When a former diesel mechanic drives a transporter for a NASCAR team, you just know he's going to mess around with the engine. And that's exactly what Jeff Craven, who drives the transporter for Jeff Gordon's No. 24 car, did with his brand-new Mack.

"I did some work on it," says a smiling Craven, 40, of High Point, N.C. "Now it will run a little faster and pull a little better."

Sounds like a good description of No. 24, too. Gordon won his fourth championship last year, and Craven and the whole crew got to spend a week at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York for the awards banquet. "That was a wild trip," says Craven. "When you get all the NASCAR drivers and crews in one hotel, things are bound to happen. All those guys have different personalities.

"Michael Waltrip is the biggest cut-up, but Sterling Marlin and Bobby Hamilton are pretty close. Gordon tries to stay calm, but it doesn't always work. He sat at the number-one table, and in his acceptance speech, he calmed down long enough to say some really moving things about Dale Earnhardt. Everybody got quiet for a while after that."

Quiet doesn't last long on the NASCAR circuit, where the off-season is testing time. But Craven did get enough time off to take his wife to Cancûn. Then it was back to work, with February in Daytona looming large.

For millions of race fans, being one of the handful of transporter drivers seems like a dream come true. People get the jobs in different ways ? for Craven, it started with wrench-spinning.

A former furniture hauler, Craven went to diesel school, then worked at Ryder Truck Rental in High Point for 12 years. "But I always wanted to get into NASCAR," he says. "For three or four years I sent out résumés, but it just never happened.

"I've got a friend, Bob Best, who worked for Mac Tools, a sponsor on all the Winston cup and Busch cars. He happened to be talking to Robbie Loomis, who was then with Petty Enterprises. Best mentioned me to Loomis, and I was hired."

Craven worked for Petty for eight years, starting as a mechanic, tearing down the cars. Later, Loomis wanted someone who could work on the cars and drive a truck, too, and Craven moved up.

"Then Robbie left Petty Enterprises and went over to Hendrick Motorsports. When Ray Evernham [then Gordon's crew chief] left, Robbie became Gordon's crew chief. Again, Robbie was looking for a race mechanic who could drive the truck. Larry 'Chicken' Morris, an older gentleman who had been driving Gordon's transporter (see Road King March/April 1998) was getting tired of going all the time.

"At a race, I got into a conversation with Robbie. I'd heard he was looking for a driver. He said yes, and here I am. I joined Hendrick about two weeks before Christmas last year," Craven says.

If you've ever wondered what NASCAR truck drivers do when they get to the track, Craven says ? they do a lot.

"Thursday is usually the travel day, or earlier if the race is out west. The guys in the shop are good about getting me out on time. For instance, at Homestead I was there by 3 p.m. on Thursday and didn't have to go through the infield gate until 5 a.m. Friday.

"Dean Mozingo hauls Terry Labonte's No. 5 car. We're like brothers, we always run together, room together, work out together. On the road, everybody has to have a handle. He calls me 'Red Rooster' and I call him 'Squirrel.' Usually I drive alone, but another driver is with me on the really long hauls."

After the transporters arrive, an official lines them up by points from last year. The defending champion's truck goes in first. Gordon's eight crew members arrive earlier in a 19-passenger private plane.

"When Jeff Gordon shows up, first thing he does is go say hello to everybody on the crew. He's just one of the guys. Everybody is comfortable around him; we're all close. His wife is always with him.

"We're all into radio-controlled model cars. On Jeff's birthday, when we were at Indianapolis, we gave him one. Jeff is always ready to play, especially if we are at a test track where we have some time. He's also into water sports, skiing and boating." In the evenings, the Gordons and the crew go to dinner together. "We're all just like a family," Craven says.

Transporter drivers often do double-duty on the race team, and Craven is no exception. "During the race, I'm the gas man. Those gas cans weigh about 75 pounds, and we have to keep in shape, eat right and do well," says the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Craven.

"On a four-tire-change stop, dumping in two cans of gas takes less time than changing tires, so I'm also in charge of changing the left side wedge. I stick in the first can and the man with the catch can will hold it while it's emptying. That frees me up so I can go to the left jack screw and change the wedge. That's when it can get tricky.

"Then I'll go back and put in the second can. Crew chief Robbie Loomis has already told us all what needs changing before the car comes in. I could probably put in two cans in 12 seconds," Craven says.

"The jack man is key. He starts the whole deal. If any man messes up, the whole team has messed up," he says. "When the race is over, my job is reloading the truck. Everybody knows what needs to be done ? everything has its place."

Back home in North Carolina, Craven leaves the rig at the shop and relaxes until time to start the next run. "On Tuesday morning, I go to the shop and work out. We have a trainer, Greg Miller, and a full gym with exercise machines and free weights. Every day, we work out."

The pit crew also practices its moves two or three times a week, preparing for each race as thoroughly as any other pro sports team. "The practices and the racing pit stops are videotaped. We review the tape of Sunday's race. Greg Miller is not cold-hearted. If the tape looks good, he'll say, 'Great race, guys.' If we had problems, he'll point out what we need to correct and we work on it.

"After Tuesday's workout, I wash my tractor-trailer myself, clean out the trailer and restock oils, fluids, drink coolers and car parts for the next race," Craven says.

"I load up and switch out the motors, transmissions and gears, depending on what track we're going to next. On Wednesday, we do it all again ? the workout, pit practice and getting ready for the next race."

Back on the road again, the CB is rarely quiet. "I enjoy talking to folks. The fans gave us our jobs, they're what this is all about. There are a few people who don't much care for Gordon. People like to see the underdog win, or their favorite driver win. If everybody pulled for Gordon, it would be a dull sport.

"Gordon won the championship last year, so they're going to talk bad about any driver who's winning the most. Some had some negative things to say about Dale Earnhardt, too, but that's just part of the sport.

"I first met Gordon when I was with Petty. He's the nicest guy you'll ever meet," says Craven. "He'll come back to the garage and admit that some other driver got him upset, but I've never seen him blow up.

"Sometimes, when a car is holding him up, he'll call in and ask if that car is racing for position. If not, he'll ask his spotter to go talk the other car's spotter and see if he'll let him by, but he's always calm about it.

"That time last year when Tony Stewart ran into him on purpose in the pits after the race was over, Jeff Gordon never had a bad thing to say about Tony. But he's just like anybody else, he can get upset now and then."

Right now, Jeff Craven thinks he's got about the best job in the world. He likes what he's doing and the people who work with him. He and Angie have a son, Austin, who's 17 and working for Bill Davis Racing. "My whole family loves the sport," says Craven. "You've got to, if you're going to be in this sport."