Did you know that NASCAR has a Combine as well? Learn more about their Combine here
Were you an NFL hopeful and did you come up short? Did you know that NASCAR now has a Combine to become a Pit Crew Member? If you are a student-athlete you need to check this out!
NASCAR® and Rev Racing will hold a COMBINE today for 13 college athletes from across the country who will compete as tire changers, carriers and jackmen in the third annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine in Concord, N.C.!
This year’s combine competitors include college football, basketball, tennis and track and field athletes looking to transition to a professional career in NASCAR. Each will put their pit crew skills to the test and be evaluated based on a series of fitness, agility and crew member drills and competitions at the NASCAR Research & Development Center.
Top-performing participants will receive invitations to join the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development program and train as pit crew members with Rev Racing beginning later this year. More than 50 graduates of the program are currently working in the NASCAR industry and 25 are pitting in the sport’s top series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™.
The athletes invited to Friday’s combine will take part in a four-hour skills competition led by Phil Horton, Rev Racing director of athletic performance.
This year’s competitors include Joshua Patrick, who was part of two HBCU national championship teams as a linebacker at North Carolina State A&T State, and twin brothers Jordan and Justin Boyd, both former track athletes at Alcorn State.
| Name | Hometown | University | Primary Sport |
| Jordan Boyd | Southaven, Miss. | Alcorn State University | Track & Field |
| Justin Boyd | Southaven, Miss. | Alcorn State University | Football/Track & Field |
| Evan Clay | Franklin, La. | Morehouse College | Football |
| Jarren Davis | Jacksonville, Fla. | Bethune-Cookman University | Football |
| Keiston France | Amelia, Va. | North Carolina A&T State University | Tennis |
| Hadji Gaylord | Norfolk, Va. | Norfolk State University | Football |
| Andre Hodge | Cliffwood, N.J. | Winston-Salem State University | Football |
| Ernest Holden | Hampton, Va. | Norfolk State University | Football |
| Lafayette Kemp | Atlanta, Ga. | Kentucky Christian University | Football |
| Jerick Newsome | Memphis, Tenn. | Alcorn State University | Basketball |
| Joshua Patrick | Decatur, Ga. | North Carolina A&T State University | Football |
| Monte Robinson | Fayetteville, N.C. | Virginia University of Lynchburg | Football |
| Tori Spann | Wichita, Kan. | Alcorn State University | Basketball |
In February, Derrell Edwards became the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew member to win the DAYTONA 500 when driver Austin Dillon raced to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. Edwards, who played basketball at High Point University, pits as a tire carrier and jackman for Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team.
Three program graduates – Raphael Diaz, Kevin Richardson and Mike Russell – helped Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway in 2017.
Brehanna Daniels, who previously starred as a point guard for Norfolk State’s women’s basketball program, has pitted as a tire changer in more than 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series™, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ and ARCA Series races while training with NASCAR Drive for Diversity.
If you have more information about this NASCAR Event, please feel free to contact myself so I can put you on the right path!! The Path to SUCCESS!
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com