Pit Crew Challenge at Coronado Speed Festival

One of the tenets of the San Diego Fleetweek Foundation – the organizers of the Coronado Speed Festival – is that they are there to serve active duty military personnel. It’s time for military men and women to enjoy and create special moments with their families without having to worry about work.

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The one exception of sorts is the Military Pit Crew Challenge (MPCC). No one would call that work, though. It’s an opportunity for both active duty men and women in the area to jump into the middle of spirited, fun competition.

“We are here to serve the military at our events,” reports Foundation Executive Director Brian Sack. “This is their time to relax with their families. We did however want to give those who wish to participate in this festival and show off their athleticism, judgment and competitive nature the opportunity to do so. We think the pit stop competition does that. It’s also a great show for those who just want to watch.”

Coronado Speed Festival founder Jim Philion and his wife Beth knew about pit stop challenges as a facet at other motorsports events and wanted to bring it to their event. They found a solution with Bill Rhine’s Rhine Enterprises/Rhine Built. Rhine Enterprises is in the business of home and auto supply while Rhine Built restores stock car bodies and offers other race-related products and services.

Rhine took on the task of designing the MPCC, the only event of its kind at a military base. That’s likely to change. Rhine regularly receives calls asking about how he can pull off other such competitions at military facilities. As with most ambitions in motorsports, it just takes funding.

“It takes about $125,000 to put on one of these shows. You need sponsorship.” says Rhine (RIGHT), gesturing to a gathering crowd of thousands of people around the corral for the final competition on Sunday morning. “As you can see, though, there is a ton of interest.”

The MPCC at Coronado extends over both Saturday and Sunday. Like the NCAA basketball tournament it is a competition of brackets as teams of military members meet in elimination rounds leading up to Sunday’s final. There a champion is crowned.

On Sunday the two teams who battled it out for 2014 championship – the USS Boxers and the “Dirty 30” – clawed their way through a field of 34 teams to slug it out again. Last year the Boxers took it but this time around the Dirty 30 (pictured, TOP) claimed their revenge – and first-place medals (BELOW).

Both teams were presented their championship and runners-up medals from Vice Admiral Mike “Air Boss” Shoemaker. Shoemaker heads global operations for all U.S. Navy ships and aircraft.

Dirty 30’s winning time was 31.2 seconds. The time included the task of pushing a NASCAR show car some 15 yards to a finish line. The team is part of the crew of a San Diego based VRC-30 hybrid aircraft, the largest to land on aircraft carriers. The plane carries a crew of 28 as well as cargo and supplies. Sometimes it is used in medevac operations. A survey of the new MPCC champions quickly tells anyone asking these guys would like a shot at the real thing with the big boys in NASCAR.