DAYTONA PREVIEW SERIES (Part 1)
Baldwin looking to tell his best story yet
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2003) – With good race cars come good stories. They are the kind that make you reminisce; the kind that never lose its fervor; the kind Tommy Baldwin is telling right now about a car he and his father built in four days.
It should be noted that had Jimmy Spencer, new driver of the No. 7 Sirius Racing Team, not walked through the doors of the Ultra Motorsports race shop barking about the time the Baldwins beat him in a national modified race back in the late 80s, this story-telling time would not be happening. It was 15 years ago, to be exact, although Spencer remembers it like it was yesterday. It was the first points race of the season at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, and most of the fans who packed the stands were there to see Mr. Excitement begin his title defense the same way he won it – rough, tough, and wicked fast.
As the story goes, the Baldwins (Tommy as the crew chief and his father driving) turned the highly anticipated affair into a stinker of a show. They won the pole, led every lap of the race, and took the checkers in dominating fashion. The reigning champion finished second and was never a factor.
Spencer says that was the moment his eyes were opened to Tommy Baldwin. Baldwin says that was the moment his eyes were opened to The Bronx Bomber.
“We bought the car off a guy in the Bronx, so that’s where the name comes from,” Baldwin says, now in throw-back mode. “We bought it, loaded it up on a trailer, towed it to the shop, stripped the whole thing down and completely rebuilt it in four days. We then took it to Riverhead and just dominated – best car we ever had.”
The Baldwins continued winning races with The Bronx Bomber. And although Tommy cannot recall its eventual whereabouts, its memory will forever be logged for him to rehash when the appropriate time comes.
Like today.
The spirited Spencer has just arrived at Ultra Motorsports, where Baldwin and team members have been applying the final touches to a car they’ll race at Daytona in a few weeks. The guys at Ultra have been working obscene hours, which is to be expected a month before the biggest race of the season. Spencer, likewise, has been busy. He has bounced around to several media-day events, handled a handful of autograph sessions, appeared at the mammoth International Consumer Electronics Show for Sirius Satellite Radio in Las Vegas, and spoke at a business meeting for Kenwood Corporation. Somewhere in between he tested the No. 7 car at Daytona, Talladega and Las Vegas – all this in a three-week span. Spencer, however, is showing no ill effects of life in the fast lane.
“How are your workouts coming?” Baldwin asks his driver.
“Real good,” Spencer said. “I’m poetry in motion on the NordicTrack.”
Laughter erupts but not enough to drown out Baldwin’s Long Island accent that has withstood years of southern persuasion. “Yeah, I can believe that. How about we become poetry on the race track first?
Funny, yes, but you get the feeling he isn’t kidding, which is why Spencer finds such a profound respect for his new crew chief
“I’m telling you, he’s sharp,” Spencer said later. “I knew that the moment he and his dad spanked us in the modifieds. Everyone was hyping me up because I was the champion at the time, and these guys went in there and smoked us.”
Oh yes, the Bronx Bomber, the best car Baldwin says he’s ever owned, most likely for how it raced. But 15 years after the fact, you get the idea the value of the Bomber is still going up since it appears to be the source of a mutual respect that, until just recently, didn’t matter a whole lot. Now Baldwin and Spencer are the mold of a race team looking for respect itself, and they are undeniably the most intriguing driver/crew chief combination in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series line-up.
“Jimmy and I respect each other, and that’s very important if you want your race team to succeed,” Baldwin said. “Our families have known each other for a long time, and our teams always worked together in the modifieds – don’t really know why. I guess it’s because we just respected each other’s capabilities.”
Which is why team owner Jim Smith brought the two aboard when he had the chance late last year – that and also because they are proven winners. Baldwin has won four times and Spencer twice. Both have landed in Victory Lane at Daytona, which ironically will be the stage they’ll make their debut as teammates.
“Just think about it – Tommy Baldwin, Jimmy Spencer, Jim Smith, and a whole group of guys at the shop who have something to prove,” Spencer said with a grin. “You’ve got to admit, this team is going to be fun to watch. I know there are a lot of people who don’t give us a chance to compete, but that doesn’t bother us. We’re as motivated as a race team can be, and I don’t care how much money you have, you can’t succeed without good people. We’ve got good people over here, and that’s all we need to know. That’s why those people who don’t give us a chance don’t bother us.”
Nor does it bother Baldwin, for this is all too similar to a situation he once had in Riverhead, N.Y., when all eyes were on someone else. There, he let his car and his driver tell the story.
