Inspired by Roger's post in the thread below, and from a few stories I have heard through the years, this weekend's 'get you thinkin' question is for those who have been involved with a race team, (whether in the shop, in the pits, or both)... and can remember a specific situation when you and your crew were in need of a helping hand in getting a quick pit repair completed so you're team's car could get back out in competition....or maybe in getting a race car ready for an upcoming race (maybe with a part, or and engine, other) that makes you think of them specifically, when you hear "Helping Hand."

You know what we're taking about here.... that person who would jumped in and helped with a situation in the pits, and you might not have even known who they were, but they were there grabbin' wrenches or running to their trailer to get something that was needed at that moment!.

So.... give this one a thought and let us know if you can remember any examples that fit this weekend's "Helping Hand" question:

• Person's name who helped out: _____________
• Who they gave a helping hand to (team/car#/driver): ____________________
• Situation/how they helped:  ____________________________

If you have more than one example, please share them all!

3Wide

Back before I could drive, I was hanging out with Jack Coulsen who owned the 25 driven by Dudie Babey and, subsequently the 22 that was driven by Lou Farina.  The cars were housed at the Bend Mobil in Belvidere.  I don't remember which car we were working on but we needed something welded. None of us could weld (ironic since I am just about to retire after a 53 year career in welding), so I thought of driver Jay Beers.  Jay's excavating business was on 7th St. in Belvidere.  I raced across town on my bike and caught Jay just finishing up.  He came down and welded the part so Jack could go racing that night.

One night at Penn national, Jim baker was driving Bruce Young's #37. It was a long-distance race. There was an altercation on the track and Baker had received a hole in the radiator. He pulled into the pits to see if could be fixed. A group of us put a stick in the hole and filled it with water. Alfier a few laps of racing, there was a caution and Jim brought the car back to the pits. I had a pack of gum in my pocket, so his friends and I started chewing the gum. Once we got it softened, we stuffed it into the hole and sent him on his way. The gum got hard from the hot radiator and stopped the leak. He managed to finish the feature on the same lap.

Tony Ferrante Jr., 2011 Turkey Derby Friday.   Running the heat race, a car bounced off the front stretch fence in front of me and basically took the right front off.  Towed back to the pits and began finding the parts we needed, when Tony showed up and took over. Got the car back together in time for the feature. They cancelled the consi, so we had to start 25th, dead last. Things worked out pretty well and ended up winning.  Years later I saw the video of Victory Lane and when I spoke how important Tony was that day, I could see him in the background, choked up. Very special because he's one of my best friends. 

Another nice thing was, Joe 3 Wides was there with his camera and documented it.

2011 Turkey Derby (Friday) 

There's a few pictures in this group from that day at Wall in 2011, and Tony and others helping to get the #21 back out "On Track!"

I used to go help Bob Beidleman once or twice a year. One particular Saturday at Selinsgrove I went along, Bob’s brother in law and engine builder Ed Lilly was supposed to show up later but never did. In Bobby’s heat he was running second and suddenly slowed as he took two to go, then we could see him bailing out of the car as it slowly rolled down the backstretch. A rock had knocked a fuel line off and he was on fire. Bobby had previously survived a bad garage fire with severe burns. Initially we thought he’d blown the engine but he assured us it didn’t. As we started taking things apart we determined all the nozzle hoses were unusable, he had some spares but a couple were the wrong angle so we borrowed some. Now Bobby’s crew generally consisted of friends that didn’t necessarily have a racing background, he’d teach them and they’d get good at their tasks. He couldn’t help on the car because his foot was burned, had to keep on ice. So I took over the fuel injection, a guy on the crew was watching me and told me I was attaching them to the wrong cylinders. Nozzle hoses aren’t like ignition I explained to him, it didn’t matter where they went. Bobby ended up qualifying in the consi and got a top five in the sprint feature. Now most of his crew only knew me as the lettering guy, they were amazed that I got it back together. Bobby explained to them that we used to run sprint cars. If I hadn’t gone that night he’d have parked it.

• Person's name who helped out: _C,D Coville and Perth Lumber Crew
• Who they gave a helping hand to (team/car#/driver): _Hank Goranson Harris Racing
• Situation/how they helped:  _Syracuse (not sure of year) Blew engine ,only had spare block without heads manifolds etc , parked next to C.D only 3 of us  going put engine together and change , C.D said you guys gonna tray and change we said yes He jumped in and asked his crew to help and they did  , job was accomplished got  out to time just missed making it , this was before Syracuse had lights on track and just front stretch  all we could is hear car going down backstretch but was an experience.  

Person who helped out...me John Lengenfelder.

Driver:  Al Mattera in the 6A at East Windsor,  mid to late 70's.

After qualifying in the heat race, Al pulls in with the water pump shot.  We had them announce in the pits if anyone had a spare pump and of course no one did.  So me and Joe go out into the parking lot to my "57 chevy with a small block, take the water pump off, while the other guys take the pump off the race car.  We put the pump on for the feature,  can't remember how we did.  Then after the feature, off from the racer and back onto my car.  All this was done in the dark with maybe a flashlight, but all you need was a screwdriver and a 1/2 by 9/16 box wrench!