School's Back In

I apologize for taking a break. The girls and I have been adjusting to our new school schedule and I am trying to get into the swing of having a middle schooler. Promise to do better on my "homework" now that we kind of have everybody settled in.

We have so much really good stuff happening right now and I'd really love to tell it all. But if I've learned one thing over the years in racing, you never ever count your chickens before they hatch. Just keep reading...we'll be announcing some exciting stuff very soon!

The Elephant Report: Small Bites II

This last week at the shop, Scott and Zeke got the air hooked up and running full blast. They are still looking for a larger tank (like a big house size gas tank)to add to the compressor tank to make more air.

Zeke has gotten a ton of stuff done to BRM Ford #2. It is really coming along. The motor is ready to be set over in it. And we found headers. We have headers coming out our rears. Very very excited. All I can say is the racing community is extremely generous. And a very big thank you to those who are helping with the parts and pieces.

Zeke and Scott are on their way back down here with the other Ford. They will roll in late late tonight. This car will be ready to shake down in about a week. It needs a seat, breaks, and a good nutn and boltn. Can't wait to see all of our efforts out on the track. Maybe by the end of the week we will have a set date and location for this test session.

In racing this week: it is the last off weekend for our friends in Cup. I hope they enjoy it and get well rested. Not another day off until Thanksgiving. Yes folks, I literally mean they race the weekend before T'giving. The road course in Canada should be a good race tomorrow. My favorites are Marcos Ambrose...it's the accent, Max Papis...it's his enthusiasm and the accent and ARCA regular Justin Marks.

The Components of the Motorsports Biz Model

So just how does the Motorsports Business Model work? It has four basic components. Ownership, Crew, Equipment and Sponsorship. They aren't equally weighted. At times, a team's success is based more on one than the other three. But if you are in this gig for the long haul, you need all four.

Here are the basics of the four and I'll post more in depth on the topics this week.

Equipment: It isn't easy trying to work on all four parts equally. The equipment side is of course limited by funds. We have a long list of small parts, big ones too, that we need. Dumpster diving trips to Charlotte are extremely lucrative and other teams will gift you stuff to help you get going. We've been pretty fortunate in that department. We are almost to the needing the big stuff. Which means big $$$. Which means sponsor. But that is later.

Our crew consists of Zeke, the crew chief, and Scott who was a fairly decent tire changer in his day, and an assortment of our former ARCA series racing friends.

Sponsorship is a tough one. Most development teams package a series' races together and sell them all inclusive to a driver who provides her/his own funds or sponsors. That is the direction we'd eventually like to go in.

As far as ownership, well, we think we're great. We also know our limitations and are willing to pay for what we can't do. After working for an assortment of teams, we have a preference for how we'd like things done. The big thing we've learned is don't spend what you aint' got. And go prepared.

Tomorrow night...equipment in depth. Donations accepted.

The Elephant Report: Small Bites

Scott has been working on getting enuf air for the shop. Not Air Conditioning for my non-racing folks...but air for tools. He has been replumbing his air compressor, running new lines and hooking up a larger tank to make more air.

Zeke has Joseph's dirt car back together. Watch for the yellow 21L camaro at Needmore Speedway in Moultrie tonight. Hearing there should be a very large crowd and a lot of cars.

Still looking for a set of ProCup ford headers. Hoping to find a set soon. The ProCup car will get a seat installed next week along with some more parts and pieces. As soon as it is together, we will have a practice/shakedown at Cordele. We will keep everyone posted on the date.

Enjoy the local racing this weekend. The TV race to watch is the Truck Race at Darlington. The Lady in Black should serve up some great actions. Safe racing and a safe weekend to all.

Taking Care of Things at Home

For all of our lofty goals, we still have stuff at home to do. With three small children in school, not only are there plenty of bills to pay, there is always something going on. This year has started off even busier as our eldest, Maddie is playing JV softball. She is in 6th grade, middle school - YIKES!!, Carlee in 4th grade and AnnaBelle is in K5.

Scott drives "our" truck for our trucking company. Right now, he has 2 loads daily and is basically running wide open. Which is a good thing from the financial perspective, maybe not so great with him gone 18 hours a day.

So what does all this have to do with racing? Way more than some folks will ever know. I'm trying to write this and get kids ready for bed. Scott isn't home yet. So we are both extremely busy and we are trying to get this race team up off the ground in between everything else.

With Scott running this hard the bills get paid but he doesn't have a lot of extra time to work on the race cars. Thank God for Zeke. If it weren't for him, we'd really be at a standstill.

As much as we love racing, we love our girls even more. So we have to keep our schedules flexible. Their school activities are a high priority. I guess that's why we like the USAR Pro Cup series. The schedule was originally 16 races, now 14. And the schedule is spread from February to November. It is a competitive and fun series, but allows for time at home with family.

It is a "working man's" series. And right now, there is plenty of work to be done!!

