Full Throttle

Lately when think of NASCAR and its Diversity Program the name of the 10 thousand pound elephant in the room comes to mind. The entry of Juan “Don’t Call Me Pablo” Montoya into The Land of Bubba has dominated the media since his signing by Ganassi Racing.

The media storm surrounding an F1 driver signing with Ganassi has led to a search for a little stomach relief for some team members, apparently.

Other Hispanics in the program, Aric Almirola (NCTS), Jose Luis Ramirez (NASCAR Grand National Division West Series) and Jesus Hernandez (NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series) may eventually reap the benefits of having Montoya in NASCAR’s premier series, that remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t hurt.

Bill Lester driving for Bill Davis created his own little media storm as he temporarily cast aside his normal NCTS ride for a couple shots in NEXTEL Cup. In doing so Lester became the first African-American to compete in NASCAR’s top series since Willy T. Ribbs in the mid-eighties.

Lost in all this media attention is a name that has remained under cover, Melanie Thomas.

Thomas was the first woman to ever go over the wall as a pit crew member when she joined the Morgan Shepard team. A low profile is the 26 year-old Black American’s preference at the moment: “I’d rather be off the radar to give me a chance to get my feet wet.”

Shortly after that brief stint she moved to Mike Skinner’s CJM Motorsports to be the right-rear tire changer. Yes you read that correctly, at 5 feet, 7 inches and 160 pounds, the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin native is tossing around Goodyear’s for a living.

The first time Thomas went over the wall was in the Nextel Open in May at LMS. She cleaned the grill and ripped tear-offs from the windshield.

Thomas plays the part of fabricator in the CJM Motorsports shop when not slinging Goodyears and a welder making miscellaneous parts for the car.

Eventually her goal is to a crew chief, but her plan now is to improve her skills and to land a job with a bigger team. “It has been hectic because we are lower on the totem pole at NASCAR,” said Thomas. “We have to rush because we are the last to go through everything. It’s a little bit harder for the smaller team to make it through everything.”

As a Black woman many friends back in Lake Geneva never thought she could break into the male dominated sport but the Iraqi War veteran has proven them all wrong.

“It feels good, and I’m glad I proved them wrong,” she said. “I still can’t believe this is real. I work very hard. It’s not like this is a cake walk. This really makes me happy.”

CJM Motorsports, NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle