Sellers Brothers Racing - On A Shoestring

Team members unloaded the car they had worked on all year long. Compared to the Gibbs, McAnally and Ken Schrader teams, Peyton's crew was woefully under-equipped.

The engine had been in the car for 10 races, since it was replaced after the Iowa blowup. Even with borrowed springs, they had only a handful of suspension options compared to those being carted out of the rolling garages that surrounded them.

"If I had more money I'd buy more parts. I'd love to put the car on a seven-post shaker or on a pull-down rig and get a better idea what we need to do with the suspension.

"Those are the things I'd change. But even with more money-or if I got an opportunity to move up-I'd want H.C. to go with me. I didn't have him last year and I really found out how much I rely on him.

"The BMR guys are great and they gave me good cars. All I had to do was fly in and put on my helmet. But H.C. knows me better than anyone."

Peyton and H.C. were sitting on the fender inside their trailer. Lunch was being served off the top of a toolbox and the crew dropped in and out of the strategy session.

H.C. held a coil spring in his hand as they discussed options for qualifying.

It was an impound race that would be run nearly 30 hours into the future. On qualifying day, the track was baking in the California sun, but the next day's 250-lap Showdown would take place after dark, when the track cools and tightens up.

There are only so many options available. Springs. Wedge. A bit more forward bite.

They talked for 20 minutes without seeming to come to any conclusion.

"We don't have time to make any mistakes," H.C. explained, "so we tend to think about things a lot. I try to give Peyton all the possible options. The big thing is to fix the biggest problem first, then we can work on the little things later, during the breaks in the race."

Two hours later Sellers qualified Ninth at 96.825 mph. Caisse was on the pole with a run of 98.517 mph, followed by Logano at 98.253 mph.

"Not bad for today," said H.C. "We'll see what it's like tomorrow night."

"I never anticipated what it would be like to do this. Last year all I did was show up and drive. This year, I have a hand in every nut and bolt on the car.

"There is so much work, from making sure the brakes on the truck are in good condition to working with my mother on getting motel rooms set up for the crew.

"When I started the season, I figured on doing just three or four races. But then things came along that let us go on. Whenever something happened and I needed a bit more money to make the next race, something else happened that I got it."

At just before 7:30 p.m., H.C., wearing one of his brother's driving suits, climbed on top of the team war wagon to help choreograph the night's run.

There were two 10-minute pit stops scheduled, and a very short list of what a team could do during them.

"We've got to be smart about how we use our time," H.C. said. People are watching.

The race was carried live on Speed Channel and officials from Toyota were in the trackside suites looking for young talent. Toyota began sponsoring the race five years ago as a way to open the door to racing in NASCAR.

"We don't hire drivers," explained Les Unger, national manager for Toyota Motorsports. "But we do look for talent that we might recommend to our teams."

Sellers was hoping to be on the list.

By lap 10 he had moved up three spots to Sixth. Ten laps later, he was running Fifth.

The race became a short-track wreckfest, with 13 caution flags for 61 of the 250 laps. Sellers managed to avoid all the carnage, then slapped another car with his right rear while scrubbing tires during a caution.

"What was that all about Peyton?" asked his spotter.

"It's really loose," Sellers answered, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

"We're Okay," his spotter radioed. "No tire rub. Just some bodywork hanging."

Caisse led for the first 74 rounds until he connected with a lapped car and came in on the end of a wrecker. Californian Mike Duncan took the lead for the next 79 laps, but lost it on lap 155 when Brian Ickler dove low in heavy traffic and passed four cars in a single corner.

But once Logano took the lead on lap 164, he never lost it.

Sellers tried to catch him a couple of times but could never match the power of the teen's fresh engine. He had one final shot at the leader when the field formed up behind Logano for a green-white-checker finish.

"Sure I would have liked to win, but anytime a team like this can finish behind a driver like Logano in a car prepared by Gibbs, it's a victory.

"It's not a bad way to end a season.

"I just hope people out there were paying attention."