Kirk Shelmerdine, a four-time NASCAR champion crew chief and Dale Earnhardt’s ace-in-the-hole for so many Sundays, is back behind the wheel trying again to make his first-ever Daytona 500 as a driver. It has been more than 10 years since Shelmerdine suddenly retired as the boss at Richard Childress’ operation to try his hand at driving. Since then, he has won ARCA races and had fun and made a modest living out of his tiny shop across the street from Childress’ vast racing compound just south of Winston-Salem. Inside that nondescript, one-story shop, Shelmerdine has been pounding out the wrinkles on the Ford he’ll take to the grid here Thursday in the 125-mile qualifying races that will determine whether he finally makes the 500. In his first few days here, Shelmerdine has learned one brutal fact: “We’re behind on technology.” Shelmerdine is also behind on cars. He has two. His former boss has 62. “The car is a good car, drives OK, it’s just not that fast. The engine is better than the car right now. We don’t have any of the ‘stuff’ these other teams have to work with, and it shows. Nobody is trying to fool anybody, that’s just the way it is. We’re looking to get a spot to start, and it would be neat if we could do it.”(Winston Salem Journal)(2-10-2004)
