CHARLOTTE, NC — The Architectural Woodwork Institute's annual meeting kicked off to a fast start with woodworkers racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Twenty  teams of eight participated at the NASCAR track as pit crews and ride alongs with a driver. The cars drove five laps at 140 mph.Team SCM, with John Park as crew chief, won the event.

WoodworkingNetwork's Publisher Laurel Didier was among those racing. According to Didier, the toughest and most critical part of the tram assignments was getting in and out of the cars through a small window. Once in the car the rider had to be buckled in with a five-lock seatbelt. "Speed was essential during pit stops for the teams to gain position," she said. "It was really fun."