DAYTONA BEACH – After being selected as the First Coast Swimmer of the Year in 2008, Matt Schlytter knew he couldn’t face a future that required him to sit behind a desk.
He wanted to do something both athletic and challenging. He found it in 11-second bursts of adrenaline amid ear-shattering noise and choreographed precision.
“I was a student-athlete my entire life,” Schlytter said. “I knew I wanted to get into NASCAR after I found out that this was actually a thing with being on a pit crew, my love for motorsports and being able to be physically active again. Being an athlete was just a merge of two loves, and it would be tough because I was starting over from scratch.”
After learning skills at a pit crew school, Schlytter was selected from a group of other hopefuls. Last Sunday, he was the jackman when John Hunter Nemechek finished fifth at the season-opening Daytona 500.
The Nease High graduate joined another St. Johns County native, rear tire changer Chris Shuman, on the No. 42 Toyota for Nemechek at Legacy Motor Club.
Shuman lived in St. Augustine and attended Mill Creek Elementary until his family vacationed in the area of Charlotte, North Carolina, to tour NASCAR race teams. His father took a brochure advertising a pit crew school from one. Months later, he moved the family to the Piedmont so he could chase his dream of being in NASCAR.
“Actually, my grandfather had a hand in building World Golf Village,” Shuman said. “We moved to North Carolina when I was in fifth grade. He was a mechanic and got a tire carrier job for a couple of races, but it just didn’t work out for him.”
Shuman said he wanted to be like his father. He became a mechanic, and he also went to pit crew school. But he didn’t want to be a mechanic. He tried to pit race cars.
“It worked out. I was in the right place at the right time,” he said. “A coach found me from Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012, and that's where it all started.”
When Nemechek’s car screeched to a stop during Sunday’s race at the Daytona International Speedway, both launched into action. They ran around to the right side of the car, where Schlytter used a specialty-made jack to hoist the 3,500-pound car off the ground. Simultaneously, Shuman dropped to his knees and hit the single-lug nut with an impact wrench. As the car lifted, Shuman pulled the tire off, and the tire carrier put a new one in place, ensuring the drive pins lined up before Shuman torqued the lug nut into place.
After that, both ran around the car and repeated the process on the left side of the car.
All in less than 11 seconds.
At a track like Daytona, one second lost on pit road translated to 100 yards lost on the track. For Shuman and Schlytter, there was an extra incentive to keep Nemechek upfront because they consider Daytona their home track.
Legacy hired full-time crews to service cars for Nemechek and the No. 43 for Eric Jones. When they aren’t at the racetrack, they’re either working out, perfecting their pit stop routines or doing odd jobs around the shop.
Schlytter said he thrives working when success is measured by tenths of seconds.
“You're not only a part of the group, but you're also having to oversee everybody else's position at the same time,” he said. “You have to make sure all tasks are complete. Everything is tight there. There’s a little bit of pressure there, but I like that.”
Which is better than sitting behind a desk.
