Krieg Poland

Lead Mechanic

Lead Mechanic Krieg Poland joined Nine Racing in 2000, and worked closely with Team Manager Kelly Drake when he first started. Now, he builds the cars from the ground up, fixes crashed cars, and after races strips the cars down and inspects them from top to bottom. When something's broken, he orders parts and ensures that the car is in tip-top condition. Additionally, if, say, the team is going from pavement to dirt, he prepares the dirt cars. He is often stationed at the shop, holding down the fort, receiving inventory and putting forth great effort to ensure that the cars are ready as scheduled.

Krieg finds that the best part about his job is building the car from the ground up. His hard work and efforts are evidenced by the five-in-a-row USAC National Championship wins beginning the year he joined up with Nine Racing, beginning with Kasey Kahne in 2000, Dave Darland in 2001 and 2002, JJ Yeley in 2003, and Bobby East in 2004. Clutching the National Midget Championships was memorable for Krieg and the entire crew.

Krieg has been involved in racing since he was five years old, going to Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his grandfather Rex Hallam, a security guard for 31 years. He spent a lot of time with his grandpa while growing up. Krieg ran TQ midgets, and has been involved with several other forms of racing, from drag racing to modifieds to sprint cars. Growing up in Indiana, he has always loved racing. Having attended the same school as Jeff Gordon, who graduated two years before him, Krieg looked to Gordon as a role model, following his career over the years.

Krieg favors his hometown track O'Reilly Raceway Park, formerly IRP, as well as Phoenix International Raceway, and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. In his mind, the three tracks have some of the tightest competition around, the fans are always packed in, and they provide a nice atmosphere.