Role reversal lands driver on pit box, crew chief behind wheel for test session
JW Martin
The no. 26 Chevrolet was back on track at Motor Mile Speedway Thursday for the first time since it went to victory lane on September 6, 2008.
But the winner of that race wasn’t behind the wheel.
Instead, Philip Morris was positioned behind the inside retaining wall in turn one, eyeing his car intently and giving appropriate feedback to the driver circling the .416-mile oval.
Inside the cockpit, the driver listened attentively. It was Ray Evernham’s first time on asphalt behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock Car, and the three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion crew chief needed a quick education.
By the end of the session, Evernham was posting lap times mirroring that of Morris.
“I’m trying to figure out how he caught up so fast- how he was able to run this track so fast right away. I’ve been here for a long time, since ’86- and he comes in here and on the same day he’s running as fast as we normally run,” Morris explained. “For him to get in the car and run as fast as he’s running; it totally impresses me.”
Upon the conclusion of the Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21, the world’s fastest half-mile will host the inaugural “Saturday Night Special.” The celebrity event will mark Evernham’s Late Model debut.
To properly prepare for the race, Evernham enlisted the help of the defending WHELEN All-American Series national champion.
“Philip Morris was good enough to bring all his guys and some cars down here for us to play with. He’s helping me get a feel for it,” said Evernham. “[Motor Mile Speedway] is a perfect place for us to test, because he’s got a good setup, and the track’s got a good feeling for speed and some banking. So other than testing at Bristol I don’t think we could’ve found a better place.”
Evernham, a former modified racer, recently competed in a similar celebrity event a year ago at Eldora, a half-mile clay oval. He finished sixteenth in the Prelude to the Dream, his first competitive race since 1991. With Morris’ help, he hopes to improve upon last year’s finish.
“[Philip’s] brought me a real good car. You know, when you’re driving a guy’s car that wins all the time you better be good. But we’re not trying to go fast; we’re just trying to get me acclimated to what a car with fenders is like,” Evernham explained.
To me, it’s kind of like running the Eldora Prelude to the Dream with Tony [Stewart] and those guys. I just want to make sure we get out and run good enough so as not to embarrass ourselves.”
A QUICK Q&A WITH RAY
JWM: You’ve stated numerous times since your departure from Richard Petty Motorsports that you needed a breather and were looking for ways to rekindle that passion for the sport; is that the idea behind this deal?
RE: Short track racing has really been my passion; it’s not that I’ve lost my fire for NASCAR- because I certainly love what’s going on up there. But I’ve been doing that for 20 years, and to come home and get around some of these short track guys; it’s good. I mean, that’s where I started.
These are real people and they work hard; their passion for racing is inspiring. Up there, everybody’s making a lot of money- and that’s O.K. But down here there’s people spending a lot of money and spending a lot of time away from their families. You find a lot of bloody knuckles, but you find people that are dedicated, and that’s refreshing to be around.
JWM: In your opinion, how has NASCAR changed over the years, and how much of it has been for the better and how has it changed for the worse?
RE: Oh, boy. I’m sure if you asked Junior Johnson or Bud Moore the same question- you know, everybody’s got a cycle. It was great during the times I was great, and now I can sit here and complain about it- everybody goes through a cycle. But NASCAR is doing a tremendous job growing it to what they’ve grown it to. They’re facing hard times, just like everybody else. So I don’t want to stand here and say what’s the worst part of it; for me, the cars are so technical now and the rules are so constrained that for I guy like me- it’s not fun for me. But for new engineers and the young guys coming up; that’s the way those guys do things, so it’s good for them. And they’ll take it to the next level.
JWM: Do you have one defining moment or one special memory of your time as car owner of Evernham Motorsports that stands out?
RE: I was very, very blessed to have had success as a crew chief and then decent success as an owner. But I think winning the Brickyard with Bill Elliott, that was a pretty cool thing.
JWM: Any regrets?
RE: As an owner? I regret that I didn’t win a championship. You know, I certainly wanted to win a championship. But I think time and funding and things like that passed me by. But I’d be a fool to stand here and say that I had no regrets, and it could be something as simple as putting four tires on instead of two, or put more gas in. There are certainly things I would have done differently, but for the most part I feel pretty good about my career.
JWM: Why is the no. 24 team still winless, and if you were to go back to that organization in an advisory role for Steve Letarte and the team, would Gordon be back in victory lane by the end of the 500 at Bristol?
RE: I think they’re gonna be back in victory lane by the end of Bristol anyway. Steven [Letarte] is doing a great job, Jeff [Gordon] is focused. I think it was circumstance that they didn’t win; they were in position to win a couple of times, and then there were times when their cars just weren’t good enough to win. I think Steven and Jeff both know that they just weren’t really communicating as well as they should have been on what it took to get the car right. I think they’ve got that licked. If I went over there, could I help put them in victory lane? I mean, I’d like to think so. But no one really knows. I think they’re gonna win with or without me. At some point, I’d just like to be able to stand in victory lane with Jeff one more time, and I’m really proud of Steven, too. You know, Steven is a lot younger than most people that are doing what he’s doing.
JWM: Let’s say you’ve got the opportunity to eat at the best restaurant in the world for supper, and you can choose five people, dead or alive, to eat with you. Who would you choose and why?
RE: Oh, man. Well, I think, like everybody else, I’d choose Jesus Christ. Just to hear what he had to say and if he’s really seen all the things that I’d done throughout my life that I didn’t want anybody to see. And three of my heroes, Vince Lombardi, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Einstein was amazing, and Vince Lombardi because of all of the things that he was able to accomplish motivationally. He set the bar for motivation. And Martin Luther King, Jr. because he was a tremendous speaker and had sympathy for people and peace, and he had a lot of wisdom. You said only five, but I’d like to have dinner with the people on the Hendrick plane just one more time.
