Sterling Marlin: Answering A Few Critics!
Sterling Marlin, the Winston Cup driver of the #40 Coors
Light/Team SABCO Chevrolet, has a multi-faceted reputation. Off the racetrack,
he’s known for his low-key, caring, and charitable personality, but while on
the track, he’s a fierce, competitive racer still eager to win. Unfortunately,
a Winston Cup win has eluded Marlin for several years and he’s anxious to show
he has the talent and fortitude to return to Victory Circle.
Marlin began his 2000 Winston Cup campaign with high
expectations for himself, his teammates, sponsors, and car owner, Felix Sabates.
But, with nearly one-third of the season completed, those expectations may have
to be lowered a notch or two. Marlin is presently 19th in Winston Cup
championship points and has finished no higher than 8th place in
Talladega. Marlin did post an impressive Busch Grand National win at the Bristol
Motorspeedway in the spring race while unexpectedly driving the Channellock car.
So passionate about racing, Marlin is not using his rare
off-week from Winston Cup competition this week to work on the family farm, but
rather he’s doing what he loves best…..racing! He will be competing at the
Nashville Speedway on Saturday night in the Late Model competition against his
19-year-old son, Steadman. He took a few minutes of his time to address concerns
and issues raised by the media, the critics, and the fans.
Q. How do you feel about the possibility of Chip Ganassi
buying into the Coors Light race team?
A. It would be okay with me. He’s a racer himself and
knows what’s going on. He wouldn’t be buying the whole team away, just part
of it, but it’s fine with me either way.
Q. Is there a communications problem between you and your
crew chief, Scott Eggleston?
A. No. Scott is a good guy. We communicate fine. He’s a
real hard worker and we have a good relationship. I like and respect him and
vice versa.
Q. Some people say it seems your cars have less horsepower
than many other cars. Does it seem that way to you?
A. I don’t know. I know last year they ran our car on a
Dyno after Rockingham and we were like 40 horsepower off from the winner, Jeff
Burton. That’s all I know.
Q. How do you feel about Felix Sabates?
A. He’s a neat guy, misunderstood a lot. I really like
him, he’s the best owner I’ve ever driven for. Felix wants to win as bad as
the next guy. I think if you compare him to Richard Childress or Robert Yates,
let’s just say, Felix enjoys racing while Childress and the others may
understand it a little better. I think the wool has been pulled over Felix’s
eyes a few times because he doesn’t always know the solutions right away.
Q. By whom?
A. Different people over the years. They may have said to
Felix something like, we got this or that, our car parts are as good as the
next, when in fact it isn’t. If someone told him that, he might believe it
because he doesn’t have a racing background. Felix is not in racing for the
amusement, he’s in it to win races, he cares if we win or lose.
Q. Have you heard the accusation that you aren’t
aggressive nor demanding enough with the car setup and adjustments?
A. Not really. Our car didn’t run good in California, it
didn’t handle well. Then, in Richmond, same thing, but three races prior to
that in Martinsville, Bristol, and Talladega we had our chances to win. It’s
not that I’m not demanding in the setup, it’s probably our motor program
right now. They’re not where they ought to be.
Q. Why?
A. I don’t know.
Q. Really?
A. We’ve just got to work harder on it and make it
better.
Q. Is it going to improve?
A. Hmmm. I’d say so.
Q. Do you agree that you are struggling this year?
A. Not really. Last year in Richmond we ran 4th
and then ran terrible there this year. We were trying to save cars, it wasn’t
the car to take to Richmond. In California this year we should have run better.
We were very fast in the first practice, nearly spun out in qualifying and then
the next day we pushed badly during qualifying. That Saturday evening we weren’t
able to practice during Happy Hour, which hurts your chances, because something
broke on the car. But, we ran well the other night testing in Charlotte, have a
good race setup, as good as the #8 and #88 cars. So, I don’t really feel we’re
struggling along that badly.
Q. So, you’re satisfied there are no major problems with
the #40 team?
