Pocky's Paddock

A NASCAR BLOG BY Bob Pockrass

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Crew chief puts job hunt on hold for a week to help others

Oct 10

CONCORD, N.C. – Ricky Viers, the former crew chief for AJ Allmendinger at Red Bull Racing, was back in the garage Friday looking for a job.

It wasn’t the first time Viers has shown up to talk to teams. But it was the first time since he spent six days in Baytown, Texas, about 50 miles from Galveston but right on the Gulf of Mexico.

Viers spent about 10 hours each day with a chain saw cutting up downed trees on land where people such as single mothers and the elderly don’t have the equipment or the ability to do the job. The group he was with, North Carolina Baptist Men Disaster Relief, also helped tarp roofs and aid in the debris cleanup from Hurricane Ike.

It is easy for the NASCAR community to send money in times of disaster but it’s hard to give up their time. But Viers, because of some unfortunate circumstances, had the time to give.

“I’ve always known people who did this type of work and always had a heart for it,” Veirs said. “They said, ‘If you’re not busy, do you want to go with us?’ “

Out of a job, Viers wasn’t busy.

Viers isn’t alone among those looking for work in the garage area as the silly season among crews has begun. But it looks as if, at least for a week, he made the most of his unplanned vacation.