'Pretty surreal.' Covington native Drew Morgan gets first NASCAR win in pit crew

You never know when your number is going to be called. For some, the chance is immediate. Others must practice patience.

Drew Morgan, a Covington native and NASCAR pit-crew member for Trackhouse Racing, had to wait over a decade before his finest hour arrived on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon in North Carolina.

After 13 years as an over-the-wall pit crew member, Morgan was thrust into the spotlight when a teammate was injured prior to the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 5.

When Trackhouse Racing's No. 88 car, driven by Shane van Gisbergen, ultimately took the checkered flag, Morgan made his long-waited debut in Victory Lane.

"Pretty surreal," Morgan told The Enquirer. "I really wasn't able to relax until that final lap. It's been a long time. I've had a lot of close calls, a lot of runner-up finishes. To finally make my way to Victory Lane with this team, it was pretty amazing."

'I just tried to lock in and do my job.'

Morgan was already at the track ready to assist the No. 88 team during pitstops from behind the wall. It was set up to be a normal day at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn office trying to help van Gisbergen get his fifth win of the season.

Then, just a few hours before the green flag, the call came in that pit-crew member Jeremy Kimbrough, a former NFL linebacker turned tire carrier, suffered a torn bicep that morning while setting up the team's pit box.

"I just tried to lock in and do my job the same way I have for the last 13 years. I didn't really have time to process it," Morgan said. "I just had to focus on being clean and doing my job with those guys. I didn't want to be the reason why they get their fifth win. I really wasn't thinking much about winning the race. I just wanted to perform well."

Morgan wasn't thinking about a win, but van Gisbergen came into the race as the clear-cut favorite having won the previous four road course Cup Series races. The No. 88 car had the lead when he made his first pit stop.

"The heart rate is always high. I feel like if you're a little bit nervous, it just means you care," Morgan said. "I tried to put myself in the same position I always do and try not to think about which car or which team it is and try to carry the tires the way i know how to."

Morgan stuck to his routine, starting on the right side of the No. 88 with a right-side tire in each hand. He placed the front right between the tire changer and the jackman, put on the right rear himself, displaced the old tire, received a rolling left front tire, put it on and it was done.

A few hours later, van Gisbergen had led a race-high 57 laps and edged runner-up Kyle Larson by over 15 seconds.

"I've been in that position before in my career and it feels like something always goes wrong," Morgan said. "This was the right time. We put everything together well and we were able to finish."

'I had never seen a NASCAR race.'

With over a decade of pit-crew experience, one would think Morgan has had a lifelong love of cars.

"It would shock you how much I don't know about the inside of a car," Morgan laughed. "I had never seen a NASCAR race by the end of college."

A blocked field goal in a heartbreaking loss to Fern Creek in the Class 4-A playoffs ended Morgan's decorated prep career before suiting up for Morehead State. After college, Morgan put his business degree to use for an internship in Miami with plans to pursue sports marketing before another phone call changed his life.

Morgan's cousin spent a year with Hendrick Motor Sports and said he could get him a tryout.

"I jumped on a plane a couple months later, flew to Charlotte to come check it out. I was fortunate enough to be selected and I've been doing it ever since," Morgan said.

Oddly enough, football had prepared Morgan for the pit-crew tryout. The ability to work under intense pressure and make split-second decisions was nothing new.

"It (tryout) remnded me of football combines in high school. They're looking for speed, explosion and strength," Morgan said. "You have to handle pressure well."

There's nothing in sports you can really compare it to. In one sense, pit crews are like kickers, who get just a few opportunities to get the job done where excellence is the standard. In another sense, it's like being an offensive lineman. Pit crews are always working in unison for the common goal without any of the limelight.

"There are not many races that you can win without performing well on pit road," Morgan said. "It's vital."

'It's a grind.'

In the heat of the moment, an eight-second stop for tires and fuel can feel like an hour. The race itself can seem like an eternity of highs and lows. The relief after a win is instant. The jubilation in Victory Lane is gone in a blink.

There is a Tuesday film session after a race, then the calendar rolls on. One week later in Las Vegas, van Gisbergen was 33rd in the South Point 44. This week, Morgan and his team are getting ready for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

"We race almost 40 times a year. You have to have a short memory. It's a grind and it's onto the next," Morgan said. "I told myself (after Charlotte) to put it behind me and focus on the next weekend, but I'll always remember that day because of how crazy it was and how everything came together."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Pretty surreal.' Covington native gets first NASCAR win in pit crew