Racing has always been about family and how members of NASCAR are a fraternity that help each other. This sentiment will ring true for Joe Lax as he becomes the Crew Chief for Jeffrey Earnhardt and the #1 Fuel Doctor Chevy in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during 2011.
When Lax had dreams of NASCAR glory, he left home with a mere one hundred dollars in his pocket and the desire to succeed. Upon his arrival in the Mooresville area he was introduced to Dale Earnhardt and the two hit it off instantly.
Earnhardt provided a place on his ranch for the youngster to live and to follow his dreams rent free so he can focus on racing. Within weeks, Lax was hired by Donlavey Racing as a shop fabricator via a reference from the “Man in Black”.
The break from Dale was all that Lax needed. He continued to gain knowledge and confidence over the years as he worked for such organizations as Billy Hagan Racing, Don Beverly Racing, A.G. Dillard Motorsports , Clement Racing and Joe Bessey Motorsports before finding a home at Bill Davis Racing in 2000.
Career highlights include a Southern 500 win as well as a Daytona 500 victory with Ward Burton in 2002. Lax then moved on to Hendrick Motorsports Nationwide program and eventually to Tommy Baldwin Racing before taking over the crew chief duties for Mike Skinner in 2008.
The Lax-Earnhardt journey came full circle in December 2010 when Rick Ware Racing reached out to have Lax join the team as Jeffreys crew chief for the #1 Fuel Doctor Chevy.
When asked about his new position Lax commented, “I am very excited about accepting the crew chief position at RWR with Jeffery and Fuel Doctor. I look forward to getting to know and work with Jeffrey. I am sure that with the Earnhardt lineage the talent and desire is already in him. Knowing what I do about his grandfather’s competitive spirit I am sure we will all enjoy the show.”
Two generations of Earnhardt later, the attraction to Joe Lax remained strong; “I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about having Joe Lax on board with the #1 Fuel Doctor truck. Joe has obviously been a long time veteran of this sport, so his experience will be a great addition to our team. I am also looking forward to hearing some of the stories he can share with me about my grandpa, and how it came to be that he lived on his ranch for a year when I was just born” said Earnhardt.
When the green flag drops on February 18th, 2011 at the NextEra Energy Resources 250 (live 7:30pm EST on SPEED TV) the next chapter will begin in the Earnhardt-Lax story.
For more information visit www.wareracing.com or you can also follow the team on Twitter at @rickwareracing
