‘I’m still competing’: Former NFL player comes home to Darlington as pit crew member

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WMBF) – A former NFL player is returning home to Darlington this weekend and he’s exchanged his football pads for a car jack.

Lamar native Marshall McFadden is making a pit stop at Darlington Raceway for NASCAR’s spring race weekend, serving as a member of the pit crew for Chip Ganassi Racing.

McFadden is known for winning in Darlington County. He helped lead Lamar High School to three state football championships before playing in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams

Following his NFL career, he started working for Chip Ganassi Racing’s pit crew.

“All five guys have to be on the same page, and one thing I’ve learned about football all my life is unity, figuring it out together, a brotherhood, and that really helped my transition to NASCAR because it’s no different than any other professional sport,” McFadden said.

McFadden said he’s looking forward to a busy weekend full of family, barbecue and NASCAR.

He hopes he can take his success from the football field to the race track

“Coming home with a purpose, I’m still competing for three days because I run in all three series. So I do the Truck Series, Xfinity Series and the Cup Series. So I’m going to get out and enjoy friends and family, and then go and compete for those couple days,” McFadden said.

McFadden will serve on driver Hailee Deegan’s pit crew during Friday’s Truck Series race.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will take place at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 8, at 1 p.m., followed by the NASCAR Cup Series on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9 at 3:30 p.m.

Copyright 2021 WMBF. All rights reserved.