Race Weekend Central

David Starr Driver Diary: 22 Down, 3 to Go!

It’s hard to believe there are only three more races until the end of the season. We haven’t won a race yet, but we have made it into the top 10 in points which is a big accomplishment for our team. We are now ninth in points, and I have to say I am surprised. We haven’t had the season I had hoped we’d have, because it’s been a very competitive series once again.

I’m definitely disappointed in our results because I know we are better than that, we just haven’t had the finishes that we are capable of. We aren’t satisfied just making it into the top 10. As always, we are going to keep fighting for the last three races and try to move up in points and get that win. The whole International MaxxForce Diesel team is excited about it, and if we can keep that enthusiasm and run up front, the points will take care of themselves.

I’m extremely thankful for having a sponsor like International MaxxForce Diesel and we really want to run strong for them. To have a sponsor of this caliber behind us has been a really neat deal, so it’s important that we perform our best.

We didn’t have a good truck at Atlanta this week and we actually went down a lap. But we never gave up and we kept working on our Ford F-150, eventually getting our lap back and making the truck a lot better. We finished 15th, which isn’t great, but it could have been worse. Like always, we never gave up and we fought all the way to the end. That says a lot for my race team.

There has been a lot of talk since NASCAR left Atlanta, after several Nextel Cup teams found water in their gas tanks. I talked to my team on Monday and no one mentioned anything about water in the fuel tank, so it looks like we were spared. I would like to think it was just a fluke. I would hate to think that somebody was doing this on purpose, because we have a clean sport. It’s all about competing and I would never, in my wildest dreams, expect that someone would do this deliberately.

The good thing is that NASCAR will get to the bottom of it, and I hope I’m not surprised. It’s a great sport and I can’t imagine someone trying to sabotage the teams.

Since my last diary, I celebrated my birthday. I took the day off and my fiancee, Kim and I ran errands, went shopping, to a movie and to dinner. It’s been a long time since I took a day off and just relaxed, so it was just an awesome day. When I think about birthdays, I kind of think that every day is my birthday because I’m getting to race and be part of NASCAR and living a dream. I’m very thankful for my life.

With races at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead, I’m confident we can get our International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150 into victory lane. Every time I go to the racetrack, I think I can win. If I ever lose that drive and that confidence, then I probably need to do something different. The entire Circle Bar Racing team knows that we are capable of winning, and I know I can win the last three races!

About the author

The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.

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