A Perfect Poker Pit Stop
For any NASCAR fan, introductions aren't necessary when it comes to driver Ryan Newman and his number 12 car with Alltel racing. He and crew chief Matt Borland followed up their two victories and seventh-place finish in the Nextel Cup standings in 2004 with a sixth-place finish in 2005 highlighted by eight pole positions and eight top-five finishes. But sneak a peek inside their garage, their pit, or even their hotel room and you'll find one more distinction. You'll more than likely find the most poker-crazed team in all of NASCAR. They're still trying to figure out how to covert that into extra points in the NASCAR standing.
"I think we're the ultimate. We play poker more than anybody else. My crew plays whenever they get a chance," says Newman, whose number 12 car started strong in 2006 with a respectable four top-10 finishes but no victories. "Sometimes during rain delays, we'll get the cards and chips out and sit around and play for some bragging rights." For a group as hyper-competitive as Team Alltel, those games can get pretty intense. And God save you should their buddies from the Petty Racing team come by to join in. You'll be caught in the middle of some serious competition. As with everything else with Team Alltel, that passion comes from crew chief Matt Borland. A lifelong poker nut that has led the Alltel Racing team to 76 top-10 finishes in 152 career Cup starts, he's definitely the go-to poker guy on this team. "We've played pretty much every week. It gets you more time spent together away from the grind of racing," he says.
As much as poker helps the time pass between laps, there's no denying the effects of playing poker on team camaraderie. For a 15-person crew that includes mechanics, front and rear tire changers, shock specialists, and engine tuners, teamwork is key to climbing the Nextel Cup standings. For Alltel Racing, poker helps brings most of these guys together. "You can learn a lot about each other playing poker. The bragging rights are probably more important than anything," says Newman. "Just spending time together makes it a lot easier to work together."
And when it comes to "spending time together," Alltel Racing doesn't mess around. While pit, airplane, and hotel games have become commonplace, the team has even invested in a set of PSP handheld gaming units so they can play together wirelessly. Then again, with a team sponsor like Alltel, the home of America's largest mobile network, they might as well play poker wirelessly too.
But Alltel Racing wouldn't be NASCAR's ultimate gang of poker junkies if they just sat around playing on their PSPs. Borland and rear tire changer Trent Cherry have even started competing in big-time tournaments. Both entered the Mid-American Classic in Tunica, Mississippi, last year, finishing strongly, and have competed in a few other tournaments since. The only problem for Borland and Cherry has been finding time to compete. "We're always looking at seeing if there's a tournament that's near where we're racing," says Borland.
But even if there isn't a tournament within earshot, Alltel Racing's team hasn't had any trouble putting together a good-sized game. Their friendly rivalry with the boys over at Petty certainly helps with that. Apparently it isn't enough to compete in the Nextel Cup standings (Petty's Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty finished 24th and 27th in 2005 respectively).
Whether in their hotel rooms or at the track Alltel and Team Petty constantly find ways to meet up and play a few hands. It's all just an extension of both teams competitive spirit.
"They're (Petty) probably the other big group that plays a lot. We usually have a few tournaments and those guys will hear about it and come over to the hotel we're staying at," says Borland.
But being the driver for the country's largest mobile network has benefits other than hosting NASCAR's most intense pit games. "Oh, yeah, we get cell phones and wireless cards," says Newman. "I can basically get Internet wherever I want." Perfect for online poker.