The alarm clock screamed at 8 a.m. Wednesday — just four and a half hours after Joe Mooney had finally collapsed into bed. His body ached from the previous night’s 12-hour shift following a marathon race day at Lernerville Speedway. But there was no time to rest.

As crew chief for 26-year-old sprint car star Anthony Macri, Mooney carries more than wrenches and tire pressure gauges — he shoulders dreams, expectations and the relentless pursuit of perfection in one of motorsports’ most demanding circuits.

“It’s a straight-up grind,” Mooney said, thinking back to last Saturday when everything changed at Eldora Speedway in Ohio. “There’s always that saying — you’re only as good as your last race.”

That hot summer night at Eldora was different. Standing in the infield with an elevated view of the track, Mooney — a Lehighton graduate and native — watched Macri’s car charge toward the checkered flag in the Kings Royal, one of sprint car racing’s most prestigious events with a six-figure top prize.

A silhouette of Mooney could be seen from the grandstands, fist-pumping and throwing his arms into the late-night Eldora sky. It meant more than just a win. It symbolized the sacrifice, effort and time he’s poured into his craft.

“It’s really something you only dream of,” he said. “The Kings Royal is once a year, and it’s one of the top two races that anyone in the sprint car industry wants to win. You only dream of having a shot at it.”

Macri earned a massive $200,000 payday for winning the Kings Royal. According to SprintCarRatings, he has now grossed well over $400,000 this season, which includes 54 races, 10 wins and 28 top-five finishes entering Friday.

A red flag briefly interrupted Macri’s path to victory, but he and Mooney used the break to make key adjustments.

“We were really starting to struggle getting off Turn 4, and we kind of had the same scenario on Thursday night,” Mooney said. “I felt like our car looked the same. He (Macri) was kind of saying the same stuff, and the adjustments we made on the open red worked that night. I basically did the same thing — and it all worked out.”

The Grind Never Stops

Macri Motorsports celebrated the win into the early hours of Sunday — but by morning, it was back to business.

“We got back Sunday, and we woke up a little hungover,” Mooney laughed, remembering the eight-hour drive home through the rain. “Monday, we were back in the shop at 9 a.m.”

For Mooney, the work never really stops.

“People only see the cool stuff,” he said. “There are a lot of nights where even if I’m sitting at home on the couch watching a game or something, I’m also on my computer booking hotels for our next trip. Or I might be dealing with a parts vendor in California that’s three hours behind, calling him to get parts shipped out.”

With the Knoxville Nationals looming just two weeks away, the team’s focus quickly shifted from celebration to preparation.

Some wondered how Team Macri would respond after such an emotional high — especially with other key races sandwiched between Eldora and Knoxville.

They didn’t miss a beat. Macri finished fourth in the feature Tuesday at Lernerville, then followed it with a victory Wednesday at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven.

“If there’s a time of year you want to get hot, it’s definitely July through the end of September,” Mooney said. “If you’re going to pick a two- or three-month stretch to be on your game, that would 100% be it.”

New Driver, Familiar Faces, Different Places

Mooney raced locally in eastern Pennsylvania throughout his teens and early 20s, but the path from driver to crew chief was far from easy.

He joined Macri Motorsports at the start of the 2023 season, leaving a high-profile position at Kasey Kahne Racing.

“I think if you work in the sprint car industry — and I’m not saying you can’t make good money — but if you figured out your hourly wage, you’d probably be sick to your stomach,” he said. “But it’s a very rewarding, great job. I love what I do, and I’m very grateful to be here.”

Before KKR, Mooney broke into the sprint car scene with Shark Racing, where he learned the ropes and built lasting connections.

“I probably would’ve told myself 20 years ago that maybe I should have done this 10 years sooner,” he said. “Maybe I wouldn’t have spent all that money and had my bank account at zero all those times from trying to fund my own racing team.”

Mooney’s sprint car journey has taken him across the country with multiple teams — living with fellow crew members, traveling 40,000 miles a year, and spending more time with racing families than his own.

Now, he competes against those same racing families.

“Those are guys I spent the last four or five years with — living in a house with some of ’em, traveling back and forth,” he said. “You see these people more than you see your family.”

The close-knit nature of the sprint car community makes each win even more meaningful — and every loss a little tougher.

Next up for Macri — a Dillsburg native — and Mooney: a homecoming weekend at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg.

“I think he (Macri) has much more mental strength now,” Mooney said. “We have the confidence in each other that when I mess up, he’s got the confidence in me to fix it. Or if he does something wrong, he’s got the confidence to go out there and make up for it.”