TMS Pit Stops: Arlington native rekindles desire for teamwork and competition in racing

Boone Stutz had that desire all athletes need to compete at a high level. His love of being part of a team was evident as an all-district offensive tackle at Arlington Martin High School and later as a two-year starting tight end and captain at Texas A&M.

He played a couple of years as a long snapper in the NFL before taking a desk job as an oil field manager in South Texas.

The money was good, he liked his co-workers but it didn’t provide an adrenaline rush like football. At 31, Stutz said he felt his clock was running out on a chance at a more rewarding and athletic career.

So he left his steady, well-paying job for an apprenticeship with Stewart-Haas Racing. He worked in the pits for the Winstar World Casino & Resort 350 on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway and will be working pit crew support for Danica Patrick’s No. 10 team on Sunday.

“Are you going to look back at 80 and say, ‘What if? I could have done this,’ ” Stutz said. “Yeah, it’s a big leap of faith. I’ve got time to work behind a desk, but I don’t have time to do something athletic, and I wanted to do my best to seek that as a possibility.”

Through a professor at A&M who had done some studies for Stewart-Haas Racing, Stutz reached out about joining the team. He moved to Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 1 and is dedicated to a new career as a pit crew member.

“I can always sit behind a desk when I’m 50, but I can’t do this,” said Stutz, who is 6-foot-6. “Right now, I’m just helping them wherever, from rolling a tire to running gas to whatever I need to do.”

The first race he attended as a kid was at TMS in 2003, the year Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first race.

“You come to a race, you’re hooked. That’s kind of how I was. I loved it so much that we came back out for the Outlaw Series on the dirt track and came back for Indy runs out here,” he said.

His parents, who still live in Arlington, and other friends and family will be at TMS to watch him work for the first time Sunday.

Stutz, who graduated from A&M in 2005, said people would be surprised how many former athletes are working in pit row.

“I know a lot of guys who played professional or semiprofessional or college sports. Whether they graduated or not, I don’t know,” he said. “There are a lot of guys up and down pit row.”

His goal it to eventually find a spot for a Sprint Cup team as a gas man. He has no regrets, but he misses Texas.

“I love it. I do miss the barbecue and Mexican food and hunting out here, but it’s just one of those things. I’m glad I did it. I won’t be in North Carolina forever,” he said.

And working with a team is bringing back that same rush he used to get on Saturdays playing college football.

“You may do your job, but the change guy may not do his. So it’s still a team aspect,” he said. “You may be the best pit crew on pit row, but if your driver doesn’t perform you’re still not going to do well. Or your driver may do great but you’re suffering in a few areas. You have a job to do.”

Campaign drive

Bryan Silas drove the No. 99 Re-Elect Rick Scott car in Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. I guess Scott, Florida’s incumbent governor, was banking on a big TV viewership in the Sunshine State. Silas finished 19th of 23 cars remaining at the conclusion of the race.

Trotters at TMS

The Harlem Globetrotters team will serve as the grand marshal for the AAA Texas 500. They’ll perform at the garage party at 9:30 a.m. Sunday for season ticket holders.

Buescher announces foundation

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver James Buescher and his wife, Kris, announced the launch of the Buescher Foundation to support domestic adoption. Buescher, who is from Plano, and his wife adopted their son Stetson a little over a year ago. November is National Adoption Month.

Gilmer native sings anthem

Gilmer native Curtis Grimes sang the national anthem before Saturday’s race. It was a thrill, he said. Plus, he was excited about seeing his first full race. He was at TMS in April, but rain pushed the race to Monday. He’s sung the anthem many times before, but Saturday’s version was the first to be televised.

“I was amped up a little bit more,” he said. Was he nervous? “A little bit, I just don’t want to mess up the words, honestly.”

Quotable

“You like to have people involved in the race that are fun but also what you don’t expect to see. So the Harlem Globetrotters, they’re just a blast. They’re going to be performing beforehand, too, and I think everyone will enjoy it. And Derek [Holland] driving the pace car ... well, I hope he knows what he’s doing because it’s not as easy as it looks with the banking and everything. We want people to come out here and go home not only talking about the tremendous race they saw but all these other things they saw and experienced. Word of mouth is our best advertiser.” — TMS president Eddie Gossage

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 7:09 PM with the headline "TMS Pit Stops: Arlington native rekindles desire for teamwork and competition in racing."