Random Thoughts

I really can't understand what Steve is thinking if he really turned down opportunities to race for teams that race in the top ten. If that's true he may have also turned down the chance to win races, something which he keeps saying he dearly wants to do. Racing in the top fifteen and top ten is racing up front. Racing in 10th place isn't just riding around, it's racing for something and sometimes when things fall into place in the right way a team like that is racing for a win. In addition, this season's top fifteen or top ten team might be next year's top five team with the right resources, the right sponsor, the right mix of personnel and most importantly a determined and talented driver like Steve.

There really aren't many rides in Cup, Nationwide or Trucks where a driver can race almost every race in the top five and realistically even if there was an opening with one of those rides it won't get offered to Steve. He's a great person, very fan-friendly and a talented race car driver but he also hasn't raced in any of Nascar's highest levels since August of 2006. Since then the extent of his racing total has been two East Series races. That isn't enough for an owner to hand him an elite ride. Frankly, even if he kicks ass in the East Series and wins a bunch of races I'm not sure even that would be enough to get him an elite ride on a higher level.

Steve also said that he's tired of having to prove himself. Well, just exactly what has he done lately to try to prove anything to anyone? As noted, he's barely raced since the Summer of 2006. The fact of the matter is that the way this sport works is that teams hire drivers based on their results in the here and now, not based on what they might have done in their prime seven years ago. That's just reality. There's so much money invested by owners, sponsors, financial partners, etc... that teams want to feel confident that the drivers they hire can be successful for them, and it's a big unknown how successful Steve can be since he's not raced regularly in so long.

Another thing that Steve said was that when a team does well people say it's because of the car (or truck) but when the results are bad people say it was the driver's fault. And there's definitely some truth to that. However, there's also a lot of people these days who recognize how competitive it is on all levels in Nascar and that drivers can only do the best they can with the cars (or trucks) they're given. There's so many pieces that have to fall into place beyond just the driver and his ability for a team to have success - a sponsor willing to spend money, an owner willing to give the team unlimited resources, a talented crew chief, a fast pit crew who doesn't make many mistakes, a solid spotter, good support personnel, etc...

The thing is that even if Steve were with an imperfect team he'd at least be showing that he still has the desire to race and if he were to help them improve their results he would show what an asset he can be to a team. In addition, I've heard drivers speak with confidence about how they feel that they're good enough to help even a struggling team get to the next level - doesn't Steve believe in himself and his ability behind the wheel that he could do that too? No one faults a driver who gives 100% effort and that effort doesn't go unnoticed even if some think it does. David Reutimann didn't get good results last season in Cup yet he was still an in-demand driver before Michael Waltrip Racing re-signed him, and recently a top agent said on XM that he was one of the most under-rated drivers in the garage area. The right attitude - and ability - gets noticed. Brad Keselowski is another driver who is a good example of someone who raced in subpar equipment but made the most of opportunities that came his way and his talent got noticed too. Of note is that neither David nor Brad brought any sponsorship with them to their rides - it was all talent.

I really hope things are going to work out for Steve in the East Series. I'd really love to see him race up front and win a bunch of races. But it's not going to be easy. Steve is going to be racing against some really talented young drivers, some of whom have backing from Cup organizations. So I hope he's being realistic and he won't get discouraged if he doesn't race in the top five in every race because even if he spends time racing in the top ten or top fifteen doesn't mean that he won't win. Steve just needs to believe in himself and his team. He just needs to go out there and race! If he races with all the passion, determination and desire that he has he'll find himself in Victory Lane!