Ron Pestana and the Pit Crew is a one of a kind band. A northern California short track truck racing champion and singer/songwriter who teamed up with long time music producer/musician and owner of Bill Bentley Productions, Ron Pestana and Bill Bentley of Concord, California, have blended their passions to produce the hottest racing music known today.

It was 2004 and Ron was in his third season of racing Mini Super Trucks at Altamont Motorsports Park when he met Bill at a Fan Appreciation night. Bill was an avid fan with a dream of driving a race car. He listened with interest as the track announcer talked of Ron's original racing music and his quest for a record deal. Later that night Bill approached Ron with a unique proposal: "I can make you a recording artist if you can make me a race car driver". Realizing they shared the same passions, a partnership was formed. What they couldn’t have known, was the immense impact they would have on each other's lives.

At that time, Ron's primary racing sponsor was Lemans Karting, a state of the art European style indoor go-kart racing facility in Fremont, California. Ron arranged for free unlimited kart racing for Bill and himself in lieu of monetary exchange. This would be Bill's race training ground. At the same time, Bill took Ron into his recording studio and together they began recording Ron's first songs. During those first months, Ron and Bill layed down hundreds of laps together on the karting race course.

Several months into the 2004 racing season their first song, "Short Track Racing", had been completed. They gave the recording to Altamont's track announcer, Australia's Outback Andy, who began playing the song on the speedway sound system during race nights. Reaction to their music was overwhelming! Short track racing music was new to drivers and race fans and the songs uniqueness was due to the fact that it had been written by and from the perspective of a short track racer. This powerful song took the local racing community by storm; it was an immediate hit and a racing anthem was born.

As time went on, Bill displayed natural talent for karting as he progressed quickly in his racing abilities. Ron called friend Greg Rahl, owner of "Spectator Racing", a distinctive racing program at All-American Speedway in Roseville, California. Spectator Racing had evolved from a program Greg had created at Altamont several years earlier called "Corporate American Modifieds". Greg had built a fleet of "arrive and drive" modified race cars that aspiring racers could rent to race. Nowhere in the country was there a program like this; a program that allowed participants to actually race a real race car at race speeds without liability to the driver if they crashed the car. This program had been Ron's initial doorway to his racing dream in 2001. He had participated in 16 races finishing third in the series point standings before moving to the Mini Super Truck Division in 2002. Ron finished the Mini Super Truck 2004 season with seven main event wins, earning fourth in the final point standings.

In the 2005 season, Ron and Bill signed up to race the SRS Modifieds at All-American Speedway on the nights that Ron wasn't running his truck at Altamont. At the same time, they began writing racing music together turning out song after song about their racing experiences . Their music's popularity grew as their songs were being played at more speedways throughout California. Ron and Bill ran three race days in the Spectator Racing cars that year where Bill continued to show great promise as a racer. Ron missed winning the Mini Super Truck Championship at Altamont that year by a mere 12 points, finishing second in the final point standings. .

By the end of the 2005 season, Ron and Bill had recorded a total of eight songs; enough for the release of their first CD. Thanks to Bill's new bride Angelina, who named the band Ron Pestana and the Pit Crew, the CD "Short Track Racing" was ready to be released to the racing community where it became an overnight success. The stage was now set for great things to come for their music and racing partnership.

In 2006 it came together in a blaze of glory. Their songs were a staple at their home track of Altamont Motorsports Park and the announcers had given Ron the nickname of "Rockin' Ron Pestana”. The account of Ron and Bill's racing and rock and roll was known by many. The track obtained NASCAR sanctioning with Ron competing in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series. This was also the year that Ron and Bill began their search for musicians so they could begin to perform live. They soon realized that like the California tracks where their music had become popular, there were hundreds of additional short tracks throughout the country where drivers and fans were craving their one of a kind sound. They offered their music for use on track websites and speedway sound systems at no charge, just an exchange for a link back to Ron and Bill’s website www.pestanaracing.com <http://www.pestanaracing.com/>, where hungry racing music fans could purchase the complete CD or download individual songs for just .98 cents each; 98 was Ron's racing number. Many tracks have taken advantage of Ron and Bill’s ability to customize their songs for individual speedways or racing series.

Near the end of the 2006 racing season, their music had expanded to tracks beyond the boundaries of California. Together they penned "99 Speedway" and gave the song to the Stockton, California track of the same name. The track was closing after 60 years and the song was played during a fireworks display on the famous speedway’s final night of competition.

On September 21, 2006, Ron entered the last race of the season in second place by a mere three points. In one of the most exciting truck races in memory, Ron drove to a second place finish in the main event and captured the 2006 Mini Super Truck Championship. In front of his fans, Ron stood on the roof of his race truck with fists in the air, while their song "Victory Lane" blasted over the track sound system. It was an emotional moment and the culmination of a lifelong dream. Forty years earlier Ron’s late father, John Pestana, had built the legendary speedway, and not since the famous Rolling Stones concert in 1969, had rock and roll music returned to Altamont Speedway with such purpose.

The story really begins here. Ron had his championship and the music was growing in popularity, but what about Bill’s dream? Ron was about to present him with an exciting new idea.

Through Bill’s training over the last several years in the go-karts and modifieds, he was ready for short track NASCAR racing. Ron proposed that for the 2007 season he would share his championship #98 truck ride with him. Altamont changed the name of the division from Mini Super Trucks to Pro-Trucks. Before the 2007 season began, Bill had several very successful test sessions in #98. His big night was fast approaching; Bill’s first NASCAR event.

The anticipation had been excruciating with the first date rained out. Finally, on May 21, 2007, it was Bill’s first professional race at Altamont, driving in the Pro-Truck NASCAR Whelan Weekly Racing Series. He finished third in the main event earning a spot on the podium. It was no longer a dream. Bill was now a race car driver. Ron ran several races that year, but his focus had turned to the promotion of their music and writing and recording songs for their next CD.

In 2008, Ron and Bill are concentrating on the release of their second CD. They have recently added drummer Sean Kelly and have begun performing live at local speedways that sponsor their music. Their recent Canadian sponsorship by the Katana Sportsman Tour in British Columbia and the Alberta Sprint Tour in Alberta has expanded their music's popularity internationally to racing communities in the "Great White North".

Ron and Bill have fulfilled their commitment to one another; Bill is now a race car driver and Ron is a recording artist. The future looks extremely bright for this exciting mix of grass roots short track racers and classic rock and rollers.