Kyle Petty - Kyle Petty Charity Ride

The camp is an amazing facility which offers a much needed and medically-sound year round camping experience to children with chronic and terminal illnesses. This is a place where these children can, as much as possible, forget what illnesses plague their daily lives, and can just have fun. Laughter is, after all, an amazing medicine, and these kids need to and do laugh, laugh, laugh.

During the charity ride, the participates will greet fans and supporters at stops in North Las Vegas, Nevada, Richfield, Utah, Durango, Colorado, Amarillo, Texas, Texarkana, Texas, Choctaw, Mississippi, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Asheville, N.C. where fans and supporters who have held various charity events to raise fund for Victory Junction will have the opportunity to meet and present the Pettys with their donations.

Operating solely on donations, Victory Junction Camp has now brought laughter and fun to the lives of more than 7000 chronically ill children ages 6 to 16 free of charge. Last year ground was broken for a new facility in Kansas City, Kansas. This year’s success in raising funds is particularly important, because the economy has affected everyone and more and more children are deserving of the Camp’s services now more than ever!

I spoke with Kyle last week about the upcoming ride. The excitement in his voice was so evident. “It’s time to ride again,” he began laughingly. Speaking about, hopefully better weather than the last month nationwide, “We’ll probably get a springtime that’s 200 degrees since the winter has been snowy and icy and rainy for the last 15 or 20 days of winter. Then we’ll probably get a springtime that goes straight in to summer.”

“This is our 16th year. That is the most amazing part to me, that this ride has lasted for 16 years. I think that’s a tribute to the people who go on this ride. There’s a core group of about 35 to 40 people that go every single year and they invite different friends. There’s about 150 to 200 people every year, but, it’s that core group that keeps this going.”

“This is (like) extended family and obviously by being on this thing and having this thing go for this long of a period of time, like in any family you experience really high highs and really low lows. We have lost people during the course of the year through illness, accidents and other ways…family members from the ride have passed away. It’s truly amazing to go to Charlotte or to have to fly to Texas for a funeral or some illness in somebody’s family and you get there and everybody from the motorcycle ride is there. You understand why people ride bikes and have that brotherhood because it truly is an extended family. Everybody pulls together. When we lost Adam, looking back, you think how your close and good friends respond to that. And it’s funny because everybody handles grief in a different way and everybody looks at things in a different way and just knowing somebody who cares is there is important. That’s the way the people on the ride are. You know they are always there.”

“We all live in different parts of the country. We’ve got guys who go on the ride, the Bartels, who live in San Francisco. We’ve got people who live in Durango, Colorado, we’re going through there this year, and people everywhere. And it’s funny how you’ll get back together on the ride each year and somebody has gone on vacation and called up somebody (from the ride) and stayed at their house. It’s like yeah we were passing through Durango so we stayed with the Cables and some of those people, so, it’s pretty amazing how we’re such a tight group. We all are pretty much family.”

I asked what they do for overnight stays…do different people do different things? Do they camp out or stay in motels? How is that handled?

“Well,” Kyle continued,”it really depends. It depends on where we are and what we’re doing. Like when we get to Durango this year, the Cables, Dee Dee and that crowd are going to have a dinner for us. They have a place there and the night after that we are going to be in Amarillo. We’ve been through there before and done some stuff with the Quarter Horse Industry and we’re just going to have an open night where everybody can go out on the town and do whatever they want to. And when we get to Philadelphia, Mississippi we’re staying at a casino and we’re going to have a poker night to help raise money for the camp and some local charities. So, it really depends on where we’re at and what we’re doing.

“We always stay at hotels. Sometimes we have to stay at 4 or 5 because there are so many of us, but, we always stay at pretty nice places. We eat breakfast and lunch together but at night sometimes we scatter and each do something different. But, it’s pretty cool to see this many people and this many motorcycles come to a town all at one time. And we have our support vehicles which is another staff of 50 to 100 people with us in trucks and trailers and a medical unit who travel along, so, for insurance purposes, hotel purposes, we know who is going before we leave. Diane Huff and those guys have checked everything out and have narrowed it down to a science from police escorts to hotels to lunch stops and to gas stops. Everybody knows months in advance when we’re coming so they are prepared for us.”

“We start planning for next year almost immediately. Diane Huff and Morgan Castano kind of run everything over there. They work on it all year and make sure everything works. It’s the people on the journey that make ride. It’s not the destination. It’s the camaraderie that makes it all so enjoyable.”

It sounds amazing…these great people coming together for such a great cause. It is just what we have all come to expect from this amazing Petty family. We at www.catchfence.com wish them a safe, enjoyable and successful journey. I laughing as I say I may take you up on the invitation some time, Kyle, but I will have to ride in the van and thanks for that suggestion!

For more information about Victory Junction, please visit www.victoryjunction.org. And for more information about the Charity Ride, please visit www.kylepettycharityride.com.

Again, good luck and God Bless!

MADHOUSE on the History Channel

I thought our readers might enjoy a chance to get a more private glimpse into the lives of these hard charging competitors. So, here is a ” Q&A With The Drivers Of The History Channel’s New Series “Madhouse”.

Tim Brown:

Q. It has been said you may be the most dedicated driver at Bowman Gray. Why do you, personally, think that statement may be true?

A. That statement is true because of several reasons. I eat, breathe and sleep those racecars. The time I put into my racing career takes away from my family and friends. I get up at 4 AM and drive 160 miles to MWR and work till 5, 6 or 7 PM then drive 75 miles to my race shop and work till 11 PM then drive home which is another 40 miles. I have dedicated my whole entire life to racing and sacrificed so much. I spend every dime of money I make every week on these racecars and I honestly can’t afford to race at the level I race at. If it were not for Hayes Jewelers and my product’s sponsors I would be sitting in the stands watching the races. I live in a small house and drive a 1996 Honda Accord with 200,000 miles on it. I had rather have a nice racecar with the best parts I can buy than to have a fancy house and expensive cars. I live to race.

Q. Has working for Michael Waltrip Racing contributed to your “conservative” approach to racing such as “taking care” of your equipment? And how has it helped you in other possible ways?

A. Working for MWR and the Cup teams in the past have greatly helped my career. I have learned how to build and maintain racecars and how to get the most performance out of the pieces I have to work with. It also keeps me in the racing world in such ways that vendors may see an opportunity to help me with some parts for my cars. Working in Cup also pays very well and it is a great help since I don’t come from a family with any money. I spend every dime of my money to race . I have also learned how to service and maintain the parts I have and that saves money.

Q. You are obviously doing something right, Tim, in a BIG way with 8 Championships to your credit. Do these titles belong to you alone or do you truly believe the team has earned them and if so, why?

A. These 8 Championships in no way shape or form belong to just Tim Brown! I owe everything in my career to my race team, my sponsors and my family. My TEAM deserves the entire credit for all the success we have had in the 17 years of racing. Once again I owe everything to my crew, my sponsor Hayes Jewelers, and my family. I am so thankful for everything I have and that we have accomplished as a team. I firmly believe without my team I would be a spectator in the stands and would not have 8 Championships

Q. “Old School racing” is………………………. (finish this statement as long or short as you wish)

A. Old School racing is what we do. Work as hard as you can with what you have. Spend your own hard earned money and taking pride and being passionate about racing.
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Chris Fleming:

Q. Chris, as far as the billed stars of this show, you are the second oldest. Is that a good thing or is it a bad thing? Either way, why do you feel that way?

A. I don’t think it matters either way. The way you come across to the fans of the show is all that matters. My goal is to somehow, someway, reach out to all the underdogs and give them the hope that, if they work hard, they can run with the big dogs and be successful.

Q. You’re a Christian. I personally love that, Chris. Some people may say spinning out other competitors without provocation is not very Christian like. I personally think racing against each other is reason enough, rubbing and spinning being a racing given. Your thoughts.

A. I never spin anyone out intentionally. I come to the racetrack to win and if I do spin someone out it is because I have tried to pass them clean and they would not give me any room to race, or it is payback from a previous incident, or it’s simple, it was just an accident. I know being a Christian, payback could look really bad on me but in this sport you can’t let people push you around.

Q. Your sons are young racers. What is the most important racing advice do you give them?

A. Work hard, focus on your goals, live your life for Jesus who died for you, and go and get the things you want. Nothing good is ever easy

Q. You are one of those nearly extinct owner/racers. There are pluses and minuses. Your thoughts as to each?

A. I have driven for other car owners before. I do not like the idea of having to satisfy someone else’s wishes when a sport such as racing involves so many different opinions. Driving my own car, if I decide to leave it at home, I can; If I decide to run it through the wall, I can. It’s my choice.

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JR MILLER :

Q. Jr. you may be the one driver who many, if not most, race fans at Bowman Gray on one hand love and on the other hand love to hate. There are many reasons for that, but tell me your view on that statement.

A. I’m an aggressive driver and most of the fans love to see that. I”m there to get the job done and win races.

Q. Have you set any time table for retiring?

A. When I quit winning races and having fun. That might be 5 years or 10 years. Time will tell. I’m not looking forward to that day.

Q. You sure make racing look easy, but, we all know it isn’t. What do you attribute you racing longevity to?

A. Winning races and enjoying the sport has kept me racing all these years and the heated competition and the great race fans at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Q. If you can pick just one, who is your biggest rival at Bowman Gray and why? Is it truly Burt Myers or could there be someone else that runs a close second or third?

