NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Calinoff’s Capsule Comments
Matt Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan to victory at Daytona...
Mike Calinoff  |  Posted July 06, 2011   Concord, NC
Teammates David Ragan (6) and Matt Kenseth (17) draft together in last Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
I wasn’t very good at sports when I was growing up. In fact, during my brief stint with Little League Baseball, I played a typically uneventful right field — right along some other kid who was probably just as bad as I was. Two guys playing one position, and we still let balls drop. So I knew early on, that sports was not for me. However, I still enjoyed watching a good professional contest.

During the early 1980s, when the New York Islanders were a hockey dynasty, I was a season ticket holder and was fortunate enough to see my favorite team win four consecutive Stanley Cup titles and was present at every final game.

I couldn’t tell you exactly how each game unfolded, but I have vivid memories of each post-game on-ice celebration. The jubilation, the fist-pumping and high-fives amongst the players was amazing to watch. It really gave you a sense how teamwork worked. In some sense though, I was a little jealous that I never had the physical skills to be part of something like that.

But that changed when I was finally able to experience it as a team member in NASCAR.

I had won a good number of races as a spotter in the ranks of the NASCAR Modifieds, but it wasn’t until 2000, when Matt Kenseth won his first race — the Coca-Cola 600 — that I truly was able to experience the meaning of teamwork. Even after 11 years, I can still recount every step that I took to make my way to victory lane and nearly every flash bulb that blinded me. The high-fives, the hugs and handshakes became validation that people working together toward a common goal feels really good.

On Saturday night, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan showed a different level of teamwork. Two competitors, although from the same organization, made a pact several weeks ago that they would work together to achieve the best possible results for each other. The result was a one-two finish with David winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. And what made it sweeter was the teamwork factor.

I’m still not totally sold on the whole tandem drafting program. From a spotter's perspective, it’s pretty crazy having to give quick nuggets of information while the drivers are having a conversation. The timing elements were very challenging at times.

A few weeks ago in Michigan, Matt and the No. 17 team finished second with a car that was arguably the one to beat. It was the most disappointing second-place finish that I’ve ever experienced. Finishing second to the No. 6 team on Saturday was undoubtedly the most rewarding second-place finish of my career. To have helped a teammate and be a part of his first Sprint Cup Series win was simply fantastic.

And proved once again, that teamwork works.

Mike Calinoff is the Spotter for Matt Kenseth (NSCS), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (NNS) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (NCWTS). A 20-year veteran of the sport, Calinoff has many business interests in NASCAR and is the owner of the SouthEast Limited Late Model Series. In addition to spotting, writing for SPEED.com and FordRacing.com, Mike can be heard each week on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 every Wednesday with Dave Moody at 6 PM ET. An engaging figure with race fans, Calinoff regularly runs contests on his Facebook Fan Page for fans to win race tickets and pit passes to NASCAR events. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeCalinoff, join his Fan Page or visit his website. He can be reached at mike@mikecalinoff.com.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of Mike Calinoff and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, SPEED, Roush Fenway Racing, Kevin Harvick, Inc., Ford or Diageo.
mike_calinoff's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Calinoff

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.