Matt Carter

“I went with Rick Ware and did a few start and parks a couple of times this year for him. I may do some more. Maybe Bristol will be the next one I will go to,” he began. “To me, if you look at the current situation, the only teams that have any money are either teams that are the most popular in the sport like Hendrick, Gibbs and the big Cup teams. Then the most popular Nationwide teams are the Cup team owners, basically. Even Roush doesn’t have (adequate) sponsors for his Nationwide teams now. I think even Jr (Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports) struggles and has cut back on cars. And then some of the other teams either have money themselves or have drivers who have money or their family has money to bring to the team so they don’t need as much sponsorship. It’s tough. It’s tough for everybody.”

“I believe (with adequate sponsorship and the right opportunity) I could do well in racing. The reason I say that is because I know what I’ve done since I started racing and the people I’ve raced against, the crew men I’ve had and what I’ve been up against. I’ve gotten better and better every year and not being able to go racing for the past two years, I mean, man that’s tough. Even the last year I ran ARCA I was getting better and better the whole year and learning more and more. Now maybe that’s the last year I’ll be able to race but I didn’t think that at the time. I’m still trying. I don’t want to give up. I’m not ready to quit. I know a lot of people who get to where I’m at right now and give up, but I’ve made this decision to keep trying so that’s what I’m going to do. I could name 20 guys I’ve raced against who could do a good job and they’re not getting opportunities either. Obviously there are more racers without money than there are with money. I don’t think there are too many with both, in my opinion. I’m not making any money, I can tell you that, but I don’t have to have a lot of money to be happy. I believe I can do a good job. I just wish I could get an opportunity in some decent equipment to show what I can do. I wish that had happened five or six years ago. I didn’t even get to test back when that was real big. (laughing) I know people who couldn’t even ride a bicycle in a straight line and were getting tested right and left for whatever reason. I don’t know if it had something to do with Dad being who he is. Maybe they thought they didn’t need to give me a shot if Dad couldn’t do it, that maybe I must be really bad. I don’t know, I think a lot of people have the misconception that we have a lot of money which is not true. That might hurt things, but who knows.”

Speaking of his father, I mentioned I have spoken with Travis several times, and asked how he is doing in his retirement.

“He’s doing good, not doing a whole lot but kind of taking it easy,” Matt explained. “That’s about it. I think he would like to have more things to do. I think it would be different if he quit (racing and working) on his own when he did and not because of the money. It’s not like he chose to quit when he did. I think he would be happier now.”

We discussed the fact that he traveled to races with his father when he was much younger and had a chance to learn work ethics, loyalty and so many other old school ways. Therefore, I would have thought that bringing old school ways to new school technology would have been an advantage to his current efforts.

“There are so many new people in this sport right now that didn’t even know what racing was 10 years ago, and there’s a lot of back stabbing people,” stated Matt. “There’s always been that but now I believe it’s really bad. I’m not an extroverted person, I’m kind of shy but when you do talk to some people, if you’re not on their team or whatever they just ignore you and stick to themselves. It’s not like it used to be and the team owners need money to operate, to pay their bills so they need a driver with money. It’s a shame but it is what it is.”

He told me about going to Martinsville in 2003 with the Truck Series as a driver for Carl Long. He qualified 14th with Jimmy Spencer ahead of him and Darrell Waltrip behind him, two drivers that had driven for his father at one time. In his first and only Truck Series event he finished 17th. That is quite telling of his capabilities.

Talent is talent but it takes quality equipment to succeed and it also takes determination, commitment. knowledge, pride and a belief in oneself to do this job and do it well. Take any of the top drivers today and put them in much lesser equipment and the results will speak volumes. I’ve interviewed a lot of up and coming young racers and believe I have gotten a feel, so to speak, for the sincerity they may or may not possess. I truly believe Matt is genuine and that this young man has it all. He just needs the money to show what he can do. In addition to all of the above he has a BIG additional advantage to offer someone who would like to become involved as an owner or sponsor.

He explained, “My goal is to get some stuff together to start our own race team. I figure if nobody else is going to hire me then I’m just going to try to do it myself. We’ve got two 20,000 square feet race shops with paint booths, fab shops, a chassis dyno, full of equipment with trailers, carts, tools and anything you need to go racing except the cars, the people and the money. People come there who don’t have anywhere to work, they don’t have anything. That aggravates me more than anything because we have everything ready to go. All we need is the money to buy some cars, hire some people and we could go to the race track in 2 weeks, pretty much I think, and run the Nationwide Series. I think that’s pretty realistic really. I know we can do it a lot cheaper than some people do (with all the equipment, shops, etc.). We could have a small number of employees and a few cars and run descent to start off anyway. I just want to put that out there so people will know. I don’t even have to own the team. If we could find an investor to come in here and make this possible then they could own the team and call it whatever they want. Whatever is the best way for this to happen I’m all game for. I just want to race. That’s what I care about.”

The cost to attend any race today is prohibitive for some race fans, but I believe one of the reasons for the empty seats in the grandstands is the missing “magic” we used to see like Dale, Sr.’s “pass in the grass,” and the time he came from 18th with just a few laps to go to win the race. Magic can come in many forms. Remember Trevor Bayne’s win at Daytona this year for the Wood Brothers? That was amazing and with the right sponsors and opportunities perhaps Matt can bring a little magic of his own to this sport and put the name Carter back in Victory Lane. I truly hope so.

Anyone wanting to bring some potential magic to this sport with a talented young racer or to learn more about Matt’s plans for starting a team can contact Carter’s management company, Knight Motorsports Management or chris@chrisknightpr.com

And be sure to visit Matt Carter’s new site too at MattCarterRacing.com.

Good luck Matt. I’ll be watching, pulling for you and waiting to report your dream come true!

FDNY Racing Hood Decal

FDNY Racing is heading to Pocono for this weekend’s Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 with driver Wes Burton. They have a new paint scheme and graphic design to commemorate next month’s 10th anniversary of 911. To the team their presence means more than racing as you will come to realize in the following interviews with Jim, Mike Bolnik, gas man for the team, and Billy Rock, jack man.

Giving a short history of his lengthy racing career Rosenblum said, “When we started out we ran the Trans Am Series and won the championship with Jocko Maggiacomo and then we went Cup racing. Beginning with NASCAR, it was probably 40 years ago. We did that until the truck series started in ’95. We ran the 1st truck race and were one of the first teams. Then in ’96 we ran the trucks and a couple of Cup races but it got too expensive so we just stayed with the trucks. To quote Randy LaJoie, whenever you come over to our team we’ve always got a smile. We may not be winning but we’ve always got a smile on our face.”

“As far as my involvement with the fire department, after 911 when everybody was collecting billions of dollars, and of course none of the money went where it was supposed to which is another story, someone wanted to donate money and asked us who they could donate to where it will actually go where it’s supposed to. Mike Bolnik, a Lieutenant with the fire department, said to give it to the Widows and Childrens Fund. That’s run by the fire department union and there are no administrative fees so whatever is collected goes where it is supposed to. Right after 911 we were collecting a lot of money, but like everything else there are a lot of short memories in the United States. If you’re west of The George Washington Bridge most people don’t know what’s going on, but we’ve been donating to that fund ever since. And we’ve helped fire departments in different parts of the country when they were having fundraisers for themselves.”

When 911 happened at WTC and the first responders headed to assist Jim said, “Nobody asked am I going to get sick, should I go down there cause it’s dangerous. Everybody just went to do their job. Most of our team are either retired from the fire department or the police department. Plus we have volunteers from Michigan, Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. We go race, we eat very well, we go there to have fun and bring attention to some of the problems we still have. In the New York Post the other day, a WTC worker with cancer actually received a compensation check for zero dollars. (Cancer-stricken Ground Zero worker Edgar Galvis gets settlement check for zero dollars – NYPOST.com ). The first responders that are dying from rare forms of cancer, I think there are 55 already, their doctor has said their rare cancer can only come from working at the Trade Center, but now some doctor has said there’s no proof of that so they aren’t going to receive any money. The whole thing is a joke.”

The disgust for the treatment of this man and so many others was evident in his voice. Instead of continuing he chose to have me speak with 2 of his team members.

FDNY Racing TV Panel Decal

“When we get to the track everybody knows what to do. It’s strickly business. We get the job done and then afterwards Jim usually takes us out for a really nice steak dinner. We just enjoy ourselves, talk about the race or the days events and it’s an honor to be a part of that organization. I can’t wait for the truck to be out there. It’s such a feeling of pride. There’s fire fighters, police officers, construction guys, a bunch of different guys who do different things for a career and when we get to the track we’re a race crew. It’s just nice.”

Regarding what this team represents Billy continued, “The human sacrifice is still continuing day to day, including myself. I’m part of the Mount Sinai World Trade Center Monitoring Program. I have my yearly examination this coming Monday. I live in Florida now so when I go home to visit for my examination it’s a reality check because every time I watch the local news there’s still a fire fighter or police officer who has passed away with illnesses related to those toxic chemicals that were ingested or inhaled at the time of the attacks. It scares me when I go home and put the news on. The loss of life that happened on that day in Pennsylvania, in New York and at the Pentagon isn’t over.”

“In addition the team has a tremendous respect and appreciation for the men and women soldiers that are fighting for our freedom overseas. At the track or at the airport when we see them coming home or leaving for deployment we always wave and thank them. Sometimes they seemed shocked that we’re thanking them. More people, when they see a soldier in uniform should really thank them for what they’re doing for us. They are part of that tragic day just as much as a first responder. We’re all in this together.”

FDNY Racing Quarter Panel Decal

A sort time later I spoke with Mike Bolnik, retired now from FDNY, who is the gas man for the team along with many other duties. According to Rosenblum Mike has 2 sons on the fire department and a grandson who will be one day. Apparently serving their community is a family tradition.

Everyone from this team (except Jim himself) always gives credit to Jim and Bolnik started out that way as well. “You know who deserves all the credit is Jim because he funds the whole thing out of the goodness of his heart and it’s a costly endeavor. I want to make sure he is recognized for all he has done. And I think it’s important that we keep the memory of 911 alive. Unfortunately this country seems to have a short memory. In the New York metropolitan area it’s still fresh but in many other parts of the country it’s a distant memory for them. It was the worst day in the history of this country. Unfortuantely there are a lot more people who have come down with illnesses, and a lot more are going to, due to the work they did there. It’s important to remember them, as well. I lost a lot of friends that day, spent a lot of time working there and it is something that will affect you for the rest of your life. Keeping their spirit alive is important, as well. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years. Sometimes it seems like yesterday.”

“We all have the utmost respect for Jim and what he has done. I can assure you of that. He’s a fantastic human being. Remembering is what this is all about and hopefully people will be motivated to donate to The FDNY Widows and Childrens Fund. That’s where the money goes primarily.”

It’s amazing to me how each member of this team gives the credit to Jim. “Self” is not a word that any of them speak. That is a true sign of a family, an amazing patriotic racing family.

343 NY fire fighters, 72 NY police officers including 2 NY port authority officers died that day. 2973 total people died in New York, at the Pentagon and in the field in Pennsylvania. But as you have read here those totals aren’t the whole story. Thousands of people all across this country are still dealing with the death of family, coworkers and friends. And now other first responders and the crews that worked for months on end are becoming very ill, some succumbing to this. And so far no end is in sight. As Bolnik said, “keeping their spirit alive is important.”

More than the landscape in New York City and the Pennsylvania corn field changed that day. More than a strangley shaped building in Arlington County, Virginia had to be rebuilt. Lives were lost, lives were forever changed and lives had to be rebuilt. Heartbroken people had to go on living while some heroic people are, now, paying the price for the horrific work they did that day and in the following months. Awareness, memory, that’s what FDNY Racing is about. Unfortunately they no longer have a webmaster so it hasn’t been updated with events and news in quite some time, however they still have diecast and T shirts available for sale. Please be sure to check it out at www.fdnyracing.com

One of the first things you will see when you go to their website are the compelling words, “All gave some…some gave all”. FDNY Racing is trying to give back! Sponsorship can help this team carry their message to more tracks and states and reach more people. If you are interested contact information is available there.

Good luck at Pocono, Jim. We’ll be watching and cheering!

Mike Harmon - Photo Credit: Catchfence.com Senior Reporter: Marty Tyler

Allow me to introduce you to Marrissa Bishop who has a rare and painful condition known as Acromegaly which affects as many as 60 out of every million people. Acromegaly causes abnormal growth of bones, usually those in the arms, hands, legs and feet, due to high levels of growth hormone caused by a benign tumor.