---30---
A moment in time Spencer will never forget
Daytona Preview Series -- Part 2
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 4, 2003) - Not many things leave Jimmy Spencer
speechless, but as he watched CNN's coverage of the space shuttle Columbia
breaking apart over Texas Saturday morning, everything around him froze in time.
A cold stare and a numb feeling was all he had to offer, for in his mind he
couldn't help but think about the seven families who were left waiting at the
end of a runway somewhere in Florida.
It was a moment Spencer would love to forget but never will.
"I can't imagine what the families are going through," he said.
"I know that we're all going to leave this place eventually, and there is
no way around that. But those astronauts were 16 minutes from home, and
you know they couldn't wait to see their families to tell them about their trip
to space. When my son or daughter goes on a trip, I want to know all about
it when they come back. I don't know how I would handle myself if I knew
they weren't coming back to me."
Spencer says he plans to write the families to express his condolences. At
the same time, he joins the millions of people who feel that abandoning the
manned space program would be a mistake.
"I don't know if abandoning the manned space program is something NASA is
even talking about, but I sure hear a lot of people making that debate on
television," Spencer said. "I think it's a natural reaction, and
that's fine. But look where we are because of manned space flight.
Look where we are because of the space shuttle. I drive for a sponsor that
wouldn't be where it is today without the space program. SIRIUS
Satellite Radio has three of those satellites floating around in space, and
FedEx or Yellow didn't have a thing to do with getting them up there. I
drive to the shop every day listening to my satellite radio, and I'm captivated
by all the things it does. But never once did I stop and think about how
this is even possible. But now I do, and I hate that it took the events
from Saturday morning for me to stop and appreciate the things we have in
life."
It bothers Spencer to draw comparisons between NASA and NASCAR, but the
similarities are almost unavoidable. First and foremost, both have dealt
with loss. And drivers - like astronauts - know and accept the risks they
take before ever strapping into their vehicles.
"Had we quit racing after the loss of Neil Bonnett or Dale Earnhardt, we'd
be in big trouble when the time comes that we meet up with them again,"
Spencer said. "I think the same is probably true with those
astronauts, especially since their mission was specifically geared around
science, and experimentation that only humans can do. I think NASA knows
that, and I think they'll learn from this, make it better, and keep going."
FINISHING TOUCHES: The No. 7 SIRIUS
racing team is working its final full day at the Ultra Motorsports race shop
before the first wave of crew members departs for Daytona on Wednesday.
Spencer will be among the first group, as NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 6,
kicks off the Speedweeks schedule for Winston Cup teams.
THE FANS HAVE SPOKEN: Of all the mail Spencer receives at the shop, one
in particular caught his attention on Tuesday - a box containing the glass
trophy with the inscription "Driver You'd Least Like to See in Your
Rearview Mirror." The award was part of the NASCAR.com 2002 Fans
Voice Awards, and Spencer took first prize in the "Rearview Mirror"
category. Said Spencer with a laugh, "I'll take that as a
compliment."
---30---
Team SIRIUS Daytona Preview Series (Part 3)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb.
6, 2003) - When news trickled out this week of the possible departure of the
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as the title sponsor of NASCAR's top series, many
eyes and ears turned toward Jimmy Spencer - a sure bet to always put things in
perspective. Spencer has been a vocal supporter of the company for years,
dating back to his days driving the Travis Carter-owned race cars that were
sponsored by RJR in the mid '90s.
On Thursday, the future of NASCAR sponsorship was just one of many topics thrown
at Spencer during Daytona Media Day. And as usual, Spencer had a lot to
say.
"When I heard about it, it bothered me, and it still bothers me,"
Spencer said. "They (RJR) were the ones who brought this sport to the
forefront, whether it was going out on the town and giving away tickets, or
doing promotions. I feel they brought us at least 75% of the fan base.
This is NASCAR Winston Cup. It's hard to think that it could be called
something else. It just doesn't sound right if the word 'Winston' isn't
there."
Spencer's admiration for T. Wayne Robertson, the former president of sports
marketing for RJR who oversaw the company's NASCAR Winston Cup program, has been
well documented. Spencer credits Robertson for the boost in popularity in
racing, and even since Robertson's 1998 passing, the sport is still affected by
his leadership.
"He did incredible things for this sport," Spencer said.
"The Winston Cup Preview was his idea to give back to the fans and give to
charity. He used to give out tickets like it was candy, just to get people
going to the tracks."
