FOR many NFL hopefuls, not making it to the league isn’t the end of the line.
For many of them, Nascar is the second chance to use their athleticism in a team environment.
4
4
Going down the list of pit crews, you’ll find plenty of former college football players and other types of athletes.
In some cases, you’ll even find former pro athletes.
That is the case of former NFL linebacker Marshall McFadden.
McFadden was a star player at South Carolina State, where he won three MEAC Championships.
He went undrafted in 2011, but eventually made it to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.
In 2013 he joined the Las Vegas Raiders and then played with the Los Angeles Rams in 2014.
He played a total of 10 games in the NFL, compiling seven total tackles.
McFadden then played in the Canadian Football League before ending his career in 2017.
However, friends introduced McFadden to Nascar, and he quickly made a new career for himself.
“I was living in Charlotte, North Carolina – that’s where the national headquarters of NASCAR is,” McFadden told Steelers Takeaways.
“I grew up in Lamar, a short distance away. My friend was involved in NASCAR and when he heard I was back he asked if I would be interested in trying out the crew side of NASCAR…
“I kept practicing, and then they inserted me into a crew and told me that if I was serious I could do well and earn a contract, which I did afterwards.”
McFadden shared that working on a pit crew is very similar to playing on a football team.
“Football taught me a lot about being on a team – being on time and doing your assignments correctly,” he said.
“You all have to be in sync – if you mess up you can lose a game because of it.
4
“NASCAR is the same way – just less physical! You have to change four tires and fill the gas tank in 11-to-12 seconds.
“One second can cost you a race. You have to be very precise.
“Just like football, we train all week, watch film and then go out and do our job on game-race days.”
McFadden is the jackman for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 car, which AJ Allmendinger drives.
He was notably on the pit crew for Michael McDowell for his 2021 Daytona 500 win.
4