A. Well, yeah, there’s a few problems. You want to run
in the top-5 every week, have good pit stops, our pit stops were terrible last
week.
Q. Is your pit crew the best it can be?
A. I’ll tell you how I look at it. In the pit crew
competition last year we finished like 14th or something. You can’t
give up nothing on pit stops nowadays. The competition is way too close for that
and it’s so hard to pass on the track if you keep losing positions every stop.
You just simply cannot give up 3 or 4 positions everytime.
Q. What was your response to the rumor of Mr. Sabates
trying to lure Todd Parrott to the #40 team?
A. Didn’t pay a bit of attention to it.
Q. So, you don’t care who your crew chief is?
A. Well, yeah I care. It matters. Parrott had no
intentions of coming over to this team. He supposedly just signed a lifetime
contract with Robert Yates.
Q. Was your relationship with Tony Glover better than your
relationship with Scott Eggleston?
A. Hmm. Tony’s more in a managerial role now. He’s the
guy in the office ordering cars and not physically involved with the cars like
Scott is. I have good relationships with both.
Q. So, Eggleston knows what he’s doing?
A. Yeah, he does.
Q. How would you respond to the comment that in order for
you to regain your credibility as a serious race contender you must leave
SABCO?
A. I’ve had lots of offers. This is my last year of my
contract with SABCO.
Q. I thought you signed an extended contract?
A. No, I didn’t. A lot of people have contacted me. I
met with Felix the other night and I told him that we’ve got to figure out
what we’re going to do if I’m going to stay with SABCO.
Q. Then there is the possibility you may change teams?
A. Yeah, the contract will be up. Let’s just say that it’s
really early, early in the season to make that kind of call. But, I’ll have
the option to leave. I like the #40 team, I like Felix, so I really don’t want
to leave. It’s so hard to start over with all new guys, but at the same time,
we’ve got to overhaul our motor program. It needs a little work.
Q. It’s been suggested that you’ve "sold
out" your reputation for the money and don’t care if you win or not.
Comments?
A. Well, that’s a new one! I’m in racing to win,
period. Tell everybody to come out this Saturday night to the Nashville Speedway
where the pay out for the race is only $1,200, but you can believe I’m going
to try and win, not for the money, for the win. I ALWAYS try to win. What do
people think I did in the Bristol Busch race a little while back? Just joyriding
around the track? No, I was trying to win and I did!
Q. If you had one answer as to what would correct any on
track problems, what would it be?
A. (Long hesitation) Well, I see Chevrolet giving three
teams the best stuff. Childress, Earnhardt, and Hendrick. So, we need more from
Chevy and we also need to improve this motor program, simple as that. It’s
hard to make up if you feel you’re lacking 40-50 horsepower. Chevy just needs
to be more involved with all teams.
Q. Were you offered the #28 car before Ricky Rudd?
A. No.
Q. Would you want to own your own Cup team one day?
A. Nah. Too many headaches.
Q. How is it different for your son, Steadman, starting
out versus how you began?
A. There’s a lot of kids wanting in Cup right out of the
gate than when I started. Heck, I think the 3rd race I ever ran was a
Cup race and didn’t think anything about it considering I was raised around it
my whole life. It’s so hard now to get into Winston Cup. You’ve got a lot of
young men in the Busch Series wanting in Cup and it’s not going to happen for
all of them. As far as Steadman, he’s got to get meaner and more aggressive on
the track.
Q. Does he not have an aggressive nature that’s needed
in NASCAR?
A. I don’t know yet. He’s either going to have to get
it or go sack groceries at Kroger or something I guess. (Laughs). I’m going to
help Steadman as much as I can. I watched the Busch race on TV that he ran in
Nashville and everyone said he was running well. You just never know. Take Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. for example, I think he only won one Late Model race, then goes
into Busch and Cup and flies. So, it’s just whatever they can adapt to.
Q. In closing, would you say you’re totally happy with
the #40 team’s performance to date, yourself included?
A. No. Not really. I mean, I get ticked off because I’m
not running better, but I’m doing the best I can at this point. That’s about
it.