The move to the Gen 7 car in 2022 created a major change for Joe Gibbs Racing. The team had to alter its pit crew lineups and field separate groups for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program and the Cup Series program.
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Yet, one pit crew member has found a way to work across multiple series while holding three different roles at times. Will Cooper has become the do-it-all weapon for the championship-winning organization.
"So I played at Alabama under Coach (Nick) Saban," Cooper, a former linebacker, told FanBuzz at Talladega Superspeedway. "He always talks about creating value for yourself. So for some reason, it just hit me, like, the more I know, the more valuable I am.
"And so I started out gassing, and then I went to jacking, and then I filled in carrying some, and then I went back to jacking. And so, it was...I was never doing just one job."
This approach to building versatility has paid off for the former Alabama football player, who has been a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing development program since his racing career began and has won a championship with Ty Gibbs.
He now pulls triple duty during the packed weekends, something he will do as NASCAR heads to Dover Motor Speedway for the All-Star weekend.
He serves as a jackman for the No. 17 of Tricon Garage in the Craftsman Truck Series and as a jackman for the No. 18 of Joe Gibbs Racing in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
He is part of a veteran pit crew that works in both series while supporting Gio Ruggiero and William Sawalich. This group also includes tire carrier Greg Powell, fueler Shawn Hawkins, front changer Anthony O'Brien, and rear changer Dwayne Ogles.
Unlike other members of this group, however, Cooper also works during Cup Series races. He is the tire carrier for the No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing after taking over this role in February.
The No. 20 @JoeGibbsRacing pit crew of @CBellRacing has just completed the fastest four tire change of the year.
Front Changer: Blake Houston
Rear Changer: Mike Hicks
Jack: Derrell Edwards
Carrier: Will Cooper
Fueler: Peyton MooreI rated them as top JGR crew for @br_racing. pic.twitter.com/4eLdpkfyrO
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) March 1, 2026
He works on the crew that focuses solely on helping Christopher Bell gain spots on pit road. This seasoned crew includes rear changer Michael Hicks, front changer Blake Houston, jackman Derrell Edwards, and fueler Peyton Moore.
Different analysts have different metrics for tracking the top pit crews in each NASCAR series. Joe Gibbs Racing, understandably, keeps its methodology as a closely-guarded secret.
However, Vasser Sullivan Racing pit crew member/motorsports journalist Bozi Tatarevic ranks every crew in every series each week of the season. Based on Tatarevic's expertise, Cooper works on the top crew in the Cup Series, a top-two crew in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and a top-three crew in the Truck Series.
This success has not been the result of luck. He has been guided by multiple veterans of NASCAR, including 23XI Racing tire carrier Joe Crossen, JGR jackman David O'Dell, and former 23XI Racing tire carrier Brad Donaghy.
Although Joe Gibbs Racing sees another reason for the success.
"Will's a consummate pro, man," said Chris Burkey, JGR's athletic director and pit coach. "Athough he is very athletic, he is a competitor. He works hard every single day, almost too hard. We have to kinda keep him down. That's a testament to what he can do, both in the Cup Series and the O'Reilly Series and the Truck Series.
"He jacks in the Truck and O'Reilly Series, but he carries for me on the Cup side. So that shows his versatility and his willingness to do both, right, and stay at a high level with both. So for us, we have to find that fine line with not over-training him too much."
For Burkey, avoiding over-training is mostly about keeping Cooper healthy. He takes part in pit practice, film study, and weight training sessions as part of his weekly schedule. JGR just wants to ensure that he's not putting undue stress on his back or knees.
Avoiding over-training is made easier by Cooper having previous Cup experience. He had spent some time on the No. 54 team, doing stops for Ty Gibbs. He knew the differences between the various Toyota vehicles and how to approach each one while carrying tires or a jack.
He just needed to adapt to a group on the No. 20 team that has been together for a long time, and he had to quickly build chemistry with each member.
It wasn't the personalities that had to mesh; Cooper has spent his entire NASCAR career at Joe Gibbs Racing, so he had existing relationships with the No. 20 team. He had to focus on a different type of chemistry early in the season.
Every pit athlete moves differently, especially when adding in the differences between the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series wheels and the Cup Series wheels.
"I felt like the five-lug stops are faster (than one-lug) because now I'm counting changers' pattern," Cooper said. "I'm counting how many lug nuts they hit. The pegs are in different spots. The tires are different. You have to hang the tires differently.
"So for me, it was the five-lug that seemed faster because of all the thinking I had to do throughout the stop with it being a different choreography."
As Burkey explained, Cooper had an advantage as he went from the No. 54 team to the No. 20 team. He was already technically sound in the way that he moved around the car and fitted each tire in place.
This removed the need for major adjustments during the fine-tuning process, which included re-watching each stop during each race. Although Cooper said that it took until Atlanta in February for him to fully know that he would fit in well with the No. 20 team.
Burkey, on the other hand, did not need any convincing.
"I always knew Will was going to be a top-tier carrier in the Cup Series," Burkey said. "I really was (confident). What he can do fundamentally, with his technique, I can put him in it with anybody.
"He can really play with a lot of different people, because he is so technically sound. And how he puts a tire on, his spacing, there's just a lot that goes into it. And then you have Mike Hicks on the back of the car...they just mesh really well."
The results of the preseason pit crew change are evident. The No. 20 team has been the best in the Cup Series all season long, even when doing backwards pit stops at Watkins Glen International. This crew had the fastest stop during the road course race after swapping the rear and front changers.
It has avoided mistakes, and it has shown blistering speed. This team even set a record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March when it completed the first sub-eight-second pit stop in NASCAR history.
A new record was set by the No. 20 JGR pit crew at Las Vegas as they completed the first 7 second pit stop in NASCAR history.
They clocked a 7.98 second four tire change and set a new standard for Cup pit crews. pic.twitter.com/Ug3xjRkokB
— B/R Racing (@br_racing) March 16, 2026
The members of the crew just didn't know this fact until they went back and watched the film.
"We thought that we could break the eight-second mark this year — I wasn't quite sure who would do that — but I thought that we could do that 7.98, 7.99," Burkey said about Las Vegas.
"But it's a testament to the guys about how well they practice and their awareness and their accountability each and every day, and making sure that their techniques are awesome and everything.
"And the driver (Bell) is a big part of that, too. When he comes in, he hits his mark, our guys can attack the right side. So it's a team effort, but it's gratifying for me to show what we've done throughout the year, up to this point, and just the hard work we put in."
This crew has been the best in the Cup Series, while the No. 17 Tricon Garage crew and the No. 18 JGR crew have pushed for the titles in their respective series. It remains entirely possible that Cooper could be part of a historic season by helping three different crews be top three in their series.
Obviously, a significant amount of time remains in the season for Cooper and these pit crews. The Cup Series teams have 24 races remaining. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series teams have 20 races remaining. The Craftsman Truck Series teams have 17 races remaining.
It's far too early for Cooper to focus on what he could potentially achieve. Honestly, it could be a bit distracting at this point of the season.
He would love to have all three crews lead the rankings in their respective series, especially with how much pit stops factor into race wins. But he can't afford to think about end-of-season rankings.
He has to focus on his drivers and helping them compete for wins, and potentially, championships.
"That's the reason I got into this," Cooper said with a smile. "I love to compete. So yeah, I don't know. I guess to me, that's my job, that's why they hired me. To be good, to be the best.
"So I think it'd be a cool accomplishment, but, yeah, I don't know. My goal is just to go out and do my job every stop, and the rest should take care of itself."
