Authors

• David Thompson (10)
• Jim Schreier (3)
• Larry Clement (2)
• Matt Carter (6)
• Travis Carter (3)

1. It's about planning AND execution.  In a business where the difference between success and failure is measured in fractions of a second, the road to success begins back in the shop.  Without the right setup, or the right equipment, success is hard to come by.  You only get one shot at spring planting, and the green flag only drops once.  And, just like in farming, all the planning in the world cannot guarantee success, but those who plan well are rewarded more often than not.
2. A failure of a 99-cent part can ruin your whole day.  Modern race cars are truly marvels of engineering, 800-horsepower machines designed to run 180 miles per hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  But they are only as strong as their weakest link.  If you have ever had a bolt come loose in the combine and cause thousands of dollars in damage, then rest assured that racers feel your pain.
3. It's a family affair.  I am struck by how much the teams of the ARCA/ReMax series rely on the power of family--fathers, uncles, sons & brothers, even a few daughters thrown in for good measure.  In fact, the Stine racing team includes father-son combination in Matt and Travis Carter.  Just like farming, the love of auto racing is passed down through the generations.
4. It's not about the money.  If it was all about the money, then who could explain the thousands of "weekend warriors" who take to the local dirt tracks all over the country, burning their own fuel and buying parts with their own paychecks?  The truth is, even at the upper levels of racing, many of these people are in racing because they love to race.  They love the people, they love the atmosphere, they love the feeling they get from going really fast, or making that perfect pit stop and, of course, the feeling they get from rolling into victory lane. 
5. Whether in farming or auto racing, time and money are always in short supply.

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I thought the second Toledo race was pretty good. We had a good car, not great, but we stayed out of trouble and ran a good race.

We had good pit strategy, I thought. It was gutsy to take a pit stop with 50 laps to go, but it got us back out there in front of some other cars and we were able to get right up to the front and pass the leader.

I thought we had it won, but then he goes around and passes me. After that, I just couldn't catch him again. That was frustrating.

All in all, I thought it was a good finish to a pretty good year. Plus, Ricky Stenhouse and Scott Speed getting into it really helped me out with points. We might win Rookie of the year, so that's good.

Driving ARCA has been different for me this year in a couple of ways. You know, when we were driving late-model, we just went down the road here to the track, so we didn't have to travel a lot.

But in ARCA, it's a different track in a different state every week plus you have to be there three days ahead of time, so it gets pretty tiring. Plus, you have to learn a new track every week. That part's a lot of fun. We got to run dirt track and road race tracks. I really liked the Super Speedway tracks. We got to do some pretty good racing.

The dirt tracks weren't quite what I expected. In Super Late-Model races you slide around a lot more so I thought it would be more like that. But it was more like driving on asphalt. I'm really proud of how we did at both those tracks.

We learned a lot this year and grew as a team. You figure stuff out and get to know the car. We had a little bad luck but nothing real bad that took us out of the race. Racing has a lot to do with luck.

And of course, the people. In any business its people that make it go. Our pit crew was great...those guys really knew their stuff. We had good pit stops and either maintained or gained a few spots on most of them and that makes a big difference in a race. Some of those guys are pretty small so you wouldn't think they could even throw a tire but they really get the job done!

The other new thing about the ARCA series was having a big sponsor. It was cool to have sponsor folks and customers around and to get to know people. That was something I'd never had before so it added a lot to the season for me.

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This last race in Toledo was a pretty good one, we did well in qualifying and ran good through the race...I thought we had it won but he sneaked by us. It seemed like the car just wasn't performing quite as well right at the end of the race. Matt's good at getting all he can out of a car but it just wasn't quite enough this time.

The season over all, is a little disappointing to me. This is when you really notice the difference one race can make - when you know that if a couple more things had gone our way, with the way the season ended, we could have won it. But then, if a couple of things had gone the other way we would have been worse off.

I think the team did a lot of good things this year. We learned a lot along the way. As the season turned out, looking back there are so many little things that would have changed the outcome if they had gone our way. But then, it could have gone the other way, too.

The road race is the one that broke our back. Matt did a good job driving it, but when we blew the tire and it put us so far back that there was just no catching up.

It just goes to prove that you have to be on your A-game all the time in any series.

What it really comes down to is that the people who make the least mistakes win. You just have to make sure you make fewer mistakes than everybody else.

After such a good season finish this year, we're looking forward to next year. We had some great sponsors for 2008. The people at Stine and Bayer were great to work with and that support makes a big difference to a race team.

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Matt did an outstanding job the whole season. For a rookie driver and new team running different cars and tires, at tracks they've never seen, it's extremely difficult.

Not only did Matt finish third in points, he completed the most laps of any driver. I don't ever remember a rookie doing that.

He also extended the race-winning streak of the #46 car to 15 seasons and finished as the highest rookie in what was clearly the most talented rookie class in my 15 years in the series. The competition from top to bottom was the toughest we've encountered.

Travis and the crew get the credit for preparing the cars and coaching Matt. We didn't have a single mechanic failure the entire year. They adapted well to the different cars, engines, tracks and tires. I couldn't be prouder of Matt and the team.

Of course, our top priority is always to represent our sponsor/partners in a first-class way and to help them grow their business. Stine Seed and Fort Dodge Animal Health are world leaders in their industries, while Hantz Group and Nu-South Lemonade are successful, fast-growing companies gaining market share exponentially.

I also want to thank the pork producers, lead by Tama and Washington counties in Iowa for all their support in feeding guests and crews at the races. What a great way to showcase Iowa pork products across the country!

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Stine Seed capitalized on a great venue last weekend at Joliet, Illinois for the Chicagoland ARCA 200. 

Stine Seed rewarded Regional Managers, District Managers, dealers, and customers with access to the garage area, pit stalls, and Grandstand tickets for the race.  It was especially nice of Matt Carter to take time between the drivers meeting and driver introductions to spend time at the hospitality tent talking to our guests.   We also hit the jackpot as our good friends from the Tama and Washington County Pork Producers were on hand to feed the entire garage area, including the Indy Racing League.  These folks have been excellent ambassadors for the pork industry, and have worked tirelessly to promote the pork industry at so many racing venues throughout the season.  Team owner Larry Clement, Crew Chief Travis Carter and his team have many times expressed their appreciation for the pork people and their hard work.

As for the race itself, the #46 Stine Seed/Liberty Link Ford Fusion hit the setup and was in the 4th position at the midpoint of the race until the right front tire went down and driver Matt Carter glanced off the wall in turn 3 and had to make an unscheduled pit stop.  Matt fought his way back through the pack to a 12th place finish, enough to hold on to 3rd in the overall series points standing.

After talking to Myron Stine and David Thompson, we agreed that this was a great venue and a great event for our Stine Racing fans.

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