Winston and NASCAR have reportedly discussed the prospect of the sanctioning
body finding a new title sponsor for its top racing series, which, if it
happens, would end a relationship of 32 years. The speculation comes one
week after longtime NASCAR sponsor Unical 76 announced it was leaving the sport.
"I feel it's the economy," Spencer said. "There is a lot of
stuff going on all over the United States right now that we can't control.
But if Winston leaves NASCAR - and right now it's just people speculating - but
if it happens, it would certainly be something I never thought would happen.
Hopefully the economy will turn around, not only for RJR but for a lot of
people."
OTHER MEDIA DAY TIDBITS: Spencer had a chance to show off his new
look in the SIRIUS uniform on Thursday. The
Berwick, Pa., native profiled for four different photo shoot sessions before
taking questions from the enormous gathering of media assembled at the Daytona
Club right outside Daytona International Speedway.
FULL DAY FRIDAY: Team SIRIUS will officially begin pre-race
preparations Friday morning when the garage opens at 7 a.m. The No. 7 SIRIUS
Dodge Intrepid won't hit the track, however, until Saturday when the first
practice session is set to begin at 9:15 a.m. Crew chief Tommy Baldwin and
the second wave of the crew arrived here late Thursday afternoon.
APPEARANCE SCHEDULE SET: Spencer will be appearing at a handful of SIRIUS
and Dodge Motorsports events from Feb. 10-16. Three autograph sessions are
also scheduled, starting with a 30-minute signing at Dodge City on Wed., Feb.
12, at 3 p.m. Spencer's other autograph sessions will be one-hour signings
on Fri., Feb. 14 at Circuit City (6 p.m.) and Sat., Feb. 15 at the SIRIUS
"Rhythm of the Road" tour exhibit outside of the track (approximately
30 minutes after the NASCAR Busch Series race.)
"God's answer to
boredom" speaks out
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2003) - It has long been theorized that
Jimmy Spencer is God's answer to boredom. Whether that's true or not,
everyone has their own opinion - including Spencer. With the Great
American Race just days away, Spencer sits down to discuss a variety of topics,
including the art of speaking your mind, his team's search for respect, and why
he thinks the Daytona 500 is NOT the Super Bowl of stock car racing.
The phrase "Jimmy Spencer is God's answer to boredom" is one you've
heard before. What do you think about that?
"Hey, if God didn't intend for us to speak our minds, he wouldn't have
given us mouths. I figure that every sport needs to have someone who's
willing to speak their mind. The NFL has Shannon Sharpe; the NBA has Mark
Cuban. It's something that, if you do it, you know you're going to make a
lot of people mad, or you're going to get yourself into hot water. I've
got a tremendous amount of respect for Tony Stewart, because he has never once
tried to hide who he is. Sit back and think about that. Think about
all the pressures in this sport - sponsors, owners, crews, all these different
people with all different opinions. Yet, you've got to make them all
happy. It's a tough thing to do and still be yourself and speak your mind
with complete honesty."
What kind of mind frame does it take to race here at Daytona?
"Patience. The way these cars are set up now, you're running inches
apart and there's just no room for error. You make a mistake, and it takes
out half the field. Daytona is nothing but a chess game. You spend
your whole time trying to figure out who to draft with, who not to draft with,
which line your car works best on, that kind of stuff. But the moment you
get impatient and try to force the issue, something bad is going to happen.
That's just the way it is.
What is your take on blocking at Daytona?
"Blocking is going to happen, and not just at Daytona. Whether it's
good or bad, well, that just depends on the outcome. Everyone is trying to
protect their position out there, yet you're also fighting for the same
position. With 43 cars trying to climb to one spot, you're going to have
blocking. I just hope everyone uses a little bit of common courtesy out
there. You race people the way you'd want to be raced. You're all
going for the same spot."
Do you guys feel like Team SIRIUS is getting any respect?
"Not at all, but that's fine. You've got to perform well to get
respect, and I think this team is going to do that. It's going to be a
good year for us. Challenges are a part of every-day life. Anyone
who's ever achieved greatness didn't do so without overcoming challenges and
adversity. Do we have challenges? You better believe it. So what's
the best way to handle it? It's certainly not sitting around and listening
to these people who don't think we can do it. We're going to make this
work."
What are you're thoughts following Daytona Media Day?
"It went well. A lot of questions are still about last year, and
off-the-track situations. I honestly just want to get inside that No. 7
SIRIUS Dodge and give people a reason to talk about this year."
How good is the car this week?