A. Anybody that is between me and that checkered flag. I will have to admit, when I see that # 1 and that # 4 its gives me a little more energy to bust their ass!!!!
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Burt Myers:

Q. Burt you have a reputation for using “dirty tactics”. Why do you think other drivers and many fans say that? After all, all is fair in love and racing. Right?

A. First of all, I don’t think I use dirty tactics. I race people the way I want to be raced. My saying is, “If you’re using your back bumper to keep me behind you, it’s my job to use my front bumper to get by you”.

Q. There had to have been good and bad times racing against family members, so, what has growing up in that amazing racing family meant to you…good, bad or both?

A. I have raced against my father and brother at the same time. There is a feeling of comfort knowing my family is on the track with me, but I also knew I had to beat the best.

Q. What one thing is there about you that most BG fans don’t know that you want them to?

A. I enjoy going to church, eating lunch with my family and playing golf on Sunday.

Q. Jr. Miller is reportedly your biggest rival? In one sentence, tell Jr. something you haven’t said yet.

A. Why can’t we all just get along? (that was supposed to be funny) : )

————————————

Jason Myers:

Q. Jason tell me about the racing legacy your father and grandfather have left you and your brother.

A. It’s a really big deal because we are carrying out a family tradition that has existed for so many years. It makes being a race car driver more meaningful to know that you are continuing the legacy.

Q. Anytime there are brothers racing against each other, people wrongly in my opinion, compare them. What do you find good and bad about that?

A. The good that comes from being compared to my brother is that Burt is one of the best and anytime you’re put in the same category, it’s an accomplishment. The bad that comes from it is always having someone to be compared to. I don’t want to be known as Burt’s brother, I want to make a name for myself.

Q. If you are side by side with Burt heading to the finish are you willing to do anything to win?

A. I wouldn’t do anything dirty but I wouldn’t make it easy on him either. I want to beat Burt as much as anyone else.

Q. Is it a plus, minus or both driving for your dad?

A. It’s a plus because we can both be honest with each other about everything and it’s a minus because it’s hard to drive for someone who has accomplished so much in a modified. He can always tell me what I am doing wrong.

————–

Thanks guys! So, there you have it racefans, some thoughts of tough drivers on some aspects of the tough job of racing. This truly is enjoyable viewing that almost leaves me feeling like I am trackside and cheering for, well, my particular favorite. There are several episodes left, so, don’t be one of those fans who misses out completely. Be sure to tune in, or set your TIVO, for the History Channel Sunday night at 10 PM. And for more infoprmation check out the shows website at :

http://www.history.com/content/madhouse

Kevin Conway - ExtenZe Racing

I am always amazed when I talk to Kevin. Each time, usually, represents another step forward in his racing career. There have been a few times as with all young racers however, when he has taken a step or two backwards, but somehow he always takes something useful from those tough times and rallies it into a positive. He is not only determined and unique, but also an example to other racing hopefuls of the benefits of tenacity and hard work. He has, literally, created most of his own opportunities.

“I’ve spent my entire life in pursuit of this and I haven’t had some of the same opportunities along the way as some of the other guys have had due to funding things or whatever,” he stated. “I would love to have gone out and run a full year of ARCA, then a year of trucks and then a year of Nationwide and then be in the position I am in now, but, I’ve never had that. I’ve had to take the limited opportunities that I have had and try to make the most of them. There’s always that glimmer of hope at running well even if it isn’t the best of equipment, but, you have to make the best of it. Quite frankly, I’ve had some that were just flat out awful that I thought were going to be great, so, along the way it has been a major battle to create those opportunities and do whatever it takes to stay in the racecar.”

“You’ve known me for a long time, Marty, and have seen the struggles. A lot of
people have said, ‘Oh, you’re the guy who has a sponsor and has bought his way in.’ That is not the case.”

We have all seen young talented drivers come and go in this sport. Some have taken under funded and inadequate rides that had no potential of winning or even running well, yet, the drivers grasped at any hope presented to them.. Kevin has experienced a few of those instances, so when asked about his disappoints along the way and how he has held on to see himself reach this goal where others failed, he offered this.. “A lot of times there are those ‘death rides’, so to speak, out there. I don’t really call them failures. They are just opportunities we have had to make the most of somehow. The biggest thing, I think, is what the football coach Jimmy Johnson, not the driver, says. He says, ‘I either want to be the best or I want to be the worst trying to be the best.’ So, you can’t always explain why you went out there and ran 25th even though you drove your tail off and gave it all you had. Or you can’t always say we put this car together in 2 weeks, or this team has no funding. That story gets old. You can’t keep telling that story. Then there are times when I have flat out screwed up. Those all are the times when deep down you know the whole story and just have to keep pushing on and stay focused.”

“The biggest thing is to not let your confidence get shaken. At the end of the day you have to realize you can do this.If I didn’t believe in myself 110% I definitely wouldn’t have put everything on the line to get to this point. It has cost me a lot personally. There have been times when I could hardly keep my lights on just to pursue this. At the end of the day it comes down to how badly you want this. I could have concentrated on the marketing aspect of this sport. I’ve had some tremendous opportunities to work with some great companies and could have made a great living, but, that is not what drives me to get out of bed every morning. It’s the pursuit of this dream. It’s been a heck of a journey, but, man I am so excited for this opportunity with Extenze. This is just a dream come true and a little overwhelming. We’re getting ready to compete for the Raybestos Rookie Of The Year in the Sprint Cup Series! Holy Cow!”

What does he think about his rookie status? It has long been said that the rookie stripe is a target on the track. Are there concerns? “You know there are certain guys that are going to race the heck out of you,” he continued. “They’re going to yank you chain a little bit. The biggest thing is I don’t want to do anything stupid. The last thing I want to do is go out and wreck one of those guys that are going to be in contention for a championship.”

“I know just how difficult of a task that we have ahead of us. I know that I am up for it and I know with Extenze, Ford Racing and Front Row we are completely up for the challenge. We have been trying to set very realistic goals for ourselves and manage our expectations. Our first and foremost goal is to compete for the rookie title while, at the same time, staying in top 35 in points. At the end of the day if we accomplish that we will have had a successful year. For me personally, I have a little higher goals than that, but, at the same time we want to be realistic. The first half of the season is going to be a struggle, but, in the second half I will have more seat time and be returning to some of the tracks, so, that will be time for us to step up our performance a little bit.’

“The entire Front Row Motorsports team has grown tremendously last year. Bob Jenkins started it about 5 years ago. They were kind of a fledgling Cup deal. Their goal was to just try to make the race and more times than not they were unsuccessful. In 2009 Bob really stepped up to the plate and worked out a points deal with Earnhardt and Ganassi to where they were locked in to the 1st 5 races with John Andretti in the car. They operated throughout the year, pretty much, on a shoestring budget out of Bob’s pocket. John Andretti did a great job making sure they finished races and stayed in the top 35 all year long without any engineering or factory support beating out some teams with very significant budgets. It was a banner year for Front Row and it was through that that Ford Racing approached Bob and I was able to meet Bob. We are kind of like an old school, independent team and we now have full factory backing from Ford Motor Company and Ford Racing with access to full engineering resources, wind tunnels and shaker rigs, so, this is very exciting. We are surrounded with great people and that is what really makes or breaks your team. I feel by the end of the year we should be a consistent top 25 team”

Peter Sospenzo will be Conway’s Crew Chief. Additionally drivers Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland will be joining FRM in 2010 .

In speaking with Conway this time, I heard and sensed something so different than in all the other interviews of the past. There is, of course, the excitement, the confidence, and some nervousness, but there was something more. He sounded so settled and matured with this team, so grounded already. I was hearing something entirely alien to our many interviews of the past. What was I noticing?

“I’ve never had the chance to run a full season in of the 3 major series. So, to have an opportunity to run my 1st full time campaign in the Sprint Cup Series is just really cool. I think, for me, it’s the culmination of so many things, knowing I have great teammates in David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. These are guys that have been where I am now, guys I can lean on setup wise. Then with Ford’s support and having such a great sponsor like Extenze it is all a dream come true. It’s like pinch me.”

“We’ve been able to work with Extenze and the Alteril brands to take them in to more of a main stream light. It’s been awesome to see the growth of the brands and getting them away from the typical stereotypes associated with the brand. We now have an Extenze store in Concord Mills Mall. It is fantastic. And we have the track side merchandising program where all of our merchandise is available for purchase at every track. We have a brand new website www.extenzeracing.com that’s launching in conjunction with the 500. It’s a really cool website where we will have everything from real time updates, videos and blog updates on the site. All the merchandise can be purchased there as well as free samples. All kinds of neat stuff. And we are getting ready to shoot a whole new series of commercials in 5 production days. There are going to be a couple of really big names that will be in the commercials with me that I think are going to really shock everybody. I just feel like everything is coming full circle.”

“I feel extremely lucky because I know there are thousands of other racecar drivers that are just as talented that may never have the opportunities that I had, however you get them, whether it’s hard work, persistence of just pounding the pavement. None the less this opportunity is in front of me to take advantage of and I’m just very, very grateful to have a sponsor like Extenze that has taken a huge leap of faith in me last year. They believe in me 110% and I believe in them 110%. This has been an awesome partnership and it means the world to me to have that kind of support. That has been the missing ingredient in my career all along, to have someone who really believes in me and is loyal. Loyalty is non existent in the corporate world today and I am 100% committed to them, as well. Their loyalty means everything.”

