The Frontstretch: Inside The Craftsman Truck Series: David Starr Driver Diary by David Starr -- Thursday April 27, 2006

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Inside The Craftsman Truck Series: David Starr Driver Diary

David Starr · Thursday April 27, 2006

 

It’s been four weeks since our win at Martinsville and I still can’t stop talking about it. My crew chief, Jamie Jones, made an absolutely great call by keeping us out there in the end, but they had my Toyota Tundra so good all day long. It was incredible. I was a little concerned that the people who had gotten fresher tires would eventually prevail, because my tires would be worn out before theirs. But I had such a good truck and my tires held up, although I never thought they would have. I give all the credit to my team and crew chief . They are truly awesome.

We’ve been celebrating this awesome victory ever since the checkered flag. On Friday, April 14th, my team owners Jeff Hammond and Tom DeLoach had a victory party for the whole team. Tom has the original trophy with him, but they gave me, my crew chief, Jamie, and every team member a replica of the trophy, which was really cool. To see all of my guys being honored, and for everyone to have a trophy in their hands was really a good thing. It just shows how much everyone on the team is appreciated. I’m so excited to be a part of this deal.

Following the party, my girlfriend Kim and I flew back to Dallas to spend Easter weekend with our families. For my family, especially, it was a very special Easter. As many of you heard in my Victory Lane interview, my sister Melissa had her baby, Matthew, the same morning we won the race.

I was on the way to the racetrack that Saturday morning when Kim called me. She wanted to see if I had received my brothe’s message that my sister was in labor. I hadn’t gotten that message yet, so when she called and told me the news I thought that was really cool. Kim was on her way to the hospital and said she’d keep me posted. I told her I was so glad that the baby was coming, and that I would call her and check in when the race was over. A little later on, before the race, I got a call from my mom and was able to talk to my little sister right before she went to have her baby. She said everything was going good, that she didn’t want me to worry about it, and that she wanted me to do good in the race. For me, that was really cool to talk to her right before she went in.

After the race and all of the excitement that followed, I called Kim, who was so excited as she told me that little Matthew had arrived. I would have to say it was a really great day for my family!!

I mentioned my Victory Lane speech earlier. With all the excitement and emotion that flowed in Victory Lane, my TV speech was kind of short. I really want to take the time now to thank my team. I am very fortunate and extremely lucky to drive the No. 11 Toyota Tundra for Tom and Jeff, and I’m also lucky to have a crew chief like Jamie Jones. The guys that work with me on my team put a lot of heart and passion into their work and into how they carry themselves. When I went to work with this team, everybody was so welcoming and so happy that I was there. After being there for awhile, seeing how the team operates, I knew it was a perfect fit for me. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity they have given me by letting me be a part of this operation. There was a lot of emotion after this win, and I wanted to share that with my team in Victory Lane.

While I’ve enjoyed being able to celebrate this victory for the last couple of weeks, I’m ready to go racing. Of course, coming into Gateway, I’ve got big expectations. We went to Richmond a couple of weeks ago and tested with all the other Toyota trucks, and we had a really good test. I think it’s going to help us big at Gateway.

Coming off of our first win, I just feel really good about going to St. Louis. I like the way my truck handled at Richmond, and I think that’s a good indication of how we’re going to run this weekend. I’m excited to be racing every week and I really I like Gateway because of my victory there two years ago. That was one of the greatest moments of my career. Having won there before and coming back in 2006 off of a win at the last race is a big momentum boost for all of us us. I feel strongly that we can come out of there with a top five finish, and possible another win. Regardless of whether we win or not, I feel confident that we can come out of there with a great finish. I want to win another race so bad that I can’t wait for the opportunity.

After Martinsville, we jumped eight spots to fifth in the current point standings. While that’s exciting, I don’t focus too much on that yet. What I focus on is trying to do the best I can and putting my truck into Victory Lane. I don’t feel like it’s time to points race just yet. Not until there are maybe seven or so races left. If you start focusing too much on points, you can get in that rhythm where you think, Well, this is good enough? But it’s not good enough. You’ve got to win. That’s what I plan to do a lot more this season!

Do you want the chance to win a free Frontstretch T-Shirt, and are you really good at talking about NASCAR? Well, we have the perfect opportunity for you. Our staff will be giving away a free T-Shirt to the reader who makes the best post in our Frontstretch Forum between now and the end of the season. So, what makes a good post? It’s pretty hard to impress us, but here are some things we are looking for:

Does your post spark passionate reactions from other readers? Are you commenting on meaningful NASCAR-related events? Do your posts have substance? In other words, “Dale Jr. is the best driver ever” or “Danica Patrick is hot” will not cut it.

So go to the Frontstretch Forums, post early, post often, and post well! We’ll announce the winner following the final race of the season at Homestead.

 

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