"This is the part where every driver says, 'We've got a good car.' So
you know what, we'll just let our car do the talking for us. Ask that big,
black dog on the hood after the first two or three practices, and it will tell
you. I will say this, we left Daytona testing feeling really good.
Then we went to Talladega and tested, and we felt even better. Even Tommy
(Baldwin) cracked a smile, which tells you something."
Do you still buy Daytona 500 tickets?
"Oh yeah. We buy 12 tickets in the Joe Weatherly grandstands every
year."
Who gets the tickets?
"You know, family members, cousins, friends. It's just something that
is fun to be a part of. The Daytona 500 is special."
Somebody asked you yesterday about night racing. We'll get to that in a
second. But before that, tell me about the difference between night racing
and day racing at Daytona.
"Night racing at Daytona is one of the coolest experiences a driver can
have. I think I actually see better at night. The way the lights
reflect off the cars all the way around the track is really neat. People
were asking me yesterday if I thought the Daytona 500 should be raced at night,
and my answer to that is 'no.' The Daytona 500 is something that should
not be messed with. Don't change the name, don't change the format, don't
change anything. This is an event that should be raced in the afternoon.
Why do feel so strongly about keeping the Daytona 500 the same?
"I can't speak for other drivers, but for me it's the past, present and
future of NASCAR racing all in a single weekend. I'm a historical person.
I know the history of NASCAR, how it got started, and how it succeeded. I
know about the people who helped build NASCAR - the France family, the drivers,
the crew chiefs, the people behind the scenes. All of that points back to
Daytona. Everyone has a special story about this place. The Daytona
500 is a treasure; it's sacred. And anyone who tries to mess with it will
hear from me, all the drivers, and all the fans.
I've heard it bothers you when people refer to the Daytona 500 as the
"Super Bowl" of auto racing. Is that true?
"It's the other way around. The Super Bowl is the Daytona 500 of
football."
Back to night racing, rumor has it NASCAR could be adding more night races to
future schedules. Are you cool with that?
"Definitely. It's such a unique experience. I love night
racing, because it is a reminder of my old stomping grounds of Saturday night
racing up North. A lot of people say it's too inconvenient for fans, but I
disagree. I think the experience of a NASCAR Winston Cup race at night is
so awesome that it is well worth any inconvenience it might cause. Night
races on Sunday would be a problem, but if you do it on Saturday night, then
it's perfect. Fans still have Sunday to go back home, and in fact, will
get home sooner than if the race was on Sunday afternoon.
Do you have any big plans for your birthday (Feb. 15)?
"I've been celebrating my birthday here at Daytona for the last 15 years,
so my wife and I will probably go to dinner, hang out with friends and family,
and just have a good time. That's my idea of celebrating. I'm not
crazy about big parties and all that stuff. I'd just rather spend it with
family and close friends. Of course, I'd be a party animal if we put that
SIRIUS car in Victory Lane on Sunday."
---30---
Daytona Preview Series (Part 5)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2003) - The gates to the NASCAR Winston Cup garage remained open for 11 hours on Saturday, and Team SIRIUS needed every minute of that time to discover what had been a day-long hindrance to the No. 7 Dodge Intrepid. A problem in the back end of the car had slowed the Dodge tremendously, leading to rankings of 31st and 36th between the two practice sessions.
But the most important numbers for Team SIRIUS on Saturday weren't minutes,
seconds, or miles per hour. They were fractions of an inch, for it was
discovered that the drive shaft was slightly too long, causing the No. 7 machine
to lose RPMs (rounds per minute.)
Finding the mishap was a shot of relief to a team that had been puzzled
all day. With Jimmy Spencer behind the wheel, Team SIRIUS registered the
31st quickest time in the first practice, turning a lap around the 2.5-mile
speedway in 49.49 seconds at a speed of 181.840 miles per hour. Spencer
was able to improve slightly in the second session with a time of 49.47 seconds,
although it stacked up 36th fastest by the time the two-hour period was over.
"This was a full day," Baldwin said. "I hope we've got the
problem fixed. It's important that we turn a good qualifying lap tomorrow.
"We were three-tenths (of a second) quicker when we tested here, so we know
this car can run faster."
Originally the team was looking for its missing RPMs in the engine, but
Spencer's feedback over the radio suggested otherwise.
"There's something binding the back end of the car, almost like I'm
dragging something," he said. "It's pulling good, it sounds
good, and the motor feels better than it did at Talladega (at a pre-season test
two weeks ago.)"
Two hours worth of maintenance in between practices didn't remedy the problem.