A call from Mike a couple of days ago alerted me to this amazing little girl. He would tell me nothing more than, “You have to read about her on my website. This isn’t about me, Marty. This is all about her. It’s all about her.” So that is exactly what I did. I went to his website and read the article “Racing For Marrissa At Iowa” written by Amanda Ebersole from www.skirtsandscuffs.com. I knew I had to speak with the child with this huge, giving heart.

Marrissa and Mike are both from Alabama. She is an avid NASCAR fan, exposed to racing by her mother and grandmother. She is also a regular on Twitter where she is known as @LilMarrissa. So I decided to dust off my never used Twitter account and track this little powerhouse down.

The following is the result of an interview with her and her mother Jessica, an interview I will always cherish. She began by explaining how and when she developed her passion for racing.

“Maw Maw (her grandmother) took me to Talladega (Superspeedway) in 2004.It’s big!” They walked around the track. “It’s kind of scarey. I like how they go up on the big curves. It’s got a pretty high bank on it. I grew up with my Mom and my Maw Maw watching racing so I’ve kind of known about it since I was real, real little. It’s always been just me, my mom and Maw Maw.”

“Maw Maw told me about the wreck Mr. Mike had at another track (Bristol 2002) and she showed me the youtube video of it when I got on Twitter. With the wreck, when I watched Mr. Mike’s wreck I cried. It scared me. Now when I see them on TV I always go to my room until Maw Maw tells me they’re ok. I come back out then, but, they really scare me. Since I’ve been sick I met “Mr. Brad” Keselowski at Walmart in April when they had the Talladega race. Mr. Brad is my favorite Cup driver. He started following me on Twitter when he found out I was sick so I got on there and thanked him for following me. Then about a month ago Mr. Mike sent me a tweet that said ‘I’m not Mr. Brad but I’m following you now.’ And ever since then Mr. Mike and I talk everyday. I love Mr. Mike.”

“We watched Mr. Mike pull off the track in some of the races and they said he was out so I asked my mom and my Maw Maw what that meant and they told me (about start and park and why Mike and others have to do that). It’s like I told another lady, Mr. Mike has the racing spirit and if he has the opportunity to get behind (the wheel of) a car and be able to race the whole race I fully believe he’ll do really good.”

“I was on Twitter and me, my mom and Maw Maw were talking about a way we might be able to help and I came up with the idea that maybe the fans could sponsor his car and that my name might be able to get on his car along with everybody else’s. This means a lot to me. With me being sick and having a brain tumor, to be able to make somebody else’s life a little bit better makes me feel good because Mr. Mike is a good friend of mine. To be able to help him run a whole race and be able to do really good is something I want to do for him but I just didn’t know how and with having the idea of all the fans making a donation of any amount that they or their family can afford and to get their name on the car with my name on it, it’s amazing to me. I know Mr. Mike and he’s going to be in Victory Lane one day. If you’re not a fan of Mr. Mike’s this could be your way to kind of get to know him and help him out also because once you know Mr. Mike and become a fan of his, you’ll love him. He may not have been able to run a lot of races or finish a lot of races in the Nationwide (Series) but he’s going to be #1 one day and you’re going to want to be a fan of his before he gets there so he will know you’re going to stick by him.”

I asked Marrissa’s mother if she would tell our readers what this association with Mr. Mike and her daughter has meant to her. “I’m going to try to do this without crying. Ok?” With a voice laden with emotion Jessica Bishop continued, “Little Marrissa has had a hard time in her life. She’s put up with a lot of bullying. She doesn’t get to go to school much so she’s never had many friends. Since her contact with Mike on Twitter Mike has been just an awesome friend to her. When she tweets him he always tweets her right back. He always says very, very uplifting things to her. I think the past 3 or 4 days since this has been going on she’s been more happy, excited and it even seems like her health is better. And through Mike other people have started following her on Twitter and telling her how awesome she is, and what she means to them. This is just an incredible journey. I think if people were more aware of Acromegaly, including children, if they understood it more maybe they would treat kids with this a little differently. I would love to see more awareness for this, as well. Now people are really taking notice of Acromegaly and for that we are forever grateful to Mike.”

“When Marrissa was 4 years old my mom took her to the Talladega track and she told Marrisa about sitting in Richard Petty’s race car. Marrissa told her that was very cool but she wanted her name on a race car. We just had no idea at that time that something as great as this would happen to Marrissa and she would have her name on a car. This is all so emotional for me but I do want to thank Mike for what he’s doing for my daughter and being such a big part of her life.”

What an inspirational family! I saved the last of the interview for Marrissa. What does she want to say to Mr. Mike? “I guess when he puts my name on his car, to make my name fly. And tell Mr. Mike that I love him.”

I spoke with Mike later that day and he offered this, “I want everyone to understand that this effort is not about me. It is totally about Marrissa. This was her idea. She is amazing. Being in the business I’m in, especially at the race track, I’m around a lot of people who complain about anything and everything they can. They’re at the race track doing what millions of people would love to do and here’s little Marrissa sitting at home and would give anything to be at the race track. We get to do this and get paid for it and Marrissa thinks about how she can help other people. We should all appreciate life like she does and be more like her.”

“I have always been a private person and I appreciate every race I can start. I get ridiculed for start and parks but I do what I can to provide for my team and my family in this economy. Of course I would love to be able to run every lap of every race. That’s what I did for years. I had to win and I did win so I don’t like the situation I’m in but this is better than laying on the couch and watching it on TV. The income looks ok to some but it isn’t what it seems with fuel prices, tires, motels and all racing related expenses. I deal with this. I’m not happy about it but I do what I have to do and I don’t complain about it. And this little 10 year old girl understands all of that. Like I said she is amazing. She’s very special and important to me and if more people were like Marrissa this would be a much better world. She’s definitely an inspiration to me and hopefully to many other people.”

Robert Reed of The Social Eclipse http://TheSocialEclipse.com is working feverishly with Harmon to help Marrissa’s dream to come true. They have launched an all out campaign to (1) Create the Twitter Fan Car to run the rest of the season featuring Marrissa Bishop, (2) Raise awareness and increase education for those with Acromegaly, (3) Raise awareness and increase education to stop bullying and (4) Raise money for Marrissa’s charity of choice. After the last race of this season the goal is to be able to arrange a time and place for Harmon and Marrissa to deliver the total dollars raised to Marrissa’s charity of choice.

However, the immediate/short term goal of this campaign is to raise enough funds through fan donations to allow Mike to run the entire event at the Iowa race in 2 weeks featuring Marrissa’s name on the hood of the car and the names of all who donate splashed all over the car. This is a giant undertaking but one that can be reached with the support of race fans everywhere. And in considering the long term goals of this effort they have decided to continue this campaign to run through the end of this race season. They are also seeking business/corporate sponsors for the dollars that will allow Mike to drive the full race at each event. If full corporate sponsorship can be found for each race, all dollar donations for the Twitter Fan Car will go towards Marrissa’s charity of choice. Of course, as is customary, there will be a ‘sponsor section’ on the car and Mike’s website will spotlight those sponsors.

As Mike said, this effort is all about Marrissa. She is a very special young lady with a generous heart which is coupled with the knowledge and understanding of Mike’s racing efforts. An understanding that put those of many race fans to shame. And Marrissa, you may not realize this but to Mr. Mike, Robert Reed, me, everyone at www.catchfence.com and everyone who works with Mike, in our eyes you already soar far higher than you can imagine. Now we are hoping the fans of racing will allow your name to “fly” at race track speed in Iowa.

Or you can mail your donations to:

Mike Harmon Racing
6652 Denver Industrial Park Road
Denver NC 28037

And please check out Mr. Mike’s new website at www.mikeharmonracing.com Contact information for sponsorship can be found there. And thank you all for helping a very special friend of ours FLY!

Rob Jones

With a little research to my credit I began the interview by asking him, with his varied accomplishments, why go racing and when did he realize this was what he wanted to do?

“I wouldn’t say I wanted to be a professional race car driver when I was a kid, but everything I watched on television involved speed, and I loved it. So as a child the love of speed was instilled early and I just built upon it from there. Pretty much everybody told me I was crazy (to want to drive race cars). I think it was a case of racing being a non-traditional career path to pursue, especially when I was growing up in the 90′s. There weren’t any examples of African American drivers to really emulate.”

Rob is one of a handful of current upper series racers who didn’t come to racing by the normal progression and exposure as a child. “I started following racing when I was young. Up until about high school, I thought I wanted to be an Open Wheel driver along the lines of the old CART Series. However, by the time I was approaching college, I grew away from the CART Series and started focusing more on NASCAR. My interest was peaked and I never looked back to Open Wheel. I was not afforded an opportunity to pursue racing when I was younger. I was an only child raised by my mother after my parents divorced. Though my mother’s love was supportive and unconditional, she did not encourage or share in my dreams of racing.”

In high school Rob was the typical jock. His plans were to play football in college and major in business. However, Rob’s aunt, who was a general aviation pilot with a flight instructor rating, spoke with him about becoming a pilot prior to graduation. “As hoki as it sounds, a few years prior, the movie Top Gun came out, and I started to get a little excited about flying. I thought if I can’t race cars, maybe this would be a good substitute.” After deciding to take her advice, Rob eventually headed to Delaware State University where he obtained a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Aircraft Systems Management. While in college his aunt introduced him to the Air National Guard. Rob, along with others from his program were invited to interviews. Subsequently, Rob was selected to train to fly the A-10 Warthog fighter jet. While serving in the Maryland Air National Guard, Rob was hired by UPS as a pilot, which is his current employer. My first conversation with Rob found him on the job in Taiwan.

Becoming a pilot has allowed Rob to go back to realize his true childhood, deep seated dream of becoming a race car driver. In high school he had three goals: to become a fighter pilot, to become an airline pilot, and to eventually become a race car driver. “I’ve been blessed and fortunate enough,” he explained, “to accomplish in some form or fashion all three of those goals. I’m obviously still working on the third one, but I’ve gotten to a point now where if this is as far as I go, then I can at least hold my head high. If opportunities and situations had been different when I was younger, I believe I would have (already) been successful.” The next step, he truly hopes will be to gain more seat time and experience and move to the upper ranks of NASCAR.

Rob knew he would have to rely on his resourcefulness in order to achieve his racing ambitions. Rob’s family had no personal ties of any sort in racing that would help to expedite entry into the sport. While in the Guard, his unit was in Las Vegas readying for deployment to Kuwait. While there, Rob went to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to participate in a ride and drive program in an Indy style car. This opportunity fueled his passion even more, despite the fact that it was, as he termed it, a “controlled environment” experience. When Rob returned home he kept telling his wife, “I know I can do this. I know I can do this.” So, he says, she just told him to “shut up and try it!”

A friend of his knew someone who had gone through Mike Loescher’s Finish Line Racing School in Florida and who was racing Late Models in the Charlotte area. “He actually had a similar background to mine,’ Rob continued, “He used to fly F18s for the Marines, so he told me about Mike’s school. I called them up, they invited me down and I went to a four day school. I was like a sponge. I asked as many questions as I could about how to break into racing. I went to the school around October and somehow got the idea to go to the Daytona ARCA Race the following February in 2005. That’s funny because I was just talking about that this past weekend with Chad McCumbee. He was there at that ARCA Race in 2005 with Dexter Bean, and they were both making their first Daytona ARCA start. (At the Daytona event) I wound up meeting Andy Hillenburg and hanging out with Dexter Bean’s family on top of the hauler watching them during the Daytona race.”

“Whenever Andy had a free second I was asking questions and he suggested I start out small and go Legends racing just to see if it was something I really wanted to do, and do it in a cost effective manner. I took his advice and when I got home I started calling around talking to people to try to find anybody who would rent me a car in the Legends Series. I was able to do that and ran about eight or nine races that year between Northern Virginia and Houston. These experiences instilled in me that I was committed to do this. So for the next year I volunteered at Andy’s Fast Tack Racing School just doing whatever they needed help with. The idea was to hopefully become a driving instructor for them the following year. That never materialized because I had another opportunity to fall in my lap where I was able to race in the ARCA Truck Series. That was the beginning of it and things just fell in to place one step after another to lead up to me racing here in the ARCA (presented by Menards) Series. It’s been kind of a long process, but at the same time a fairly quick process, too, considering how much ground I’ve covered in that relatively short amount of time.”

