ARCA RE/MAX Series
Photos and story © 2006 Dwight Drum
Web work by Gary Larsen

Driver X competitors were selected to drive limited Busch and ARCA RE/MAX Series schedules for Robert Yates Racing. Matt McCall will share driving duties of the No. 90 Ford Fusion with Nextel Cup Series driver Elliott Sadler and newcomer Stephen Leicht.

Stephen Leicht
Driver, No. 90 Ford Fusion
Robert Yates Racing

Stephen Leicht
Robert Yates Racing

Nothing more exciting happens to a young driver than to be chosen for development by a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team. Leicht, at 19, is in active training with the elite ARCA field for Robert Yates Racing. He'll learn before he advances and learn more once he advances. The ABC program, ARCA, Busch and Cup has been a ladder to success for sometime now. It's also a ladder with reverse steps. Development is exactly that, develop or drop off. We bring you development in motion, a young driver on the drive, on the edge to be the next Robert Yates Racing star.

Time: Early 2006
Place: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
Event: ARCA/ REMAX Daytona 200

Dwight asked Stephen Leicht:

"I don't know. Obviously, I love racing. I get to do it with the top five. I like people. I like talking to people. I like little kids. I like when people come down and talk to you and interact. I like interacting with the fans, see what you're about and where you come from and what do you do other than racing, you're hobbies like golfing and bowling, bunch of different stuff. I'm just a regular guy."

"I think I got it when I was a little kid, when I was five or six and I first started racing. I grew up watching Dale Earnhardt and how he was and how he drove. The "Intimidator" wouldn't stop at anything but winning. I think that's kind of where I got some of it from. When I won my first race that put it in me even more. There's no feeling like that."

"I'm sure it will. Everybody changes a little bit over time. I think my overall desire to win whatever race I'm running will never change, but maybe how I go about wanting to win maybe might change a little bit."

"You always have expectations for yourself as well everybody has expectations for you too. I set the bars really high for me. I expect a lot out of myself. I really try hard. There are certain things in each race that I try to make sure I do and one is definitely give it 110 percent. I always do that. It changes every day. You never know."

"I think it's concentration. You're out there for a long period of time. Keep your focus on what you're doing each lap. You're not the only one out there. You've also got cars, drivers next to you. You have to be really on top of what you're doing and be careful. Respect the other cars around you and that way they will respect you."

"Not really. It's just making sure you can tell how your car is handling. The faster you enter a corner obviously the harder the car is to stay with you, underneath you or stick on the racer track. Knowing your boundaries, getting in the corners and off of corners is very critical in a race car."

"We just now started getting our first shot and getting our feet wet with ARCA and Busch part time this year. I'm looking hopefully in the next two three years at least full-time in Busch, maybe even part-time in Cup. My ultimate goal is to be in Cup full-time. Hopefully we can do that. I think it's coming. We're working on it."

"At this level, obviously the competition here is very stout. All the cars are fast. There's not just a few fast cars here. In the Busch Series you're going out there competing against 30 cars that are all fast. It's finding that edge of getting you out in front of those 30 cars that's hard to do. I'd say finding that edge that puts you above the rest is what you've got to look for. Sometimes you can't find it, sometimes you do."

"I'd like to thank all our sponsors for coming on board this year, Citifinancial is coming on board full-time this year. It's great to have them on. All the other sponsors, UPS and M&M's and all our associate sponsors, can't do without them."