Fort Worth, Texas ? Gina Tomaseski struggled to raise the truck with a jack, ending up being lifted in the air. Sue Webb had treadmarks on her arms from lugging around a 50-pound tire.

Tomaseski, Webb and five other women were learning how to change the tires on a racing truck as NASCAR’s first all-female pit crew.

The women will go over the wall at a Craftsman Truck Series race next weekend at Texas, the first time an all-female crew will work at a NASCAR event. They will change tires and add gas to the No. 49 Team Texas Chevrolet driven by Shawna Robinson.

“We want it to be a gimmick and marketable, and we want it to be a serious sport for us. We want it to be everything,” Tomaseski said. “Our main focus is that we do good pit times. It can be a gimmicky thing for about a month, and if we’re not good, it’s going to die.”

Texas Motor Speedway general manager Eddie Gossage readily admits it’s a publicity stunt.

“But it has no value unless they perform competitive pit stops and Shawna performs well,” he added.

One of Gossage’s staff members came up with the idea last fall, even before golfer Annika Sorenstam got an invitation to play against the men earlier this month at the Colonial, also in Fort Worth.

A marketing agency was hired to find crew members, searching mostly in health clubs for competitive women in great shape. There were 20 candidates who came for tryouts.

The Aaron's dream team pit crew, the first all-female team to compete in a NASCAR series, performs a pit stop. The team will compete in three NASCAR Truck Series races. The women worked Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.

The seven chosen range in age from 21 to 39. Among them are a business manager, an information analyst, a college student, an online talent database owner and three who are in the fitness industry.

“Their main concern is to get publicity and marketing, but we want to be able to be efficient and be able to do it,” said Webb, a personal trainer. “Because we don’t want it to be a big joke.”

Once the crew was chosen, truck owner Mike Starr had to match them with the jobs of jackman, gasman, catch can, front tire changer, front tire carrier, rear tire changer and rear tire carrier. They’ve been together for about two months.

The toughest job is the jackman who lifts the truck during stops. Tomaseski, who at 130 pounds weighs almost half the average man who usually does the job, now gets the truck — and not herself — in the air.

“It takes everything I’ve got, but it’s technique and confidence,” said Tomaseski, a fitness pro and physical therapist. “We don’t want them to treat us like frail little girls that can’t handle it.”

Starr will have four men in uniform ready in case body repairs are needed, or if there are problems beyond regular tire changes and fuel.