Long Term Plans 3 - 5 Years From Now

So I'm rubbing my crystal ball, peering through the smoke (victorious burnout smoke)to tell all you folks where we will be in 3 - 5 years. I guess this should come with a warning: Please read at your own risk. Not responsible for choking, falling or other detrimental bodily functions occurring while reading this blog.

To run two successful teams on a short track touring series (we'll assume Pro Cup, just for fun) we will need a shop full of equipment. Oh yeah, Scott already had a lot of tools and stuff. So we are starting off in pretty good shape.

We'll also need 6 cars. (Two down, four to go.) I'm peering off into the corner of the shop, in the crystal ball of course, and I see two Legends cars. And next to them are two super late model cars. Wow. This is growing into a one stop shop for driver development.

On the other side of the Pro Cup cars are three Trucks...that's right THREE CW series trucks. Of all the racing Scott and I did, we truly loved the competition and hard racing in the truck series the most. Parked on the side of the shop under a nice covered awning, is a 53 foot featherlite trailer...used people. I don't buy new. But really nice with aluminum wheels so Scott can rub and rub.

Watch where your walking...that's a surface plate on the floor. Just for Zeke to use to set these little darlin's up. And several storage lifts. Because with this many race cars, you got to go up. Along the walls are storage shelves and roll arounds for each car. And taped to the windshield of each car is the series rule book.

Of course with Scott and Zeke both being neat freaks, we have a vast assortment of storage units for gears, transmissions, etc. There will also be a parts area, with neat rows of nut/bolt bins.

So how will we get from where we are now to this grandiose picture in my crystal ball? As one coworker has told me, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. A little salt and pepper. Maybe some hot sauce. We will take all of the above, break it into small goals spread over a 5 year time span. And Bam!! We are there.

Short Term plans

Everybody keeps asking, what are ya'll doing? When you running again? What are you doing next year? Are ya'll crazey? What else is going on? There are always a lot of questions in racing and always changing answers.

So here are a few answers:

1. We are slowly accumulating the stuff to field a USAR Pro Cup team. Manufacturer to be determined later. That's the PC way of saying whatever is the cheapest. But leaning really hard towards a ford. Anybody got a set of headers for a Pro Cup Ford motor? We need a set and they are sell a kidney costly.

2. We have no idea when we'll run again. Originally we'd hope to have the funds to run Concord. But that race is in less than 3 weeks. Right now, we have no sponsors, therefore, we won't run. Check the Pro Cup schedule at http://www.usarprocup.com/.

3. In a perfect world, we would run the full pro cup series with a funded driver. AKA someone who purchases our ride for the year at $$$ per race. We'd also like to find enough local sponsorship for Joseph to run as many races as possible.

4. No more crazier than someone who gets up at 3 a.m. in the freezing cold, climbs a tree and waits on Bambi to maybe walk by. You have your hobby and we have ours.

5. Administrative stuff: searching for a larger shop. Working on website, writing this blog, sponsorship proposal, team logo, etc, etc. Need to write press release next annoucing Concord race needs sponsors....

Next Post will cover the long term plans. And if that one doesn't get me shipped to the looney bin, nothing ever will.

Meet Rebecca: The other owner (aka hbic)

When I first started pursuing a career in racing, I never knew just how much angst it would stir amongst my family and friends. If I had a dollar for every time I was told to get a real job, I could fund this team for YEARS.

I ignored the naysayers and stood firm, beginning my career as an intern at a motorsports magazine and then worked my way into the public relations side of the sport. After graduating with an accounting degree, I eventually wound up at CSG Racing working with Mark Gibson and Kerry Scherer where I met Scott.

The Cunninghams by far, were excellent team owners. They provided the opportunity for a hick girl from a small town to criss cross this country and see stuff I'd probably never have to the opportunity to see. Certainly an eye opening experience for me. And at a time period in my life this was not only profound, but priceless. Who knew they had rednecks in Berlin, Michigan??

Racing ain't easy for a female and I chose to go back to corporate accounting before Maddie was born. Scott continued to race while I stayed home with the kiddies. Eventually, we bought an ugly rv and the kids and I started following him to the track. Thankfully, the girls loved to ride.

For the most part, we looked like the Clampettes when we unloaded. Kids, dogs, strollers, wagons, etc exploded from our little motorhome. We parked the old girl right up in the middle of all the high dollar American Eagles and Prevosts. Funny, we are still racing and many of those folks aren't!

The racing life is one you love or don't. Some families go to the lake on the weekends, we go to the racetrack.

Meet Joseph: The Development Driver

Joseph Lewis has been driving race cars for the past 7 years. He is a senior at Georgia Southwestern University. The soon to be college graduate has an assortment of wins on dirt and asphalt. The last few years, he has been running the local dirt tracks around south Georgia and eastern Alabama.

Son of Joe and Tami Lewis of the Hopeful community (and sister to Emili lest I get in heaps of trouble from her fan club), Joseph has made a big leap this year going from a heavy dirt car to a Pro Cup stock car.

