Alex Polizzi earned a technical victory over Stanford's Ryan Davies (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"For the past 20 years or so, Hendrick actively recruits college athletes," Polizzi told the Beloit Daily News. "They have mainly gone with football players, but lately they've had a lot of success getting wrestlers and have found they have gone through the developmental program much faster.
"They called my coach at Northwestern, and he told them he had just the guy for them. I went to a pit crew combine a few weeks ago, and got the call back to do the final state in the process."
Experience in stepping out onto a wrestling mat may seem to have nothing to do with being a member of a NASCAR pit crew, where members perform a number of duties throughout a race -- from changing tires to refueling the race car -- duties which require strength, flexibility, lightning speed and precision teamwork. While the initial combine measured the applicants' abilities in things like the shuttle run, bench press, and vertical leap, the final step in the process involves actually putting tools in the hands of potential pit crew members such as Polizzi.
"From what they've told me, they really are just looking for athletes and guys that are smart," Polizzi said. "In fact, they said sometimes it's good if a person isn't coming in with a lot of car experience, because they won't have to un-learn bad habits, and they start with a blank slate.
"Cars have never really been my bag, but not necessarily for lack of interest ... But once they show me what to do, I feel confident I'd be able to pick up on it quickly," said Polizzi, who graduated from Northwestern in May with a degree in philosophy and a minor in math. "A lot of the tinkering and stuff with the cars happen in the garage. In the pit crew, it's really a lot of athletic movements that need to be done quickly. I started with a class of 90 kids, and now that's down to the final 18. From there, they'll pick six-to-eight guys that make it."
What's next for Polizzi if he passes Sunday's tryout? The Wisconsin native will then relocate to Charlotte, where he will go to a developmental school to learn the fine points of working the pits, before eventually making his way to a minor NASCAR series. According to Polizzi, it can take about three years before an individual is working at the Cup Series level. "Each person has to pay their dues and work at places like the Truck Series. But there's always a chance at those places that you get noticed by a major team that gives you a shot to work for them," said the former 197-pounder for Northwestern who battled with a torn meniscus last season, but has now recovered.
Polizzi isn't the first NCAA Division I wrestler to have participated in the Hendrick Motorsports pit training program, which actively seeks out potential participants at its website. Last fall, the University of Pittsburgh wrestling website featured a story about three former Panthers -- Matt Wilps, Donnie Tasser and Zac Thomusseit -- and their quest for a career in NASCAR.
The leap from wrestling mat to superspeedway pit crew may seem an extreme career stretch. However, being member of a NASCAR pit crew, where members perform a number of duties throughout a race -- from changing tires to refueling the race car -- which require strength, flexibility, lightning speed and precision teamwork. "NASCAR has been recruiting athletes for this, and my friends and I heard about it through the grapevine, so we went and tried out," Wilps said in the Pitt wrestling page profile. "They liked what the wrestlers had to offer -- good speed when you're down low, like a wrestling stance."
"It's sort of like any other sport, where you practice the play," Wilps continued. "Sometimes you'll only need to change two tires and you need to make a suspension adjustment. We'll run through practicing that so you can prepare for different situations and try to get the very specific motion, that's fast and as consistent as possible."
Hendrick Motorsports has earned a record 11 car owner championships in NASCAR's premier division, the Sprint Cup Series, since 1984. According to its website, "Hendrick Motorsports provides a one-of-a-kind working experience where a diverse group of highly talented team members can work together to achieve a common goal. We are committed to embracing innovation with intensity to perform at the highest level expected by our dedicated sponsors and fans worldwide. Hendrick Motorsports continuously seeks skilled and talented individuals who are motivated and passionate about helping us meet our goals."
Guys like Polizzi and Wilps prove that there are other options for former college wrestlers who seek out a career that employs the physical skills they've acquired from years on the mat, without having to climb into a pro wrestling ring, or participate in mixed martial arts.
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