CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Mike Metcalf grew up in Charlotte, played basketball and football at Charlotte Christian, and attended occasional Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers games.
Charlotte Motor Speedway was about 30 minutes from his parents' home in south Charlotte, but might as well have been in another world.
Metcalf was never a fan of racing ... until he made it his career.
When NASCAR Cup series point leader Kyle Larson lines up for the start of Sunday's Coca-Cola at CMS, Metcalf will be the crew member responsible for gassing up the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet.
It's not where Metcalf expected to be when the former Appalachian State fullback finished up his football career in 2004. But after 12 years in NASCAR, Metcalf can't imagine doing anything else.
"It's the same thing (as football). You spend so much time with a group of guys working for a common cause _ training, traveling, competing," Metcalf said. "And it's kind of hard to let that go."
Metcalf is one of a handful of former Appalachian State football players _ and one of dozens of ex-college athletes _ who have thrived on pit crews for Cup teams and in the lower series.
They work out in well-equipped weight rooms, train under full-time strength and conditioning coaches and hoss around 70-pound tires and 95-pound gas cans during precision pit stops, when success or failure is measured in tenths of seconds.
These are not your father's tire changers, who generally were the mechanics who would work on the stock cars all week, then handle the pit stops during the races.
Many of today's pit crew members have similar stories: Ex-college jocks who knew little about racing before being recruited to a sport that over the past 12 to 15 years sought to bring more athletes _ and diversity _ to the track.
Former Appalachian State football players Richie Williams and Kevin Richardson came through NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program after playing in the CFL.
Williams, who set the Mountaineers' career rushing record (since broken), had a short stint in Canada, and Williams spent four seasons as a backup quarterback in the CFL.
Metcalf, 34, said he heard from both Williams and Richardson when their football days were done.
"I was probably up toward the top end of that list of phone calls, like, 'Hey man, you look like you're still working out, competing and having fun, doing the same things we did together. How do I get in?' " Metcalf said last week before qualifying for the All-Star Race.
