Since 2002, when Advance Auto Parts joined our race team, we have seen steady improvement in our performance every year. Now, with the momentum of signing a new multiyear contract with the company, this team will continue its upward trend.
I have always felt honored to represent the more than 2,640 Advance Auto Parts stores, and our race team couldn't have asked for a better partner. NHRA fans are do-it-yourselfers, which means that they are also Advance Auto Parts customers. That's why this team and the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is such a powerful marketing vehicle. It's still only part of the story because Advance Auto Parts' great team members and customers also enjoy pit-side hospitality during race weekends and benefit from NHRA's growing ESPN television coverage and primary sponsorship package with Coca-Cola and POWERade. It's a win-win situation for everyone.
It's sponsors like Advance Auto Parts and Q Racing (my brother Tony's sponsor) that keep us on the racetrack. Unlike other professional sports, such as baseball, football, and basketball, our sponsors are directly involved with what we do for a living. My sponsors - Sioux City Truck & Trailer, Snap-on, Great Stuff, Earl's, Purolator, Mark Christopher Chevrolet, and Mr. Gasket - have become and integral part of my team. Without their support, I wouldn't be out here racing.
What's really gratifying as an owner and driver is that Advance Auto Parts has recognized the progress we've made. All I've ever asked for is an opportunity to be competitive every week. To be successful as a driver, I've always felt I needed to build a race team and get it to the point where I was in the early to middle 1990s with other teams - I almost have that now. It has taken some time, maybe a little longer than I thought, but we have the talent, people, and leadership in place to accomplish some great things. We're doing our best to take advantage of the opportunities we've been given. I'm very thankful for that.
During our first year with Advance Auto Parts, we were learning to come together as a team and wound up 14th in points. In 2003, we performed a little better and finished 11th. The second part of last season was a breakthrough, reaching four finals and recording a ninth-place finish. We've had a good season so far, and we began 2005 with a bang in Pomona, reaching the semifinals. We came close in Houston, where I made a final-round appearance, then recorded four semifinal finishes in a row after that. We are knocking on the door of victory every week. If we were a Wall Street stock, we would be a blue chip.
The times that we've been off this year have been because of mechanical issues. It has hurt us a little in qualifying, but it's something we're constantly trying to improve. What I like about this team is how we recover on race day, which is when we're the toughest. We get it together on race day, and that's a credit to crew chief Wes Cerny, co-crew chiefs Ron Douglas and Sam Shockely, and our great team.
I know I say this a lot, but the wins will take care of themselves. One of our high poults this season has been witnessing the growth of this team and how it has become consistent throughout the year. Our race-day performances have translated into the type of steadiness that pays off over the long haul - like in the form of a championship.
Going down the stretch this season, the team's future looks real bright. This is where we earn our money; we are good at closing. We were pretty good last season, but we will be even better in the second half this year. Whining a fourth U.S. Nationals title would be special.
One of the events I'm most looking forward to during the second part of the year is the Skoal Showdown in Indianapolis, held during the U.S. Nationals. Just to be a part of that great event is a big deal. I haven't participated in it since 1999, when it was called the Big Bud Shootout. I have reached four finals (in 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1998) but haven't won one yet. It would be nice to share that $100,000 prize with my team. It's one of my personal goals as a driver.
By the way, if you were wondering about my hair, you're going to need to polish off those scissors soon.