In closing Kevin wants to tell everyone. “Don’t stop believing in your own dreams or someone else’s.” That belief and the belief of his family, friends and fans have certainly kept him working day and night to realize this dream. He has made it and we at CF wish him nothing but great luck, Kevin.

FYI:
As always we will be watching and cheering. You can follow Kevin on Facebook at Extenzeracing. Get great info and timely updates!

It has been awhile since I have been as excited about a new racing show as I am about “Madhouse” airing this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT. This is truly bullring racing at it’s VERY finest. “Madhouse” is being billed as a Hatfields and McCoys type of racing show, but, in my opinion it is more than that…MUCH more!

The track is the infamous and historic Bowman Gray Stadium, the first and longest running NASCAR weekly race track. Located in Winston-Salem North Carolina, Bowman Gray is a flat, oval, quarter mile, action packed, edge of your seat, nerve wracking, don’t you dare blink race track. The modified racing just can’t get any better than this. It can’t!

You get to meet, up close and definitely personal, every day people who work hard, race hard, fight hard and just happen to be the racing celebrities of this series…drivers like cagey and tough stuff veteran Junior Miller, 2009 Farm Bureau Insurance Modified Series Champion Tim Brown and the latest members of the legendary Myers racing family, racing brothers Burt and Jason Myers. You also get glimpses of those regular people who work in the race shops where cars are built, constantly rebuilt and scrapped in favor of replacements.

There are no major salaries, no major sponsor dollars or big race purses at work here…just race car drivers who live and love to race. They have to. It is who and what they are.

Please make sure to tune in Sunday night at 10 PM to watch this show. This type of local Saturday night racing is what made most of us the racing fanatics we are. This type of racing is where the big stars of NASCAR’s tomorrow are taught and bred and while 99.99 percent of these drivers will never make it to those upper racing levels, most of these drivers do not care. They don’t have the time or luxury to. They are too busy living, sleeping, breathing, eating and drinking the racing they are involved with. Their rivalries are real, tough, well earned and long lived. The show truly is a fantastic “Madhouse” of racing. Whoever said “rubbing is racing” had to have frequented Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday nights. This truly is the next best thing to being there.

Check back with CF soon. I will be speaking with and writing about some of these amazing racing personalities in the next couple of weeks. You really do not want to miss this show. In the meantime check out the link below to get a glimpse of the drivers who are responsible for the racing excitement and mayhem at Bowman Gray Stadium

Madhouse – History.com

Texas Hippie Coalition

Rubly, is a big time NASCAR fan and a tank electrician who works for the Department Of Defense. He met Harmon last year at Texas Motor Speedway, “On luck,” as he described it. “He just happens to be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s a genuine racer, someone who wants to race. Some people introduced me to him and after talking to him over the last year I can guarantee there is nobody in the  Nationwide Series that puts in as many hours a week as he puts in his car. He doesn’t have the budget of Hendrick or Roush or a 40 man crew work working on the car. It’s just Mike and maybe one or two other guys. I talked to him at 10:30 last night and he was headed back to the shop to work on the car some more. That’s the way he gets it all done.”

“I try to help Mike with some sponsorship just because once you get to know him you can see the genuine part of wanting to race. He is the old school, hard core racer. He’s the one that works on his own car and then hauls it to the track. You don’t see that anymore. And with all of his equipment being stolen, it’s even harder for him than before, but, he’s making it work. That’s what he does.”

“He doesn’t just want to start and park, to go out there to make a little money and go home. If you get to know the man he is 100% racer. With Mike being an owner/driver, he appreciates any amount sponsors offer. It all helps and he genuinely appreciates them. He personally acknowledges them and treats them well, the way he feels they should be treated.”

Rubly has been instrumental in getting 2 great sponsors on board for Saturday’s race, those being the Texas Hippie Coalition, a native Texas hard rock band, and Shawn Gibson Logging and Trucking of Oklahoma who has been a great help to Mike. In dealing with the sponsors and Harmon, Jerry has arranged to raffle off some amazing items with 100% of the proceeds going to assist two amazing charities that help children in need.

The first is a charity that is very near and dear to Jerry. 2 years ago Bikers Against Child Abuse, also known as BACA, assisted 2 very young family members of his, who had been sexually molested. This organization was so instrumental in offering constant emotional support and physical presence to these children and their families both before and throughout the trial and, according to Jerry, “stayed with them all the way up until the guy was sentenced to 7 consecutive life sentences.”

Texas Hippie Coalition is so excited to have the band on the hood this weekend and to be a part of this effort. None of the band members have ever attended a race so they are in for a treat, being in the garage and behind the scenes with Harmon! I spoke with Randy Cooper, lead guitarist of THC about this effort.

“Man, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m really looking forward to meeting Mike. When this all came together we were excited, just blown away. I’m really looking forward to it.” We discussed Mike and the hardships of an independent owner/driver and he said those struggles in many ways parallel those of THC. “It’s hard out there,” he continued. “Anything (money) that comes to this band has to go right back in it to keep us out here doing what we do. Man, it’s been tough. There are plenty of times if we get 3 meals a day we’re lucky. But things are looking up. It’s official, so I can let this out. We just got a deal from Sony Records. We had several offers, but, Sony got it right and we have everything we wanted. We’re really excited about it. ”

“We’ve all had this dream and at this age, being 40 years old, we’re all pinching ourselves. We just never gave up, but, the bottom line is we’re a praying band. Once the whole band started praying things have fallen in to place. When we discussed all of this yesterday, we all dropped to our knees and gave the glory to God and thanked him for this deal. There are all these kids that don’t get to come to our shows, high school kids who aren’t really playing yet but have their own little deals going and I get to coach these kids from the internet. And I think if I can tell them anything, have any advice for them, it is to pray and believe in your dreams. They can come true. And also I will tell them don’t fry your brains on drugs, because you’re going to need it. You can’t be jacked up on something when you’re working for this and to remember that all things are possible through Christ, just as the bible says. That’s what we do, so we’re going to do this NASCAR deal this weekend and then we’re heading to the recording studio.”

THC is involved in helping a variety of charities. Little Kids Rock is their choice for this particular alliance. They have been working with this organization for the last 4 years. This organization works to assist schools in purchasing instruments for their music programs. It’s a great way to expose these children to the world of music, something they may never experience otherwise. Little Kids Rock is a non profit organization which offers the largest free instrumental music program for public school children in the US today reaching over 42,000 low income children in 10 different states and 20 different cities.

The donated raffle items include the hood of Mike’s Texas car, autographed by the band and as many drivers, NASCAR personnel, etc as would like to do so. Additional items include a new 110 dirt bike, an autographed 1/24 scale gold Mark Martin ARMY car, a helmet with Truck driver’s, Nationwide driver’s and Cup driver’s autographs including Joey Logano and Dale, Jr, and a TNA firesuit that belonged to and is autographed by Hermie Sadler. Addition items will be added and announced as they are donated. Raffle tickets are being sold now. The longer the tickets are on sale, the more money will be available to help these worthwhile charities.  More details will be forthcoming.

If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets for these items, email Jerry for details at jerry.rubly@us.army.mil or jerub71@yahoo.com

The raffle tickets are on sale now. THC will be selling them during their concerts in to February.  The plan is to have the drawing at Daytona in February (exact date to be announced soon) where all items will be given away.

Mike is very excited about this weekend. He didn’t have a lot of time to talk because they were still getting the car ready, but he did offer this. “I really want to thank Jerry for his help in putting this all together. He’s been a lot of help to us and he’s a good guy. And I appreciate THC and Shawn Gibson Logging and Trucking for helping us get back to the track. It’s been tough after all our equipment was stolen.”

“And these two charity organizations give so much help to kids. These kids are our future. Some of these kids just don’t have much in life. And some of them are not raised to care much about the good things life has to offer. BACA and Little Kids Rock are helping our children in very important ways. I’m proud to support them.”

These truly are excellent organizations who are devoted to assisting children.  They rely on donations and 100% of all money raised from these raffles will certainly be put to good use by them. If any nonprofit organization is interested in appearing on Harmon’s hood, be sure to contact Jerry Rubly at jerry.rubly@us.army.mil There are several ways to do this and he looks forward to hearing from you.

Please check out these websites.  www.bacausa.com and www.littlekidsrock.org

You can follow THC on MySpace.com  And be sure to tune in to ESPN2 at 12 noon ET for the O’Reilly Challenge.

The economic atmosphere for independent owner/drivers, the very type of racer this sport was founded on, is difficult enough these days. Most have given up long ago. However, there are a handful left in the upper NASCAR series, but, with the exception of one or two, all struggle to compete against the high end, multi-car, well funded high tech teams. It has been that way for Mike Harmon for as long as he can remember. Mike started racing in his home state of Alabama when he was a teenager and raced against some of the drivers who eventually became known as the infamous Alabama gang. Harmon is also well known for surviving what has been described by many as the worst wreck in NASCAR history when, during a practice lap, he blew a tire and struck the crossover gate at Bristol in August of 2002. The badly damaged car was then struck by Johnny Sauter’s car and completely ripped open. When the car came to a full stop, Harmon simply stood up, unhooked and walked away unharmed.

