I called Kevin when I first saw this post and told him this would be a perfect opportunity for him to share some of the things we had talked about just a few days before. What I was telling him was that Kenny was one of the few young drivers that did not have the ultimate goal of racing NASCAR. He just wants to be a sprint car driver, and that an ultimate goal for him would just to find a team to put him in their car, not to make a living at it, just to have the chance to have the equipment to do it right.

Unfortunately with the costs involved verses the payout, you can't really blame the car owners for doing what they do and putting the people in their cars that they do. It's hard to justify putting say... Dave Darland in their car and paying him whatever percentage of the winnings, rather than putting in another driver who can pay enough that they'll make money win lose or crash. There are still some owners putting drivers in their cars based on talent instead of money brought to the table, but they are few and far between, and in danger of extinction simply because the purses are such that it's not possible to make enough to even cover expenses, and take care of the equipment. They have to really be in love with the sport and have the desire to spend their own money to see their car race. By the way, I don't begrudge anyone for having the money to buy a ride because if I had it I would do the same thing.

I for one did not realize how much better the winged racing pays and thought maybe others would be interested in what Kevin was telling me about that. He knows what he's talking about and has a lot of passion about the survival of the sport and the racers. We all need to listen to what he is saying.

Trent Niflis