In the pits- MB2

A Q&A with Dave Elenz, an MB2 Motorsports engineer

Question: What exactly is your job as an engineer at MB2 Motorsports?

Elenz: There are a lot of engineers at MB2, but I’m primarily involved with our on-track operation. I’m not one of the engineers at the shop doing testing; I am preparing to go to the racetrack and support the crew chief and the team with any information I can provide to help us be successful.

Question: So how did you get your start in racing?

Elenz: Hard work and a little luck. I was fortunate to find a job right out of college. I attended Clemson University (Greenville, SC) and part of the reason I did was to be near Charlotte, which is where most NASCAR teams are located. When I was in school I went around looking for an internship and of the 35 teams I talked to, only one called me back. Luckily they kept me around.

Question: What’s your job at the racetrack on race day?

Elenz: I calculate fuel mileage for the No. 01 U.S. Army race team. On a good day they really won’t need me much; it’s when we are low on fuel and need to make a long run when my job becomes important. My biggest nightmare is making a mistake on the calculations and us running out of gas at the end of the race when we’re battling for the win.

Question: What if gas is spilled, or the entire can doesn’t make it into the car?

Elenz: The gas man weighs the gas can before and after each pit stop. By doing that, we can tell how many gallons went into the car. We check our fuel mileage from the previous run and keep up with the average—that helps us predict how much gas we’ll need for the current run.

Question: Would you want to be a racecar driver?

Elenz: I think there is a part of a lot of people in this sport that wants to be a driver, but my goal is crew chief. Ryan Pemberton (crew chief, U.S. Army Chevrolet) has it pretty good, and I think that’s an attainable goal for me. In order to be a driver these days you have to be driving by 10 and into late models by about 14, so most of us have missed the train on that.

Question: What’s your goal for the U.S. Army team this season?

Elenz: Winning races. This team has gotten so close to victory lane so many times over the last couple of years but we’ve only gotten there once (Kansas, 2004). If we can run up front every week, everything else should fall into place.

Photo caption: MB2 engineer Dave Elenz (r), meets with

U.S. Army crew chief Ryan Pemberton