"Contracts are through the roof" - NASCAR insider on the surging pit crew market in Next Gen era

SiriusXM's NASCAR analyst Danielle Trotta, along with Alexis Erickson of PRN Live, recently gave some insights into the importance and state of pit crews in the sport today. Speaking on Fast Talk, Erickson spoke about how Brad Keselowski pressed on the importance of investing in pit crews at RFK Racing.

Erickson mentioned how Keselowski spoke about being aware of the return on investment for everything he's putting into RFK Racing, which also includes the investment in pit crews.

"He (Brad Keselowski) said the return on investment on pit crews is at such a high point right now that they had to kind of re-evaluate the money that they were spending on pit crew and put more resources into that aspect of the race team as opposed to other things because he knew that it's a game changer, he knew getting those spots on pit road completely changes the complexion and your opportunity to win," Alexis Erickson said. [42:00]

Reacting to that, the show's stand-in host, Danielle Trotta, further shared what she knew about the NASCAR pit crew market and where things stand when it comes to their contracts.

"You're seeing that with these contracts. These pit crew guys historically were low six-figure guys and I don't know momentarily what they net out now for getting closer to the $150,000-$200,000 range, but I do know that contracts are through the roof. I talked to one pit crew member that recently has won a championship and he's locked up for like 7 years," Trotta said.

Trotta backed her claim by pointing to the example of Kyle Busch and the pit crew struggles of the #8 team as the RCR team is unable to get the right pit crew members for two major reasons. One being their location in Welcome, North Carolina, and the other being the fact that the top pit crew people are already locked into long-term contracts.

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Kyle Busch wants to be better on pit road but RCR can't put together the right pit crew

The pit crew of the #8 Richard Childress Racing team has seen a lot of shakeups in recent memory in order to get to "a mixture of guys that can handle some pressure and deliver a solid performance" as per Andy Petree.

Getting things right on pit road is something that Kyle Busch feels is necessary. For him, getting it right on pit road is a big step towards getting your racecar to victory lane.

“The easiest place to pass somebody else is when they’re sitting still, on pit road. So we have to be better on pit road," Busch said as per NBC Sports.

Busch said he's aware everybody at RCR is "busting their tail and working hard" but they've got to work through it. And if that means frequently changing members, then that's what they've got to do in order to strengthen the pit crew, he added.

This further emphasizes the importance teams are giving to pit crews in the Next Gen era.