DARLINGTON, S.C. — On a Throwback Weekend in the Pee Dee coinciding with NASCAR’s 75th anniversary celebration, the Goodyear 400 provided plenty of drama with William Byron taking the checkered flag early Sunday evening for his first Cup series win at the Darlington Raceway.
A member of the Byron’s pit crew spent five years in college working on his craft as an offensive lineman.
Landon Walker, the gas man for the #24 team, was a four-year starter for Clemson after redshirting in 2007.
A senior captain on the Tigers’ ACC Championship Team in 2011, Landon has been working in NASCAR for a decade. He is in his fifth season working on Byron’s team and as one of the crew members who goes over the wall during pit stops, Landon works in tandem with his colleagues to make sure the #24 Chevrolet gets on and off pit road as quickly as possible.
A native of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Landon certainly has an appreciation for winning at Darlington for a reason beyond the track’s history in NASCAR Landon figures more than a few fans who were in the stands Sunday wear orange on Saturdays in the fall. Those same fans may have seen Landon and his offensive linemen play at a high level during his days at Clemson. They can now watch Landon and his pit crew colleagues execute their jobs at a high level for 38 weekends out of the year.