For the second straight year, Daytona 500 had a Tampa connection

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Some local drivers are getting ready for the Daytona 500. They’re not race car drivers. They’re tow truck drivers. 

"You have to have the passion," says Todd Riley. "You wake up when it’s race day, and you feel it." 

Riley is the Race Team Operations manager for Stepp’s Towing, based in Tampa. Stepp’s is the first towing company to provide towing for all NASCAR races. They’ll begin their second season at Sunday’s Daytona 500.

 "This is the spreader bar we use to tow the cars," says Riley. The heavy, yellow bar was developed by BA Industries in consultation with NASCAR and Stepp’s. They began using it last season so that cars could be lifted by strapping the spokes of the wheels. It reduces the possibility of more damage to cars that are being towed, but like everything else in this sport, it’s fast. 

 "It allows us to pick it up and go," says Riley. At Daytona Stepp’s will have 10 trucks, 7 wreckers and 3 rollbacks. They’ll be placed strategically around the track ready to roll. Drivers wear radio  headsets. 

 "The driver is listening to the tower," says Riley. "All his instructions come from the NASCAR tower."

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They have to be ready for what Riley calls "The Big One." That’s when 15 or 20 cars get involved in a huge wreck. 

"We’re going to need every piece of equipment because we have to clear it quick," says Riley. 

Stepp’s is one of the largest privately owned towing companies in the country. Todd Stepp runs the company that his late father, Jim Stepp, started in 1960 near Tampa with one tow truck. 

Todd remembers his father taking him to local racing events when he was a boy. He says his father would be proud that Stepp’s now tows at NASCAR events nationwide. 

"Each week we’re training before the race," says Todd. "Each track is a little different. The meetings we have with NASCAR, they say we keep getting better and better."

The tow trucks are similar to some that Stepp’s uses on the street. The booms are modified by adding an extension to accommodate the special spreader bar. The Stepp’s NASCAR wreckers are also equipped with push bumpers, which aren’t used on the streets. Riley says his team of tow truck drivers is ready for Sunday. "They have to be really fast and attentive with heads on a swivel. Situational awareness is the key," he says. 

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Riley says even under the caution flag, the race cars can be traveling as fast as 70 mph. He says if tow trucks are dispatched to the top of the track, the race car drivers are directed to the bottom. He says NASCAR has it down to a science. 

After the Daytona 500 Sunday, the Stepp’s Race Team will load their wreckers on semi’s and make the 2,400-mile trip to Fontana in California. It’s a long season. 

"We’ll travel 37 thousand miles next year," says Riley. "It’s fun, and I thank Todd Stepp every day for letting me do it," he laughs.