Andy Papathanassiou
Encyclopedia
Andy Papathanassiou was the first person hired as a pit crew coordinator when he was hired as a member of NASCAR
's Hendrick Motorsports
team in 1992.
Papathanassiou grew up in Emerson, New Jersey
. He is the son of Greek
immigrants who favored education over sports. He attended Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
, where he played on the football team, leading it to a perfect season in 1984. He played college football at Stanford University
. He graduated with a bachelor's degree
in Economics, and a master's degree
in Organizational Behavior from Stanford.
After college, he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1992 as the team's pit crew coordinator. Papathanassiou had the pit crew members practice frequently and undergo strength training
. Under his guidance, Jeff Gordon
's 1995 pit crew frequently had the fastest pit stops, which contributed towards the team's championship. Other teams took notice, and by the late 1990s most teams had adopted Papathanassiou's methods. Teams now employ many college athletes, and pit stop times have decreased from 18 or 19 seconds in the early 1990s to 13 seconds today.
Teams now regularly hire former football and hockey players, who undergo rigorous training aimed at reducing pit stop time to a minimum. Team members will exercise, lift weights and use techniques to improve coordination under the guidance of strength and conditioning trainers, with coaches providing guidance based on videos taken of each pit stop. Pit crew members can earn as much as $100,000.
Papathanassiou remains with Hendrick Motorsports, and now serves as Executive Director of the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA), a position he has held since April 2006. Papathanassiou regularly gives motivational speeches
about the techniques he has developed and how they can be applied.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
's Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
team in 1992.
Papathanassiou grew up in Emerson, New Jersey
Emerson, New Jersey
Emerson is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,401....
. He is the son of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
immigrants who favored education over sports. He attended Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
Emerson Jr./Sr. High School (Emerson, New Jersey)
Emerson Junior-Senior High School is a six-year public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Emerson, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Emerson School District...
, where he played on the football team, leading it to a perfect season in 1984. He played college football at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He graduated with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Economics, and a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Organizational Behavior from Stanford.
After college, he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1992 as the team's pit crew coordinator. Papathanassiou had the pit crew members practice frequently and undergo strength training
Strength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...
. Under his guidance, Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
's 1995 pit crew frequently had the fastest pit stops, which contributed towards the team's championship. Other teams took notice, and by the late 1990s most teams had adopted Papathanassiou's methods. Teams now employ many college athletes, and pit stop times have decreased from 18 or 19 seconds in the early 1990s to 13 seconds today.
Teams now regularly hire former football and hockey players, who undergo rigorous training aimed at reducing pit stop time to a minimum. Team members will exercise, lift weights and use techniques to improve coordination under the guidance of strength and conditioning trainers, with coaches providing guidance based on videos taken of each pit stop. Pit crew members can earn as much as $100,000.
Papathanassiou remains with Hendrick Motorsports, and now serves as Executive Director of the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA), a position he has held since April 2006. Papathanassiou regularly gives motivational speeches
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
about the techniques he has developed and how they can be applied.