Three mock qualifying runs produced slightly better results, but Spencer was
reporting the same problem, saying after the final run, "It still feels
like it's in a bind, Tommy. Look at the truck arms. Something isn't
right back there."
"Alright, let's get the car up on the scales, take it apart and see where
we're at," Baldwin replied back.
Working into the night, team members discovered the extended drive shaft, which
would create the "binding" feeling Spencer talked about.
"You never can be certain until you get it back out there on the track, but
I think we all feel relieved a bit," Spencer said. "Something
just wasn't making sense back there, but these guys know what they're doing.
I'm confident we've still got something for 'em tomorrow when we qualify this
thing."
Bud Pole Qualifying is set to begin at 1:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday afternoon.
--30--
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb.
11, 2003) - Jimmy Spencer sat in the Team SIRIUS transporter on Monday with
crew chief Tommy Baldwin and other assembled team members discussing their
situation at hand. They had just qualified their No. 7 Dodge Intrepid with
a lap of 49.223 seconds - nearly three-tenths of a second quicker than their
previous best time. But the improvement wasn't nearly enough to warrant
relief.
"We'll handle our business Thursday and race our way in," said
Spencer, determined not to relive the events that took place one year ago when
he missed the Daytona 500. "We've got two days and three practices to
figure this thing out."
Baldwin agreed, telling his crew, "We've gotten faster every time we've put
the car on the race track. Let's keep doing that."
Spencer's time, although a vast improvement, put him 35th out of 51 on the speed
chart. He'll start the first Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race in 18th and
will have to be among the top 14 drivers (excluding Bud Pole winner Jeff Green)
to safely secure a spot in Sunday's "Great American Race."
"I think we'll be real good Thursday," Spencer said. "We
were caught off-guard with a problem the moment we rolled off the truck, and we
spent all day Saturday (the day of the two practices) having to fix that instead
of finding ways to go faster. The boys found a problem in the drive shaft,
got it fixed, and the car felt a lot better on my qualifying run. Now
we've just got to find some more speed."
Jeff Green won the Bud Pole Award with a time of 48.230 seconds (186.606 miles
per hour), knocking Dale Earnhardt Jr., to the outside of row one.
Positions 3-30 will be filled with the top 14 finishers in each the Gatorade
Twin 125s. After that, drivers will make the race either by speed or by
owner's points.
"We're optimistic about this, because we still feel this car has a lot more
in it," Spencer said. "We've just got to be smart, find out how
to get it faster, and kick their butts on Thursday. I really believe this
Dodge can be up there with them. We're excited about this year. We
were hoping to get in the top 20, but it didn't happen. We tried to free
the car up as much as we could for qualifying. A tenth of a second right
now makes the biggest difference you ever saw at Daytona."
Team SIRIUS will have three practices to work with before Thursday's run.
The Gatorade Twin 125s are set to begin on Thursday at 1 p.m. (ET). Cable
network FX will provide live coverage of the event.
"Someone guys in the media asked me yesterday if I was nervous about our
chances, and my answer to them was if I was nervous about our chances, I
wouldn't be in that race car," Spencer said. "We came down here
to be in the Daytona 500, so we're going to do everything we can to be in the
Daytona 500. This is going to be a good year with SIRIUS. Our goals
are simple and clear - make every race, compete in every race, establish some
momentum, and sell the heck out of some SIRIUS Satellite Radios."
--30--
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb.
11, 2003) - The complexities of his 750-plus horsepower Dodge Intrepids
paint a picture of everything Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith is not. He
is simple, blunt, and competitive. Ask him what it will take to make the
Daytona 500, his answer would go something like this: "Go fast, turn
left."
That's why Jimmy Spencer and Tommy Baldwin find an apprciation for their team
owner. He doesn't tell you what to do or how to do it - just what he wants
in the end.
On Tuesday, Smith monitored NASCAR Winston Cup practice atop the SIRIUS Racing
transporter, where he watched his No. 7 Dodge Intrepid work the draft in the
first practice under race-like conditions. Spencer made four separate runs
- some longer than others - and in the end finished with a top speed of 186.611
miles per hour (48.17 seconds around the 2.5-mile Daytona International
Speedway.)
The result of the practice showed much promise to a team that needs a strong run
in Thursday's Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race to safely secure a spot in the
Daytona 500. Other teams didn't fare so well. Series rookie Jack
Sprague (No. 0) caused a five-car accident in turn one when he forced a
three-wide issue and hit Mike Skinner (No. 4) and Jeff Burton (No. 99).