“My philosophy was to go to as many races as I could and stick around and introduce myself, I call it the grip and grin like a politician. I did this to as many people as I could and hopefully by being there people would start knowing my name and my face and give me an opportunity somewhere down the line. I was racing in the Super Cup Stock Car Series a few years back and the owner of that series suggested that I start looking at trying to go into ARCA. He knew a team owner in ARCA that had a couple of cars he normally took to the races. They weren’t top level cars but that could be a chance to get my foot in the door. The team owner was a former military guy, Wayne Peterson, so I thought we might have a bond there. I called Wayne’s son Mike and spoke to him while I was still racing The Super Cup Series. At the time ARCA’s rules only allowed one driver change, so we couldn’t put anything together, but at the beginning of last year ARCA changed the rules to allow multiple driver changes. The Peterson’s invited me out to the road course race down in Florida after Daytona last year. I met with them and got the chance to get a couple of laps on the road course and then they invited me to the short track race at Salem. I was only doing a start and park to get some seat time. My current car owner, Wayne Hixson, saw me and approached Peterson and asked if it was alright for him to speak to me about possibly driving for him. Having no contract with Wayne Peterson, and the fact that he could not put me in the kind of cars I needed to be in to get the exposure, he told Hixson talking to me would be fine.”

“At the next race I met with Hixson. He told me what he would like to accomplish last year and this year. He told me if I would run up to a maximum of seven races to maintain my Rookie eligibility for this year, he thought that I might be able to finish in the top 20 in points. If so we could hopefully use that as added fuel to get a sponsor to come on board for this year. We reached an agreement to finish last year and go to every race to use it as a poor man’s test session for this year. I could get some laps at the tracks that were going to be on the schedule for this year. It worked out last year. I finished 17th in the points. According to Wayne, that was the first time an African American driver has ever finished in the top 20 in points in ARCA.”

Rob is still working on getting the track progression requirements needed to make a move to NASCAR when the opportunity arrives. He has been in contact with his employer UPS for sponsorship possibilities, but that hasn’t worked out for various reasons. He had a meeting with Roush Racing in Texas last year, but money is always an issue and his age was discussed. To date no corporate sponsor has come on board, so no other other opportunity has worked out. “It’s a great sport,” Jones added, “but at the same time it’s a fickled sport. I look at Chad McCumbee and he has had some success, went to the Truck Series and had some Cup starts. Here is a kid that’s proven he can drive. He’s won a couple of races here and there in the ARCA Series with other success and he can’t even get a quality opportunity.”

Rob comes to racing a little older than the newcomers of today, but, perhaps that is a good thing in many ways considering some of the adjustment periods and behaviors that some of the current young guns have exhibited. He feels, however, that his age may be a factor in moving forward. “Whether I do or I don’t (make it in racing) I have a life. I’ve got something to fall back on and if I go out there and fall flat on my face, then fine” he continued. “I can live with that, go away and say this isn’t for me. But I can’t turn back the hands of time. Everything I’ve done I’ve been successful in and I have the confidence in myself to know that if I had the right opportunity I could be successful in racing too. The thing that I don’t like is that I can’t get the opportunity in equal equipment to determine whether I can make it or not, and that the only thing that may be holding me back is the date on my driver’s license.”

We continued to discuss the difficulty in landing sponsorship for minorities in racing. Rob offered his take on that. “Corporate America is not embracing the diversity initiative to the level that it needs to. Until there’s corporate sponsorship to open the doors, that’s going to get on board with one of these young kids who has the talent and the time to make it, it’s really an uphill battle. Right now with what I’ve done, and I’m not anywhere near where I’d like to be, one thing I can say is that where I am now I don’t answer to anyone so I can call it like I see it. With the Diversity Program there have been some names that have come and gone and there have been some African Americans (involved) who have been self serving and have set the diversity initiative back. All some did was come in, fill their pockets and leave and now they have set everybody else back three times more than where they were before. That is one of the things that is holding us back on our end. Then corporate America is like UPS, they’re not going to get onboard with anyone until their a proven commodity. Remember UPS didn’t come on board with Jarrett until the year after he won the Championship. It’s the same thing. Corporate America is not going to get onboard with anybody until after they become a star. Tiger Woods didn’t need corporate America to go to the golf course and become great. And the Williams sisters didn’t need corporate America to become stars in tennis, but to be in racing especially with the out of control costs as they are, we need corporate America to step up or we need rich parents to get you to that point to have success and be noticed. It’s a vicious cycle and until somebody can break through it’s never really going to change.”

ARCA Series No. 28 Hixson Construction Chevy Impala

“I was so very sad and disappointed to hear about Reggie White’s death in general but also because I think he had the right idea. He affiliated himself with one of the most trustworthy individuals in the sport that he knew from his previous life as a football player. He was out of football, done with it so he could pay attention and have the time to dedicate to learning this sport from someone he trusted. He was starting out with a couple of drivers at a late model level and it seemed like he was planning on starting a team, moving these guys up and growing his knowledge at the same time they grew their experience on the track so that when they did get to the point of being in the Nationwide or Cup Series he knew the ins and outs of the sport and what was required as a team owner. He obviously had name recognition and appeal to where he probably could have opened doors and approached corporate sponsors to be able to move up as they progressed. He was one of the few that was poised to do it the right way, but unfortunately it never came to fruition.”

There has been so much information to cover with this interview. Rob was extremely gracious with his time and I am very grateful to him, but there is just no time or room to cover it all, but I do want to include the following.

“I’ve only been able to run 2 races so far this year. One was a last minute deal that came together in 5 days, and I wasn’t expecting to run, which was Talladega. The original deal fell through for my car owner and he asked me to help him out. It was a short track car (with the wrong type of transmission for this race) and the engine was weak, but I had to deal with what I had. My teammate, Nick Igdalsky, was on the other end of spectrum with a new super speedway body and a leased engine. I went out and practiced and was extremely slow. Fortunately for me, for qualifying we went out and had engine problems so they had to do an engine change before the race. Since Nick was already in the race Wayne had an old RCR plate engine that he was going to use for Nick if they had to, so they put that in my car. As a result we were much faster but because of the engine change I had to start at the back of the field. I started 35th and wound up finding cars I could draft with and finished 24th. I was the last car on the lead lap and did it with a short track car that got thrown together in 5 days. It’s one of those things where you look at the finishing order and no one is impressed, but when you look at small teams and what we had to do to get there and what we were able to achieve, to me it is a big accomplishment. The other race was (at the time of this interview) this past weekend at Chicago. We started 22nd and finished 14th. I wish we had the opportunity to run better, but I’m extremely excited about finishing 14th considering the fact that all those other cars in front of us were high dollar teams that had a lot more money invested than what we had. At the same time I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t finish higher than where I did. But on the bright side it’s good to be in the position to be disappointed about finishing 14th versus the year I had last year.”

Rob has no firm commitments for other races this season without sponsorship. He has hopes to work something out for Michigan or some other televised race, but his run at Talladega pretty well used up his racing fund reserve.

In closing I asked him to speak to potential sponsors and to the fans.

“From the sponsorship standpoint, at the end of the day, it obviously has to make sense financially to be willing to come onboard to provide that infusion of cash that is needed to be able to run and be fast. ARCA is a great series but I don’t know if it can really garner the exposure that some of these sponsors are looking for. I’ve been able to get to a point where now I believe, especially after a strong run at Chicago, I am qualified to go to a NASCAR series. Maybe the trucks at a mile or a mile and a half track which is the bread and butter of NASCAR. I believe if I could go to NASCAR and get qualified on the bigger tracks, it would open up the opportunity for a sponsor or sponsors to get onboard with a driver like me. If someone is looking to think outside of the box and approach the issue of marketing and advertising from a standpoint that hasn’t really been tapped versus doing the same old thing of forcing a square peg in a round hole, then I think I am the person for them to approach and affiliate with. Some of these bigger companies and bigger teams inevitably cater to the sponsors, but at the same time sometimes the personal touches are lost. I’ve never had a sponsor. Everything has been out of my own pocket from day one. I know how difficult it is to obtain a sponsor, and one thing I can guarantee is that I will do everything I can to represent that sponsor in the best way possible. I’ll work to give them the maximum return on their investment to hopefully continue to work with me and progress as I want to progress.”

As for the fans: “It’s kind of funny. It’s proven itself over and over again. Everyone hates the champion. People got tired of the Chicago Bulls when they were winning all the time, they’re getting tired of Jimmy Johnson winning all the time so they’re always looking for a new underdog to root for, so when it comes to underdogs I don’t think there’s a much bigger underdog than me out there. There are tons of reasons why I shouldn’t be able to do this, or shouldn’t be out here. At the end of the day, the factor for me is that I have a love for the sport, and a desire to do it. For fans who want to get onboard and root for a driver, and hope to see the underdog come out on top eventually, then I think I’d be a pretty good choice for them to follow.”

Who better to tell the Rob Jones story than Rob himself? I believe he has done an excellent job. Here is a driver who has served his country, who holds a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Aircraft Systems Management, who has been successful in every arena of his life thus far, who is obviously well spoken and has all the passion and talent needed to become a success in racing. We are a diverse nation and the face of this nation has changed from the White House to Capital Hill, from Wall Street to the factory, and from farm workers to the fans viewing the races, whether at home or those in the grandstands, in the network booths for televised races and in the garage areas at each event. But in the cockpits and on the track the change is still moving at a very slow pace. Adequate corporate sponsorship for a driver like Rob will tap into the sale of racing related apparel and memorabilia, will equal dollars to the racing series, will attract fans who are proven to be sponsor loyal and the fans from many ethnic backgrounds. The racecar has no way to know who the driver is or how old the driver is. And the fellow racers don’t care whether that driver is Protestant, Catholic, or about what part of the country he or she hails from or what he or she looks like. The important issue is capability, experience, and drivers racing each other the way they themselves want to be raced. But in order for this driver to realize his childhood dream of moving to the upper ranks of NASCAR the true facts aren’t black or white, they are green, corporate money green.

For more information or sponsorship possibilities for Rob please visit his website at http://robjonesracing.net. You can also follow Rob on facebook. Do a name search and friend request.

I want to thank Rob for his time and the patience to endure this lengthy interview. I especially want to thank him for his service to our great nation and I genuinely wish him great success in racing.

Kyle Busch - Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What is your strategy coming into Pocono? “This week always a little bit challenging for us. Not the typical Bristol or Richmond or Charlotte or something where we know how to run there or expect to run there. This kind of place throws us a little bit for a loop every time we get here — whether we run up front or whether we struggle a little bit. Last spring was really good for us — we sat on the pole and led a lot of laps and ran real well. Then towards the end we finished second to Denny (Hamlin) I believe. Then the fall race, just kind of meandered back about 12th or 15th all day. Didn’t quite get everything we wanted. We’ll see if we can’t turn the tables again this time and try to run up front and get a good finish this weekend for all our M&M’s guys.”

Do you look forward to getting in the race car during difficult situations? “It’s different for every driver, but it my particular case I feel like once you get out onto the race track or once you get in the car and put your helmet on and then out on the race track — that’s where your priorities lie and that’s where your focus is. To me, it doesn’t seem that challenging.”

Audio: 2011 NSCS 5-Hour ENERGY 500 Pre-Race Press Conference with Driver Kyle Busch

Do you feel you have a respect issue in the garage and do you need respect in the garage to be successful? “Can’t answer the first part for you — you would have to ask everybody else. As far as needing respect in the garage area — certainly. It makes your day a little bit easier. Makes your job a little bit easier. I’ve been able to have good conversations and talk to people outside the race car or at driver intros or stuff like that. Whether it’s the case that they’re not being true to my face — I don’t know, I can’t read that. I’m not in people’s minds. If you’re mad at me, you’ll have to tell me.”

What are your thoughts on the new qualifying procedure at Pocono? “To me, the whole schedule is a little weird. You come in today and you get the first practice and the first practice is going to base your time for qualifying. Then you go into the second practice, which is later in the day — about when the race is going to end. Then there’s going to be a lot of grip probably when the track starts cooling off just a little bit around the 4:30 or 5:00 time frame. We’ll see how it pans out. You come in on Saturday and you run one lap and then you have nothing else to do and then you wait until the race on Sunday. That to me is a little weird. I like the old schedule a lot better — just personal preference, if I had an opinion I would say that you come in and you run some race laps to get yourself acclimated to the track, you switch over, you go to qualifying trim, you make some laps, you qualifying that afternoon or evening or whatever it may be. Then the next day you have two practice sessions solely devoted to your race car and what you might need to work on for Sunday. To me, that’s a more productive schedule.”

Do you feel like you are wearing the black hat rather than the white hat lately? “I’m not sure that there’s really any hats to be worn here. The black hat deal — the villain type thing, I’m not sure that I really did a whole lot to bring that back upon myself. I feel like I’ve acted in the utmost respect to every case that’s come up my way and has been thrown in front of me. I’ve tried to do it with dignity and class and I feel like that comes from people wearing white hats — not black.”

