Christmas Abbott, CrossFit Trainer, Becomes First Female Working Full-Time In NASCAR Pit Crew

Christmas Abbott will serve on the pit crew for Michael Waltrip Racing at all of their Sprint Cup races this year, making her the first woman to work full-time at this physically demanding NASCAR profession.

Abbott, 31, will soon be making her debut as part of a NASCAR pit crew as a “weekend warrior” with MWR. Although she’ll be traveling with them to all Cup events in her supporting role on the crew, her ultimate goal is to become a tire changer.

Serving on a NASCAR pit crew requires a level of strength, a fact that has long kept women from ascending to over-the-wall pit crew positions. Abbott, at only 5’3, 115 pounds, would not seem to be the exception – but with a squat max of 225 pounds she certainly is. After being scouted by NASCAR exec Ted Bullard, who was determined to find a woman up to the task, Abbot proved that she was. "Christmas is going to transcend NASCAR," Bullard told Yahoo Sports.

Abbott had not been searching for the spotlight when Bullard found her, and remains shy in the face of her newfound fame. "There's a lot of spotlight," she says. "I prefer to be the quiet underdog." Much like female NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, Abbott doesn’t want to be measured by her gender; she wants to be measured by her abilities alone. “I’m here to do whatever my coaches ask of me, and I don’t want any handouts," she told the News & Observer. "I’m ready to work three races a weekend if that’s what it takes to get me where I want to be.”

Since she’s new to the job, it will no doubt take her some time to excel. But for Abbott, who served with the military in Iraq, the challenge is welcome. Her new employers are confident her drive will make her succeed. "As Danica has seen, it takes a lot of work and dedication to get to the top level of her trade. With her Daytona 500 pole, it seems so much of that work has been worth it," said Michael Waltrip. "I believe the same can hold true for Christmas. We expect her to excel or we wouldn't commit the position to her."