Joseph finished 11th at South Boston, not an easy track for a debut. It was hotter than 40 hells and a late afternoon rain shower left us with a green race track. Joseph brought the car home in one piece. Not bad. Not bad at all for his first start. What Joseph lacks in seat time, he makes up for in maturity, calmness and car control. Which just happen to be traits you can't teach a driver.

Most drivers in a development program barely have their leaner's license. Some folks might make a case for Joseph being too old already to start a professional driving career. We think that Joseph has had time to be a kid, a college student and has had time to mature. So many of the young kids today do nothing but race from age 5 and eventually burn out.

Joseph's ultimate goal is to drive in the truck series. We know we can make that happen.

OH NO! Gresham Race Canceled

The USAR Pro Cup series has canceled the October 23 race at Gresham Motorsports Park (old Peachstate in Jefferson).

We had planned to run this race cause it is basically home for most of our crew peoples. The date has been moved to October 9th at Greenville Pickens. Not nearly as close to home for all of our fans. It also cuts down our amount of time to beg for funds which means I've really got to get on the ball now!!

So if any future/potential sponsors are reading, please contact us ASAP!! We are working really hard to get our cars ready to race!!

Meet Scooter (aka: Team Owner, the Face of BackRoads Motorsports)

He’s a city slicker, raised up inside the loop of Atlanta in the Chamblee area. So how did he, bless his heart, wind up down here? I would say he followed his heart, but more like three little hearts. That's Mr. Team Owner, Scooter, in the blue shirt with the infamous Big Daddy in red.

Scott spent many years in the body shops of Atlanta, training as a paint specialist with BMW and Mercedes. A friend of a friend said come help me paint this race car; so he did. The car belonged to ARCA driver Mark Gibson. By the end of the year, Scott was hired to do paint, body work and drive the hauler for Billy Ballew Motorsports in the ARCA and Truck series way back in 1996. And basically he’s been involved in some type of racing ever since.

He met his wonderful wife (who also signed his paycheck) while working for Cunningham Scherer Gibson Racing in 1997 (CSG Racing). He then moved on to Hardy Motorsports in the Truck Series. After a few years off, Scott returned to the ARCA series and has basically been working since 2000 with Mark Gibson and Cunningham Motorsports.

He really has no hobbies…no hunting, fishing or chasing wild women. But he loves racing. So a few Pro Cup cars later, BackRoads Motorsports was born.

“If were easy, everybody be doing it,” Scott says about racing. “It’s hard and dirty work with long hours, lots of riding and late nights. And it’s not for everybody. I always told the new kids, never look at your paycheck and divide by the hours you work. You don't race for the money. You race because that's what you want to do."

Scott is married to Rebecca Newton Thorpe (me) and they have four children: Brandon, Maddie, Carlee and AnnaBelle. The oldest three have a few years as track brats. AnnaBelle is in training.

Meet Zeke

Thought I'd introduce ya'll to the team and just naturally started with Zeke. Known to the government as Richard Ezekiel, Zeke, aka Paw Paw, is originally from the Hueytown, AL area. That's him to the right over there in the yellow shirt, schooling Joseph at Radford, VA.

Zeke has worked in most of the stock car sanctioned series and has forgotten more about a race car than most folks ever learn. He was formerly a crew chief in the ARCA series. We can't tell you how we got him down here, but let's just say, we hope we can keep him.

Zeke has been extremely busy the last few months. Not only does he help Joseph with his dirt car, he also crew chiefed his first USAR Pro Cup race at the famed South Boston Speedway. He is currently putting together a car for our next start (tba). A recent dumpster diving trip to Charlotte for parts and pieces resulted in plenty of stuff to do around the shop. Hopefully after putting together the Ford, Zeke will get started building one of our cars.

Zeke has one son, Matt and a granddaughter Carissa. He is single ladies. But the race cars come before dating!

The Shop: Bet You Can't Find It!

If the name BackRoads conjures up gravel "paved" roads of the rural south then we shouldn't be hard to find. Take a left off the four lane and go through the small town of Cotton. Then go a few more miles and hang a right. Go about 3 more miles and the shop should be on the right. If you wind up at the fork in the road you done gone to far.

Yes folks, that's the actual directions, less the road names, to BackRoads Motorsports. Right across the road from a big ol' cotton field. Smack dab in the middle of almost nowhere. And not where most folks expect to find this kind of operation.

Sadly we are almost out of room. With three Pro Cup cars, Joseph's dirt car and MGR's beloved ARCA car Katie there isn't room for much else. Which also means I'm still on car restrictions.

We don't have room for the paint booth where we currently located. So, we've reluctantly begun searching for more space. How much? Well we'd like about 5,000'. That is really hard to find down here. What few buildings that would work are drastically over priced. Just don't tell their owners that.

So if you know of someone wanting to rent some warehouse/industrial space located in South Georgia, please give us a holla!