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Steadman Marlin, son of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing star, Sterling, appears to also have a bright future in NASCAR racing. But, if driving a racecar doesn’t work out, he could become a standup comic. At the very least, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy could visit the young, rising Busch star for a little fresh material.

At the Marlin family race shop located on Sterling’s farm near Columbia, Tennessee, and later at Sam Hill’s Restaurant in Columbia, Steadman held court for reporters who showed up for a meet and greet sponsored by the Nashville Superspeedway. Steadman will race in the June 10^th Federated Auto Parts 300 at NSS. Sterling, who was also scheduled to make an appearance, was detained in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where he was working on a multimillion dollar land deal.

Steadman seemed relieved his dad was out of pocket.

“Hey,” Steadman grinned, “dad didn’t tell me he wasn’t going to be here, but that’s okay, cause after you guys (the press) leave, maybe I won’t have to go back to work on the farm today.” Although Steadman says he isn’t fond of farming, the work can, according to his dad, have a positive affect on his racing career. Steadman quipped, “I raced at the Fairgrounds last week and 30-laps into the race my neck was hurting from the g-forces. I told dad that we needed to get a weight set so I could work out to get stronger. He told me that my weight set was lifting hay bales and if I lifted enough of ‘em, I’d be plenty strong.”

About his chosen profession of racing Steadman said it was easy when it came time to decide on a career path.

“I was too small to play football and farming sure isn’t my cup of tea, so racing seemed like a logical choice,” he drawled in his pleasant voice that soundly hints of his southern roots.

Steadman realizes that his famous last name has been associated with racing for over 50-years.

“It has opened some doors for me and that’s a fact,” he said, “Mr. Earl (Sadler) gave me a chance to race his Busch car and I’m sure my last name didn’t hurt any. But, there are times when it doesn’t matter what your name is, especially in a race at around 200 mph. So, name recognition has its limitations.”

When asked over lunch what he thought of his dad retiring in a few years from NASCAR Cup racing, he deadpanned, “Ah, he’s talking about getting in a motor home and traveling around the country with mom for an entire year and man, do I hope he does it. He’d probably leave a list ten feet long of things that need to be done on the farm. Dad’s really good about leaving a list of things that need to get done while he’s off racing somewhere. We have around ten pieces of equipment including bulldozers, backhoes, tractors and other things, so he figures we should get a lot of work done. I told him we need more workers, not more equipment. But that’s okay, ‘cause we generally get it done anyway.

Farming is relaxing to dad, so he pitches in when he’s home. It sometimes has mixed results on the relaxing part. Like when he turned a dump truck over the other day and was raising cane about the tow truck guys bending the frame. Of course, I’m sure the bent frame didn’t have anything to do with him turning it over.”

Steadman said his deal with Sadler Racing is going pretty well and a sponsorship for a couple more races this year has just been signed. The deal, he said, could possibly lead to a full time Busch deal next year.

“Going racing full time would be alright with me,” he admitted with a grin.

Then maybe Steadman, like his dad, would find farming….relaxing.

So that’s how MCM ended up with heat races

Actor Luke Perry, Dylan McKay of Beverly Hills 90210, dropped the green flag for the Nextel Cup race at Darlington last Saturday night. Before then, he spent the day talking with fans, stopping by race teams and letting everyone know his plans for improving NASCAR. From the advice he gave maybe he’s the guy who stopped by Music City Motorplex a few years ago and gave the same advice to Joe Mattioli and Jack Deery.

"I believe that a lot of these races are too long," Perry said. "I'd like them to go with a multi-race format in one day, race two heats and have 10 cars in the finals.”

We were wondering who the slick looking guy giving advice to the MCM boys was. Maybe it was Perry. After all MCM does have heat races, but of late the final has more than ten cars….thankfully.

UPS, what is up with their plans?

The absence of UPS at a recent Michael Waltrip press conference could be a good sign for Robert Yates Racing.

UPS was not involved as Waltrip announced to the racing world the signing of Dale Jarrett, from Yates’ team, to drive an as yet un-numbered Toyota Camry in 2007 and 2008, according to a report from Circletrack.com.

