Ex-NFLer finds second wind with Trackhouse pit crew

Josh Bush spends his days playing in traffic.

Instead of looking both ways before he crosses the street, he waits for the car to pull up and then jumps in front of it, air gun in hand.

He does it almost every day, for 38 weeks, during racing season, both outside the Trackhouse Racing base in Concord, North Carolina, and in the pit lanes at NASCAR tracks.

The rules of the road don’t apply to NASCAR pit crews — at least not during competition. They can’t, especially when the goal is to perfectly change four tires and fuel the car in fewer than 10 seconds.

You wouldn’t know it from sneaking a look at Bush at pit crew practice — his 5-foot-11 frame, clad in all-black Trackhouse gear paired with a white-and-black striped helmet — but just seven years ago, he was relishing in confetti on the field at Levi’s Stadium after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos.

Whether it’s changing the front tire of a car during a race, or making an open-field tackle, Bush maintains an even-keeled demeanor —a product of years of practice and experience for those moments.

“I think that just comes from experience, just being confident in who you are and putting the work in,” he said. “I had a coach that told me, be humble in your preparations and be confident in your ability. So I just try to prepare. When it comes to that moment, I’m not too high, I’m not too low. I’m just the same guy.”

There are more similarities between football and working on a pit crew than many people would think. Bush’s athletic background helped him to rise through the ranks since his start at Richard Childress Racing, where he was a tire changer for Austin Dillon.

Dillon played a part in convincing Bush to join racing after he retired from the NFL following the 2015 season. It took some time, but after developing a relationship with the driver, Bush joined the Childress team in 2021. He joined Trackhouse in 2022, and became a front tire changer for Daniel Suarez.

Suarez’s team has reaped the benefits of preparation and practice so far this year, recently placing second at the NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta.

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Bush wasn’t an ace in pit lane right away. Most kids grow up wanting to be NASCAR drivers, not tire changers, so getting used to the movements and timing was an adjustment. He was determined to improve. He stayed late and watched film, adjusting the little movements he could in order to make their pit stop time that much better.

It’s more than just a job to Bush — it’s a chance at starting fresh.

“Teams, that’s where I found the best friends in my life,” he said. “Playing on different teams, being a part of an organization. It just gives you some sort of purpose.”

Of the five members of Bush’s pit crew team, four played some level of college or professional football, and one played college basketball. Shaun Peet, a former jackman and one of the Trackhouse pit crew coaches, was a minor league hockey…