This tough as nails driver was back on the track within a couple of hours and practicing his back up car. The footage is shocking to watch. It is hard for most of us to understand what makes these drivers put these horrifying accidents out of their minds and continue racing like they do. Harmon has told me on more than one occasion that it is because that is who they are. Check out the crash video below.

Busch Series Crash at Bristol – AOL Video

Harmon’s been running the Nationwide Series on a limited basis this season. And with no primary sponsorship, this has been the toughest year to date for his efforts. With his Nationwide car wrecked, he worked a deal to run the Camping World Truck race at Vegas. Trevor Boys drove the hauler along with 2 other people while Harmon and 3 others drove nonstop for 36 hours in the mini van to save on expenses. That is one of the many money saving ways the smaller teams must operate to survive. Harmon finished 25th in the race. Then early the next morning, Harmon and several other people who had traveled with Mike left for home while Trevor stayed another day. When Boys was ready to leave, he noticed a spare trailer tire leaning against the hauler and a window to the lounge section was open. Thinking the window was left open from the day before, Boys closed the window, placed the tire in the hauler knowing someone would claim it and hit the road for home arriving Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning they opened the doors to unload.

“We had doubled up with Chris Lafferty to go out there and took the #89 and the #42 trucks in the same hauler to save more on expenses,” began Harmon. “The way our hauler is laid out we could not put our big pit boxes under the trucks, so, we had to take our equipment out of the pit boxes and put it in plastic totes and transport them in the lounge area. When we opened the lounge door there was nothing left inside. The screen was pushed out of the window and was laying on the couch. We stayed at the Stratosphere and were parked in the lot across the street. We know the equipment was in the hauler when we left the track and we didn’t stop until we got to the hotel. Trevor left Vegas about 2 in the afternoon Sunday, so, it was all taken while it was parked in the Stratoshere lot. I called Norm Benning to see if he lost anything. His hauler blew up on the way back so he hadn’t had a chance to see if anything had been taken. I knew his hauler was the only one that tire would fit. We realize now what had happened. The thieves took the tire from Norm’s hauler and stood on it to get in our window and steal everything inside. Norm was at the ARCA race in Kansas and his hauler was in the shop 500 miles away so he didn’t know how much stuff he may have lost.”

“As far as what I lost personally I lost 2 driving helmets, 2 fire suits, and all my radios, headsets and chargers. Trevor Boys lost his helmet, suit, HANS device, and shoes, the whole works. The crew guy lost a new Hurd pit gun that was $2400, 2 fire suits,a pit helmet and a driving helmet. 2 more pit guys had their stuff in there, too, and Lafferty lost his radios, as well. They also lost their helmets, their gun and their pit suits. Everything all together is in the neighborhood of $25,000 to $30,000.”

“It’s rough. We were trying to get to Vegas and make a little money to put towards our operation here. We were lucky enough to get some sponsorship from Chrome Soda and we sure appreciated their help. Until we got home and saw what happened, it looked like we had done pretty good in our efforts, but, unfortunately the trailer we were using belongs to a friend of mine and the tractor belongs to Trevor and we didn’t have content insurance. We just couldn’t afford it, so, we’re just out on all the stuff. That was a well lighted parking lot. It was wide open so it took somebody pretty stupid to do that. I do think it was someone there locally that did this. It will probably be pawned for enough money to get a rock or whatever. I don’t know how criminals think, but, I don’t think this had anything to do with anyone in the sport.”

“I’ll figure something out, but, this economy has made the racing situation harder than ever. People that used to be there to help are just not there anymore and it’s hard to compete in an industry where teams are funded with 3 million dollars and up. And what frustrates me is that any week there are 10 to 12 bona fied cars that qualify with the intent to start and park. I can honestly say I have started and parked 3 races this year because I couldn’t afford to finish the race. Those were Kentucky, Darlington, and the first race with the truck was Memphis and I love that track. I don’t want to or like to do that. I want to race. That’s all I want to do, like at Vegas. I ran 90 laps and had handling problems. I didn’t have to do that, but I wanted to race so I did as long as I could.”

“It is more expensive than ever to race and it is more expensive for the fans to attend races. The industry is hurting in every aspect, but, the independent teams are really hurting. I just want people to know what is what, what is really going on,” he concluded.

I know I have never heard Mike sound so concerned.

Today, it seems the sponsors of this sport are picking the “young guns” to finance in hopes of attracting the younger race fans. That is understandable I guess, but, think about veteran Mark Martin leading the points in the Cup Chase. He is proving that the veterans can and will win. Look at Hornaday and Skinner in the Camping World Truck Series….again veterans showing what they can do with quality equipment and sponsorship. And think about one of the greatest driver/sponsor duos of all time..Dale Earnhardt and Goodwrench. Look at that alliance. It was amazing and that sponsorship spanned quite a few tough years with no or few wins for Dale. It was the perfect coupling of veteran driver and sponsor and is still widely recognized and coveted years after Goodwrench has left the sport.

I wonder if somewhere there is a company who has worked long and hard to become successful…a company that offers a quality product to the average hard working American racefan who can appreciate and who requires that quality at an affordable price. A company that is tough and has been able to survive these difficult economic times. A company that realizes a truly tough, veteran driver could be the perfect promoter for their company. Mike Harmon certainly fits that criteria.

If the current economic hardships continue in racing, then the sport of racing itself will be the biggest loser. Independents will undoubtedly become extinct. Multi car teams will be not only the financial norm, but, required because of survivability. Any given race will be won by a driver from a handful of owner stables. It will be something like owner A,B,C or D with driver 1,2 3,or 4 who grace Victory Lane. You get the picture. Will faces, personalities or ability count any longer at that point? Some say it is already like that to some extent. Time will tell. I do know one thing for certain, drivers like Mike Harmon are what this sport was built around and when those hard working independents who represent John Q Racefan, the long term, dedicated racefans cease to exist, the excitement will cease to exist, as well. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t think so. The reality is that it’s quite difficult to fill the grandstands as it is now. Expense is certainly part of the problem, but, could interest in the sport be waning in favor, perhaps, of golf or some other interest? My blessed late father used to say, “Too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing.” He would love to hear me say what I seldom said back then and that is, “Dad, you are absolutely right.”

I hope something good comes Mike’s way soon before racing loses one of the toughest drivers on the track today. I would love to see the veterans become well funded and acknowledged as the heart and soul of racing and not overlooked because of being thought of as a liability. I am hoping this grim scenario is just my unfounded fear.

Good luck, Mike.

Anyone interestied in a sponsorship opportunity can email Harmon Racing at kim@mikeharmonracing or call 704-799-1434

Kevin Conway

Kevin holds a marketing degree and one thing that has always confused me as far as Kevin’s racing career goes, is the fact that team owners and sponsors alike didn’t seem to realize the dollar value to this talented and good looking driver, who has been instrumental in bringing several companies into the NASCAR racing realm.

Apparently, the exact opposite is the case in this venture and since Kevin always keeps us informed and has been one of our favorites here at CF, I decided to give him a call and get the whole story directly from Kevin himself.

“Obviously in the current economic climate right now there are a lot opportunities for companies to step in to this sport and get connected with great, great teams at a fraction of what it would have cost just a few years ago,” began Conway. “We were evaluating all of our options, first and foremost from a driving standpoint, wondering where we were going to be able to build something for the long term and be able to have a really solid opportunity. It has been really exciting to see the whole attitude and structure of the team that Rob Fuller has put together. Rob has been in Cup racing for a long, long time and has seen all sides of it. Now he is entering the next chapter of his career as an owner along with Robert Richardson, Sr. and Jr. It’s just been really cool and sort of a throw back to what the Nationwide Series is all about. It is a small team but they’ve got some awesome affiliations with 2 different Cup organizations that help us from a technology standpoint to keep us up to speed there and they build really, really good cars.”

“Also the majority of the guys that work on the team are all DEI guys. We joke around and say they’re putting the old band back together, but, the majority are the guys from when Jr. was driving the #8 car. It is cool to see the way they put together this whole organization because it is a small team but it’s a small team with great people. There are so many people out of work from DEI and that created a really good opportunity for us.”

“Rob and Robert are growing their organization by adding our team as a second team with Jefferson Hodges as my Crew Chief. Dale Earnhardt,Jr. actually brought Jefferson to North Carolina from Virginia to start JR Motorsports when they first started running the late model program. Jefferson worked for a company called Townsend Race Cars in Virginia who builds probably 80% of all the late models on the East coast. They took that team all the way to Hooters with driver Mark McFarland. who is now my Car Chief. It’s literally all the JR gang! I think our team may be one of the only Nationwide and or Cup teams where the Crew Chief, Car Chief and Driver are all from Virginia. We’re all from within an hour of each other and we all cut our teeth racing on the short tracks of Virginia. Our truck driver, Wahoo (real name Charles Samson), is from DEI and he used to be the Center for the San Diego Chargers.”

Kevin assures me there are many exciting things in the works and he couldn’t be happier to be a part of something he feels is going to be outright successful and long term. It is great to hear the excitement in his voice. I’m not sure he could mask that even if he wanted to. And truthfully there is no reason why he would. This opportunity is exactly what he has always said he was working and racing for.

