Ray Evernham Interview: What You Didn't Read in the Magazine!

SCR: Jeremy Mayfield has proven in the past that he's a winner, but how frustrating is it to you that as we speak he has yet to win a race for Evernham Motorsports? Is it one of those deals where you think it's just a matter of time before that team really shows what its capable of?

EVERNHAM: It really is a matter of time. I think Jeremy is going to win a couple of races before this magazine is printed; that's how close he is to winning. The main thing with Jeremy is I don't want him to get frustrated because I'm not frustrated with him. I really believe in Jeremy. He just hasn't had some things go his way. Jeremy came very close to winning about three races at the end of last year. That team is really close to breaking out.

SCR: How much of a distraction was it late in the season last year when Elliott's future was up in the air? Did you have a pretty good idea of what was going to transpire before he announced his plans to the press?

EVERNHAM: Bill kept me up to speed. I was just hoping that he would change his mind and keep driving fulltime. We really didn't know where we were going to be with Kasey, but everything ended up working out perfectly for everybody. I wish we could have gotten past that point a little earlier because I do think it was distracting for everybody. Now I hope we can find a sponsor so we can run Bill in about 10 races.

SCR: You picked up your very first victory as a NASCAR team owner with Bill Elliott at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001. How big was that after you had put so much time and effort into getting your new team off the ground?

EVERNHAM: That was really, really huge for me for a couple of reasons. I had promised Bill Elliott that if he came with me, I would get him back to victory lane. That was his first win in a long time and my first win as a team owner. I proved that I could do it. I proved that I could start something from scratch--no cars, no motors, no building and not a single damn tool--and win in my first year. We won the pole for the Daytona 500 and won a race in our first year. Things like that are important to me and I really don't care if other people notice that or not. It was just a great feeling of accomplishment for me. I'm a race fan and I've lived my life for racing. When you accomplish great things it can really be emotionally overwhelming.

SCR: It was very obvious that you were one of the players Dodge wanted to have on its side in the company's comeback to NASCAR competition. What was your initial reaction to Dodge's overtures to you?

EVERNHAM: They courted me for almost a year before I finally said yes. I told them no the first two or three times they approached me. There was no doubt it was flattering. The first time they came to me, Jeff and I were in the middle of a championship battle in 1998 that we both wanted to win so I didn't even want that on my mind. We went on to win 13 races that year. The people at Dodge were serious and there comes a time when you get older that another opportunity like that knocks only once. When it knocks for the third or fourth time and people are telling me that I really needed to consider the opportunity, I sat down and thought about it. In looking back on my decision, it was absolutely the right thing for me to do.

SCR: You obviously had a great stint as Jeff Gordon's crew chief, winning three championships and dominating the sport for several seasons. How difficult was it to walk away from Hendrick Motorsports knowing that with you and Jeff working together, it was one of the greatest driver and crew chief combinations in NASCAR history?

EVERNHAM: I hope that we are still considered as one of the best combinations in history. It was certainly one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my life. I loved Jeff like a brother and still do until this day. That made it very, very difficult. On the other hand, I had to trust my gut that was telling me I needed to do something more. I just felt like there was more that I could do. When I decided to leave, I was at the point to where I felt like we had done everything that we could do, and some of it three or four times. I was faced with an opportunity that I really questioned whether I could do this or not. I had to think whether I was willing to bet everything that I've got--my whole reputation and my financial future--that I was going to be able to do this. I have a tough time walking away from challenges like that.