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HERE WE GO AGAIN!
Daytona Beach, Fla. — Welcome to the beginning of a yearlong journey.
As the spotter for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DeWalt Ford Fusion for Roush-Fenway Racing, I am pleased to bring you a week-by-week chronicle of our 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Having the undisputed premier seat in the house gives me a great perspective. However, I don’t really get to see a lot of the race as I am charged with keeping track of one car. So, what you can expect is a brief accounting of the past weekends race with Matt and the DeWalt team. I’ll share the ups, the downs and all the in-betweens. I’ll take you inside the car and inside our heads. I’ll bring you the real deal, minus the fluff.
SNAPSHOT
You won’t come across many people in your lifetime who can say they spend nearly one-third of each year on a roof—unless you happen to encounter a NASCAR Spotter or, of course, a roofer!
Practice on Friday, practice and a Nationwide Series race on Saturday and a Sprint Cup race on Sunday ensures that I have pretty sporty tan year round. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve been at this spotting gig for more than 15 years. In 1992 I drove to every Nationwide race on the schedule—just to have the opportunity to spot for anyone. If your car went really slow, your team had no money to pay me and you had a couple of radios that might work, I was your guy! Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to.
Fast-forward seven years.
I was working with my good friend Ricky Craven when his team closed its doors leaving me jobless. That was the bad news. The good news was that this kid from Wisconsin, Matt Kenseth, just happened to be looking for someone with experience as he embarked on his rookie year.
Long story short—I enjoyed six of the best years of my life and career with Matt and Crew Chief Robbie Reiser; including an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to celebrate our Championship in 2003. I affectionately refer to that particular weekend outing as The Big Payoff. In other words, it really became apparent to me why some 500 of us spend more than 30 weekends a year away from home, sleeping in different beds and driving rented cars. Sacrifice over simple, risk versus reward.
One side-note: So that you have a clear understanding of my perspective I can safely say that nearly everything I’ve learned about race cars, race drivers and what it takes to win races and Championships, I’ve learned from my experiences with Matt and Robbie. Two of the very best at what they do.
For the past three seasons, I worked with David Stremme and then Dario Franchitti. The appeal for me was to be able to work with rookies again; but accepting that challenge comes with a few sacrifices—like winning races and competing for championships—that’s why I came back. It’s that risk versus reward factor again.
FEELING BLUE, AGAIN
One of the really cool things about my return to Roush-Fenway is being able to continue my relationship with the Ford Racing program. I’ve been a Blue Oval guy for as long as I can remember; in fact, I celebrated my reunion by purchasing a new candy-apple red Mustang GT/CS. And I love it!
WELCOME BACK, MY FRIENDS, TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS…
For me, the best part of returning to the No. 17 team (aside from the prospect of winning races and championships) is to be able to work again with Matt. The driver-spotter relationship is a key component at 200 mph and something that takes a little time to develop. Matt and I started that process back in 2000; and although we didn’t work together for three years, we maintained our friendship, which is going to be mutually beneficial when we start the season in a few days. I’m as excited about a season as I have ever been and I can’t wait to put on my headset!
GUNS LOADED FOR BATTLE
When our team takes to the track this week for the Shootout, we’ll be ready to take on the season. Our new crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, has already made a great impact on our team and will prove to be a great leader.
Chip Bolin is back as the team engineer. Chip is regarded as one of the best in the garage and we are excited to have him back in that role. And Robbie Reiser starts his second season of calling the front office shots at Roush-Fenway. Robbie has a championship mindset that rivals anyone I know.
It’s going to be a great season for the Roush-Fenway Ford Fusion teams and an exceptional effort by the No. 17 team— I’m glad you’ll be along for the ride!
Mike
For more information about Mike visit www.mikecalinoff.com
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