P
PettyBenson
Guest
This is just over a month old, I found it at her website!! It is very interesting and i hope she breaks all ties with BAm and trys to find a good ride in BGN.
Insider's View: Shawna Robinson
As told to Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive October 3, 2002
12:39 PM EDT (1639 GMT)
Hello everyone. First off, I would like to thank all of you for being such loyal fans to me. You are more than just fans, you are a part of me and the challenges and rewards faced every day.
Shawna Robinson has run seven Winston Cup races this year. Credit: Turner Sports
I understand there has been some confusion as to what is going on with me. I can relate to all of that as this has been the most unusual year I have experienced as a driver.
I guess I should just start with the beginning.
In October of 2001, I was asked to run a Winston West race for BAM Racing while I was still under contract with Michael Kranefuss, but, we weren't really running any races. So, I asked Michael if I could race that race with BAM and he said he wasn't crazy about the idea being a one-race deal. But, if I wanted to go race, then go ahead and race.
I knew it would give me some valuable seat time since I had not run Las Vegas yet. Since we didn't have time to test, BAM sent me to attend a driving school there so I could get familiar with the track.
When we got there to run the race, I qualified fifth and broke while running third. Beth Ann and Tony Morganthau, the owners of BAM Racing, were very happy with the run, being our first time out and all. They even wanted to work with me for the 2002 season.
So we discussed a Winston Cup Series deal and started to put the program together. I had to go to Michael and get out of my contract, which he was kind enough to work with me about.
BAM Racing was put together mainly by Eddie Jones, the team manager. He did a wonderful job getting all the pieces together in such a short amount of time. Eddie Sharp was the first crew chief when the season started. I liked Eddie Sharp and he did a great job working with Eddie Jones putting everything together for Daytona.
The only question I had was, 'Did BAM want to go racing with a rookie driver and a rookie crew chief?' That was the only thing I said because I thought it would have been better for the team if we had an experienced crew chief. We all talked about it and decided to move forward toward Daytona.
Daytona was quite the challenge. We made the race on speed, and that was very important for us. I became the second woman to ever start the prestigious Daytona 500. Remember -- we did this as an unsponsored team.
We had some companies approach us about putting their name on the car for the 500, but the owners didn't want to do one-race deals. Instead, they opted to look for a steady sponsor for the whole year.
After Daytona, Eddie Sharp and the team parted ways and BAM promoted Teddy Brown from car chief to crew chief. He was in charge of getting everything together for the Las Vegas race, which was just two races after Daytona.
Teddy was eager to get things moving and he and I seemed to work well together. We had some great tests at Las Vegas and Atlanta and I just felt excited about moving forward. We qualified 36th at Vegas only to have the rear end go bad on us. We went back to the shop and found out what had broken once we took it apart.
The No. 49 BAM Dodge has had many drivers this season. Credit: Autostock
As the season went along, we were qualifying and running races. I would have never thought that the first DNQ would come at Talladega. I love the big tracks and we tested better there than we did when preparing for Daytona. So, I felt going in to Talladega that we would have a top-30 qualifying spot.
It seems things started to change right after that.
It is my feeling that Teddy Brown and I were both put in a position that our jobs may have been on a "race-by-race basis." Then, all of a sudden, Ron Hornaday was in the picture.
As I said before, I really jumped in and took that time as a learning situation. I was OK with him being in the car for Charlotte, especially since I did not have the best test there.
But after that, it just became a situation that was out of my control.
And, since then, Teddy has left the team, as well. Now, Scott Eggleston is the crew chief.
When the team first came together, we sat down and talked about what we wanted to accomplish this year. We knew that being a new team was going to make for a tough year. But, the first thing we had to do was get a good engine program.
You'd be surprised how many motor companies told us they didn't want to work with us because they didn't feel we were going to make races. But, we did land the deal with Ernie Elliott to build our engines and that led BAM Racing to the Dodge program.
We knew we needed to make races and learn at every event. And, we felt that by this time of the season we would have been a strong, consistent team.
For the Texas race in April, we qualified 16th. That really helped out my confidence and the team's, too. I really thought we were on our way to bigger and better things.
But in May I was told that Ron Hornaday was going to drive the car so they could get some feedback from a more experienced driver. Yes, I was upset by that as anyone else would be when told they weren't going to drive.