Adding mystery to revelation, Waltrip had to correct himself after first answering questions concerning UPS. "Our teams have sponsorship for our cars in'07 and '08. Beyond that anyone in the garage area would be proud to have UPS as a sponsor of their car. This isn't about UPS. This is about Michael Waltrip signing Dale Jarrett to drive our cars. We have a sponsor for my car. We have a sponsor for Dale's car." That is where Waltrip stumbled. A misstep he corrected at the first opportunity. "We have sponsorship for my car. We have sponsorship for a second car. I said Dale's car and I didn't mean that," Waltrip explained. Is there a third car in the works or has Waltrip been lucky enough to sign a sponsor who would love to have Jarrett as their driver but is willing to accept another driver should UPS make the decision to sign with Michael Waltrip Racing? Waltrip has entered into a five-race agreement with Burger King and driver Bill Elliott for 2006, which might be a precursor to a full deal with either Jarrett or another drive in '07. Jarrett just might be the next Burger King on the racetrack, or maybe Waltrip is trying to lure Joe Nemechek, the first driver to campaign full time on the NEXTEL circuit for the chain into the Toyota fold. While Toyota has talked of not going beyond the three organizations they've already announced, Bill Davis, Red Bull and Michael Waltrip Racing there has been nothing said that limits the number of cars each organization might run on the track. The only limit is the four-car limit imposed by NASCAR. "NASCAR's pretty much said you need four," interjected Jarrett, when the possibility of a third car was raised. "That's the business model they've created. Obviously, we're smart enough to see that if we had four teams we could operate more efficiently. We've e two teams sponsored. We have two drivers. We might have another. We might not. I don't know. That's the truth and that's as fair as I can say it."

***

Darlington is a truly unique racetrack that was built in a truly unique way. To think about gravel salesman and peanut farmer Harold Brasington driving his own bulldozer through these woods and building a racetrack in the middle of nowhere is a scene straight out of "Field of Dreams." Any stock car racing fan gets excited just by saying the word “Darlington”. But the “Lady in Black” also has a mesmerizing affect on racecar drivers as well.

Indy Car legend Johnny Rutherford, in a conversation about Darlington, where he made two of his rare NASCAR starts, both in 1981, got so excited he actually scooted up to the edge of his folding chair in Gasoline Alley and started staring off into space as he talked. "Darlington is the only track that I can compare to Indianapolis. You don't even think of it as a place, but more like a person. It is a privilege to race there, and you feel like you should thank her for letting you do so. There aren't many places in this sport where as you ride along, you can't help but think about the tire tracks that you are following in. It's scary and exciting all at the same time."

And this is from a guy who won the Indy 500 three times.

So why is it that there always seems to be a cloud of doom and gloom surrounding the track’s race schedule?

After losing one of the most famous race dates in racing history, the traditional Labor Day race at Darlington, raceway president Chris Browning is understandably apprehensive when it comes to NASCAR notifying him if there will actual be a race for the next season.

But fortunately Browning didn't have to wait nearly as long as last year to find out about his next race.

Browning got the NASCAR sanctioning agreements in the mail Friday for 2007, guaranteeing more Nextel Cup racing at "The Track Too Tough To Tame."

"So that was pretty cool," Browning said Saturday.

Browning said the format will be the same as this year and take place on Mother's Day weekend with the Busch series' Diamond Hill Plywood 200 on Friday, May 11th, and the Nextel Cup's Dodge Charger 500 on Saturday, May 12th.

Darlington had its second straight sellout for the Nextel Cup race. The Busch race on Friday night, won by Denny Hamlin, attracted about 25,000, which track officials called a Darlington record for that series.

The Nextel Cup schedule won't be released until later this year.

Even after selling out the 2005 race, Browning and his crew had to cross their fingers about the future. The track was told in July it could send out ticket renewal forms with Browning finally signing the sanctioning agreements in August.

Six-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon, a racing legend in his own right, said when he pulled into the track and saw the new, 6,300-seat Brasington Tower, he thought, "Man, they have new grandstands at Darlington, that's awesome."

"I'm happy because I like this race track, I've had a lot of success at this race," said Gordon, who finished second to Greg Biffle on Saturday night.

For NASCAR to even consider dropping the remaining race at Darlington after the poor attendance figures at some of the west coast races last season would show that the sanctioning body is indeed out of touch with their base fan. (A hint to NASCAR…your base fan ain’t in Cal-i-forny).

But, considering Darlington’s last two races were sell outs and NASCAR has already, ahead of schedule, signed Darlington up for a race for Mom’s Day weekend next year, maybe they have figured that out already. But, don’t count on it.

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