Conway knows that some people have made judgements about him as a racer and about his on track performance, but, all of the part time deals he has gone through have made this opportunity all the sweeter. He is more than ready to silence his critics. “In some ways Extenze is a seemingly controversial sponsor,” continued Kevin, “but, man what a great, great sponsor! They are one of the most fun companies I have ever been a part of. They are nothing less than first class in everything they do. They want to do things very, very professionally and make sure things are done right. It’s been awesome to have the opportunity to work with them. We’ve shot an entirely new series of commercials that are airing now. We have a massive, massive media program wrapped around the race program. There is no other sponsor in the Nationwide Series that activates anywhere close to the level they do and they have just launched the Extenze For Women product. When they launched that product 660 Walmarts sold out.”

“They also make Alteril which is an all natural sleep aid. That works awesome! It is made of Melatonin, L-Tryptophan and Valerian Root. It’s a great product that really works and I take it a lot just because when you’re traveling in different time zones it helps a lot. It’s been great to see my family, my friends and even my attorney swear by these products. It has just been fun for me to get Extenze involved with NASCAR and we’re going to have a full merchandising program at the track beginning at Fontana. This has been a great, great partnership and I am looking forward to this multi-year deal. It’s very exciting! We just have some very, very talented people working on both teams, especially as the Nationwide Series transitions to the COT next year. It’s a little bit like old school racing. All the guys that are working in the shop are the ones that are going to the track on the weekends and going over the wall. It’s great.”

I know it is, Kevin!

Conway assures me there are a lot of other exciting things in the works for this team for 2010. I certainly tried to pry some info about this from him but he absolutely wouldn’t budge. I will say this, however, the more he talked about this team, the owners, his sponsor, and his future, the more interested and excited I became for him.

I have interviewed or worked with a lot of young drivers over the years, and right or wrong, many of them have not been able to land the sponsorship to make their racing dream come true. They were talented and deserving, but, it just didn’t happen. Sadly, the heartbreak of this reality is as much a part of racing as the competition in many instances. Thank God Kevin was able to see his dream become a reality. From what I hear, this team is going to be awesome. I am expecting to see great things from them soon and often. Kevin Conway has earned this chance!

Be sure to follow the latest in Kevin’s news on facebook.com by becoming a fan of Extenze Racing. He appears to have quite a fan base there and I am actually one of them!

Good luck, Kevin. You know we will be watching

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Young Wallace comes to racing with a little racing in his family. “My cousin and uncle raced,” he began “My cousin raced gokarts. He was a multi-track champion in the state of Tennessee and my uncle ran Super Trucks all over the place and was a champion in that. Then my Dad tried to race gokarts but he only did that for fun. Those are the only members of my family who have raced.”

So how then, if he wasn’t exposed to “in house racers’ did he get hooked on speed? “7 years ago,” Wallace continues, “my Dad bought a Harley Davidson and he wanted to get it fixed up with chrome and pipes and all that stuff. Chris Rogers, the guy that fixed it up for him raced gokarts at Concord Motorsports Park and invited us to come and watch. We went to watch and Dad asked me if I would like to try this. I said yeah, sure, I’d like to give it a try and we’ve stuck with this ever since. We started with gokarts, Bandoleros, Legends and now UARA. ”

Darrell has made quite a racing name for himself in the Concord area. With statistics like these it is understandable. Taken directly from his website:

—2005 Bandolero Division, with 35 wins out of 48 races. Forty of the forty-eight races were top five finishes. First driver to ever win all six races on the fifth mile track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and capture the Winter Points Championship Title. Additionally that year, Darrell competed against drivers in the Outlaw Division where their ages range from 16 yrs old to adults and won all but one race against the drivers in that division. He finished the season with 11 wins at Kentucky, 9 wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, 6 at Atlanta, 4 at Nashville, 3 at the Concord Speedway and 2 in Orlando Florida. He also placed third in the Summer Shootout at Lowe’s

—2006 Legend Cars, completed the season with 11 victories, 27 top fives and 34 top tens in 38 starts.

—2007 Late Models, Holley Best performer of the race award at Tri-County. At Greenville Pickens he was awarded rookie of the race at that event.

—2008 Late Models, He finished 4th & 5th at Bristol Motor Speedway he picked up his first late model win at Franklin County Speedway and was the youngest driver ever to win a late model race there..

Last year was Wallace’s first full year in the UARA Stars where he won Rookie Of The Year which resulted in a great deal of attention for this young racer. That publicity resulted in an invitation to test for Joe Gibbs racing at South Boston in Virginia testing and driving a Camping World East Series car. Darrell was one of the fastest drivers there and after a meeting with JGR representatives he signed a contract to run this season in the UARA Stars and then move up to NASCAR Camping World East Series next year.

This young racer is working hard to get as much experience as possible. And of course he would rather be racing than nearly anything else, so recently he pulled double duty running the UARA series race at Orange County Speedway on Saturday June 6. He qualified 7th where he ran consistently until the close of the race. As he was starting to pass cars in his bid for the lead he was involved in an accident with 10 laps to go. He finished 13th and then headed to Franklin County Speedway in Virginia, a 3/8 mile, high banked, fast asphalt oval which is the home of Wallace, Jr’s first late model win, to compete in the “Old Dominion Shootout” the next day. The travel time was well worth it. Darrell qualified on the pole and won that 100 lap event which he hopes is the momentum he and his team need for the rest of the UARA season.

I asked Darrell if other drivers seem to be envious of the opportunity he has been given with being tagged as a development driver for Joe Gibbs? “Some driver’s (I have omitted the driver’s name) have said ‘us country boy’s are trying to come out here and compete with that Joe Gibbs driven stuff’, but, all our late model stuff is ours with their logo on the side of our car. It’s not really Gibbs stuff, it’s just Wallace stuff. We all thought that was funny.”

The car Darrell is running is basically an East Series car which will give him an advantage for next season. The UARA cars are a little lighter and handle a little differently, but, he is anxious to move up next season. His plans are to “make it all the way to Cup. Hopefully I’ll be behind Gibbs all the way there. That would be awesome. And I really want to run the trucks. The trucks are awesome.”

“We go up to the Nationwide shop a lot. We get to see all the cars and get to hang out sometimes before meetings. It’s cool.”

agal31th

I spoke with Darrell for quite a long while. That isn’t always possible to do because of a driver’s busy schedule or mine, for that matter. But when I can get that opportunity, when the driver is willing to accommodate me, I will take it every time. It’s the next best thing to a sit down, face to face situation. The longer interview time takes the place of being able to watch, listen and form opinions. It gives me the chance to ask many questions, things that will never make it into the article, but, a great way to get to “know” who I am talking to. Additionally, I have to say this is an exciting young man…driven, focused, obviously talented, proud of who he is, where he comes from and where he is going and appreciative of his parents and the opportunity JGR is offering him. He is well spoken, good looking and has what it takes. I think he can make it. I know he has the desire to and I truly am hoping he does. Darrell Wallace, Jr is one young driver I would be thrilled to say, ‘You know, I knew he would make it! And I am so glad he did.’

Genuine diversity within NASCAR’s upper series of racing is still seriously lacking. There have been a handful of women and minorities here and there over the years, but with the exception of one or two, almost no upper funded NASCAR team owners or sponsors have supported a minority or woman driver. Joe Gibbs Racing seems to be one team who truly believes in the drive to diversify this sport. His organization truly is to be commended. Just look at what this team has accomplished! Without going in to statistics and history, just consider their drivers for 2009! Darrell joins development drivers Brad Coleman and Matt DiBenetto. Apparently JGR likes to “grow their own”. That is more than smart, obviously. Joey Logano was part of that development and he is going to be big! I genuinely wish that very same success for young Wallace.

Watch for this young man. Check out his website at www.darrellwallacejr.com and see what JGR has to say about him at www.joegibbsracing.com And be sure to check out www.wallaceindustrial.com

Darrell has agreed to write about the rest of his race season and about the importance of being a development driver for JGR. Welcome aboard, Darrell. Good luck and we’ll be watching!

We all have wished we could change something about some of our NASCAR experiences. Of course we all wish we could change/reverse all of the tragedies associated with this sport…the deaths of drivers or announcers, health issues with their children and so forth. That goes without saying. I’m not asking about rule changes or personal disputes with NASCAR, either. What I am asking is if you could change where you were at a certain time or during a specific race occurrence what you would have done or said differently during those times? Or maybe you have another idea as to how you would have changed something at a specific race related time or event. I am betting the results will be amazing and vary greatly.

I’ll go first. Keep in mind these are not necessarily in any preferred or specific order:

—I wish I could have been in a position to rally support for George White’s head and neck restraint back in 1980. George was working with Bobby Allison at the time and after witnessing countless racing deaths due to what has become known as basilar skull fracture, George developed a restraint system that could have saved many, many lives. He was so convinced of it’s effectiveness that he personally crash tested his device at New Smyrna Speedway that same year and survived! I highly recommend viewing this footage. You can find it at www.speedwaysafetyequipment.com.

—I would have loved to have been at Daytona in 1998 to witness, live, the reaction of the fans in the grandstands, to hear their roars that must have been louder than any field of cars on any track when Dale Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500. I had always said if that man won the 500 I would dance in the street and that is exactly what I did. I am sure I looked like a fool, but, I didn’t care then and I don’t care now. I will forever wish I could have been there.

