March 15, 2013 - From the Living Room to NASCAR’s Victory Lane

Colin Fambrough, rear tire changer on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, poses with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship trophy.

The success of a single athlete or sports team is measured by one thing – championships. 2005  NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech) graduate, Colin Fambrough, 29, has already been a part of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship teams during his time in the pits. While Fambrough quickly achieved the success some accumulate during the course of a career, he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

The Tyler, Texas native is currently employed by Penske Racing and serves as the rear tire changer on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driven by 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, Brad Keselowski.

In 1992, Fambrough’s journey to the top of the nation’s most popular sport began in the living room of his childhood home. Fambrough questioned his mother’s taste in television when she flipped over to the NASCAR race that happened to be Richard Petty’s last. Fambrough couldn’t have been less interested, and recalls asking his mother, “Why are you watching this?” She shared that she once had the opportunity to meet Richard Petty, and showed him photos of her sitting in, and steering, Petty’s legendary racecar.

“From that point on, I began watching NASCAR,” Fambrough said. “I started going to the local dirt tracks with my family and watching the races live.”

But it wasn’t until 1999 when Fambrough attended the Pepsi 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., that his true passion for the sport was ignited. Fambrough described the excitement he felt when the pack hit turn one. “It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was an amazing experience.”

After seeing a commercial about NASCAR Tech a few years later, he realized this was the avenue he had been searching for to break into the sport.

“I realized there was a practical application to attending NASCAR Tech,” he said. “The first portion of the program is focused around automotive technology where you acquire skills and knowledge that are manufacturer specific. They provide a foundation for a career as a technician regardless of the desire to work for a NASCAR team.”

After some discussion, Fambrough’s parents were on board and he was soon in “Race City, USA” (Mooresville, N.C.) going to school. To his surprise he was learning more than just automotive skills.  

“It was remarkable meeting different people and seeing diverse perspectives of life” Fambrough said. “I was around people who had the same interests and goals, and that really helped me understand who, and what, I wanted to be. For the first time I was doing much more than what I needed to do to get by. It was the first thing that really had me interested.”

As Fambrough approached graduation, he began the process of looking for a job. Like a lot of students, Fambrough turned to his instructors for guidance and insight.

Fambrough’s Instructor, D.J. Copp, told him he needed to start learning how to pit cars, continue practicing, and begin talking to race teams if he wanted to get his foot in the door.

“My instructor [D.J. Copp] said being a part of a pit crew opens another set of doors outside of being a technician,” Fambrough said.

Fambrough was now a NASCAR Tech student by day, and training vigorously outside of class at night to hone his pit crew skills. Fambrough admits times were tough, but he knew the work he was putting in now would pay dividends down the road, and it did.

Copp helped Fambrough secure an interview with Roush Fenway Racing, who at the time was looking to start a developmental program for up-and-comers. After a series of interviews and hands-on tryouts, it worked out, because Roush had a new driver coming on that required a team. That driver turned out to be NASCAR superstar, Joey Logano, the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

By chance, Joey Logano and his father, Tom Logano, were down a pit crew member. Asking for volunteers, Fambrough jumped on the opportunity and the next day was at the track getting his first real-life taste of pit road.

Afterward, he was offered the opportunity to spend time at the Logano’s garage. Volunteering his time, Fambrough showed up at the shop at 7 a.m. every day to help where he could, and learn as much as possible. Four months later, Logano signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a pit crew member, which at the time did not have crew. To no one’s surprise, he accepted the offer and finally broke into the sport with a major race team.

“NASCAR Tech provided me with an opportunity to begin my career, and without them I don’t think I would be where I am today,” said Fambrough. “NASCAR Tech offered options that provided me with a successful career and that is really hard to beat.”

Since NASCAR Tech and that first job pitting cars for Joey Logano, Fambrough has spent most of his career in victory lane. He has pitted cars for some of the sport’s best drivers, including Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson, who Fambrough pitted for during the 2010 season when he captured the Sprint Cup Series Championship.

For more information about NASCAR Tech please visit, http://www.uti.edu/partners/nascar, and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.