NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Photos and story © 2005 Dwight Drum

Web work by Gary Larsen

Cameras In Action

Driver, No. 36 car

“The thrill of racing and driving the car out of control with no police chasing you. ”

NASCAR and open wheel driver Boris Said looks like a giant compared to many compact NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers but this season he will be trying to be equal to the fast task of the highly competitive series. Said will be driving in a minimum of 10 Nextel Cup races in 2005 for MB/Sutton Motorsports aboard the No. 36 car sponsored by CENTRIX Financial.

Said spoke his succinct and generous answers in an unhurried fashion that augments his fire and ability to drive. I’m often impressed by the tone of drivers because it seems so common to them to propel their bodies in a high-powered rocket-like vehicle with wheels. It’s all about competition and they all want to be first at that last inch of the finish line. Getting there is fun to them and fun for fans too. Said will be more visible in the NASCAR series this year and not just because he stands out in a crowd. Next we present proof that his comments can stand tall too.

Time: 2005 preseason
Place: Daytona International Speedway

Dwight asked Boris Said:

“I think the most important thing in my opinion is just awareness. It’s what you feel. It’s being able to drive a car on the edge of disaster. So it’s the feeling of taking on a piece of paper. If you can drive it on that edge, you’re fast. If you go over that edge, you wreck. If you’re under that edge, you’re slow. So it’s just being able to get up on that edge and really feel the car and know what it’s doing under you.”

“My job at No Fear, Spy or racing? I’ve got a lot of jobs. I’m actually busy. I have a full-time job at No Fear, a clothing company, and a sunglass company, Spy, we started, but I call racing my full-time job. It’s not a job to me. You’re busy. You do a lot of things, but still you feel like a little kid playing with a Tonka truck. It’s the coolest thing in the world to have that much fun and actually make a living at it.”

“Just the driving, the thrill of racing and driving the car out of control with no police chasing you. ”

“It’s just these cars are so heavy and the competition is so fierce. There is no other series in the world with this many good drivers this close together. It’s has different speeds too. Cornering at 190. In a road racing car you never corner that fast, so it’s different. It’s something to get used to.”