TALLADEGA, Ala. — Talladega is the biggest NASCAR race in the state of Alabama. While many take annual pilgrimages to cheer on their favorite drivers, few can say they made it all the way to pit row. But one Athens native gets to be as close as possible to all the action.
Josh Appleby sits on the pit crew for Trackhouse Racing, keeping watch over Daniel Suárez and his #99 Chevy. Sunday's race proved to be a loud, sometimes violent 'Welcome Home.'
"I love coming here, back to the state of Alabama," Appleby said. "Honestly, I miss living here."
Appleby is a jack man for Trackhouse, mainly working solely on #99, but this weekend he got to offer his services to Jeb Burton's #27 Chevy as well at the Xfinity Series' Ag-Pro 300.
He's worked 'Dega weekends twice a year since he started in the sport eight years ago - but how he got here in the first place is almost by accident.
Appleby started out in Charlotte, working an IT job out of college. "I really wasn't enjoying that," he recalled. "So I was just looking around for other things.
"The gym I was working out at, there were a couple of guys that had gotten into racing, so I made some phone calls to people they recommended to me... Showed up to practice, said 'yes, something I want to do,' turned in my two weeks' notice, and that was pretty much it."
He didn't consider himself a racing "junkie," or even a "car guy" before his first NASCAR gig. Up to that point, football was the sport that got him furthest. After four years at East Limestone High, he kicked at Louisville.
They might not look alike, but Appleby sees plenty of similarities between the sport he played and the one he's in now for a living. "Learning that [football] is very monotonous and technical," said Appleby. "That actually transferred over really well to this. You have a very specific job and you have to repeat it."
...To say nothing of the uniforms, equipment, positions, and teamwork that go into both sports.
At Saturday's Ag-Pro, things didn't start off great for #27. Burton hit the pits three times in the first 100 laps, ultimately finishing in ninth place. Sunday didn't fare much better for Appleby's team; Daniel Suárez finished a disappointing 27th.
A win in his home state eluded Appleby, but "Making it out in one piece is a win in and of itself," he observed. "It's not always the most talented person , the most gifted person that ends up making it. It's the individual that puts in the most work and has the most passion behind what they're doing.
"Honestly, I think I lacked that in my football game. But I've been able to use my failures and what I learned and translate into making me probably much better at this."
Proving that Appleby is truly driven by the love of the game at Talladega.