Looking Back...

This time last year I was coming off of my NASCAR Camping World Truck series debut at Martinsville Speedway. Its hard to believe that was all just a year ago...

So much has happened since then. You never know in this sport where you will end up. My debut was with Missouri based team, Mittler Brothers and sponsor Go-Parts.com. It was like a dream come true for a Missouri boy to race for the same team that was a part of the careers of Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray among many others.

We struggled in practice but, it was my first time in a NASCAR truck and my first time at Martinsville Speedway. I had a lot to learn that Friday in just two 55 min practice session so thank God the rain held off. We got things dialed in and qualified in on time at P27. Qualifying on time for your debut is a big deal especially with a smaller team.

I remember that it was hard to be nervous as the excitement of running my first race trumped all of my other emotions. The race was 250 laps, more than I've ever run, and I was going to be doing live pit stops for the first time. My crew chief, Tripp Bruce, and the Mittler Brother guys gave me a great truck on race day and we consistently charged through the field. At about half way I was riding in the top 15. Toward the end of the race I got all the way up into the top five which was exceeding everyone's expectations. Little did I know, that run toward the front would be what put my name on the map. Unfortunately, I got tangled up in a wreck and cracked an oil cooler which eventually cut our race short by 7 laps.

I learned a lot that day. I learned about the race truck, the track, working with a different team, but most of all I learned about myself and what it takes to succeed in NASCAR. We didn't know when my next race would be or with who because it was about finding sponsors and a team with an open seat. But we put our nose to the grind stone and just kept diggin'...