Do you understand why Richard Childress was mad last week? “Me giving a congratulatory bump to Joey Coulter is what tipped him (Richard Childress) over the edge there. I don’t recall anytime — face-to-face conversation where Richard did tell me that, ‘If you touch another one of my cars I’m going to come find you.’ I don’t know if it was ever said in the media, but it was never relayed to me.”

Would it be good if drivers paid for damage they cause to other cars? “If he came to me and was so upset about it, I would have offered him money to fix it. I’m an owner in this sport — I know there’s going to be torn up equipment here and there sometimes, whatever. I will say that if I didn’t roll out of the throttle, we both would have crashed off of turn four. The kid did what he was supposed to do on the last lap there. We raced each other for 18 laps and I was having fun with him trying to keep him back and I thought I had it done and then he got on my inside down the backstretch there and pulled a slide job through three and four and kind of squeezed me up there. I had two options — lift and let him beat me, which is fine, no problem. We’re racing for fifth in the Truck Series — wasn’t for a win. Or crash the both of us. It wasn’t necessary for any of that.”

Have you received any secret fines in the last seven days? “No.”

How should NASCAR handle penalties if someone is threatening a lawsuit? “I don’t know. That’s not to my discretion to be honest with you. It’s further to NASCAR to depose. That’s a great question for the, but for myself, I need an instance of what you’re explaining. Besides all the information you’ve just given me and the question you’ve asked, I can’t really comment further.”

Did you know how much damage there was on Joey Coulter’s truck at Kansas? “No, I didn’t feel like I hit him all that hard. I just thought I rubbed him a little bit. Typically when you rub a guy, you don’t see much damage from it. The trucks are so different too. I forgot about how the left-front fender on a truck — the nose is so much wider than the tire is so it kind of sticks out a little further so maybe there was more damage than I thought I would have caused. That’s entirely my fault — I’m the one that instigated it there or initiated it. As far as him having to fly out body hangers and all that stuff — if it’s something they didn’t feel that they could hammer and dolly out, sorry it came to that.”

Did the media interpret malicious intent toward Joey Coulter? “There can be an easy way to interpret things sometimes and it seems like maybe I might be on the wrong end of interpretation a lot of those times. There was no malicious intent to be involved in hurting or damaging a RCR (Richard Childress Racing) vehicle.”

Was anything said to you by Richard Childress prior to last week’s incident? “No. We were in that NASCAR hauler from Darlington after the race and he (Richard Childress) never said a word in there.”

How are M&M’s handling the recent situations? “M&M’s is handling things the best that they can handle it and going through things day by day. There’s a lot of support there. We just had a NASCAR day at Hackettstown, New Jersey yesterday and people were awesome. They had a lot of great questions about racing, about the sponsorship, about the partnership that we have and how things have really been working well for them over the past few seasons and how we can continue to grow the brand. They’re doing everything they can in their power to make sure that we continue to carry on the presence of M&M’s in NASCAR and with Kyle Busch.”

How much have you talked with your brother in recent weeks? “I’ve talked to my brother (Kurt Busch) a little bit. He’s had some good things to say and some good advice to give as well. You mentioned that he had been through something like this before — little bit different case. We discussed some things. As far as there being support on my end — sure, there’s been a lot of support. I’ve got a lot of friends that I talk to in the garage area. Whether they’re crew chiefs or team members from other teams — even team members from the RCR (Richard Childress Racing) camp that are my friends. I’ve had an outreach of support as well as after the incident in Darlington, it’s not something new for race fans, for as passionate and devoted as they are to this sport or to a particular driver that the outcry of a penalty — they want to pitch in and help. I didn’t boast about it, but I had the same amount of fans that wanted to help pay my fine from Darlington in which we just put the money toward the Kyle Busch Foundation. It’s cool to have that support when times get tough and it is cool that you can have something better come out of a situation like that.”

How many cars can win each week and how many are championship contenders? “Good question. It is early. To be honest with you, it changes every single lap or every single fuel stop or pit stop. For instance, last weekend I thought Carl (Edwards) was going to win the race. He drove up through green flag conditions, took the lead and didn’t take it off pit road and then two runs later I’m passing Carl and I’m running sixth and he’s eighth or ninth or something like that and I’m like, ‘I just thought this guy was going to win the race.’ Now you’ve got somebody else out there and Jeff Gordon started coming. Then at the end of the race there was the fuel strategy playing out and all of the sudden Brad Keselowski is leading. It changes every lap. Somebody asked me last week or the week before — do you feel like you’re a safe bet going into the Chase riding on two wins? Brad Keselowski just won a race — if he wins one more, he’s got two wins and he’s going to be, if I fall out, I’m going to be a guy and he’s going to be a guy and Jeff Gordon with one win is going to be out. Things can change awfully quick.”

Is tire management or fuel management more difficult? “If you had to just go into fuel management mode — that’s the hardest thing for me to do — I can’t understand how to do that. I’ve done it in the past and I feel like I’m doing a really good job at it. Then I end up being a half-a-lap short or maybe a lap short or something like that. Carl (Edwards), for instance, I feel like he’s probably one of the best — Brad (Keselowski) might be pretty good at it too, obviously from last weekend. Tony (Stewart) won here last year on a fuel mileage race or the year before. Those guys do a great job at being able to maximize the amount of fuel in their cell and I’ve tried doing the same techniques they have — I just haven’t been as successful as they are. You have a crew chief tell you, ‘Hey man, we’re eight laps short to the end of the race, we are going to have to save some.’ And they make it. It’s like, where do you find all that? I remember Carl at Homestead, I think it was 2008 and he was like eight laps short and were are like, ‘There is no way these guys are going to make it.’ They ended up making it. To me, tire management is a lot easier. Richmond, for instance there, the last run of the race, we went 100 laps there at the end. You were in a little bit of a tire saving mode and a little bit of a fuel saving mode so with both of those together, it actually helped me. I feel like that was probably the best fuel savings that I have been able to accomplish.”

- Toyota Motorsports, Press Release

Kevin Conway Stands with Car Owner Joe Nemechek at Auto Club Speedway - Photo Credit: Marty Tyler/Catchfence.com

“We’re very excited this weekend to be back in the Nationwide Series. It’s pretty cool because in 2009 when ExtenZe first came into the sport we partnered with Joe Nemechek and NEMCO Motorsports in conjunction with Braun Racing.We fielded the #87 then Toyota Camry and here we are 3 years later back in the #87 Toyota Camry with ExtenZe at Auto Club Speedway so we’re really excited. Things come full circle and it’s really cool to be back with NEMCO and back with Joe. He’s been a great mentor and a great help.”

Jennifer Jo Cobb:

Jennifer Jo Cobb Stands Next to her NNS No. 71 GreetingExpress.com/Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang - Photo Credit: Marty Tyler/Catchfence.com

Mike Harmon at Auto Club Speedway - Photo Credit: Marty Tyler/Catchfence.com

“We purchased a car from Tri-Star that they’ve run 1 time this year. The deal came together late and we got a late start on California but it looks like it’s going to turn out to be a pretty good deal. 3 people that used to sponsor me came together to put this deal together so it’s good to renew old relationships with people I’ve worked with in the past. Dan and Scott are here with me from our truck team. We didn’t get to do as much as we wanted to the car before leaving for California but practice went okay and we should be okay today and when we get back to North Carolina we’ll be ready for Texas and Talladega. I’m really looking forward to Talladega. I’m glad to be back racing. I’m not at liberty to mention all the people that helped us get here but I do want to thank James Whitener from Bakersfield, California. He is opening up a restaurant called Riverwalk Cafe and is hoping they will become a franchise so it’s good to spend time with him and his family this weekend. That was one of the main goals in coming to California, to renew that relationship. I just want to thank everybody who has helped us get here and we’re planning on running as many Nationwide races as we can the rest of this year and hope to run a few truck races this year, as well. I’m running the #74 here so maybe that will be good for us. Every time I’ve ever had a 7 on my car it’s been good for us so we’ll see what happens.”

Jeffrey Earnhardt

I began by asking him to comment, to any degree or length he wanted, about being the 4th generation of such an important racing and legendary family.

“The fact that I am the 4th generation athlete and 4th generation driver is pretty cool. It definitely shows how far back the Earnhardt name goes. I’m told I am the first professional 4th generation athlete in the U.S and that’s pretty cool, too. It means a lot to me to keep the legacy going of the Earnhardt name and that’s what I’m out here trying to do. I’m also just being myself. Everybody tells me that I remind them of my Grandfather a lot just because of the things I do like hunting and fishing, just being an outdoors man. He was the same way so it definitely means a lot to me.”

We spoke about the ongoing, over the years debate regarding race car drivers being athletes and that he called himself the 4th generation athlete before mentioning the fact that he is a 4th generation driver. Why?

“Like you said, it’s been a debate whether we are athletes or not. We are athletes. Someone who can make this look easy is definitely an athlete because the temperatures that we have to withstand are a lot more than people realize. In my 1st Truck race it was 105 degrees outside and 130 inside the truck plus you have your fire suit, the fireproof underwear that we have to wear, the helmet, the gloves, shoes, it’s all that stuff that you have to wear for the safety side of it that people don’t understand. Even to be conditioned enough to go 200 miles is tough and the biggest thing I do is just to try to stay fit by going to the gym and trying to eat a little healthier and to just make my body better so I can run these races. I’ve been working on this a lot lately, working on some cardio stuff too. I feel much better doing this and in the long run it does help by being in the gym so much and working my butt off because I’m still good to go when other drivers are feeling tired and worn out. I do this because this is my year to prove what I can do.”

“I’ve been out of the driver’s seat for the past 2 years, just doing part time stuff and this is a big wake up call to realize you’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity you get to really show what you can do and I’m trying to do everything I can on my part by staying in shape and playing iRacing. Whatever it can be to help you be a better driver is definitely a good way to do that. Now that I’ve got a full season opportunity, I want to show what I can do and prove to people that I belong here and need to be in this sport.”

I read early in this race season that Jerry Nadeau was hired to be a coach and mentor for Jeffrey. What has that meant to him and his racing efforts?

“He has showed me that the biggest part of it is the mental side of it, just being patient and let things come to me, only doing what the (NASCAR Camping World) truck is capable of, not pushing the issue and things he learned coming through his ranks of racing and getting to where he was. He came to Daytona and was at Phoenix so he was a big help for the mental part of it, like I said, and it was good to have him there to tell me to wait for the truck to come to me. He said I wasn’t going out there and be the fastest thing on the track and that it takes time so that’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to get out there and learn as much as I can and better myself as a driver.”

I asked him about the Rookie stripe and how he feels it affects his reception by the other drivers?

No. 1 Fuel Doctor Platinum Chevrolet Silverado (Jeffrey Earnhardt) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

“We’re a smaller team compared to some of these teams who’ve got a good established team. They’re good and it shows. They run up front every week and for what we’ve got we’re doing a pretty good job. Joe Lax (who got his start in NASCAR from Dale Earnhardt, Sr.) is a great Crew Chief and he does a good job of making sure I’ve got a truck that’s as good as possible underneath me going in to each weekend. We seem to work really well together and we have a lot of fun. That’s the main thing and I feel like we really understand each other. That’s big for a driver and a Crew Chief so all of that is definitely going good in my opinion and there are things we’re trying to get better in our program week in and week out. Anytime we have hiccups like we had at Darlington where we wreck a truck, we have to take time to fix it instead of focusing on making it better as much as we would like. We’ve just got to come out of these races with our nose clean and get all the laps we can so we can keep bettering ourselves and making our program more successful.”

“I go to the shop to talk with Joe and hang out with guys and let them know how I appreciate all of their hard work. That goes a long way with those guys because they’re the ones working their butts off.”

Jeffrey currently lives in Charlotte about 20 minutes from the downtown area and about an hour away from the shop in Thomasville. It’s more of a busy area than what he is used to he said. He is originally from the outskirts of Moorseville, “in the country part” as he described it and while Charlotte is not quite what he is used to, it is a good area for a 21 year old. And his 2 year old chow mix named Zoey keeps him company. “She’s definitely the sweetest dog I’ve ever had,” he said. “She keeps me busy when I’m home and she’s definitely an attention hog. She begs for attention and won’t leave you alone until you give it to her. She’s a family member to me and she’s a spoiled child of mine. She keeps me on the good side of life for sure. She’s so loving it’s unreal.”

I am never in short supply of questions and I wanted to get to know this young man as much as our interview time allowed so I asked him what he does when he wants to get away or has some time off from the hectic race schedule? What are his hobbies?

