup championship.
Besides winning championships both years, Morin said winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway both years stood out as the greatest highlight of his run with the team. He also enjoyed ``being a part of a team that never quits, never stopped trying to get better, even though we were in first place.''
As unlikely as Morin's success in the sport is, it was far from unplanned.
``Greg and I mapped out his path before he ever enrolled in Pit Crew U, and he may have had a plan before he even met me,'' said Breon Klopp, PIT's Senior Director of Development, in a statement. ``That ability to see and plan ahead has made him a champion coach. In class, Greg always asked `Why?' in addition to `How?' Understanding the reason behind an action provides insight as to how improvements are made.''
Under Morin's leadership, both pit crews for the No. 48 and No. 24 teams have won numerous awards for quickness and precision. Morin said he also developed a desire and work ethic to be the best at his craft.
``It takes a lot of sacrifice, and that itself might be the biggest challenge,'' he said. ``There is a lot of time spent on the road on the weekends, at the shop practicing and training during the week. Even at home, you never really get away and stop thinking about work. We are always trying to get better and find an advantage, and it can be hard to stop working once you go home because of that desire to perform and win.''
But the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
``The best part of what I do is competing at the highest level of our sport with the best team in the sport,'' Morin said. ``Knowing what we've accomplished, and the challenge that lies ahead in an effort to accomplish more, it drives you to get better and stay hungry.''
He doesn't get back to Waltham much these days, but he said every few years he visits family in the Greater Boston area. He is unlikely to make it home much this offseason.
``We work even harder in the offseason to get that much better for the next season,'' Morin said. ``We will train and practice even harder to stay ahead of the competition in 2010.
``Next season will be a dogfight for the championship. There are a lot of people gunning for us, and we've got to be prepared to out-plan, out-prepare, out-work and out-play the competition.''
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