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I don’t either.
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Mitchell Kuhlmann, 14, front, tests his pit crew skills at changing a tire with an air gun Wednesday in Winona while, from left, Bryan Lind, John Rickoff, 11, Sam Price, 12, and Marcus Kuhlmann, 11, watch his progress. The No. 12 Alltel Doge Charger, driven by the 2008 Daytona 500 Champion Ryan Newman, made a pit stop in Winona giving fans a chance to see the car and test their own pit crew skills. (photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News) |
The two boys, their mother, Chris, and two friends — Sam Price and John Rickoff — were at the Alltel Wireless store in Winona on Wednesday to check out the Ryan Newman car and take a shot at changing a tire like the NASCAR pit crews.
The showdown wound up between mom and son. Marcus, 11, stopped the clock in 8.74 seconds, but Mom ran away with the title with an 8.03 time.
The Kuhlmann’s got a call from Dad earlier in the day saying they needed to head to the mall and check out the Newman No. 12 stock car.
“They follow Ryan Newman’s races every Sunday,” Chris said of her boys and husband, Don.
The car itself was used by Newman about six years ago. It now has the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow body on it, though it is fiberglass. Everything else was real enough.
Alongside the car was a tire changing station, where anyone could test their speed, and, thank goodness, I did not come in last.
Mitchell, who is 14 and will be a freshman at Cotter High School this fall, stopped the clock at 9.4 seconds. I was next to last at 9.38.
Price, 12, finished in 8.51 seconds and Rickoff, 11, was at 8.38.
I should probably mention that I’ve grown up changing tires, while these five have never even heard of an impact wrench. Actually, I shouldn’t mention that, but I did.
“I’ve done the twirly thing before,” Marcus said.
I wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but then it came to me. He didn’t mean the jack, but the tire iron. Honestly, I didn’t know what it was called either.
I had to call my mom to find out, which is pathetic considering at one time growing up my family had 17 cars and tire irons galore.
Marcus was the expert when it came to Newman and NASCAR.
“Newman won the Daytona 500 this year,” he said. “This is the third car I’ve seen, but it’s the first Next Generation car. The new cars have the front indented, a different spoiler and they’re more for safety.”
I guess it’s safe to say he knows his NASCAR. Myself, I don’t know anything, but I do know righty tighty, lefty loosey — for those of you who haven’t heard that one, it’s the direction you turn to tighten or loosen a bolt.
For four days a week, nine months a year, the Newman replica will tour the country, giving everyone an up close look at NASCAR.