“I like to hunt and fish, anything in the outdoors. I like to go camping and just get away from everything, to just relax when I get the opportunity. I’ve got a big tent. I also like to hang out and spend some time with my friends. It’s good to take the breaks we get, relax and just enjoy life because you never know what day is going to be your last. I’m a firm believer in living life to it’s fullest and enjoy it the best way you can and making sure you have no regrets. I don’t ever want to regret anything I’ve done or regret not doing something. I definitely like to try to enjoy life the best way I can, make the most of it. I think I do a pretty good job of that. Normally if you do that you don’t seem to be so frustrated and worked up all the time.”

Jeffrey Earnhardt (center) stands between his Step-Mother Rene' (left) and his father Kerry Earnhardt (right) in 2009 at Dover - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

I asked Jeffrey if the death of his grandfather when he was only 11 years old could, in some way, be responsible for his thoughts on never knowing “what day is going to be your last” ?

“Any loss in your family is a big opener to that (feeling). You’ve got to realize that you don’t know when your last day with family members is going to be. You need to enjoy them as much as you can and spend as much time with them as you can because you never know what is going to happen or what tomorrow will bring. You definitely don’t want to go out thinking you didn’t do something you should have. As I said, I try to live life to it’s fullest, do as much as I can and have no regrets. I try to do the best I can to get the most out of life and that’s taken me a long way in learning to deal with some things in life. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the last few years, learned to enjoy the better things in life and the way to live.”

In the mission statement on his website it states that success must be earned and that their goal is to be the hardest working team in motorsports. What specifically does that mean to him?

“The main thing is that I know I am earning what I’ve got. When I had my contract with DEI everybody just wanted to say that I was racing there because of my last name, and was driving for my Grandfather’s company and getting help from them. That’s not the case now. I get no support from the family. I’m doing this on my own and I want to make sure everybody realizes that so they can’t be saying that he’s just here because of his last name or because he’s driving for his family because now I’m not. Like I said I was out of a ride for 2 years doing just part time stuff and this opportunity came along and we put it together and did it all with just me and my business partners at JEI. I think the biggest thing is we want people to know we’re doing this on our own and not through Dale Earnhardt Incorporated or whoever they want to say is the reason I’m here. I’m earning what I’ve got and I’m not out here living off the family name.”

“I just want the fans to watch for us in every race we run in the (Rick Ware Racing) #1 Fuel Doctor Chevrolet this year and hopefully we’ll be able to come away with some good finishes and give our fans something to cheer about. And check us out on Facebook, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and just support us as fans. We’ve actually just started our Facebook page so there isn’t a lot there yet. Look for Jeffrey Earnhardt Athlete, it’s like a fan page. We’re up to like 200 fans or something like that. It’s not much right now, but we’re trying to get more people to go to it more.”

This young racer has come to his first full time season in the Camping World Truck series a little older than some of the rookies do in this day and age. But this may just show that a more mature racer is just as, if not more, desirable in many ways. Jeffrey is pleasant, very mature, extremely likable, open, frank, obviously marketable, VERY independent and extremely dedicated. What’s not to admire here? Add the talent and he is “the whole package”.

But everyone knows it takes money, and a lot of it, to be competitive regardless of the talent. You can’t get a degree to become a success on the driving side of this business. Rick Ware Racing has seen the potential in Jeffrey Earnhardt and is doing everything they can to help him with this stage of his career. They are to be commended for their efforts, but RWR is one of the quite a few under funded teams in the Camping World Truck Series so it will be extremely difficult for Jeffrey to “prove to people”, to truly showcase what he is capable of on the track. It is important to note here again that this young man along with his business partners, who believe in him and share his dream, have put this season’s deal together solely on their own. There is no famous name benefit for JE’s efforts. More sponsorship dollars are needed to turn this rookie in to the racing star he can and deserves to be.

Do I hear the roar of an upcoming and growing “J.E. Nation” forming? I hope so. I genuinely like this guy and wish him great success and a lengthy well earned, on his own, career.

Be sure to check out his website at www.jeffreyearnhardt.com to learn more about him, his team, and sponsors. Contact information is also available there if you are a corporation who shares his dream and wants to be a part of it.

P.S. I did check out his facebook page and became one of his “like” group. Why not help this guy grow his following and do the same?

Brian Rose

I was so pleasantly surprised and in the coming months got to see and know a side of Brian Rose that I doubt many reporters or fans were truly exposed to. So when the reports surfaced in 2003 that Brian had been suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy I was so very sad for him, not because I was ashamed of him or felt he was beyond redemption. Rather I felt this sport had lost not only a great talent, but a genuinely nice young gun who could impact this sport in amazing ways.

In the following years I lost contact with him so I was thrilled to learn Brian would be running a handful of races this past racing season and decided to contact Brian recently. The interview was amazingly enjoyable, insightful and inspiring. His come back may just be one of the most important racing stories of the last decade in so many ways.

Drug use and/or abuse has affected, potentially 100% of today’s US families, either personally, or indirectly through family members or close family friends. I asked him if he would mind talking to our readers about that issue and what led him to turn his life around.

“Well, …(when) I was arrested in ’03 for driving under the influence, I had just reached a point in my life where I wasn’t really making good decisions day in and day out. My family was having financial trouble and my Mother and Father had gotten a divorce. A lot of people could say that at 19 or 20 there’s such a maturity and I was very mature as an individual. I was very presentable. I was very marketable. I had all the right qualities but I wasn’t really mature in how to deal with things on a professional level or being able to handle the success and failures that go hand in hand. I just wasn’t there mentally in making the right decisions. I lived more of a Tim Richmond, wild, drink beer and stay out all night and have fun, more of the rock star life style versus a driver who trains and is in the gym every day.”

“The transition probably would have never came about if I hadn’t been arrested. When I was arrested in 2003 I sat in an inpatient facility for alcohol and drug abuse and my first child was born while I was inpatient. Addiction as a whole or behavior that is associated with it never really comes to a breaking point unless something traumatic happens. Some people, unfortunately, have to experience killing somebody in a car wreck or they have to experience the overdosing of a close family member. Everybody has a different, what they call a bottom, where they bottom out and what they consider the breaking point in their life where they say, ‘ ok , I’m going to battle this, I’m going to control my own life and not let my life run out of control and (I’m going to) be successful and be who I want to be and this is the type of effort I am going to put forth in doing so.’ Really to me reaching that breaking point in my own life, to be able to make those decisions was on September 12, 2003 and here it is 7 years later. I am able to look back and remember the pain, the hurt, the anguish and frustration that I caused back then which is what keeps me focused and determined today because I know how good I could have been and should have been and the successes and longevity in NASCAR that I should have had at a very early age.”

“When I started to drive all the sponsors were looking for Earnhardt, Petty or Mark Martin. You had to be this super veteran driver that had all the history and wins to (get that) sponsor. And about 3 or 4 years after I was gone if you weren’t 16 years old and turning 18 tomorrow they wouldn’t sponsor you, so I was on the cusp of a new era in NASCAR as far as the demographic of what sponsors were looking for. It’s not that the expectations were too high. They were in line with what was to be expected. I just wasn’t at the maturity point to make decisions that would respect those.”

“I’m not one to shy away from the truth. The way it is is the way it is. I was a young kid who made bad decisions. I could have been part of the next generation of drivers. I had all the opportunities and I screwed it up along the way. I (now) find myself 30 years old, married with 3 kids. I look back and watch NASCAR on the weekends and say, hey, I’ve got a small window here if I want to do this and do this successfully and competitively, I feel that with my relationships and my ability for marketing, if anyone can put funds together to race competitively then I know both ends of it. I think I can bridge that gap with teams that are out there, or forming my own personnel and team with the sponsor dollars that it takes to race. There are not a lot of companies out there right now just writing checks. It’s a lot of cross marketing, trading out services for exposure and being able to turn those in to money.”

Having completed all that NASCAR required of him, Rose was cleared to race last season, is ready to acknowledge that part of his life, put that firmly in his past and concentrate on what his future may hold, hoping that includes racing at the top levels. In 2010 he ran a very limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series which included Kansas with Rick Ware, and Iowa and Texas with Danny Gill. That was Rose’s chance to reacquaint himself with people he had worked with in the past including the car builders, engine builders, crew chiefs, etc. The reception went very well according to him.

“This is such a team sport, much more so than 95 percent of people realize.” he explained. “It’s all about the work done at the shop, the preparation of the engineers and crew chiefs in today’s age. That’s where races are won. I was able to hook back up with Danny Rollins who was my Crew Chief at Bobby Hamilton Racing. Danny is a very special guy in my life, a real friend and (for now) we’re actually just enjoying racing and not getting caught up in 30 some races and being gone away from home full time. He has a little boy, Brody, who just turned 1 and I’ve got 3 kids now. My oldest is Olivia who just turned 7, my middle is Savvy, she’s 4 and Davis is 2.”

“What we’ve decided to do in 2011 is go to the first ARCA race of the year at Daytona with our own team. We did well at Daytona. Our No. 4 Harris Trucking / Team ASE Toyota Camry posted the second-fastest time during the final drafting session on Thursday afternoon in 48.664 seconds. That was 184.942 miles per hour. We’re going to work on our piece and try to have something special. Danny and I are motivated to win because we knew we should have won the truck race there 8 years ago but the boss man, Bobby, asked me to stay right where I was and to push my teammate to victory so that is what we did. Looking back on it now, Danny and I both are kicking ourselves in the butt, so we’re going down to Daytona and win the ARCA race. We’re going to go down there for fun. We’re going to run some truck stuff, run a Nationwide race or two, maybe run the second Talladega race along with a hand full of other ARCA races. We’re not going to be committed to any points chase or any division, but, when we show up at any track we are looking to be competitive to win. By the time Daytona rolls around I think we’ll be in a very competitive mode. That will take us through the first couple of months and then we’ll sit down and see what late model, and what the first truck and Nationwide race we’re going to run. We’re just going to put it out there and release what our race dates are going to be.”

“You know, God works in mysterious ways. The date I decided to change my life was September 12, 2003, as I said. That following month my daughter was born about 5 hours before my birthday when I was in the inpatient facility. Fast forward 5 years later. My son was born on September 12th, 2008. So 5 years later, to the day that I changed my life, I had my baby boy. It’s kind of weird how things come full circle in life. I have 3 precious kids, married my wife who is very supportive of me. We were together when I drove for Hamilton. She stuck it out with me. She’s put up with a lot of stuff. She’s a good person and probably my biggest fan to date.”

“I really feel like people can relate to my story. A lot of adolescents and parents deal with these issues at home. Some parents are alcoholics. Some kids run wild at school. Unfortunately these problems have become such a part of our society and this is something, as a whole, that we have to learn to deal with. I’ve got a business now with 60 employees and I deal with it as much as anybody on a daily basis, keeping everybody on their toes as far as drug and urine screens and that’s just the way it is anymore.”

Brian’s doing well with his businesses which include 2 internet companies that will stream live on demand events via the internet which can be downloaded to your television. He also has a coal company. Their first mining permit is pending. It is located in eastern Kentucky between Virginia, North Carolina and eastern Kentucky which will allow easy access for a late model or Pro Cup racing weekend in North Carolina or Virginia. It also affords easy access to motors, parts and other things needed to build their ARCA cars and Camping World Trucks.

There’s a maturity in Brian that is so genuine and refreshing which is coupled with truthfulness and accountability. His dedication remains as strong as ever and his goals are realistic and attainable. I genuinely hope he is able to realize all of those goals. He has done what many people would have believed to be impossible, having completed everything NASCAR has required of him. Brian Rose is BACK!

In today’s world of racing fans, many choose a driver based on a family name, a volatile attitude or any number of other reasons, all of which are perfectly fine. However, choosing this young man as a racing favorite can prove to be an investment of support in a person who represents success on much more than a track level. Brian has battled some of the biggest adversaries in life and won! He is a winner in every sense of the word. I have always felt this racer has a great deal to offer this sport, and the potential impact Brian can afford any sponsors, veteran drivers and newcomers is possibly greater than ever before. I truly wish him the very best of success. He deserves it. I know I’m pulling for him.

