TUCSON, Arizona — It's hours before the green flag drops, and John Gianninoto, the gas man for the No. 9 car in NASCAR, is preparing for the Shiner's Children 500.
He's going over 12-gallon as cans which wasn't part of the football playbook when he was a lineman at Catalina Foothills High School.
"It definitely never really crossed my mind when I was growing up in the Foothills," said Gianninoto.
Gianninoto was good enough to play football in college, and he became the starting center for UNLV.
"I like to say we laid the foundation for the success we have now."
After playing at UNLV, Gianninoto had a tryout with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, but he did not make the team. His athletic career was at a crossroads.
"Sometimes, you got to look in the mirror and realize this isn't the right path for me. I came to that realization and found NASCAR."
A developmental coach at Hendrick Motorsports, which owns the No. 9 car, had noticed his athleticism. That was 13 years ago. The job is more than physical.
"You have to be mentally strong," added Gianninoto.
During the race, Gianninoto and his crew member teammates wait for the all-important pit stop, which usually takes around fourteen seconds.
"The saying is in football that if you miss a play, you have to go back and do it right. If you miss a pit stop, there are still more pit stops where you can make an impact."
"Once the stop is done, I'm thinking about the next one. Just always keep thinking about what's next, and what I can do for the best of my abilities to help this team win."
Then, in 2020, Gianninoto and his teammates became champions, when Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series Title one hundred years from where he grew up.
"It was everything. After the race, I got to see my family. And, I was so excited that we won the thing. We worked so hard for it."
From the Foothills to NASCAR's banked tracks, John Gianninoto found his calling as the fueler on the No. 9 team.
"I knew I wanted to do something sports related to it all kind of ending up working out."
