The former NFL linebacker who found new home in NASCAR

What do you do when you retire from the NFL but still need to keep your competitive motor running?

If you're Marshall McFadden, you go and work in one of the other most high-pressure and physically demanding sports in America.

The former professional linebacker, who had spells with the Steelers, Raiders and Rams after going undrafted in the 2011 draft class, has forged a post-playing career as a pit crew member in NASCAR.

McFadden currently works on the pit crew of AJ Allmendinger's No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing (not, despite some reports, Ross Chastain's Coca-Cola 600-winning crew – McFadden is listed in NASCAR paperwork as being part of Allmendinger's crew that weekend) after entering the sport with Chip Ganassi Racing, later bought out by Trackhouse.

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Nevertheless, McFadden has been involved in some impressive wins in his career, including the 2021 Daytona 500 as part of Michael McDowell's crew and the 2023 Bank of America ROVAL 400 with Allmendinger.

McFadden revealed some years ago that he had no interest in NASCAR until he got a call from friend and then-pit crew member Curtis Walls.

"He (Walls) asked if I had ever considered the sport, working as a member of the pit crew,: he told South Carolina newspaper The Times And Democrat, "and then he invited me to come to a practice for the Chip Ganassi Racing team. I was just moved by how it all worked.

“I was impressed by their ability to work together (in practice), their attitudes and their inviting personalities.”

He spent more than a month attending practices to observe and volunteer before finally being invited to train with the team, being asked to gas up the car. He admitted: “I’m not going to say that it was the best. Actually, it was below average, but coach was impressed with me. Coach [Peet] gave me that first opportunity because he liked my work ethic.”

McFadden has not worked as a fueler for some time now, settling into a spot as a jackman, where he's carved out a successful career – even though despite growing up just minutes from Darlington Raceway, he never cared enough about NASCAR at the time to ever attend The Track Too Tough to Tame.

He admitted: “I’m from Lamar and I lived less than five minutes away from the track. But I had never been to a race. That shows how much interest I had in the sport.”

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