Pit Stop Radio News

It’s bright. We feel that last year with the way we reconfigured the team. We got Aaron Brooks in here. Surrounding myself with the right people has been a missing ingredient for the last few years.

We had some good runs from 2010 through 2014 and won close to 10 races in that span. But the competition has stepped up and some new technology has been introduced.   I feel confident that 2017 was the year we put money in the bank and this year is going to be the year we start to collect interest – and that’s on the track performance-wise.

The truth is last year was a rebuilding year for us and it was a tough year, but Snap-on Tools stuck behind us and we just signed a new three-year deal through 2020, and  of course, Toyota, who I go back with to their early days of midget racing.  Having their track support helps puts us on a more level playing field with the bigger teams.

One key hire we made was Glen Huszar, who has been flying under the radar a little bit. He’s worked with Tim Richards and he won a championship in 2010 with Tommy DeLago.  He really brings a previously missing element.  We brought him in at the end of last year at Las Vegas and Pomona to see how he would fit in and after the first weekend Aaron Brooks and I looked at each other like ‘wow, we need that guy here.’  In big-time drag racing, you can’t have just one guy overseeing things and with Aaron Glen and myself I think we have three.  I think good things are coming for the Snap-on Toyota this year.  Talk is cheap, but I feel like we’ll be in the mix this year.

What’s the story behind your 15-pound weight loss?
I’m as confident as I’ve ever been.  I’ve been eating right and working out this off-season.  I wanted to make sure I did my part and we want to provide our sponsors with as light a car as possible.  We put the car on a diet and we put me on a diet. If it makes us go faster – and it will – then it was an easy decision.

 Our goal this year is simple – to win.  If we can get by that first round or two – once you make the semis, you’re in the game and the next thing you know you’re in the winner’s circle. Qualifying is one of the keys and round wins will come if we’re consistent.  We’ve done some analytics and the elephant in the room has been our inconsistent runs.  That’s been our main focus.

We struggled last year, but, we knew going into the year it was going to be a rebuilding year with a lot of changes.  We have some more new guys who have joined the program, but we’ve gone over our Snap-on Camry from front to back and refined every part of the car. We feel good and feel like we’ve landed the right combination toward the end of the year and we’re starting off with that.  We feel if we can gain the consistency, we feel like we should be able to be a top-five car.

It’s huge to bring back our management team intact.  It’s hard to build consistency if you’re always changing people or changing parts. Consistency is the name of the game.

Last year was a little bit of a beat down. It made me feel pretty stupid for a while, but I think we have a good handle on where we are going with our program and our tune-up.  I feel good and I sleep a little better at night.

Obviously, we want to win a race, then multiple races and earn our way into the Countdown and try to win a championship.  We have a good combination and a top driver and I’ll be disappointed if we’re not in the top five.”