Former Miami Dolphin football player Joe Auer and Barry Haefele, the general manager of Auer’s Winter Park (FL)-based company RaceCar Engineering, have formed a partnership to start a race team called Competitive Edge. It will field a car for two Busch Series races this season – at Phoenix and Homestead – and tentatively compete in a full Busch schedule in 2004. The driver will be Mike Garvey, who competed in one Busch Series race in 1993 and 13 of 28 races in 1994, with a best finish of 14th. He raced in one more Busch race in 1995, but was forced back to short-track racing due to a lack of funding. Garvey, who won Monday’s ASA race (at Elko Speedway) can’t use his favorite number, #17, but he wouldn’t mind racing #32, the number worn by Auer in his football days – if it’s available. Auer’s team is self-funded, but he is working on getting sponsorship. The 40-year-old Garvey has always wanted to return to the Busch Series, saying “I feel like I had unfinished business.’ (Miami Herald via BGNRacing.com)(9-8-2003)