Elliott Sadler (No. 38) and Steve Park (No. 1) were also involved.
Burton's and Sadler's teams immediately unloaded back-up cars.
Spencer had been drafting with that group no more than a quarter-of-a-lap
earlier, but had just run out of gas in a planned test of fuel mileage.
The fuel tank on the SIRIUS Dodge went dry as he exited turn four. The
accident started on the stretch between the tri-oval and turn one.
"Heck of a time to run out of gas," Spencer joked over the radio.
Wednesday will give Team SIRIUS its final chance to improve the car before the
Gatorade 125s. Two 45-minute practice sessions are scheduled for 10:05
a.m. and 12:05 p.m., respectively.
"Today's practice was an improvement, and that's what we need,"
Spencer said. "If we can go a little faster tomorrow, I think we'll
be in really good shape for Thursday. Right now I feel like we need more
speed. I was hanging in the draft well, and some of the cars were even
holding me up. But passing is hard here at Daytona without any drafting
help."
Spencer said the outside line worked best for the No. 7 Dodge, as was the case
for most of the cars on the track Wednesday.
"The outside was definitely the place to be," he said. "I
was just losing some time coming off the corners, because the car tightened up
from the center off. It's something we'll definitely work with tomorrow
and try to fix."
--30--
Team
SIRIUS ready for Gatorade 125 Qualifier
Daytona
Preview Series (Part 9)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2003) - The words of Tommy Baldwin over the
radio to his team spoke volumes Wednesday morning: "Looks like we got us a
good piece now, boys."
The Baldwin-led No. 7 SIRIUS Racing Team continued its surge in speed by posting
the sixth-fastest time in NASCAR Winston Cup practice this morning. With
driver Jimmy Spencer behind the wheel, the No. 7 Dodge Intrepid turned a lap in
47.573 seconds at a speed of 189.183 miles per hour. Only Jimmy Johnson,
Bobby Labonte, Jeff Green, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart circled the
2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway faster.
"We're getting there," said Spencer. "Tommy and the boys
got a plan, and I think it's safe to say it's working. The car is feeling
better than it has all week. We keep getting faster, and that's what we
had to do."
Team SIRIUS backed it up Wednesday afternoon with another strong run,
registering the 15th quickest speed out of 51 cars at 188.139 miles per hour.
It was so good that Baldwin decided to put the car up on jack stands and call it
a day with 30minutes still left in the practice session.
Said Baldwin on the radio to his driver, "It looks really good from up
here, Jimmy. You're running both the inside and outside lines strong.
It seems like several cars there were holding you up."
"10-4 on that, Tommy," said Spencer, slowing the No. 7 Dodge into the
pits to the awaiting attention of the Team SIRIUS crew. "Several cars
out here were holding me up, and I could've passed them, but why force a
three-wide situation in practice, ya know? There were nearly two accidents
in the tri-oval that would've taken every one of us out. We've got
something for 'em tomorrow, that's for sure."
"Yeah, I'm really happy with the way it looked," Baldwin said.
"Good job, Jimmy. Good job, boys."
Team SIRIUS will have until 4 p.m. today to put the finishing touches on the No.
7 Dodge before Thursday's Gatorade 125 qualifying races (1 p.m. ET on FX.)
Spencer will be in the first race and will line up on the outside of row nine in
18th position. To safely secure a spot in Sunday's Daytona 500, Spencer
will have to be one of the top 14 finishers excluding pole sitter Jeff Green.
Should that not happen, Team SIRIUS will have to hope to make the field on speed
or through use of a provisional.
"Obviously, we're not even thinking about that," Spencer said.
"We've got a car that can make the Daytona 500 the way you're supposed to -
by racing your way in. I'm telling you this is a cool bunch right here.
I've got a lot of reasons why I want to make this race, but none bigger than for
these guys. We've come a long way in a matter of days. I went to
each of them today and told them, 'Heck of a job."
OTHER NOTES: Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith continued his domination
in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series yesterday by earning the Bud Pole Award
with his No. 2 ASE Dodge Ram driven by Jason Leffler. His other team, the
No. 1 Mopar Dodge driven by Ted Musgrave, qualified third.
"In all the years we've been coming here to Daytona with the trucks,
there's never been a time when an Ultra Motorsports truck wasn't on the front
two rows. Most of the time, they're both there. This is a place that
has always been good to us."
Leffler ran a lap of 182.994 mph to win the pole. He won eight Bud Pole
Awards last year, his first in the series, and finished fourth in the standings.
