Former Ridgeland football standout Mason Harris ready for a new course of action in his athletic career.
When he played football at Ridgeland, Mason Harris was always known for having a quick first step.
His skills and abilities earned him All-State honors as a defensive end and he went on to sign and play four years with the University of South Carolina. After graduating, he played one final year at Kennesaw State before moving to Charlotte, N.C. to be with his girlfriend and to prepare for what he hoped would be a career as a professional athlete.
This summer, after attending a combine and impressing scouts at a three-day minicamp, Harris got the call and next week, he’ll put his name on a five-year contract. Then he’ll strap up his helmet and get to work.
However, it won’t be for football.
As it turned out, Harris’ size, speed and that quick first step of his was exactly what the scouts at Hendrick Motorsports were looking for and the 23-yearold ex-Panther is all set to begin a new athletic career, training to be a member of a NASCAR pit crew.
It was earlier this summer, when Harris said he got a call from a nutritionist at South Carolina. NASCAR had called looking for guys who might be good candidates to one day become pit crew members and Harris’ name was given. He went on to a combine where he said he felt right at home with his football background.
“It was literally just like football,” he explained. “We did the shuttle (run), the bench press, everything you do at an NFL combine, except the 40-yard dash.”
After impressing the folks at the combine, he got an invitation to attend a mini-camp in Concord, N.C. where he was one of about 30 former college and pro athletes who spent three long days trying to learn the intricacies of being on a pit crew. The recruits were divided up into different pit crew positions, such as jackmen, fuel can carriers and tire changers.
“A lot of (NASCAR) teams are looking for athletes,” Harris said. “Like they said, they don’t need mechanics to take off lugnuts. They need someone who can get around a car fast.”
Because of his size and the numbers he posted at the combine, Harris was selected as a tire changer...and immediately discovered that he and virtually everyone else at the camp were way out of their comfort zone.
“No one really knew what they were doing because none of us had really done anything like this before,” he said. “Like one of the guys there told us, you don’t grow up working on a pit crew. But it was exciting, especially do- ing live pit stops.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that hard. I mean, I was thinking ‘how hard could this really be?’ I played college football. Let me tell you, those three days were legit.”
While the title of “tire carrier” may seen innocent enough, Harris said there is way more to the job than the name suggests.
“I grab the old tire, pull it off, put the new one on and take the old one back,” he continued. “Those tires are 60 pounds each. You almost have to hold them
with your fingernails and you have to twist your hands and arms around to slap them on the right way. It was extremely tough, especially being out there in the heat.
“I’m about 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, so I’ve got the size to be a jackman, but my shuttle time was pretty fast at the (combine) so I think that’s why they put me at tire carrier. Those guys that carry those awkward, 100-pound gas cans are about 6foot-6. I can lift those up, but to run around with those things on your shoulders, I’ll just let those big guys handle those.”
Getting ready to start a career in NASCAR is certainly something of a culture shock for Harris, who grew up dreaming of one day playing in the NFL. But when that dream never materialized, Harris said he did a lot of soulsearching in order to come to grips with it.
“It was tough (to give up football), but I don’t blame anyone but myself because I didn’t do what I needed to do to get (to the NFL),” he said candidly. “I have friends that are playing and, obviously, I would love to still be playing because I grew up wanting to play football. But I can be honest with myself and say that in college, I didn’t love it like I thought I would and that’s why I don’t think it’s bothering me now.
“Playing in the NFL was a dream, but I’m not depressed that I didn’t make it. If some things had gone differently, I think I probably could have (played in the NFL). But I’m happy and that’s the main thing.”
Harris said he certainly understands the financial benefits of playing in the league, but he’s also already aware of the physical toll that the game takes on those who play it, especially at its highest level.
“I’m really good friends with (Chattanooga Valley Middle School head) Coach (Bill) Oliver and he told me that if you’re playing football into your 30’s, no matter what you do, you’re going to end up having problems later down the road,” he said. “I played college football for five years and my body hurts now.
“When you get older, you see what really means the most to you. A lot of people chase it and say they love (football), but really they’re seeing those big ol’ dollar signs because you see what some of those guys are making. I’ll be the first to say, that was me. I played with guys that are millionaires now, so why wouldn’t you want to do that? But I realize now that that’s not what’s it’s really about.
“When your 35 (years old) and have headaches every day, you’re not going to be the same person. I know a guy that once told me that he wakes up taking a pill and goes to sleep taking a pill and some of these guys have to start doing this at age 28 or 29. Football is just such a physical sport anyway and when you get to the NFL, it’s 10 times more physical. It’s no joke.”
Harris went to an NFL regional combine and did a pair of pro days. He had a tryout scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons, but got injured before he really had a chance to show the Falcons what he could do.
“I hurt my hamstring before we even got started,” he said. “I never got seriously hurt in college and then I got to an NFL workout and got hurt, so maybe that was a sign telling me that the NFL wasn’t for me.”
However, he says also still feels the emo- tional pull of playing again.
“If an NFL team called me right now and said we’re guaranteeing you a roster spot, yeah, obviously, I would go,” he said. “But I truly don’t think football was in my plans because if it was, I’d have a different feeling about it. I went off my feelings. If I didn’t make it then let’s see how I reacted.
“It kind of bothered me when the draft went by and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was down for a little while, but after a few days went by, I dealt with it. I realized I didn’t have to play ball.”
Shortly thereafter, he got a different type of phone call. One that would change his direction and focus.
“The day we were waiting to see who got picked, we were sitting at the house all day,” he recalled. “We waited and waited and finally at 5:15 p.m., the phone rang. They were talking to me and for a little while, it sounded like I didn’t make it. I was already thinking about getting my resume to- gether. But then they finally said I made it. They only took one guy at each position so I got taken as a tire carrier.”
Harris said that he was excited that he would still get to a chance to compete athletically.
“You can’t imagine the adrenaline rush (being on a pit crew) gives you,” he said. “I played in front of crowds 80,000 to 90,000, even 100,000 fans in the SEC. But there nothing like hearing and feeling that loud car coming down pit road and sliding in front of you and then you get to work. It makes your stomach jump.”
On Sept. 12, Harris will make it official when he puts his name on a five-year contract with arguably the top team in all of NASCAR.
“I still don’t know much about NASCAR yet, but I’m learning and I’ve learned that Hendrick Motorsports is like the New England Patriots of NASCAR,” he said. “There were guys at the mini-camp who have been trying to get on their team because they pay so well and it’s a great company to work for, Plus, they win a lot. They’re one of the big dogs and they also really take care of their employees.”
Harris said he and the rest of the new recruits would be part of a pit crew developmental team and would be working together as much as eight hours a day to learn their craft.
“We’ll be like redshirt freshmen in college,” he said. “We’ll come in every day, work out, watch film and practice. You make a Cup team on your own time and I want to make it as fast as I can. My goal is to make it in under a year. It’s all about how fast you pick everything up and how good you get.”
While Harris says he still has a goal of one day owning and running his own business, he said he is determined to make the most of the second chance he’s being given.
“This is something I never thought I’d be doing,” he said. “But I’ve made a promise to myself. I didn’t do what I needed to do in football, but I am going to work my butt off in NASCAR and I’m going to try and be the best pit crew member I can be, not just for my team, but for myself.
“I’ve got my confidence. I’m going to learn my job and get it down, but I want to learn how to do every job so I can stay in this as long as I can. I’m not going to let another opportunity go by.”