Striving for speedTodd Colburn '91
Lead mechanic/jack man for NASCAR car #10
Major: Recreation management
"Is that a corn field?" During his college search process, Todd had two criteria when looking for schools – to play football and stay close to his home in Celina, Ohio. He considered other schools, but easily chose Bluffton. "On a tour of Bluffton’s campus I was in a residence hall and from the window I could see a corn field just like if I were at home. I knew Bluffton was the place for me," says Todd.
Hard Work 101. While at Bluffton, Todd was a defensive end for the Beavers for two years. His experiences on campus and as a student-athlete helped him land a job in the professional sport of NASCAR. "The hardest part of getting a job in NASCAR was just getting my foot in the door. My determination and hard work ethic are what got me in. If it wasn’t for Bluffton, I wouldn’t have what I have now," he says.
Hanging around the shop. Todd met his future wife, Mindy (Peters ’91), at Bluffton. In 1998, Mindy’s job transferred them to North Carolina where Todd started looking for a job. "Just a few miles from our home, Joe Bessey had a shop for his NASCAR team. I started hanging around the shop restocking supplies and helping work with the team members in the training room. After nine months of hanging around the shop, they realized I wasn’t going away so they hired me," he says.
Not a 40-hour work week. According to Fortune magazine, NASCAR is the fastest growing professional sport in America. It also has the longest season—races start in mid-February and run through late November. Todd’s week is never normal and his schedule depends upon where the next race will be held. On Monday of race week, Todd and his team tear down cars from the previous race, clean up the damage, watch films from the last race, practice and workout. By midweek they finish building and preparing the cars for the next week, perform safety checks and load everything into the car haulers that drive it all to the next track. On Sunday, race days, Todd is at the airport between 3 and 5 a.m. to catch a flight to the track, race in the afternoon and fly back home around midnight.
Team work. Todd has worked with some of NASCAR’s legends including A.J. Foyt and Bill Elliott. In 2002, Todd began his "dream job" when he joined Evernham Motorsports and became the lead mechanic and jack man for Elliott in the #9 car. In 2003, Todd’s pit crew won the annual Pit Crew challenge, changing four tires and servicing the #9 car in a record 16.725 seconds. In 2004, Kasey Kahne, the rookie of the year, replaced Elliott in the driver’s seat. This year, Todd and his award-winning pit crew moved to Evernham’s new #10 team with rookie driver Scott Riggs. "Evernham Motorsports wants to give the #10 team a seasoned pit crew to help guide the team through the rookie year," says Todd.
— Robin Bowlus