SPENCER AT DODGE CITY: Spencer will be making an appearance at
Dodge City here in Daytona Beach, Fla., today at 3 p.m. Spencer will be
signing autographs for 30 minutes and taking part in a question/answer session
afterwards. Spencer is in his second season running the Dodge Intrepids.
CUTTING THEIR TEETH: Running with Spencer in the first Gatorade
125-mile qualifying race will be four rookies in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series
this year. One of them, Larry Foyt, will be lined up beside the No.
7 SIRIUS Dodge when the green flag drops. The other three - Jamie McMurray
in the No. 42 Dodge, Greg Biffle in the No. 16 Ford, and Casey Mears in the No.
41 Dodge, will be starting sixth, 11th and 12th, respectively.
"Does it make me nervous? You better believe it," Spencer said.
"But there are veterans out there that make me nervous, too. Today's
practice could've ended up badly for some of us because there were come close
calls, and rookies didn't have anything to do with that. These were guys
that have been around awhile."
SPENCER IN THE 125s: Spencer has four top-6 finishes in his last
six Gatorade 125 Qualifying races, dating back to the 1997 season. His
best career finish was third on Feb. 15, 1990 driving the #57 race car.
--30--
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2003) - The complexities of his 750-plus
horsepower Dodge Intrepids paint a picture of everything Ultra Motorsports owner
Jim Smith is not. He is simple, blunt, and competitive. Ask him what
it will take to make the Daytona 500, his answer would go something like this:
"Go fast, turn left."
That's why Jimmy Spencer and Tommy Baldwin find an apprciation for their team
owner. He doesn't tell you what to do or how to do it - just what he wants
in the end.
On Tuesday, Smith monitored NASCAR Winston Cup practice atop the SIRIUS Racing
transporter, where he watched his No. 7 Dodge Intrepid work the draft in the
first practice under race-like conditions. Spencer made four separate runs
- some longer than others - and in the end finished with a top speed of 186.611
miles per hour (48.17 seconds around the 2.5-mile Daytona International
Speedway.)
The result of the practice showed much promise to a team that needs a strong run
in Thursday's Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race to safely secure a spot in the
Daytona 500. Other teams didn't fare so well. Series rookie Jack
Sprague (No. 0) caused a five-car accident in turn one when he forced a
three-wide issue and hit Mike Skinner (No. 4) and Jeff Burton (No. 99).
Elliott Sadler (No. 38) and Steve Park (No. 1) were also involved.
Burton's and Sadler's teams immediately unloaded back-up cars.
Spencer had been drafting with that group no more than a quarter-of-a-lap
earlier, but had just run out of gas in a planned test of fuel mileage.
The fuel tank on the SIRIUS Dodge went dry as he exited turn four. The
accident started on the stretch between the tri-oval and turn one.
"Heck of a time to run out of gas," Spencer joked over the radio.
Wednesday will give Team SIRIUS its final chance to improve the car before the
Gatorade 125s. Two 45-minute practice sessions are scheduled for 10:05
a.m. and 12:05 p.m., respectively.
"Today's practice was an improvement, and that's what we need,"
Spencer said. "If we can go a little faster tomorrow, I think we'll
be in really good shape for Thursday. Right now I feel like we need more
speed. I was hanging in the draft well, and some of the cars were even
holding me up. But passing is hard here at Daytona without any drafting
help."
Spencer said the outside line worked best for the No. 7 Dodge, as was the case
for most of the cars on the track Wednesday.
"The outside was definitely the place to be," he said. "I
was just losing some time coming off the corners, because the car tightened up
from the center off. It's something we'll definitely work with tomorrow
and try to fix."
--30--
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2003) - He turns 46 on Saturday, but age
has not hindered Jimmy Spencer's ability to speak. The Berwick, Pa.,
native is back in the Daytona 500, so naturally, his motor is running full
throttle. The name "Mr. Excitement" is taken to a whole new
level as Spencer discusses being back in the Great American Race:
You spent pretty much the entire season last year explaining why you didn't
make the Daytona 500. How relieved are you now that you're in?
"After years of making the Daytona 500, you kind of take it for granted
on what you've actually accomplished. But miss it one time and you'll
realize how special it is. Yes, I had to hear about it all last year, and
I had to hear about it all this week. But you know what, we're in.
We got ourselves in - no help, no nothing. We knew we had to race our way
in, because we didn't have a good qualifying time (49.223, 35th) and we didn't
have enough owner's points (38th in owner's point standings.) We had to
race our way in, and we did it."
