USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series

Photos and interview by Dwight Drum
Web work by Gary Larsen

Introduction by Neal Fisher

Driver, No. 81 stock car

“If I’m walking to a mailbox and I’m walking beside somebody, I want to beat them there.”

Time: late season 2005
Place: USA International Speedway Lakeland, Fla.

Introduction by Neal Fisher, broadcast journalist and Cool Contributor for Zoomster.com

With years of racing experience and frequent wins, including the 2005 USAR Hooters Cup southern division title, Shane Huffman has a wide range of opinions about many aspects of the sport. At the top of the list is what is needed to earn a championship.

"Just chemistry mainly," Huffman said. "Getting along and gelling with everybody. Having good work ethics. Being prepared. Make sure that everybody is prepared, but chemistry is the main thing."

Of course anyone who follows the sport knows, despite the sport being a team effort, the driver is always at the forefront and Huffman also had some thoughts on what makes a championship driver. With his years of experience he stressed he has come to believe the most important trait a driver needs is concentration. He explained the biggest difference between what a driver and people see is how little it takes to fail.

"Were dealing with inches here," Huffman said. "Were not dealing with feet or yards. . When you see someone get into somebody 99 percent of the time its not intentional. Were not dealing with feet or yards or miles or nothing else. Its tough when the difference between failure and success is so little in tems of physical space."

As far as his current situation, he is aware that he is fortunate to be in a good situation and it is the best situation he has been in during his racing career. He knows he has been blessed with talent and to be able to do it and is surrounded by the same. Afer several years of paying his dues, he loves it. It allows him to breathe, sleep, eat, drink the sport. Which is all he has ever known.

He also includes being able to race in the Hooter's Cup series as part of the good fortune. "Right now I like the competition level of it," Huffman said. "Its awesome right now. Its tougher than its ever been. Week in, week out you've got 10 cars in the South capable of winning a race. Its just the attributes of the series, what they have been able to do and what they've been able to accomplish here. I love it."

On the lighter side he said he is so competitive that if he is walking to a mailbox and he is going there with somebody he wants to beat them. But it is a common trait among all drivers. They want to win, hate to lose and dislike the thought of settling for any position below first. He also pointed out that most racers have the same goals and the same drive.

Dwight asked Shane Huffman:

"Just chemistry mainly. Getting along and gelling with everybody. Having good work ethics. Being prepared. Make sure that everybody is prepared, but chemistry is the main thing."

"I guess one thing as far as being fortunate to be in good situations. This probably the best situation I've been in during my racing career. I've been blessed with a little bit of talent to be able to do it. I love it. This is where I breathe, sleep, eat, drink - whatever you want to say. It's really all I've ever known. Hopefully I'll be able to do it for a while to come."

"I think all your main drivers pretty much have the same characteristics, the same goals, the same drive. Obviously I hate to think I don't want to win. I want to win. I'm a very competitive person. If I'm walking to a mailbox and I'm walking beside somebody, I want to beat them there. That's just the main thing. I'm very competitive. I love to win. I love competition."

"I don't know if there's anything different. I drive too fast. I've got too many tickets here lately. Probably not a whole lot there. Sometimes I get a little road rage when people driving in the left lane too slow, but other than that not a whole lot."

Right now I like the competition level of it. It's awesome right now. It's tougher than it's ever been. Week in, week out you've got 10 cars that easy in the South that can win a race. It's just the attributes of the series, what they have been able to do, what they've been able to accomplish here. I love it."

"Probably the concentration level. If you miss just a little bit. We're dealing with inches here. We're not dealing with feet or yards. That's the biggest difference is what people don't see out there. When you see someone get into somebody 99 percent of the time it's not intentional. We're dealing with inches. We're not dealing with feet or yards or miles or nothing else. It's tough."