—I’m glad I was not at Daytona in 2001 when Dale, Sr. died, but, I do wish I had been able to say something truly comforting to my family and friends who were home with me and watching the race. Furthermore I wish I had been able to write some amazing words of comfort to all of Dale’s fans because I knew personally, and that probably isn’t appropriate to say as a writer, just how devastated they were because I was and still am a huge DE, Sr fan!. It was just such a devastating loss following the previous year with the death of young drivers Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper.

—I do, however, wish I had been at the next race of 2001. Just one week later at Rockingham, on February 25th Dale Jr driver of the #8 Chevy for DEI was involved in a lap 1 wreck that looked very similar to his father’s fatal crash and Steve Park, Jr’s teammate and driver of the #2 Pennsoil Chevy for DEI won the race. It was just an amazing and exhilarating feeling and many racefans felt as if Dale was somehow up there orchestrating that event from start to finish, protecting his son and approving Steve’s win.

—Along with that year I wish I could have been at AMS on March 11th when Kevin Harvick snagged his first victory in the #29 Goodwrench Chevy. I will never forget the televised pictures of Chocolate Myers and that team. There wasn’t a dry eye in our home and probably across the entire NASCAR loving nation. Oh how heart warming and wonderful that footage was…such a deserved victory for Richard, Kevin and that entire crew. And what a wonderful way to honor Dale, acknowledge Kevin as his own driver/person and get the team back to competitive racing business.

—Additionally, later that same year Dale, Jr won the summer race, July 7th, at the very track where his father died. Talk about exhilarating! EVERYONE wished they could have been there. Then he went on to win the second races at Dover and Talladega. Yes, I would have loved to be at those events, as well. That was a devastating year of heartache with Sr’s and Blaise Alexander’s deaths. But the happiness, and there was plenty of it, was amazing wasn’t it? Do you remember?

—Also I will always regret not approaching Benny Parsons in the garage areas at the tracks we have worked. Aside from being a fan of Benny the driver, the reporter and the person, I have always wondered if Benny’s Parsons family and my Parsons family are connected. My Parsons roots are in the south including North and South Carolina, Virginia, W.VA, Kentucky and others. I have a distant cousin who actually looks a great deal like Benny. Sadly those chances are lost. Perhaps if I get the opportunity to meet Phil I will ask if there is a genealogist in his family.

And finally, on a lighter note and probably not appropriately, I wish I were at any or all of the “instances” between angry drivers, their crews and whoever. I know, those are deemed detrimental to the sport. One such instance was between Mr. Excitement and young(er) Kurt Busch at Michigan in 2003. Oh how I would like to have been there. I won’t say why, I’ll just say that incident still causes me a snicker or two. Do you remember that? And then there are the many Harvick feuds. There was Harvick and Johnson, Harvick and Edwards and Harvick and Scott Riggs crew member to name a few. I like Harvick. I always have and this “stuff”, within reason, is healthy in my opinion, but, I don’t have the clout or the responsibility to call them to the hauler. In many ways it seems to be some sort of right of passage or a tradition. Whatever, but admit it, we all love those things “within reason”. I know our phone rang off the wall following all of those “incidents”.

Of course I am like so many others who would have liked to have met many more of drivers and racing personalities that are no longer with us. These are just a few of the things I would have changed if I could have. There are so many more. Perhaps I will jot those down in another column at a later date.

One thing is for certain, NASCAR, ARCA and many other series’ drivers are very fortunate to be able to compete in a much safer environment than just 4 years ago. Soft walls, a choice of two approved head and neck restraints, safer race personnel and track practices, safer seats and body restraint systems, just the cars in general have offered exciting racing with added driver, team members and track personnel safety. Perhaps this column will serve to help you recall some of your most memorable racing moments…good and bad. I hope so.

Brandon McReynolds

Brandon McReynolds is a cute young man with a very likable personality. He is amusing, friendly, respectful..an interviewer’s delight. So except for a famous racing last name, what makes him stand out? I’ll tell you what I think at the end of this article, but, in the meantime you judge for yourself.

Brandon is a regular in the UARA Stars Series piloting the #28 Airplus Insoles/Sculley Yachts Dodge, just recently turned 18 and graduated High School. Last weekend Brandon won his first race of the season at Dillion Motor Speedway in S. C. which added to 1 top 5 and 1 top 10 in 5 races. He takes that momentum as they head to Orange County Speedway next Saturday.

“My name is Brandon McReynolds,” he began “son of Larry McReynolds and I have been racing all sorts of different race cars since I was 8 years old. I just turned 18 May 21st. I started out in the Bandolero Series at Lowes Motor Speedway. I watched my buddies like Kyle Grissom and Corey LaJoie racing Bandoleros and one night after watching them I asked my dad if we could get one. I actually got one on Christmas morning that year and have been racing ever since. I also ran the Allison Legacy Series, ran that for a couple of years and won a few races in that. Then I started running the UARA Series last year and we got a win in my 11th start in that series. We finished 7th in the points last year and this year we are chasing the championship.”

Until his win last weekend, he termed this season as a “rough road” thus far, with 4 blown motors in 3 races. This resulted in switching engine builders from long time associate Moonshine Speed Shop to Kowalsky Racing Engines. 2 races into this new alliance, this change has paid off in a big way with the Dillon Motor Speedway win.

One of the things I like to ask young racers, usually, is “why racing?”, but, that is a ridiculous question with young McReynolds.

“With my Dad being Larry McReynolds I grew up around racing. Actually my Dad and Davey Allison won the Winston, now the All Star race, the weekend before I was born in 1991. Then the weekend after I was born they won the Coca Cola 600, so, maybe it was meant to be for me to be in racing. But my Dad has never pushed me to race. I think he’d rather me be a lawyer, a doctor or something that wouldn’t cost him as much money, but, he has always been so supportive of me and stands by what I want to do. I’ve always been a huge fan of my Dad’s and he said if I really wanted to do this then let’s do it, but, he told me it would be a tough journey and it has been. It’s probably one of the toughest things to become a professional race car driver, but, we’re still working towards that.”

I asked Brandon if he thinks it may be harder for kids of well known racing dads, especially there in the Mooresville area.

“I hang out with guys like Corey LaJoie, Kyle Grissom and Coleman Pressley. Obviously everyone knows who their fathers are. I think it is harder for some of us kids that are racing together now who have these well known racing dads because they look at you and say you are Larry’s son or Randy’s son and you are definitely supposed to get out there and perform well because you have the best equipment, but, that’s not always the case. It’s tough for everyone and we’re on the same playing field as anyone else. We’re going out there and racing against guys like Richard Boswell and Jamey Caudill every weekend. I remember being a young kid and watching Jamey Caudill run the late model series. So it’s tough for everyone, but, I think it might be a little tougher for us because we’re in the spotlight and when people check out the run downs and they see a Brandon McReynolds or a Corey LaJoie in 19th they don’t see that blown engine or that flat tire. They just think he isn’t a good race car driver. You’re expected to perform, but, obviously you can’t win every race. It’s tough sometimes.”

UARA Stars is a very competitive series, and apparently one of the toughest late model series available. With 16 races in a season, there are some well known names in this series. Those mentioned above and others including Earnhardt Jr who has 2 cars that compete each weekend. Obviously it’s a great place for fans to have fun, drivers to develop their skills and owners to check out some great home grown talent. 5 races of the season are behind them resulting in 5 different winners. Last season out of the 16 race schedule, 14 different drivers collected the trophies. Exciting? Apparently! Tough? Definitely!

Brandon McReynolds in Victory Lane at Dillion

Of course, my next question was if Brandon has hopes of moving up to become a pro driver. This series offers experience in cars similar to the Nationwide series with some tough tracks. It only seems natural that some of these drivers, like McReynolds, would be ready for ARCA. Has there been any talk about getting some seat time in an ARCA car?

“Yeah, ya know,” he continued, “it’s all about equipment these days and it’s money driven like other forms of racing. We talked to a lot of people like Eddie Sharp Racing, Billie Venturini and his Dad about maybe running some ARCA races for them. I think my Dad would really like to sell a sponsorship and be able to run me in his own ARCA car or his own Camping World East car. Right now the biggest thing is what is best for me. Would it be better for me to run for my Dad and maybe have good equipment or would it be best to sell a sponsorship and put me in a Venturini or an Eddie Sharp car? Hopefully we will sell that sponsorship and be able to run some ARCA races at the end of this year and maybe at the beginning of next year as well.”

“If you want to get to the Cup Series and be a good race car driver, I think the best thing to do is to run as many races as you can of every top series before you head to the Cup Series.You need that experience because after the Nationwide Series, Cup is a huge step. You’re going from 650 horsepower to over 800 horsepower. I think the path would be to take whatever is available for me, whatever comes our way. I just probably need to jump in the race car and make it happen.”

There is no doubt this young driver is ready to try his hand in an upper series. But is Brandon in a hurry to step up to a pro series of racing? Is he willing to get there no matter what? In his eyes what is more important, a chance to race ARCA or CTS in mediocre equipment just to get his name out there and to gain that experience or should he hold out and possibly take more time to put a quality opportunity together? We all have seen drivers take these “any opportunity” rides that come along with hopes that some miracle will happen and they will have a good showing only to do predictably poor.  So what would he do? What does he see as most important?