On the other hand, I could see where the owners and such were coming from. So, I went to all the practices and listened to what Ron had to say to the team on the radio. I was at least hoping to learn if I could communicate with the team better if something was wrong with the car.
I tested at Michigan in June, only to be told a few days before that race that I wasn't going to be in the car. Now, here it is a few months later and I still haven't driven since the night race at Daytona.
But, there have been three other drivers that BAM has used.
VIDEO CLIPS
Shawna Robinson makes her mark at Darlington earlier this season.
Play video
• Shawna's Driver Page
• Shawna's Photo Gallery
As much as I understood the deal using Ron Hornaday so the team could learn from him, I haven't seen using some other guys in there. Making it even more confusing is that I am still under contract with BAM.
I realize that if we had a full-time sponsor, some of this might not be happening.
All I want to do is race. I set out as a rookie in Winston Cup Series racing and I knew it would be a year of learning. I was very focused, mentally and physically, to go forward with this race team.
Really, these kinds of situations happen all the time. You change crew chiefs or you change drivers.
I am lucky enough that I have a contract and BAM is looking to put me in some Busch Series races this year. There is no doubt my career is in jepoardy. When you are not in the seat, you are not a racer.
I really just want to race. I would love to run the Busch Series, Truck Series or even the ARCA Series. I know I can drive.
I realize all of this confusion has made things seem very mixed up. Although I am very frustrated about not being in a car, I have to continue to look at the positive of things.
I'm very lucky now to have time to be the best mom I can be to my two children. Tanner, Samantha and I have been very busy with school activities as they are making such amazing changes in learning every day. Sports are big activities throughout the week and into the weekends. As a woman with a full-time career, this has been a time for me to take advantage of all the wonderful things I have in my life to be thankful for.
I continue to speak for "Women in Sports" and have been keeping very busy talking at meetings of various associations and business groups. Television has been an opportunity once in awhile and something I'd like to broaden if the chance presented itself.
There are so many wonderful people who respect and admire what I do; and what I am able to pass on to others.
So, as I search for that sponsor for next season and the traveling and adrenaline begin again, I will continue forward in my goals and to pass things on along the journey.
Insider's View: Shawna Robinson
As told to Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive October 3, 2002
12:39 PM EDT (1639 GMT)
Hello everyone. First off, I would like to thank all of you for being such loyal fans to me. You are more than just fans, you are a part of me and the challenges and rewards faced every day.
Shawna Robinson has run seven Winston Cup races this year. Credit: Turner Sports
I understand there has been some confusion as to what is going on with me. I can relate to all of that as this has been the most unusual year I have experienced as a driver.
I guess I should just start with the beginning.
In October of 2001, I was asked to run a Winston West race for BAM Racing while I was still under contract with Michael Kranefuss, but, we weren't really running any races. So, I asked Michael if I could race that race with BAM and he said he wasn't crazy about the idea being a one-race deal. But, if I wanted to go race, then go ahead and race.
I knew it would give me some valuable seat time since I had not run Las Vegas yet. Since we didn't have time to test, BAM sent me to attend a driving school there so I could get familiar with the track.
When we got there to run the race, I qualified fifth and broke while running third. Beth Ann and Tony Morganthau, the owners of BAM Racing, were very happy with the run, being our first time out and all. They even wanted to work with me for the 2002 season.
So we discussed a Winston Cup Series deal and started to put the program together. I had to go to Michael and get out of my contract, which he was kind enough to work with me about.
BAM Racing was put together mainly by Eddie Jones, the team manager. He did a wonderful job getting all the pieces together in such a short amount of time. Eddie Sharp was the first crew chief when the season started. I liked Eddie Sharp and he did a great job working with Eddie Jones putting everything together for Daytona.
The only question I had was, 'Did BAM want to go racing with a rookie driver and a rookie crew chief?' That was the only thing I said because I thought it would have been better for the team if we had an experienced crew chief. We all talked about it and decided to move forward toward Daytona.
Daytona was quite the challenge. We made the race on speed, and that was very important for us. I became the second woman to ever start the prestigious Daytona 500. Remember -- we did this as an unsponsored team.