I want to thank my good friend Chris Knight of Knight Motorsports Management & Assistant News Director at Catchfence.com for his assistance. Chris will be working with Brian in the coming season, so, for more information on Brian contact Chris at chris@chrisknightpr.com

And be sure to check out Brian’s company at www.trueview.com And be sure to check out his racing website a www.BrianRoseMotorsports.com

Darrell Wallace with his mother and father

This 17 year old Revolution Racing and Joe Gibbs development driver was amazing. In the 10 races of this season, which included the Limerock Park road course, Darrell, Jr. had quite a head turning season with 5 top 5′s, 7 top 10′s and 2 wins plus locking down the Rookie Of The Year title. I contacted him recently to see if we could hear, directly from him, just what this season and success has meant to him. I asked him to begin where he wanted.

“Ok, well like you said we are still signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and last year we signed on board with Revolution Racing as part of the Diversity program. Revolution Racing is a new team that was established based on the diversity program where we have the try out deal of the combine and the top 10 who made it were able to capture 10 spots on Revolution Racing which consisted of 4 K&N Pro East spots and 6 Late Model All American spots. Everything was all in house, our workout, media, everything so it was all a big plus and a big step up from last year…definitely a lot better.”

“I’m 17 and I’m going to finish school early so I can concentrate on racing. We came into this season looking at Rookie Of The year. We were able to capture that in the UARA Series back in 2008 so that’s where our main focus was being a top rookie and knowing we would be fast. Then being able to go into the first race and get the win was more than we expected because we expected just a solid run, a top 10 or a top 5. So that was definitely a big plus for us. That put a little weight on my shoulders going into the next race where we finished 20th, which didn’t help us much because we fell to 6th in the points. It was kind of a struggle to work back up through, but, we had 3 consecutive top 3′s in a row. So it was pretty much a stellar season and being able to capture that second win at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire was awesome. It was a close battle between me and Truex (Ryan) for the championship standing and another close battle between me and Cole Whitt for the Rookie of the Year standing so 2 tough battles being able to be a part of is pretty awesome.”

I told Darrell that this year’s accomplishments were absolutely amazing and that I felt, or rather knew from our first interview, he had something special to offer this sport. To that he said, “I try not to think about it so much. I don’t want it to go to my head and become cocky, so, I kind of just need to lay low on it. My Dad, my Mom and my sister, my whole family are very excited for me.”

“We recently finished the D4D Combine for next year. We went up to Motor Mile and we were the fastest thing there again. That was definitely a plus to be able to set the bar high again and hopefully we will be able to capture one of the 4 spots for the East series and be able to go for the championship next year because that’s what I told everybody back home on the team, that I’m looking for next year, going for the championship. Hopefully we can go with that next year. There’s nothing definite locked down in house in store for Gibbs yet. Sponsorship is the main deal and I understand that. Times are tough right now so I just have to play it by ear with Gibbs, but hopefully I’ll have something by next year. I’ll be 18 next October. Hopefully at that point I’ll be able to compete in some Nationwide races by the end of the year or in 2012. There have been some talks but nothing really set so I can’t really say when I’m going to be able to do it but that’s what I am hoping for. I try to go out there and give it my all and fortunately I was able to do that this year. Every time we went to the track we were strong. The only time we had a hiccup was the last race of the season at Dover where we had problems with the carburetor and unfortunately we ended up blowing a tire and hitting the wall. That ended the day for us but other than that every other race we showed up strong out of the box as we expected, but we finished 3rd in the points and won Rookie Of The Year so I’ll take it.”

Darrell Wallace Jr. Wins The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway

Speaking more on his parents presence and encouragement: “My dad had always been the driver, the crew chief, the cook, just everything up until now. This is different to get used to, but just having him there was awesome. Every race he had the radio and told me to be there and save something for the end, you’ll get them. It was definitely a plus to have him there every race just like I’m used to. And it was good seeing my mom at the racetrack, too, every week. She was always telling me to thank GOD first, to put him first with everything and when you do that it will all work out. And that is what happened. My sister was able to go to some races too. It was awesome to have the whole family present. It always means a lot to me. That just feels good. It feels like you’re home.

His racing hero? “My favorite driver was Dale, Sr. He’s no longer here but he will always be my favorite.”

The Drive for Diversity Program will make their decisions for next year soon. Darrell said they would notify the drivers in 4 to 6 weeks and it has been nearly 4 at this posting.

I was the first time I spoke with this young man and remain, so impressed with this young driver. He is genuinely and obviously VERY talented, humble (which is quite often lacking in this sport), dedicated, focused, friendly, appreciative and mature far beyond his 17 years. All of that speaks volumes as to his potential success and impact in this sport. He is a driver any team or sponsor would be proud to present. I am a fan of his and am honestly hoping we read, sometime next year, that he will be heading to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in some amazing equipment. For now age is preventative, but money will ultimately dictate the next direction of this young man’s racing future.

For sponsorship information please contact Darrell Wallace, Sr at darrell@wallaceindustrial.com You can also follow Darrell, Jr on facebook. His website is in the process of being updated so be sure to check it often at www.darrellwallacejr.com

Note worthy information:

Next year’s D4D East Pro Series schedule may include 14 races which means more success and exposure for this young gun.

Revolution Racing was formed in 2009 by Max Siegel who used to be part of the management team at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

With Wallace, Jr’s first win of the season at Greenville Pickens Speedway, he became the youngest driver to win an East Pro Series race by almost four months and gave the Drive for Diversity program its first ever victory in the K&N East Pro Series where many of the tracks he competed at he had never raced on before. Additionally Wallace was the first African-American racer to win in that series’ history.

Good luck, Darrell. We’ll be watching!

Frank Kimmel II, Frank Kimmel, Bill Kimmel

“I said this one time at a banquet a few years ago. We had won a championship, and my mom was still with us at that time. She has (since) passed away. It’s been 2 years now. I think one of the most touching stories, one of my earliest memories, was that we were driving to a race. Dad was driving and Bill and I were riding in the back of the pickup. I was around 6 to 8 years old, and Bill was 10 to 12, somewhere around there. We actually rode in the back of a stake bed pickup because it was crowded up front. Sometimes my sisters would go, so there may be my mom, dad and 2 sisters in the front of this standard pickup truck. There were no crew cabs back then. I remember it was late, dad had raced and we were trying to get back home so he could get ready the next day and go race at another race track. Mom was reaching in a little Styrofoam cooler, because there wasn’t plastic igloos back then, and she was reaching in there with a wash cloth and getting it cold and putting on his neck so he could stay awake. (Frank’s voice breaking ever so slightly)

“That goes back to the story I told earlier (previous article with Frank: Frank Kimmel “This Is Our Life, This Is What We Do”) that I think sometimes some of these kids (young drivers coming in to the upper racing series) don’t understand (what tough times really are). And another thing, riding in the back of a pickup truck. If you do that now it’s called child abuse. It was a cool time to live through. Our’s was a racing family and that’s what it took. Sometimes I think, nowadays, people might miss that a little bit.”

“My dad raced all through Indiana, through Kentucky and a lot of the dirt tracks back in the 60′s. He started in ’48 on an asphalt track right here in southern Indiana. That’s all he did, was race on short tracks for a living, if you can imagine. We would run on Fridays, Saturdays and twice on Sundays and sometimes on a Wednesday night show if there was one around. It was a busy time and there was one race car. He might have one crew member tag along sometimes in a passenger car, but normally, it was mom, dad, me, bill and maybe one or two crew members and my older brother Thom, before he had to go to Vietnam, was right there with him, too. It was a family oriented deal. He was racing his butt off and making a living.”

“

Frank Kimmel Sr

So what did Frank’s father say when he said he wanted to race, as well? “It was never a question. He didn’t expect us to do it. It was not like that at all, but, when he saw that I was going to do it he thought it was a natural progression. He thought that is what Bill and I should do. He knew it was a drug, an addiction and he gave it to us, so, he was kind of stuck with it.”

“We have breakfast with him every morning. We go up and actually meet at Steak And Shake here in Clarksville about a quarter to eight every morning. He’s doing great. He’s 81 and he’s real happy right now. They just had a community yard sale around his house and he made something like $2000.”

“We invite him all the time to go to the races with us and he’ll go to Salem because it’s so close and Kentucky Speedway. We’re not racing there this year, but when we are there, he is always there. He’ll come to some of the close tracks. He didn’t go to Talladega this year, but, sometimes he does because I have 2 sisters near Atlanta, so he gets to see them. If it’s someplace he wants to go or someplace he wants to see he will go. If not, if it’s on television he just about stays home because he says he has a better view from home.”

Bill Kimmel, Sr.; Frank Kimmel II; Frank Kimmel; Donna Kimmel; Holly Kimmel

It is evident that this guy…a father, a brother, a son and a racer is really a great example of what racing was, is and even more importantly, what it is suppose to be. The guy is a 9 time ARCA champ, after all! It is amazing for me to realize of all the many racing stories and accomplishments of Frank’s career he could choose from he chose to speak of his father’s racing efforts to support his family and of a particular kind thought of his mother, tending to her tired and weary husband on the road home from a race. Yet, that truly was “the way it was” for Frank and his family. Again, many thanks Frank and good luck.

If you are a facebook junkie, be sure to follow Frank under the name Frank Kimmel. And be sure to check out his sponsors at www.menards.com and www.ansellconstruction.com .

Frank Kimmel

Frank came by this need for competition quite naturally. His father, Frank,Sr. raced all across Indiana and neighboring states to support his family of 5 children and his wife.

“My brothers Thom, Bill, myself and our entire family have been racing our entire lives,” Kimmel began. My dad started racing in 1948, so, this is where we grew up and this is what we did. Bill and I both played sports in high school. Dad was pretty big into that and wanted us to be kids, but, at the same token our spare time was usually spent in the garage working on his cars and eventually working on our own cars getting ready to go the weekly races. This is what we did. I tell people all the time who ask ‘why would you do something like that’, this is our life, this is what we do. This is what we think about. Every day this is our main focus, what we’re going to do at the race track and how we’re going to do it.”

After many successful seasons driving for Larry Clement, Frank joined the ranks of owner/driver in 2008. I asked him after 9 championships, why strike out on his own then? Why not sooner? Why not later? Was it just time?

“Yeah, I think so,” Frank continued. “Bill and I had talked about it for a bit of time during that season (2007) and things had kind of changed a little bit the way the whole program was running there with Larry. Larry was a great owner for us for many, many years and we had a lot of great success, so, it was very difficult decision to make to move. It came down, really, to what we were going to do in the future. I had just turned 48 and I knew that the big 50 was coming. Am I worth as much to sponsors later than I was then? Probably not. We had just won the 9th championship, so, things were going very well and we thought it was the right time to move out, start something of our own, gain some of our own equipment to add some longevity to Kimmel Racing, whether that be with our sons or other drivers on the road. We don’t know yet, but, right now we’re focused on getting us a 10th championship and trying to win some races and trying to do all the things we’ve done in the past. We’re slowly approaching that, but it was just some tough decisions to make for our families and our lives at that time.”

Owner/driver attempts have been tried in the past. Some work, some do not. It’s a risk, so, why try it?

“Yeah, everybody tries to do it it seems like,” Kimmel explained. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out like you said. We feel like we’ve been racing forever. We’ve owned our own cars back in the day when we first started racing street stocks and late models and developed in to having other people own our cars and that paid some bills, so, that was really a good time. I think we understand it, maybe as much, if not better, than most especially in the ARCA Series. It just felt like the right thing to do. Whether we will have success at it, I don’t know. It remains to be seen. We haven’t won a race this year. Last year we didn’t win one and that’s disappointing. Our productivity on the race track is not what we want it to be yet, but signing sponsors like Menards and Ansell Gloves was a huge feather in our cap.”

“With today’s economy in today’s world when you get any sponsorship is something else, but to come up with 2 major sponsors like that that’s going to carry us for the next 3 years, that’s a big deal for us. If you had asked me that question about midway through the first season I’d have said we were all stupid and crazy to do this, but now it looks a little bit better. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Our race cars are improving on the track and the best things are ahead of us right now. Nothing ever succeeds by being mediocre. If you’re going to rest on your laurels and look what I’ve done, I’m this and I’m that, you’re just not going to be good at anything, I don’t care what you do, so, we felt like this was something we had to do. It’s going to be fine. If you don’t challenge something or make yourself take those steps that are difficult then you’ll never be successful.”

At the close of 2008 sponsorship had not been locked down for 2009 and Frank was thinking that a partial run was eminent for the upcoming year.

