Bench Racing: Patrick Reynolds’ Unique Daytona Journey

Whether you’ve ever been to Daytona or not, Bump Drafts’ own Patrick Reynolds, with his NASCAR insider’s perspective and unique itinerary, will offer readers today a Daytona experience unlike any other telecast, article or website. If you’re a big time race fan, kick back and enjoy Patrick Reynolds’ (former Germain Racing mechanic)…

DAYTONA DIARY

I am one of the fortunate people who were able to head to Daytona Beach, FL for a few days of speed weeks. Being an unemployed individual, it is highly unlikely that many others in my same situation were able to also go. My trip was not a vacation, however. It was a visit designed to change my unemployment status. All the movers and shakers for the Charlotte area professional NASCAR teams were about 500 miles south. Knocking on shop doors in North Carolina would not be effective, so I decided to go where the decision makers would be.

My wife and I planned out a budget for the trip, realizing this was an investment not a holiday. We adjusted our household schedule so she could “hold the fort” while I was gone, and put some effort into making the excursion as inexpensive as possible. I stayed in a decent chain name hotel outside of Daytona. In my search, I found the further away from the speedway I booked a room, the cheaper the rate became. I discovered a happy medium between cost and driving time.

The key to the excursion was obtaining a garage pass. If I could not visit with crew chiefs or team managers my resumes would not do me much good just hanging around my hotel lobby. Fortunately I am on good terms with my former team employer and I asked to be put on the SEL list. SEL stands for single event license and is reserved for guests of that particular race team. A yearly license is purchased from NASCAR for all crew members that travel to every event. The single event passes can be used by people the race team knows for garage area access. They are not for sale to the general public and there is a limited number available per team. When I received word I had my credentials, plans were finalized and off I went on my eight hour drive to, what people in the industry joke as, the ”Job Fair”.

As part of procedure for each race weekend, teams are allotted parking passes for the infield or designated area close to the garage. Daytona has this parking lot set up just inside the tunnel under turn four. It is then a short walk to the Cup, Nationwide, and Truck series garages. However, SELs do not fall under that umbrella. Meaning I was not allowed to drive through the infield tunnel, but park outside and walk in.

Now race fans that have attended major league events know that parking is at a premium and much like a hotel, the closer one is, the more expensive a spot is. Right next to the speedway I saw signs for $50.00 parking spaces. While driving away, the prices fell as the walk increased. I, being on a tight budget and feeling in fine health, retreated from racetrack property until I parked for free. This turned into a forty five minute walk from my truck to the garage area gate. I justified it by enjoying burning calories in the warm Florida sun and sticking to my strict financial plan.

For three days I shook hands, exchanged phone numbers, and handed out my resume. I realistically did not expect to have a contract with a spectacular signing bonus laid out in front of me at any one point. But the purpose of this visit was to make new contacts, refresh my current ones, and keep my name and face from falling off the employment radar screen. I needed to keep the ball rolling on my career and sitting home on the couch pouting is not the way to get it done. I believe I was successful on this front.

An angle of racing that I have long believed became extremely evident during the trip. My feeling is that there are three aspects to this sport we all love: the technical side, the business side, and the people side. One always affects the other two, and the three often overlap. The technical side is all the cars, tools, parts and equipment that it takes to make the sport happen. The business side is all the money that makes racing happen. The people are all the participants, workers, and fans that make racing happen. All sides need each other. In my opinion the people are, by far, the most interesting piece to the puzzle. I came across some interesting people in the Daytona garage area.

Chuck Schmick, a former colleague at a well funded Cup Series team, also found himself out of a job this past year. Schmick was a shock specialist responsible for building and maintaining shocks and traveling the entire Cup schedule. He took the setback as an opportunity and started his own shock building business, CS Suspension. Now he has several race teams as clients, both professional and at the grassroots level.

Jeff Fuller is a Massachusetts native and 1992 NASCAR Modified Series champion. He was spotted helping the R3 Motorsports entry, driven by Robert Richardson Jr. in the Nationwide garage. I first saw Fuller race in the mid 1980s on New England ovals and never had a chance to meet him. We spoke for a while as the car was pushed through the technical inspection line. It was fun having a chance to reminisce about cars and races from earlier eras, especially the Thompson 300. We both agreed it was an event that was highly anticipated at the Connecticut track every season. But unfortunately is no longer held.