We had some companies approach us about putting their name on the car for the 500, but the owners didn't want to do one-race deals. Instead, they opted to look for a steady sponsor for the whole year.
After Daytona, Eddie Sharp and the team parted ways and BAM promoted Teddy Brown from car chief to crew chief. He was in charge of getting everything together for the Las Vegas race, which was just two races after Daytona.
Teddy was eager to get things moving and he and I seemed to work well together. We had some great tests at Las Vegas and Atlanta and I just felt excited about moving forward. We qualified 36th at Vegas only to have the rear end go bad on us. We went back to the shop and found out what had broken once we took it apart.
The No. 49 BAM Dodge has had many drivers this season. Credit: Autostock
As the season went along, we were qualifying and running races. I would have never thought that the first DNQ would come at Talladega. I love the big tracks and we tested better there than we did when preparing for Daytona. So, I felt going in to Talladega that we would have a top-30 qualifying spot.
It seems things started to change right after that.
It is my feeling that Teddy Brown and I were both put in a position that our jobs may have been on a "race-by-race basis." Then, all of a sudden, Ron Hornaday was in the picture.
As I said before, I really jumped in and took that time as a learning situation. I was OK with him being in the car for Charlotte, especially since I did not have the best test there.
But after that, it just became a situation that was out of my control.
And, since then, Teddy has left the team, as well. Now, Scott Eggleston is the crew chief.
When the team first came together, we sat down and talked about what we wanted to accomplish this year. We knew that being a new team was going to make for a tough year. But, the first thing we had to do was get a good engine program.
You'd be surprised how many motor companies told us they didn't want to work with us because they didn't feel we were going to make races. But, we did land the deal with Ernie Elliott to build our engines and that led BAM Racing to the Dodge program.
We knew we needed to make races and learn at every event. And, we felt that by this time of the season we would have been a strong, consistent team.
For the Texas race in April, we qualified 16th. That really helped out my confidence and the team's, too. I really thought we were on our way to bigger and better things.
But in May I was told that Ron Hornaday was going to drive the car so they could get some feedback from a more experienced driver. Yes, I was upset by that as anyone else would be when told they weren't going to drive.
On the other hand, I could see where the owners and such were coming from. So, I went to all the practices and listened to what Ron had to say to the team on the radio. I was at least hoping to learn if I could communicate with the team better if something was wrong with the car.
I tested at Michigan in June, only to be told a few days before that race that I wasn't going to be in the car. Now, here it is a few months later and I still haven't driven since the night race at Daytona.
But, there have been three other drivers that BAM has used.
VIDEO CLIPS
Shawna Robinson makes her mark at Darlington earlier this season.
Play video
• Shawna's Driver Page
• Shawna's Photo Gallery
As much as I understood the deal using Ron Hornaday so the team could learn from him, I haven't seen using some other guys in there. Making it even more confusing is that I am still under contract with BAM.
I realize that if we had a full-time sponsor, some of this might not be happening.
All I want to do is race. I set out as a rookie in Winston Cup Series racing and I knew it would be a year of learning. I was very focused, mentally and physically, to go forward with this race team.
Really, these kinds of situations happen all the time. You change crew chiefs or you change drivers.
I am lucky enough that I have a contract and BAM is looking to put me in some Busch Series races this year. There is no doubt my career is in jepoardy. When you are not in the seat, you are not a racer.
I really just want to race. I would love to run the Busch Series, Truck Series or even the ARCA Series. I know I can drive.
I realize all of this confusion has made things seem very mixed up. Although I am very frustrated about not being in a car, I have to continue to look at the positive of things.
I'm very lucky now to have time to be the best mom I can be to my two children. Tanner, Samantha and I have been very busy with school activities as they are making such amazing changes in learning every day. Sports are big activities throughout the week and into the weekends. As a woman with a full-time career, this has been a time for me to take advantage of all the wonderful things I have in my life to be thankful for.
I continue to speak for "Women in Sports" and have been keeping very busy talking at meetings of various associations and business groups. Television has been an opportunity once in awhile and something I'd like to broaden if the chance presented itself.
There are so many wonderful people who respect and admire what I do; and what I am able to pass on to others.
So, as I search for that sponsor for next season and the traveling and adrenaline begin again, I will continue forward in my goals and to pass things on along the journey.