“For me any opportunity has to be a good (quality) opportunity,” he believes. “When you tell someone that it sounds like you’re nitpicking, but, you have to be that way. People look at the box scores and If you get out there in lesser equipment that is what people are going to see. They will say Brandon isn’t worth anything. That’s just the way it is. All racers have excuses and everyone knows that but you don’t get the chance to write excuses for your box scores next year. I’d have to say any opportunity I take would have to be a good, quality opportunity. Are you better to start and park a Nationwide car and be looked at differently around the garage area? Obviously it is better to sit at home and wait for another opportunity to come along whether it comes or not. The difference is worth waiting for.”

So many things go into a successful race team, not just the driver. Young McReynolds believes communication with his crew chief and team is of the utmost importance. “Sean Treadway had been with me since I began racing and last year we were just starting to go opposite ways. It’s tough being 17 and let someone go from your operation who has been with you forever. Nick Huthens is our new Crew Chief and my Dad has taught me a lot about communication and treating others the way you want to be treated. You can have the fastest race car and the best crew chief or driver but if the communication isn’t there you’re not going to get anything done.

Brandon says he is a very low key type of person, very relaxed and that even his closest friends probably don’t know that about him. If he could pick one racer he is most like, he said it would be Mark Martin. He likes the way Mark “carries himself” and respects his ability, as well. That’s an interesting and rather amazing choice for such a young racer, yet definitely an excellent driver to emulate.

Brandon says his father has really done a great job of letting him be his own person and build his own name as a racer. “It’s always good to be known as Brandon McReynolds, son of Larry McReynolds,” he explained “but Dad kind of messes around with me and says he wants people to look at him and say that’s Brandon McReynolds Dad.”

Brandon was quick to praise both his mother and father for instilling respect for others and a good grasp of quality values on several occasions during this interview. That is quite telling, quite impressive of this young man because I explained we would speak about his father only as he directed since the article is to be about him and not his father. Yet, time after time he would refer proudly to one thing or another his father had taught him.

One of his obviously fond memories about his father’s influence on him came when he was a young driver. Brandon and his Dad went to the Summer Shoot Out for the Bandoleros. “We had won like 3 of the 4 races at the beginning of the season and I walked around there like I owned the world. When we got in the truck to go back to the shop Dad said, ‘I’ll tell you what boy, you ain’t got none of this figured out.’ I said what are you talking about I just won 3 out of 4 races? And he said, ‘First things first, there’s no “I” about it. You didn’t set this race car up. You just drove it. It takes more than just the driver to get things done. Second of all this can be a very humbling sport.’ I didn’t know what he meant by that, and when we went back to the race track the very next week I ran terrible. I ran probably 10th which wasn’t very good in a Bandelero. When I got out of the car he said you see what I mean? I said I’m never bragging about my accomplishments ever again. I guess that story is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.”

“Since then I try to put my guys, my race team, before me and take care of my sponsors. By the way, Airplus Insoles came on board this year and they’ve actually been with me since my Bandolero days, so we’ve built an awesome relationship with them. They are our Primary sponsor now and Sculley Boat Builders have been helping us out too. The guys out there are just fantastic. That’s my little plus for my sponsors.”

I’ve interviewed and/or met a lot of young driver’s who hope to make it big one day. Some have made it, many have not. And truthfully there have been some that I just didn’t care much for, although you will never read that in my articles. Their stories deserve to be told no matter what my personal thoughts are, but, I can honestly say I hope this young man makes it. There is just something unique about Brandon McReynolds. He gave me as much time as I wanted to get as close to a complete picture of him as is possible. I genuinely think I am well on my way, as much as a phone interview allows, to seeing that this young man is a well rounded, truly grounded, talented and enjoyable young racer who I feel deserves a chance to show what he can do with an upper series opportunity. He’s appreciative of parents, team members and sponsors. He has seen that hard work and good communication is what leads to Victory Lane. I hope I see him “make it.”

In closing Brandon said, “I just want to thank God for keeping me safe and thank my parents, Linda and Larry McReynolds, and my guys because without them I wouldn’t have a race car each week to run. They are Nick Hutchens, Adam Fournier, Chris Howell, Bobby Wallace and Skip Flores.

Good luck, Brandon. We’ll be watching for you in an upper series soon and wish you great success in the future. In keeping with Brandon’s pride of acknowledgement please visit these websites:

http://www.brandonmcreynolds.com

http://www.uara-stars.com

http://www,airplusfootcare.com

http://www.sculleyboatbuilders.com

Kevin Conway

I spoke with Kevin recently to congratulate him and get the details of his return. It was great to chat with him again and to hear the excitement in his voice.

“After things didn’t work out as we had planned or thought with my last go around,” Kevin explained, “I refused to let that define me or my career. I said that’s not going to happen and we kept digging. A lot of things happened at the end of 2007 and we just kicked, scratched and clawed and found a way to get back in a car to prove myself and be in a situation where we’re not racing one week and sitting out for a couple of weeks and then hop back in. We wanted to have more consistency in the car and try to do it the right way where we’re not rotating quite as many drivers trough the same car and things like that.”

“We climb into the #87 Toyota at Dover. I picked another great track to start at (chuckling). I actually raced there in 2007 with the Gibbs car. We qualified half way decent for that race and we went back and looked at 2007 and actually had some good finishes among Nationwide drivers. Out of those 7 races we had a couple of accidents along the way that weren’t really our doing, but, within that deal we had a couple of top 5s and top 10s among the Nationwide regulars.”

“Before NASCAR fully implemented the COT everywhere, the Nationwide Series was averaging 23 to 24 Cup drivers per race. This year, with the differences in the Car Of Tomorrow and the state of the economy, there are maybe 8 to 10, maybe 12, Cup guys per race, so, the complexion of the Nationwide Series has changed and for us, I think the timing was right and timing is definitely everything in the sport.”

“So as it stands, we are going to do Dover, Nashville, Kentucky, Gateway International Raceway and ORP for NEMCO Motorsports with primary sponsor Extenze and associate sponsor Alteril. We’re very happy to have them on board. Then there’s a little bit of a break of 3 1/2 weeks when we won’t be running the car and we will have some things sorted out.”

Extenze is an all natural male enhancement. Walmart is their #1 retailer. Alteril is an all natural sleep aid, #1 in their category and #2 in sales worldwide to Tylenol PM. Look for commercials with Kevin and Extenze beginning with the Dover weekend. I hear in car cameras are in the works, so, we should be seeing a lot of Kevin beginning that weekend.

“I want to learn from the past, not be defined by it, and apply those experiences to make this opportunity much better. We’re also excited to bring yet another new company in to this sport as we’ve done in the past and continue to grow the program in to something that will be around for a long time.”

‘I am very thankful to have the opportunity to join forces with NEMCO Motorsports and Extenze,” Conway concluded. “NEMCO Motorsports is a well established team in the Nationwide Series that has launched the careers of many great drivers. I look forward being a part of that and to representing the number one men’s health supplement, Extenze, on and off the racetrack.”

Kevin is hoping to have things worked out and be able to make some announcements about the future very soon. Just keep watching and listening for announcements. He is young, dynamic, good looking, talented, dedicated and deserving in every way. I’m excited to see him back on track and doing what he truly was born to do. As soon as that information is available we will let our readers know.

As always we wish you the very best of good luck, Kevin. Be sure to tune in. The race airs on ABC at 2 PM EST Saturday, May 30th.

We’ll be watching and cheering, Kevin.

bottle_force

What would you do if you were a concert pianist and a terrible accident left you unable to play the piano? Why, develop a fuel and engine conditioner that increases gas mileage by up to 20%, reduces emissions by up to 30% while reducing engine damage, of course! At least that is what Miguel Gallimore, Co-founder and President of “For Earth” did.

I spoke with Mr. Gallimore recently to learn what “Force For Earth” is, how it was developed, how it works and who can benefit from using it.

“I sort of fell into it out of my own needs. Growing up as a youngster my Granddaddy once said to me if I could find something I love to do that I would do anyway, and figure out how to get paid to do it I’d have a shot at being relatively happy. A few years ago I had an accident, chopped a couple of fingers off. They were reattached but they don’t work too well. That ended my career as a concert pianist, but, to make a long story short I found out about an ester based product and was intrigued. The first time I spoke to anybody about it they said ‘ya know there’s no such thing, none of these things work, they’re all additives, it’s impossible, there’s no such thing as a mechanic in a can, etc, etc.’ That just seemed to always be the first response.”

“With the first ester based product I was involved in I put some in our minivan and my wife drove to Ft. Myers and said the car felt lighter. The bottom line was we did experience improved fuel economy and the car just felt freer and easier (to handle). It really seemed to work. So, that’s how I got involved in the precursor to this product and we marketed that product for a couple of years. People of Miami Beach began to use the product, not only the employees, but in police cars, and garbage trucks, etc. with good results both in terms of fuel economy and emissions. So here at ‘For Earth’ we wanted to take it to the next level so we tracked down a scientist by the name of Dr. Lee Polite. He has done work for all the major petroleum companies in the US, for government labs and environmental companies. We sent him our product and asked him if he could make this better. We believe that he has.”

“The way the product, ‘Force’, works is not magic. It’s simply cleaning and lubricating. Everytime we burn a drop of fuel (driving our cars) we create carbon and smog carbon emissions. So every gallon we burn puts carbon with heavy metals in to the air that we breathe in. If we could eliminate that carbon and better lubricate our engines there would be less resistance and therefore less force needed so we would burn less fuel.”