“(At the end of 2008) we weren’t going to Daytona. We had no sponsorship. We had nothing going on,” he explained. “We were struggling. At that point we thought we won’t go to Daytona and we’d get ready for a car for sale and then we would lease it out to somebody. We had heard of this sponsorship package going together, but, we had heard of this type of thing ten million times in our career, so, you take it with a grain of salt and you definitely don’t spend any money with it because it doesn’t pay very well until you’ve got the check. It was 8 days prior to leaving for Daytona when I signed the deal. We had actually spent the money and got the car to color because we knew if the deal was going to go through it had to be this neon yellow, so, we had it all prepped and ready. Then we found out they wanted the hauler wrapped and even wanted uniforms by Daytona, if possible. When you pick up a new sponsor you want to show them you can jump through any hoop they want to throw at you, so, we got the job done, but, it was quite a stretch. And when all that came around we had to go race too!”

I asked Frank about the next generation of Kimmel racers.

Crew Chief Bill Kimmel

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car at Toledo on May 23rd represents Frank’s 30th start at Toledo since 1990. Frank’s very first ARCA win came there in 1994 driving for Jack Wallace and Kimmel leads all other ARCA drivers with 9 wins at the historic track. Additionally Frank is the last driver to win back to back races there in 2002 and 2003. That’s quite some record.

“It is,” he explained. “It’s been such a great race track for us over the years with a lot of wins and a lot of success there. I have a lot of confidence going in to that track. I think that even last year both of our races there were very good and we had a car that could contend for the win. This year we are taking 2 cars again that are going to be good. Matt Crafton is going to be driving one of our other prepared cars and we’re looking forward to having him racing with us and on our side at that deal. It’s going to be a good race. There’s probably no better short track than Toledo Speedway, I don’t think. It’s great racing all the way around. The fans can see the whole track and they’ll pack the place pretty good so it’s going to be an exciting day for us. That place holds a lot of good memories for us. It’s what ARCA racing is all about and makes for great racing for the fans.”

Frank’s opinion on the veterans of that series being such an intricate part of ARCA.

“Veterans become an asset for ARCA. There are only 4 or 5 of us (now) that have run a lot of the races over the years. The fans get to know you. It’s a little bit different in ARCA. It’s a little more personable. People can come out and do the on track autograph session and meet and talk with you. It’s not as rushed. You don’t have the 100,000 people on a Sunday race. Of course we have our 5 or 6 thousand that we’ll have at Toledo, which is great because we get to see a bigger percentage of the crowd. They get to know us, see our kids and wives are with us. In NASCAR there are so many things pulling on the drivers as far as sponsors. I don’t think those drivers get to do all the things they want to do with the fans just because of the nature of the job they have. In the ARCA series there are guys like us that do this for a living and then there are guys that have to hurry home so they can go to their jobs on Monday, so, it makes for a good mix. The love of racing that some of these ARCA drivers have, of driving all night, having to have 2 of your crew members sleep in your truck because you can’t afford the extra room and doing the things we have to do to get to race, people don’t get to see that part of it. That part is missing a little bit in other series that’s all money driven. Without sponsorship it comes down to how much money your family can afford to spend.”

Addressing race fans Frank offered, “I think it’s amazing that the race fans are so resilient and have put up with this poor economy. We all know there are people without jobs or their paychecks are cut. Sure there are empty seats at Sprint Cup races when you watch them on TV, but, there are still a lot of people in the seats, too. I think they are the toughest fans in the world. They come out and watch these races and it can be sprinkling rain or there will be thunder storms and they actually have to tell them to leave the grandstands because they are waiting for the track to dry. We get to drive because we love the sport, and I know this is an old cliche and people say it all the time, but, I think the drivers really need to step back and look at what the fans give up and dedicate to our sport so that we can do this. I hope in the future that more and more of the Tony Stewarts and Jeff Gordons understand what it really means to be in their positions. My position is a little smaller than what theirs is, but, it is phenomenal that we get to do what we do and that these fans put up with what they have so that we can do this. The fans need to know that we appreciate what they do and I think it’s a neat deal.”

Frank’s used as an example of just what he meant.

“This was brought to light to me at our last autograph session. We were at Talladega and we were at a sit down session behind the stage. It was a whole series deal, which is neat and it was on the grandstand side. There was a gentleman sitting beside me that races with us and I was signing autographs and I thanked pretty much everybody that came up. The line slowed for a second and this guy said ‘ Why do you thank them? You’re the one giving them something.’ I said because they came to watch. Why would they stand in this line? I thought to myself, he doesn’t understand what the deal is. It made me open my eyes about the fans even more than what they had been in the past. It’s not all about the drivers, it’s not all about the teams or owners. Those people in the stands are what it’s about. The drivers need to really understand that. The NASCAR drivers can’t race if they get 10,000 people in the stands (like at ARCA events). They need that 100,000, so I think we (ARCA drivers) should understand how lucky we are.”

There is just no possible way to include every thought or insight Frank shared with me that day, but, time and time again he made statements of appreciation for the fans of racing, his sponsors and team members. I don’t believe I have ever experienced a driver deal with those topics at such length. That certainly made me realize why Frank is so liked among the ARCA fans and why he has been so successful.

Frank and son Frankie Kimmel

Be sure to check out Frank’s website at www.frankkimmel.com and learn more about his sponsors at www.menards.com and www.ansellconstruction.com and if you are a facebook fanatic you can follow Frank there. Just search Frank Kimmel for current news and input.

FYI: Coming soon is a small article with a glimpse of young Frank, Billie and his siblings as they learned what racing was all about. Be sure to check back often.

These people are so busy, but, the first one I was able to reach was Denise Harmon Mixon. Denise has been involved with brother Mike’s career for many years. Their father raced the short tracks of Alabama, so like so many racer’s children this life is what they both know and love.

“Nothing you read from her on facebook.com is fake,” began Denise. “She is so friendly and down to earth. Her religious beliefs about church and GOD are genuine. And she is so talented in so many ways.”

I mentioned to Denise that I had worked with other women racers in the past who I felt were ignored, under valued, underestimated and whose talents were completely misrepresented in the media. I know these women racers were and are talented but how, hopefully, will she be perceived differently by the media? What about Jen?

“Well,” she continued, “I have spotted for other women race car drivers, but, Jen really knows these cars. Jennifer’s dad is racer. He is in his 60′s and still races and owns an auto repair business. She’s been racing since she was 18. Her dad told me that he told her if she wanted to race she had to learn to work on the cars. So not only does she have good looks, she can race the cars and work on her cars. She knows these cars. That is amazing. For example, at Daytona, I was giving her a ride, so, she got in my car and told me I had a wheel bearing going out.”

“It’s hard to believe she is this whole package, but she really is. She is intelligent, talented, she is a motivational speaker as well, and she took journalism, so she can do it all. She really is unbelievable. Mike is the Team Manager, but, he is also going to race at certain tracks. She owns her team and Mike owns his team, but, they merged in to one building and Mike oversees her operation and mentors her. It works well for both of them especially at tracks she hasn’t been to. This has been an instant bond between us 3 and it has been great for everyone. It is really working out great.”

Next I caught up with Mike, on the road, as usual. I asked him how this whole joining of resources and people came together.

“Jennifer and I go back to, I believe, 2007,” Mike explained. “I had heard she was trying to put together an ARCA deal for Kansas City, which is her home town, so I called her. She said she knew me from the Bristol wreck and we talked about that for a few minutes and we just put together a deal over the phone without ever meeting. I don’t actually remember where we finished, but, she finished right behind me. It was a rushed deal, but, it went well on the racetrack and the business end went well, so, we did a couple of Nationwide races together. Over the next couple of years we just built a good working and trusting relationship.”

“To this day we operate on a handshake or a hug. She’s lived up to every part of the bargain and I have done the same. Last year during the week of the Homestead race I called her and asked her if she wanted to go to Homestead and we put together a deal right then. We put everything together in 2 days and she was happy with the results. That has always worked for us and she wanted to run some trucks races this year. One thing lead to another and here we are. She came to Mooresville. We went on a shopping spree, but, couldn’t really find what we wanted. I told her about the #10 ARCA team Rick Crawford had for sale over at Circle Bar. Rick and I have known each other for years, both of us being from Alabama, so, Jennifer and I went over there to buy part of their assets and that afternoon we gave a deposit for the whole team. It was like it was meant to happen.”

“We headed to Daytona for the ARCA race in February. She started 41st and finished 17th. She did a great job and that was her very first time on a super speedway. The next week we took the truck to Daytona. She started 28th, but, as everyone knows there was an accident on the 1st lap and we were taken out. She couldn’t help it and the whole time we have worked together that’s the only time that she has ever crashed. She was down in the wet grass and just couldn’t help it.”

“We were off for 3 weeks and took that time to put together a truck for me. So when we are at tracks she hasn’t been to before, I get out on the track and show her what the sister truck does. It just helps having her follow to feel what I am telling her. That helps builds her confidence quicker. She has really done a good job this year and this has been at tracks she has never seen before. Kansas is going to be good for her. That is her home track.”

“Jennifer was not spoiled. Her dad, Joe Cobb, is a good dirt racer out in the Kansas area and he made her work while she was learning early on. He brought her up the right way. She has been racing for 18 years. She has earned her way through the ranks and she has paid the price to get where she is at. That’s why she appreciates it and that has taught her to take care of her equipment. She likes to work. She will help load the hauler or whatever you want her to do. I have to tell her no, just go over there and talk to somebody (laughing as he was saying that). She is just a good, all around person to work with. She appreciates it all and I enjoy helping someone like that. I wouldn’t help anybody that doesn’t want it as bad as I do and she does that. She appreciates and respects the people around her on and off the track. If you treat her right, she will treat you right. That’s another reason we get along so well. We are cut from the same cloth. She acts like a veteran driver out there and I can tell the other racers have respect for her and I appreciate that. They know she can drive. That means a lot.”

“We’ve got a good bunch of guys on the team now. We’re running Fords and I have never driven a Ford racecar at all, but, I’m beginning to like it. We’ve got good Roush motors and that sure makes it easier. I’ve had a few bad years and some people have wondered if I’ve forgotten what a steering wheel was, but, I knew I could still do it. Knowing it and doing it are two different things and this team makes me feel better and it’s just going to get better through the years. I won’t get to race every race, but, I’m definitely going to run some races this season. I don’t know what else, it depends on sponsorship and equipment, but, Jennifer comes first because she is running for Rookie Of The Year. I’m going to run Pocono. I love that track and I’m also going to run Talladega for sure. It does feel good sitting in good equipment and some of the people helping us were there when we were struggling, so they’re real excited, too. We’re coming back. We appreciate all of Jennifer’s investors and everyone who makes this possible. Everything is going good and I can’t wait to get to the races.”

And lastly, I spoke with Jennifer. I have read so much about her…much of which came from her facebook entries. She seemed so grounded and interesting and the fact that she had associated herself with a racer I have known and respected for years made her all the more intriguing. I asked her to tell us about this venture.

“We all just have this wonderful bond. It started so many years ago when I raced for Mike. They were strangers and Mike and my dad got along really well. Mike and I are 2 independent teams that have come together to completely share resources. When I first talked about that on Moody’s show they thought that was a really good idea and something that maybe other teams should look at. This way we are able to have a bigger shop space, but, pay less because we split the rent.”

“I grew up at the race track. When I was 2 weeks old I went to my very first race. When my dad started racing I would scream, so my mom raised me in ballet and gymnastics classes, but yet we would go to the racetrack every weekend, so, that’s how I became this really girly girl who’s a true racer because she was born and raised on a racetrack. When I was 18 I had my first opportunity to race at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. That is just up the street from where they built the Kansas Speedway, but at the time it was asphalt. I started at the very bottom of the totem pole in the 4 cylinder hobby stock class and worked my way through each division and was never expected, pushed or even encouraged to go anywhere in racing. It was just something that I always felt GOD put on my heart that, hey, if these opportunities keep coming this is something you should get serious about doing.”

“And when the Kansas Speedway was built it literally changed my life. The doors opened for sponsorship opportunities and people were asking me to drive their ARCA cars at the speedway. Then I became a motorsports analyst for a TV program in the Kansas City area and I started working at the Richard Petty Driving Experience and that’s where I was exposed to other racetracks across the country, other potential sponsors, other drivers and my life, literally, just changed so much. That has really enabled my dreams to race in NASCAR’s big leagues, and finally, the opportunities really presented itself this year for me to race full time in the Camping World Truck Series. It’s always been my goal to do things the right way. I want to get the experience I need and I want to produce better finishes and continuously improve. I don’t care where we start, it’s where you end up that matters. I want to continuously improve through the truck series ranks where I feel like we should be competing probably inside the top 20 and we haven’t really done that, yet, so I’m really looking forward to accomplishing that goal, then working towards the top 15 finishes then top 10 finishes. Then if you improve each and every week you can’t help but be vying for wins eventually. We’re not there now, but, that is ultimately my goal. It just happens one step at a time with a lot of patience and perseverance. I would like to be (at some point) full time in the Nationwide Series and then eventually in the Cup Series. Those are the big goals, but, right now my goals are to improve each and every week in the truck series.”