What was your feeling as soon as you crossed the finish line?
"Well, I had been shuffled back the last five laps of the (Gatorade)
125, and I wasn't completely sure where I finished. But Tommy and Red Dog
(spotter Carl Barnes) were congratulating me and saying, 'good job.' I
didn't think they'd be saying that if we'd not made it. So I was happy.
It felt like the entire weight of the world had been lifted off my
shoulders."
Now that you're back in, maybe it's easier to explain why it's so important
to be a part of this race now that you've come full circle.
"It's a lot worse not to make this race than it is good to make it, you
know what I'm saying? You can make this race and say, 'Great, I'm glad we
made it.' But if you don't make it, it's devastating. You're left to
start your season at Rockingham, and nobody wants to start their season a week
after everyone else has. It hurts you in the points, it hurts you
mentally, it hurts your team's attitude. It's just tough to rebound after
something like that. I hope I never experience that again."
Not only are you in, but you're starting ahead of some guys that qualified a
lot better than you. What are your thoughts on that?
"Only in Daytona! This is the kind of race that gives you every
opportunity to get in and start well, but it can also really bite you if you
slip up. It looks like we're going to line up one spot in front of Bobby
Labonte, who qualified almost a whole second faster than us on Monday.
It's almost hard to believe. But let me say this: We didn't get in on a
fluke. You look at the practice times, and you'll see that we got faster,
and faster, and faster. By the time we hit yesterday's practice, we were
as fast as anyone. That's just a credit to Tommy Baldwin and the guys on
this team. They continued to get this car better, and here we are now in
the Daytona 500."
You qualified the other day with a time of 49.22 seconds. Now looking
at the set field, the slowest time that made the race was a 49.01. How
worried were you after Bud Pole Qualifying on Monday?
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned. Worried is the wrong
term. I was concerned because our car wasn't very fast. I came here
to Daytona with the mindset that we'd have to race our way into the 500.
Yes, it would've been nice to have something to fall back on, but hey, it didn't
play out that way. We weren't fast after qualifying, so my concern was
getting the car up to speed for the 125s. Of course, that was over the day
after when we started practicing. Tommy continued making gains on the car.
We kept getting faster, and the handle started coming around. Just like
that, I was completely optimistic that we had a car that could run with the best
of them. I knew that with a little bit of luck, we could race our way in.
I just thank the good Lord that everyone used their heads and there wasn't an
accident. That's what happened to me last year, and it would've been very
disappointing if that would've happened again."
A lot of people thought you were mad at Greg Biffle when you jumped out of
the car yesterday and screamed, "Where's that Greg Biffle?" and then
went running after him. Why so dramatic?
"I don't know, I just figured I'd be overdramatic I guess, making
people think I was mad about something. It seems like all anybody wants to
talk about is dirt anyway, so I knew that would get their attention. I
just wanted to thank Biffle for pushing me and drafting with me. He really
helped me out a lot in that race."
What are your goals for this Daytona 500, now that you're in?
"I think we need to be realistic. We're looking for a strong
top-10 finish. We're not as fast as some of these other cars, like the DEI
(Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) cars or the RCR (Richard Childress Racing) cars.
But Tommy has continually gotten this car faster, and I think with a little more
work, we can be really competitive. We're not going into this race to log
laps. We're going to do two things - take this car as high up as we can
get it, and give SIRIUS some big-time publicity. We're excited about
having SIRIUS on board with us. I don't think they saw the results that
this team is capable of giving them last year. So we're going to make up
for it. We want to let the world know that they can listen to
commercial-free music for only $12.95 a month - that's less than a CD.
That's pretty cool. I love my SIRIUS radio."
Any final thoughts now that you're in the Daytona 500 once again?
"Just that we're back, baby. I know there are a lot of fans
who've put up with a lot the last year. But they continue to support
me and my career, and it means a lot. I think we're going to give them a
lot more to cheer for this year. This team has a lot to prove. I say
that, and it sounds like the regular old 'I've got a lot to prove because we
don't get respect' line. Well, it's the truth. I know I can still
drive these race cars, Tommy knows he can build them, and the guys on this team
know they can still put a solid race car on the track each week. Does
anyone else think we can? I think they will once we get rolling. It
may take a little bit of time, but it's going to happen. I told some of
the guys on the team that to get respect, you've got to earn it. So far,
we've gotten everything by earning it. We're in Sunday's Daytona 500 now,
and I don't think anyone is willing to settle with just that. We're going
as hard as we can all year, and we'll let the chips fall as they may."