Evernham continues to work toward greatness
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
October 19, 2006
11:27 AM EDT (15:27 GMT)




PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. -- Greatness is an overt quality; innate, though molded and developed through time by life experiences and decision-making, failure and achievement personally and professionally, unwillingness to settle.


When it graces your presence you know it. Tuesday evening I saw this first-hand.

Ray Evernham had a speaking engagement in suburban Atlanta, asked me to tag along, hang out, catch up. Given the saturated schedule he must keep, the flight to the next appearance offers the most feasible platform in which to have a gab-session.

In that few hours much was learned about the man, his responsibilities and concerns and vision. We shared many laughs, like the time I named him worst-dressed NASCAR owner, an accusation for which he is now thankful.

"You were right. I'd lost like 20 pounds and was still wearing the same clothes. I went out and got all new stuff. Now I'm wearing jeans that fit on the pit box, looking cool."

Fashion Police. My civic duty.

Heard some great stories, too, like the times as a kid in Jersey when boredom set in and the neighborhood boys club had to get crafty, manufacture some entertainment.

There was the game of cowboys and Indians that came to life. Real bows and arrows were brandished, metal trash can lids offering the only available protection. Then a kid took one in the shin. It stuck. Game over.

"The tips of the arrows were rounded!" Evernham chuckled in a pseudo-attempt to dull the painful imagery.

Then there were the times he built makeshift ramps with 10-gallon drums and old doors, lined up the neighborhood kids side-by-side and saw just how many could be cleared on a motorcycle.

We talked shop, too, extensively. He owns the most dominant team in Nextel Cup Series racing, powered by the sport's fastest-rising star. That makes for a very enticing investment property for potential sponsorship partners.

We discussed his highly-scrutinized decision to remake the traditional team structure, doing away with the standard crew chief role by spreading the responsibility out over a team of engineers. Evernham 1. Disbelievers 0.

But there was the falling out with Jeremy Mayfield, the speculation about his personal life and the accusations that followed. It's been a tough year emotionally. But the work makes it work, and this drizzly Tuesday evening is a prime example.

Evernham is dressed in a black suit. Blue shirt, no tie. Fits well. (Fashion Police.) On this day the weather is miserable. But he isn't. He pores over speech notes from takeoff to landing, stopping occasionally to ponder a question or offer insight on the chosen topic. He's a listener. A thinker.

In discussing the imminent prospect of a friend's having to purchase his family's medical benefits, Evernham told the story of his personal move from Bill Davis Racing to Hendrick Motorsports.

In the brief seven-day gap between the activation of his HMS benefit plan and the termination of the Cobra plan from his wife's job at a bank, his son, Ray Jay, was diagnosed with leukemia.

My heart sunk. The memory still gets him. He grins, though. It was hell, but the work made it work.

Arrival at the appearance is humorous. A pair of attractive blondes and an ambitious older gentleman greet Evernham's limousine at the curb. Just one of the three knows which of the car's passengers he is. (My guess is that's a higher percentage than he'd encounter the remainder of the evening.)

Evernham is slated to speak at a Siemens Business Services sales training seminar. The audience has migrated south from New York and Connecticut. Admittedly, few know NASCAR.

Matchbox cars adorn the dining room tables. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, not heavily-decaled Dodge Chargers or Chevy Monte Carlos. A raffle is drawn for several complimentary trips to the Richard Petty Driving Experience. An explanation as to what that is is required. I chuckle. Can't help it.

Evernham eases through his speech. He's a pro. While moving through his "20 Points to Success," a personal list he follows religiously that was written in the wee hours of the night several years ago on a tattered sheet of paper and now hangs in the Evernham Motorsports museum, he shares stories of past experiences.

He tells of meeting Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley and Bill Parcells, and how they share like traits and tendencies. Hardcore, all three. He praises Kasey Kahne's effort to become more extroverted for the betterment of his sponsors, then quips that a closed-head injury in 1991 was the best thing that ever happened to him.

It ended his driving career, but he quickly noticed that every other driver that sat in his cars won.

"I must be a terrible driver," he laughed.

He told of his hiring by Rick Hendrick, how he and Jeff Gordon, just kids, showed up at Hendrick Motorsports and were led into a large, empty building where several men stood, waiting. It was a lesson in delegation.

"Rick said, 'OK, this is your building. Welcome. Here's Eddie Dickerson, he'll build your cars. Here's Randy Dorton, he'll build your engines. Here's the checkbook. See you in Daytona.'"

Evernham can't help but give a slight shake of the head. Fifteen years later, it's still unbelievable.

Last on the agenda? Audience questions. They prove unique, different than the norm. It's quite refreshing.

1. How much fundraising do you do through sponsorship? (Translation: How much does a company have to pay you to sponsor a car?)


COMMUNICATIONS 101

After all the mid-season drama that came with firing Jeremy Mayfield and hiring Elliott Sadler, Ray Evernham says one thing will be different with his team from now on -- communication.


Evernham: "We have a $75 million operating budget. Eighty percent of that comes from corporate sponsorship."

Eyebrows raise. "Holy s---!" filters through the crowd. "Did he say 75 MILLION?"

Indeed, for three Nextel Cup teams, one Busch and one Truck team. Question 2 centers on the NASCAR team's role in reviving the American auto industry. The third questioner wants to know how teams react to spending all that time and energy building a car, only to see it accordion into the fence at the hands of another driver. Lastly, a query about the next big thing in NASCAR, which oddly enough was a question I posed en route to the event.

"Time," Evernham said.

Specifically time efficiency through robotics. Cutting down on time spent manufacturing parts and pieces means added time spent finding speed.

I find that fascinating. Elementary in theory, yet extremely difficult to achieve.

With that we were gone, back in the limo headed to the FBO.

Evernham is a bit squirmy.

"How was that?" he asks.

Feedback is positive.

"Definitely not one of my best," he says. "I've done better. I lost energy, didn't practice enough."

It was fine, but personally unsatisfactory. He wants to get better.

Story of his life.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer

So many people tell me that Kasey's shyness is just an act. Besides the fact that I've met him and he's shy... now Ray says Kasey's trying to not be so shy. At least he's coming out and praising Kasey for trying

Cool article. Good read, thanks for sharing.

Through everything that has happened this year, I still admire Ray. That was a great article.

Great article! Thanks for sharing!

Great article!!

Ray is slowly climbing out of the hole he's been in with me.

That was a really great article. Ray is an innovater. I'm glad to see he hasn't lost that respect.

Great article. I was glad to read it.

me too


Awesome article......it really shows a great side of Ray I think a lot of people had forgotten with everything else going on

I really enjoyed that article. Thanks for posting that! :)

~ Mary

I love Ray. All the crap this season hasn't chnaged that. In fact I respect him more for how he has handled it.

Great article.

Great article.. thanks for posting it!

top.. just to replace what I saw as the most recent post. :wacko

nice artical...-Ally