Referring to working with Harmon, Jennifer continued, “It means a lot to have someone with his experience to believe in me. I’ve had people ask me why Mike and it’s like you know what, when I didn’t have funding, when I didn’t have sponsorship or investors or hope or opportunity Mike was the only one who would put me in a car with what I did have. He would meet me wherever my budget level was and put me in race cars and give me the opportunity to learn and to grow. I raced for Mike back in 2007 and then raced for Derrike Cope in 2008 and 2009 to where that worked out a little bit better in that regard. Mike didn’t have what Derrike had to offer for the programs I needed to put together and Mike understood that. That’s just how it works. You’ve got to go wherever your sponsorship dollars dictate. At the end of ’09 I had the opportunity to work with Mike again and it was really fortunate timing to where I was putting together more for this year. It has evolved in to what it is and it is very GOD given. I feel like there are coincidences to us, but not necessarily coincidences to GOD.”

“I definitely want to, because I don’t always get the opportunity or remember to, thank Denise and Mike enough for the dedication and belief they have in me and the dedication to me that they have shown. It just means so much to have somebody with that much experience willing to teach me. And it means so much to get a compliment from Mike, like when he says “You impressed me today or you picked that up quicker than I thought you would, you’re going to be just fine.’ He knows me so well from what steering box a track calls for and knowing me and what I like. He says ‘No, we’re going to put that one on for her’ to a heavier carburetor or spring for the throttle because he doesn’t want me to spin my tires. It’s not just putting a car together for me to drive it ok, it’s completely taking the time to think about what he knows about me and my driving style and putting that all together. That’s what you want in a team. That’s what a team is all about. It’s a really good situation and I think it’s going to be good for Mike Harmon Racing and Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing. That’s what this sport needs…the smaller teams sticking together and helping each other out. For me it’s the culmination of a life long dream coming true against the odds without a big budget. I think we can make it happen. I think you can take that story and implement it in big business or for people in all walks of life.”

“The first 5 races were growing for us and the next 5 races we’re concentrating on performance, so I’m really excited. Kansas starts our ‘let’s make some drastic strides in performance and let’s start getting some stuff done’ . There are still some tracks on the schedule that will be new for me, but, towards August, I think, we will start returning to some tracks so that will be exciting for us.”

“For the fans I think it’s not the easiest thing to be a fan of mine at this point just because everybody’s looking for a big splash and a huge performance gain immediately. I think I have some of the best fans ever because they understand that I’m really trying to grow something here and that it will come. I appreciate the fans that I have that seem to appreciate my attitude which has been a lot of self discipline and not being upset when the immediate success has not been there. I’ve got some current sponsors who haven’t quite committed to the Kansas race yet, but I just want those folks to know that any amount will help so much. We want to do everything we can to go over and beyond their expectations. For future sponsors, the 75 million strong NASCAR fans, I think, would respect the heck out of a company that didn’t wait until I won a race or became a big star. Come be a part of the journey. Come be a part of the ride. We offer such affordable programs for your buck. I will work my tail off both on and off the track to make sure that it is a positive experience so that the return on their investment is there. That’s what we are hoping for this year because if that doesn’t come I may or may not be racing next year.”

While I was talking to Jennifer I kept thinking how current and modern, dedicated, gorgeous and intelligent she is, yet, she has that driven, old school, sensible approach to her career and the way to get where she wants. She and Mike are focused and excited about this season and are ready to prove their capabilities. I think it makes perfect sense to be a fan of this duo. How can a real race fan not appreciate all of this hard work wrapped up in a beautiful female driver with a cagey, knowledgeable and hard working racer as Team Manager, fellow racer and friend? I know I truly am a fan already. To me it sounds like the perfect pairing of talent, dedication and knowledge.

www.driverboutique.com and www.drivenmale.com are clothing lines that Jennifer has created and are sponsors on her car. You can also access those clothing items at www.cobbracing.com For those of you who are facebook fanatics, and who isn’t these days, you can also follow Jennifer’s career for a great deal of information and interaction with her there.

Good luck at Kansas. We’ll be watching and cheering.

Brandon McReynolds (sitting) with father Larry McReynolds - Photo Credit: Brandon McReynolds

I was impressed with Brandon then. He was an excited High School student, enjoyed racing in the UARA-STARS Series competing with some friends who have well known last names, as well. I found him to be a likeable young man…one I genuinely wished good luck and hoped would eventually make it in the upper racing series of NASCAR. So, when I read about a couple of his very successful ARCA tests with Eddie Sharp Racing, I decided to contact young McReynolds to have him tell his fans and our readers something they might not have read in articles or on Facebook. I’m glad I did. WOW…what a difference a few months have made. I am even more impressed with Brandon now than the first time we spoke.

The interview last week began with congratulations on his 3rd place finish in the UARA-STARS Series points for 2009 and the fact that he is not on the UARA schedule this season.

“Yeah, we’re obviously trying to move up and trying to run some bigger cars, whether that’s an ARCA Series, the K&N Pro Series or maybe even the trucks if sponsorship allows us to,” he began. “I still have both my UARA late models and I’m actually going up there today and tomorrow to Hickory Motor Speedway to spot for my buddy, Coleman Pressley. So I’ll still be around the racetrack. We had our success last year and now we’re just trying to move up and run some other stuff this year. I just actually flew back in from Texas Motor Speedway yesterday morning. We tested down there with Eddie Sharp Racing and did really well.”

I told him I wanted to get back to that in awhile, but I wanted to start with the ARCA test at Daytona on December 23rd. His father accompanied him.

“He was there and that definitely helped. That test sprung up pretty quick and we really didn’t know which direction we were going to go. We knew we still wanted to run a couple of late model races, but, we also knew we were working to try to move forward with my career. Luckily Eddie Sharp called me up and said he was willing to give me a shot to go down there and test for him. Obviously he has real good equipment. They won the championship last year with Justin Lofton, so, we put it together and went down there. I think there was like 50 some cars and we were top 5 all weekend. And I got to experience the draft and work with Danca Patrick a little bit in the draft, which was pretty cool, especially from the media side because it brought a lot to the table for us, as well.”

“The preparation for that is totally different from our late model stuff because we own our own cars and I work on my own cars. I went over to Eddie Sharp Racing and hung out with all the guys. I think that’s the biggest thing especially when you’re in a higher level series. You might not be able to work on the race cars because there are guys that get paid to do that, but, it’s really good to get that camaraderie with the guys. It was great to meet everyone and know who I was going to be working with. I sat in the cars to make sure the seat and all the safety equipment was good to go. I spent a couple of weeks out there. Luckily I already knew the crew chief, Johnny Allen, and had already worked a little bit with him before because he is a really good friend of my dad’s. They go way back.”

“It really meant a lot to me. I’ve been going there every year since I was a baby and to finally get out on the race track was an amazing feeling. I was a little bit nervous because I had never tested an ARCA car at such a big track, so, they threw me the keys and said here is a 2 1/2 mile race track so have at it. It was really cool. The first day was rain shortened but to be 4th fastest was awesome. That was reassuring. It ended up being three days. The other 2 days were just drafting practice. At the end of the day, I think if you do your homework as a race car driver and you really study what you’re supposed to be doing and put a lot of time and effort in to it, you can pretty much drive anything.”

Brandon explained that he only had 4 laps when they called the 1st day of testing due to rain. He felt that was to his advantage, because he was able to go back to the hotel and really study and think about those laps and what he learned. When he returned for the remaining 2 days, he felt confident and just concentrated on what he needed to improve on.

Then on the 9th and 10th of this month, Brandon headed to Texas Motor Speedway for more ARCA testing. His father accompanied him that time, as well. He finished 2nd out of 21 cars testing. No small feat.

“Texas is a whole different animal than Daytona,” McReynolds continued. “At Daytona you fight handling a little bit, but, it’s pretty much wide open. You have to work with the draft and understand it, but, Texas is totally different. It’s really, really fast. I think our average speed around there was 186 which means somewhere around 200 getting off of the corners and you’ve got to let off there and fight handling and stuff like that, so it was cool. Eddie said whether you’re 20th or first you can’t underestimate that place because you’ll get in trouble in a hurry. So we went down there and I stood on top of the hauler for the first few minutes of practice. Scott Wimmer was there helping  RCR (Richard Childress Racing) out so I watched him get some pretty good lap times. Then I went out there and ran 4 laps and they told me I was top of the charts and to shut the motor off. I was like, there’s no way, but, they said to come on in and they’d work on it a little bit. Man that was awesome! That’s one of the fastest places ARCA or NASCAR goes to, so hopefully we’ll get the chance to go back there and race in April.”

Right now Brandon and McReynolds Racing are working hard to find the sponsorship that will allow him to run some upper series’ races. Several possibilities are being examined. Testing results at two of the toughest tracks on the upper series’ schedule show this young man has what it takes to get the job done with quality equipment. And ability is definitely a part of his genetic make up, obviously. All of that doesn’t matter, however, says young McReynolds,

“If you don’t have sponsorship to get involved with one of the better teams, you pretty much don’t have anything. It’s really tough to swallow that pill because it’s like you’re running faster than some of the RCR cars and cars involved with Penske and then nothing comes out of it. I think if we can get some sponsorship we will do okay. Eddie Sharp’s equipment is good enough and I think I’m where I need to be, as far as a racecar driver, so that we could prove to some of these people that I’ve got what it takes. We’ve talked to a lot of big name teams and they know my ability, but, the number one question is money. That’s just how it is.”

They have hopes of running 3 ARCA races this season. I hope he gets the chance. And so do, according to today’s Facebook figures, 1285 Facebook followers. They have the chance to actually interact with Brandon. I check in there from time to time and enjoy reading the posts between him and his fans.

“I think social networking is a huge hit right now. I like Twitter a lot, but, Facebook is more like a personal thing. I think this is really helping NASCAR right now because instead of seeing (only) the corporate side of people, Johnson or Logano or whoever, the fans get to see a personal side, what those guys or what I’m doing this week. Any opportunity I get, whether it’s racing or it’s personal, it’s nice to be able to give this (type of) attention to the fans. It’s neat to see how it’s grown (the number of fans on Facebook) and it’s neat to see the number of emails we get at brandonmcreynolds.com. It’s neat to see all the responses to some of the successes we’ve had at the start of this year, whether it’s testing or some of the late model races we are announcing that we’re going to run. It’s just cool to know some people care. I mean, I don’t need someone behind me patting me on the back, but, it does feel good just to know someone is out there and someone’s listening. The fans get a comfortable feeling when they know they can be a part of something, as well.”

“I just want the fans to keep watching racing. I know it’s tough right now, and I’m not dogging on Dale Jr in no way at all, but I know that things with him are going slow and he’s really the heartbeat to our sport . I just want to say stick with racing. It’s going back to the grass roots like they said. This year NASCAR is letting guys do whatever they want. It was really neat to sit in a NASCAR rookie meeting and see the next generation of NASCAR drivers. It’s kind of good to know who you’re going up against. No way will this new set of racecar drivers take Jeff Gordon or Dale Jr or Jimmie Johnson, or any of these great racecar drivers off the platform. Those guys will always be at the top and always be doing good things. But, I think if we (the new group of rookies) can come in and work with those guys and understand where they’re coming from and they understand where we’re coming from and maybe do some good things in NASCAR, then maybe it can add, not character, but maybe some more personality which is what I think NASCAR needs right now.”

I really like this young man. Brandon is not only a talented young driver, but, he is very business/sponsor smart. We talked at length about the commitment between driver and sponsor, Brandon referring to it as a “relationship”. He has learned the very important “other” part to successful competition. Brandon is so young, but, he jumps right in to an interview with wisdom and eagerness beyond his years. He is confident in his abilities, yet anything but boastful. He is knowledgeable, yet listens to suggestions and others opinions. He wants to be known as a racecar driver, yet is so very proud of his father and family. The young man appears to me to have everything he needs except funding. Personally, I hope he finds it very soon. I think he is exactly what this sport needs. He’s handsome, personable and very likeable. He values all aspects of this sport and knows without the fans, there is no sport. What is not to like?

Brandon, I hope you get to run those 3 ARCA races and more this year. And for those who are interested, you can follow Brandon on Facebook. I think you will enjoy the experience. And for more information on Brandon and their plans for 2010 be sure to check out his website at www.brandonmcreynolds.com

Good luck and I look forward to speaking with you again soon.

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) : )

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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.

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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