“Have you ever been behind a school bus? That’s what our kids are breathing. What if we could reduce those emissions by let’s say 30%, wouldn’t that be huge? Well we can do that. We can document that. Ester technology has been around for years and ‘Force’ has been available since January of this year.

“We heard about a young driver Al Unser, III and contacted him to set up a meeting to discuss our product. His father came to the meeting, as well. We started talking about the product and what it does and he flat out said, ‘I don’t believe it. If this stuff actually does what you say then I want to sell it. So, he told us to send a case to his mom’s house, to his house and to his dad’s house. So that’s Al Unser I, II and III and we sent a case to each one and he said he would get back to me if it works. A week or 2 went by and one night I got a call from Al Unser, Jr and All Unser, III. They were driving from Henderson, Nevada to Albuquerque, NM where their family racing museum is and they were excited.

They said they were pulling an 11,000 pound trailer and getting better gas mileage.”

“Al helped us get to know a few people and a gentleman who is in charge of building engines for the entire Firestone Indy Lights Series. He tried the product in his F150 and got between ! and 2 miles difference. Then we put it in a race car in Homesteand last March. We didn’t see that much in fuel economy but the car got quicker the first lap. There was less damage in the gear box and just a bunch of little things…the product always works on some level. That’s where the phrase ‘you can’t over lubricate’ came from.”

Al Unser, Jr has now been named the official spokesperson for ‘Force”. That’s a very impressive endorsement.

On April 4th, 2009 in St. Petersburg, Florida every car in the developmental Firestone Indy Lights Series was using “Force”. This series is making great strides in not only looking to save money, but to improving the environment.

It certainly seems like they are on the cutting edge of technology with a commitment for improving the environment. Could eco-friendly “Force For Earth” be the way of racing’s future? Time will tell.

Two-time Indy 500 winner, Al Unser, Jr was recently quoted as saying, “You don’t need to be a professional race car driver to benefit from “Force For Earth”. I think every automobile in the world should use the product since it significantly reduces emissions as well as the carbon footprint. Using “Force For Earth” will help generations to come enjoy a better planet.”

“Force For Earth” is for use in ANY combustible engine whether it be your car, truck, motorcycle and even racing engines. Not only does it reduce emissions, but it actually lessens the usual wear on the engine.

With the economy like it is, and the impact it has had on NASCAR race teams and many of the people who have worked in this industry for many years, perhaps it is time for the “powers that be” to look at this product and work towards allowing teams to test this product. Additionally ARCA has many independent teams who don’t have access to huge sponsor dollars. They could certainly benefit from anything that saves money, as well.

We all can benefit from putting a few less dollars in the gas tank, perhaps less money spent on engine repairs and certainly from cleaner air to breathe. We can’t begin to rebound from this recession or the damage we have done to our planet soon enough. It appears to be a win/win situation and a seemingly good way to help much of what is ailing us presently.

Be sure to check out more details on this and other products at forearthonline.com

As a way of getting the word out about this product, Miguel is offering our readers who mention this article on catchfence.com a discount for trying “Force For Earth”. We all like discounts so be sure when you are ordering to mention reading this article.

Additionally distributors are wanted. Perhaps this is the ground floor opportunity you have been looking for. Contact information is available on their website.

Bobby-Labonte-Headshot

Before Daytona, the work began on getting the information together for this article. Questions were submitted for Bobby since there was not time for an interview. Things were lining up well, but, some things went wrong, and then all of a sudden Daytona was over.  I was devastated. This project was too important to me to let it go. To that end, I was recently able to speak with Andrea Riggs, Vice President of Consumer Public Relations for Ask.com and found her to be genuinely excited and positive for this racing season. “We’re so lucky to have him,” she began, referring to Bobby as their driver.

“We feel like we have lucked out with Bobby,” Andrea continued. “He is such a class act. He fits with our brand so well. He is a family man, and he just stands for good values. The folks that support Bobby are really loyal to him and we’ve already seen that loyalty translate over to Ask.com, so, we feel super lucky to be working with him.”

So how did all of this come about? How did it all come together in such a short amount of time to get this team race ready for 2009? And why pick racing to promote Ask.com?

“Ask.com was looking for an opportunity to find people who could really relate to our brand, and relate to the kinds of things that we have to offer,” Andrea continued. What that means is we have special way of delivering people answers. When you type in your questions you’ll see an answer pop up right in the middle of the page the first time you ask it. And, you can ask natural language search questions, the way you would ask of anybody else. That tends to be really useful for people who are asking everyday questions, like how long can you drink milk after the expiration date, or what’s the weather going to be today in Atlanta, Georgia? Things like that. And because we used to be Askjeeves.com, a lot of families with children identified with Jeeves, the butler. We have a heritage of families using our site, and so we took a look around and said who matches our brand? And we found NASCAR and the incredibly passionate and loyal 70 plus million fan base.”

“We felt it would be a great fit, so, we started talking to several teams and found we were a great fit with Yates, who led us to Bobby, which has been a match made in heaven. It came together pretty late last year and we knew it was just right, so, we jumped on it. We tend to be the kind of company that takes opportunities when other companies are hunkering down, and not aggressively moving forward. That’s when we tend to see opportunities that others aren’t taking and we will make our move. That’s what happened.”

“We decided if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right. We are going to embrace this sport and let the fans know that we are here to do something good and big. We are going to support NASCAR and all we ask in return, is that the fans support Ask.com and that they use us. We are very excited. If the fans use Ask.com for their Internet searching we can continue to support NASCAR. “

I still have not had the opportunity to speak directly to Bobby, but, I do want to share the questions and his answers with our readers. I do plan to speak with him sometime soon but until then this is what he had to say pre Daytona:

#1. Wow Bobby, it’s a good thing you like going fast. Perhaps that has prepared you for this whirlwind you’ve been riding since leaving PE. With several options what made you choose this team to go with for 2009?

Answer: You’re right – it’s definitely been a whirlwind month, but I’m glad I landed with Hall of Fame Racing.  The two main reasons I made the decision were because I felt the HOF/Yates partnership would make the organization a contender and that they had an exciting new sponsor in Ask.com who is ready to do big things in the sport.

#2. Tell me about your expectations for this team this season. You certainly are an experienced, very proven talent, and it sounds like ASK.com is excited to be on board.  So, with key people in place does all of this make this transition easier for you?

Answer: It absolutely makes it easier.  While I’m aware there will be a transition period where everyone gets to know each other, I expect to be competitive immediately with the Ask.com Ford Fusion and have my sights set on reaching Victory Lane.

#3. You have such a strong fan base. Can you speak to your fans about this season and opportunity?

Answer: I have great fans and truly appreciate them.  I’m pumped about this year in particular, because Ask.com has some awesome programs lined up that will really let me interact with fans in cool new ways on their site and in-person.  We’ve got a great new opportunity this season and fans have my word I’ll be racing as hard as humanly possible.

#4. This year and last has been so tough for the American people and our country. It seems everyday, we read about thousands of hard working people losing their jobs.  This, of course, has affected NASCAR, its teams, owners and those who have worked in racing for so many years. Can you say anything about how that has affected you as a driver and friend to some of those people.

 Answer: It’s tough – there’s no way around it.  I’m not a business expert so I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I really feel for the folks who were laid off.  It certainly makes me even more grateful to have Ask.com on the hood this year.

#5. There are always going to be diehard NASCAR fans as long as there is NASCAR. Do you see the competition being as great this season as in seasons past?</B>

Answer: Yep.  And you better believe I plan to be a part of it.

B Labonte Drives William Starr to School

Bobby had this to say about the whole experience, “We’re trying to help raise awareness of Internet safety. I got the chance to meet with a bunch of 5th graders, so they were all smarter than I am, I know that. As a dad with 2 kids at home, and a big computer sitting there, I know how important it is to have Internet safety at home.”

“The young man I took to school this morning, William, he was here when I won the race in 2003. That was his first race-so that introduction went really well because he knew who I was. It was great to see him and I think we had (kindergarten)-through-5 standing at the curb when I came driving up, so that was good.”

“It’s great to see children my own kids’ age engaged in learning about and safely exploring the worlds available to them online. It was a pleasure to drive to Cotton Indian with an honored student passenger and meet specialists and students responsible for such compelling Internet safety program entries.

The next market for this program will be in the Dallas area the week of the Texas race. Be sure to look to Catchfence.com for the results of the winning school and student.

The Atlanta race ended up being a dismal day for Labonte and the #96 Ask.com team. They suffered an engine failure, finished 40th and lost 13 positions in the points standings. That is pretty depressing, BUT, this team has so much going for it. Great team, great driver, great crew chief and crew members and a very supportive and great sponsor all equal a winning combination. This team will win this season. Multiple wins are certainly possible. They are dedicated and focused on that goal. The pairing of this driver, team, and sponsor just may be one of the biggest stories of the 2009 Cup season.

I choose to describe the Atlanta race as having dealt and dispensed with those new team racing gremlins. Now that those are out of the way, the winner’s circle should be well in sight and reach. Go get ‘em Bobby. And we will both be sure to say “I told them so”!

So, if you are a Bobby Labonte fan, and who isn’t, be sure to use Ask.com as you search engine. I have been using it instead of the search engine my isp, uses and the results really are different. Try it! You will like it! It is awesome.

Be sure to check out

www.ask.com

www.bobbylabonte.com