Evander Holyfield. Yes that Evander Holyfield, the former heavyweight boxing champion, who had a piece of his ear bitten off in a Mike Tyson rematch. I was employment focused at the time I saw him and had only resumes in hand. Like the new journalist I am, I was lacking the basic necessities of camera, tape recorder, and notebook. They did not make the hour and a half round trip walk from my truck to the infield. I at least had the moment of saying “Hey Champ” and stretching out my hand. He was taking a cell phone call at the time and responded with a smile and handshake. I do not get star struck around the racecar drivers, but I thought seeing Holyfield was pretty cool.

Calculated into the Florida journey were trips to New Smyrna Speedway, south of Daytona. There were nine straight nights of short track racing on the paved half mile oval. Many crew members go to watch and this was another networking opportunity. And I will confess that New Smyrna is just plain fun.

The interesting people factor showed itself again in the two nights of racing I attended.

Competing in the Crate Late Model division was Landon Cassill, a Hendrick Motorsports development driver during 2008. He shared driving duties in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’ s number five Nationwide Series machine with Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin among others.

Johanna Long (car at left) is a Super Late Model chauffer and runs well. Hailing from Pensacola, FL, she is just a sixteen year old high school sophomore. Long has four years of go kart competition under her belt and runs near the front in her Late Model class. She won the Pro Late Model title at Five Flags Speedway in her hometown in 2008. Crew chiefing the effort was well known southeast late model standout for many years Freddie Querry.

I spent quite a bit of time talking with  Connecticut’s Denis Pierce who was competing in the Florida Modified division. Our conversation icebreaker was me stating I had his autograph on the cover of a race program from 1978. Pierce (with car at right) used to  compete at the Danbury Fairgrounds Racearena, the track at which I was introduced to auto racing. The Fairgrounds closed in 1981 and we shared the same feeling of disgust when reminded that the racetrack property is now a shopping mall.

Quebec’s Patrick LaPerle (car at left) made the long tow south to Florida. The American Canadian Tour regular competed in the Crate Late Model class along with Cassill. I remember watching his Uncle Roger race at Milton, Vermont’s Catamount Stadium in the latter half of the 1970s. At eight years old, my opinion was his red car with flames painted on the side was the best looking car on the speedway. It was nice to see the family name still racing. Sadly, Catamount is another speedway no longer in operation.

Finally, the person who carries a large memory from my early years as a race fan was honored the final night I attended New Smyrna’s events, Richie Evans (drivers from race w/ car). The annual 100 lap modified race held in his memory was last Friday and it was nothing short of outstanding. Winner Ted Christopher, Ronnie Silk, and Bobby Grigas battled hard and clean. The lead traded hands lap after lap and had the crowd on their feet cheering. This was an event that does not need to be looked at through rose colored glasses as time goes on. This feature was the one that, as race fans, we all hope to see. It was that good.

Evans (car at left) was killed in 1985 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. He was one of the best race car drivers I have ever seen and this event would have made him proud.

I left Florida on Saturday confident I did all I could do to find my way back into the sport. Trucks teams had already left town, Nationwide cars were racing, and Cup programs were busy preparing for Sunday’s 500. Now I will try to keep the ball rolling in the coming weeks.

As I was leaving Daytona Beach, a thought crossed my mind that I had not seen the actual beach. This happens a lot to team workers as they are simply too busy to enjoy the sand and waves while down here. Often they travel here, get their work completed, and go home. This is not a vacation for them by any means. But I let myself have a little bit of fun while here, so I allowed room for a little more. I made a detour as I drove out of town and walked on the sand for a few minutes. I listened to the ocean and soaked in that peaceful feeling that nature provides us if we let it.

Taking in my surroundings, my perspective is this: I am on a beach, wearing shorts in middle of February. I have a garage pass for speed weeks competition. I had some fun on this trip, viewed some good racing, and talked to interesting people. I am trying to repair my unemployment position but I still have it better than many people out there. For that I am grateful.

Thanks Patrick. I got a little trip south, all without the air fare. Thanks Buddy.

Patrick Reynolds is a NASCAR mechanic, most recently employed by Germain Racing on the team of Mike Wallace and the #7 Geico Toyota. Reynolds is an aspiring writer/broadcaster living in the Mooresville, North Carolina. Reynolds also contributes for Race Talk Radio, dot com and Spin Out Zone dot com.