STAR POWER
Question Quest Story and photos by Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
Patrick Dempsey, Garth Brooks, Kyle Petty, Chip Foose
Daytona International Speedway launches each new NASCAR season with world class fanfare generated by the Daytona 500. That long season, February to November, ends with the "Chase for the Championship" finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Those two big races create a huge draw but another popular race, the Rolex 24 with the Grand Am Series, precedes both at DIS.
All NASCAR events tend to attract celebrities as well as fans, but DIS and HMS seem to lure an abundance of supporters and national names as well.
Patrick Dempsey, star of TV show 'Grey's Anatomy' races on a sports car team in the Rolex 24. Dempsey was recently in Daytona practicing driving skills for the Rolex 24.
Garth Brooks also visited the DIS media center a few days later to announce his plans to join the NASCAR Foundation and promote his charitable concerns in conjunction with NASCAR Day on May 16th. Accompanying him was NASCAR president Mike Helton and driver Kyle Petty, founder of Victory Junction Gang Camp which is a successful vacation camp for disabled children.
Chip Foose routinely fascinates hot rod customers with his sleek designs and TV viewers too when he hosts "Overhaulin", a show that begins with the theft of old cars and ends with free restoration for the "supposed" victim. Foose recently designed a special edition Ford truck for pickup enthusiasts.
Here star power is enhanced by word power with statements and answers from Dempsey, Brooks, Petty, Helton and Foose.
Patrick Dempsey (TV and Movie Actor Super Star)
What's it like to have such a great career and then come out here and have such great fun?
"Oh, it's great. I'm having so much fun this weekend and you know before Christmas I had a great time here too but you can see the energy level starting to pick up now. The intensity is just wow. It's just fun to be out and be a part of the mix and all."
As far as driving the car could you put a fan in the race car and be able to explain what it's like?
"Well it's extremely active sport. Your eyes are always searching in front of you, behind you, beside you. You're always very active in the car. It's really kind of physical in there as well. The temperature - the G forces - all of that. It's physical. It's mental. It's spiritual. It's a phenomenal experience. It's hard to really describe until you get in there."
How about in a crash? Nobody wants a crash but fans can't be in there either.
"Most of it happens so sudden that you don't really react until it's all over. You're trying to figure it out what happened. Certainly on a spin or something like that you can figure out what you did wrong. You can sort of catch and you go no where, but it's nothing like feel because that's out of your control. So you don't know."
Is there any way to sharpen focus to make the job go easier?
"Well I think certainly all the training that you do as far as cardio and things like that. I do a lot of cycling that helps my focus over the long run. People say you need them, but as soon as your physical does; your mental goes. As long as you keep your physicality up then your mental is going to stay very strong and focused. I think that's the real key."
Garth Brooks (Country Music Super Star)
About the NASCAR Foundation: NASCAR Day is May 16 in 2008
"I'm very excited to be a part of this. Guys like Jeff Gordon with his foundation along with all the drivers. Good group of guys. I'm very excited for the people it benefits. It's all about the good things and the right things. My hat's off to Kyle and all the drivers here who do great things."
About a NASCAR Day benefit concert:
"If we would it would something that Mike (Helton) and myself would sit around and talk about, maybe something for Daytona. I don't get to play much any more. My youngest is 11 so I've got probably another 10 years of taking care of my child before college."
About being behind the wheel of a race car:
"I've been down to Atlanta Motor Speedway and they took us in a car. I think maybe we did three or four laps and all I know is that I was worn out. I don't think I could do it for a whole race. That's almost as bad as driving in Nashville at 5 o'clock.
"My 16 year-old has been asking three years for a dirt bike. I'd much rather see her encased in something that 's got some seats, rather than flying around on a dirt bike but she loves it."
Mike Helton (NASCAR President)
"I'm really excited to announce a celebrity who has agreed to promote our 2008 NASCAR Day. With a great deal of gratitude that I get to tell everybody that Garth Brooks will be helping us to promote NASCAR Day 2008. Garth has a program called 'Healing for Kids' that demonstrates his passion for helping people and particularly children. It certainly fits right in with all fans and NASCAR fans with NASCAR Day."
Kyle Petty (NASCAR Super Star)
"We're excited to have Garth be a part of this, but don't you think it's strange that I always follow a guy who wears a cowboy hat? (referring to Garth Brooks with his cowboy hat)
"When the NASCAR Foundation started it was the perfect time in our sport. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr., Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch - so many foundations out there looking for leadership and guidance. I think that's why NASCAR with the NASCAR Foundation stepped in. We've very blessed with the Victory Junction Gang Camp. NASCAR Day is huge and the way that it has grown has been phenomenal. The foundation continues to grow and flourish. With Will Farrell and now with Garth Brooks here what it does for the camp what it does for the other foundations and what you guys do for NASCAR Day, I can't thank you enough. We look forward to it getting bigger and bigger. The NASCAR Foundation has stepped in and got it all under one umbrella so we can help millions of people in different walks of life."
Chip Foose (Hot Rod Designer, TV Show Host "Overhaulin")
Do champions have common traits and abilities and if so could you identify a few?
"I think it's a fear of failure and also they want to achieve a championship. I know that for me I want to get that car done and make somebody happy. I'm not a race car driver but as far as these guys with drive. I would say what drives them is a fear of failure. They don't want to be second. They want to be No.1. It's not just the drivers, it's the entire team, that whole crew that's behind them. They all have the same mental capacity and they all have the same goal."
Are ideas for your custom cars customer-generated or do the concepts come from within your mind?
"Ninety percent of it is mine. What typically will happen is that a customer will come in my shop. They may have been into cars back in high school and they gave up the car deals to start a business. Now they've got a successful business and they've got the money to create their dream car. And their dream car may have been a 40 Ford that they remember from high school, a convertible with a black and tan roof and pan wheels.
'I always wanted that 40 Ford and now I can afford to build it. So what do we do?'
"Look at things today and find out your favorite cars and just put together a package of about 15 or 20 cars. Then they'll come back and show me and when I'm looking at these cars I'll see a trend of something that they really like. Then I'll start doing drawings and it may not be a 40 Ford that we end up with, but I'll do 15 or 20 different new sketches of ideas.
"They'll say,' Well, I kinda like this and I kind like that and this is kinda cool.' Then I'll combine their better projections until we end up with a final design. My goal is to bring out their absolute dream car and make it a reality."
You deal with a lot of celebrities. Do champions have common traits and abilities?
"Fear of failure. That's what drives me. I had a sister that died of Progeria which is rapid aging. She passed away at the age of 16 in 1985. I was six years older than she was. To watch her grow up was a real pleasure. She was clearly an incentive to me. Never once did you hear her complain. We can go along with what seems normal. We've got a lot of normal people out there on whatever you want to call it. To watch her knowing that her life was going to end at an early age - never once did she complain. She was always positive.
When I'm going along and something goes wrong, I realize that doesn't matter in the whole scheme of things. Let's just go on, fix it and get the car done. She is truly one of my inspirations.
"Champions have drive. I think it's the fear of failure and also they want to achieve a championship. For me I want to get that car done and make somebody happy. I'm not a race car driver but as far as these guys go that drive, I would say what drives them is the fear of failure. They don't want to be second. The want to be No.1. It's not just the drivers, it's the entire team. That whole crew that's behind them. They all have the same mental capacity and they all have that same goal."
© 2008 Dwight Drum
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