How much did it set you back?

"It set us back quite a bit. We were already at a disadvantage trying to learn a new racecar. Everybody else had two to three times as many runs on their cars as we did on ours. But the crash set us back even further because we had to bring our old car out of retirement and adapt to the aerodynamic difference between the two racecars. It's no secret that last season we didn't set the world on fire with our performance, so we were just hoping to tread water until we got our new Jerry Bickel-built Chevy Cavalier."

How many races were you without the Cavalier?

"Columbus was the first race and Seattle was the last race. And actually we were supposed to go to Sonoma and race, but I was just fed up with the whole situation and decided to pull the plug on our operation until we got the new Cavalier finished. I hung out at Bickel's shop for four days helping out to get it done for Brainerd."

Were you a little apprehensive about getting back in the car after the accident?

"You know, it really didn't make me nervous because I know that this is what I want to do. I've dedicated my life to try and go out and make this a reality, and I wasn't going to think about giving up. That never came across my mind. Some people were surprised to see me at Columbus, and I was just hoping that they weren't thinking that I was just going to quit. I'm a competitor and I didn't get to where I am today playing NBA basketball by quitting."

What's been the key to your recent turnaround?

"It's been a combination of a number of things. I think a lot of hard work and dedication by my team, Don Gardner, Tim Roberts and Derrick Lesinski. Those guys have worked countless hours trying to get this program turned around. We got a little bit of help from Rickie Smith and he gave us some of his opinions as far as the chassis was concerned. And the engine shop, with Ron Krisher, Jimmy Oliver and Tom Roberts, who have been great to me as far as the engine department is concerned. The whole program has just started to come around."

Are you surprised with the recent improvement in performance?

"Not really. I never had any doubt in my mind that I could do this. I knew it was going to take time, I honestly didn't think it would take this long. I didn't think we would have to go through this much adversity. I think adversity builds character and we've got a lot of character on our team. We're looking forward to the future."

How do you like your new Cavalier?

"It's a totally different car. The first Cavalier was a little more rigid and stiffer then this new one. This one doesn't have near the amount of bars in the chassis as the first car did. To be honest with you, I think it's a lot more forgiving. You can shake the tires or spin the tires and the car still wants to go down the track."

What does your future look like in racing?

"Eventually I think we can go out, go through a full season of testing and racing, and be competitive. I'd like to finish in the top 10, possibly top five, and 10 years from now hopefully have two or three championships."

What goals do you set for yourself when you go into a race?

"Our goal is to go into the race and qualify first. Now that we seem like we've turned a corner and we're running a lot better, I want to start going rounds. It's not out of the question for us to qualify and go some rounds and win. That's my goal. That race I had with Jim Yates in Brainerd was the first time I'd gotten to race in awhile and he beat us by very little. The same thing happened with Mike Edwards in Indy. We had him beat all the way down the track, but the car got a little loose and I had to crack the throttle. That's all it took for him to get around us. We know that we've got it. This Chevy Cavalier can go down the racetrack. We just have to put everything together on raceday and go after that chance at winning the race."

Do you enjoy racing as much as you do basketball?

"Yes I do. But I'll start having even more fun when we go some rounds and win some races. I'm never satisfied. I'm always striving to do better. That's how I discovered success in basketball. With that kind of attitude I think our future in this sport looks good."

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