| You can read stories about many things that | | | | That brings us to Norm. Essentially, he and |
| encompass a complicated racing world. This | | | | his crewchief Linda Nicholas are the team. |
| story is not a feel-sorry story. It's not a | | | | Linda does the organizational stuff such as |
| put-down story. It's definitely not anything | | | | gathering parts or administrative duties. As |
| of a negative vein. Actually, it is two | | | | she says, "I do whatever it takes at the |
| stories in one: the story of Norm Benning and | | | | time, what we need. I spot, I run the pit, I |
| how he has gotten the most out of his racing | | | | work on a car if I have to. I go over the |
| dollars. | | | | wall if I have to--whatever it takes. I do it |
| | | | all." |
| Benning is more than qualified to speak on | | | | |
| the subject of squeezing racing dollars. It | | | | With that small number of full-time team |
| hasn't always been that way for him. As Norm | | | | members comes a car inventory that is just as |
| likes to say, "I've been to the mountain." | | | | small. Unlike the upper end teams in ARCA, |
| Quite obviously, he'd like to go back there. | | | | Norm doesn't have the $500,000 to $1 |
| In the meantime, he's in the savings mode | | | | million-plus sponsorship pool of funds to |
| that got him the shot at that mountain--and | | | | work with. His sponsorship money works more |
| that keeps him racing. | | | | on a race-to-race basis, picking up local and |
| | | | regional corporate partners. Again, there's |
| Norm does his racing in the ARCA RE/MAX | | | | no pity party going on here. Norm wouldn't |
| Series, arguably the most versatile oval | | | | allow that. It's the story of Norm and Linda, |
| track series in the world. They race big | | | | running essentially two cars where other |
| tracks such as Daytona and Talladega, | | | | teams have four, six, or more. Two cars may |
| intermediates such as Michigan, Chicago, | | | | not sound too awfully bad to a Saturday night |
| Kansas City, and short tracks. They also race | | | | racer who only has one. Keep in mind that in |
| their NASCAR-clone, 3,400-pound cars on dirt. | | | | any given ARCA race, there are a number of |
| The biggest difference between NASCAR and | | | | specialists with purpose-built cars just for |
| ARCA is that the teams that run ARCA on a | | | | that track. |
| regular basis are, for the most part, much | | | | |
| smaller operations. | | | | Running a national series--even if it's only |
| | | | working on as little as two cars--has to |
| It's always been tough in ARCA, with one of | | | | require some help, and Norm has got that |
| the most grueling weekends happening a number | | | | covered. Ask Norm about keeping a crew on the |
| of years ago. Picture this scenario: Teams | | | | road and he laughs, "I know people all over |
| would race at Michigan International's 2-mile | | | | the country. We have four or five people that |
| superspeedway on a Saturday and race the next | | | | are pretty much at every race. The rest of |
| day in Illinois on a 1-mile dirt track. That | | | | them we pick up. Out at DuQuoin, I have Jack |
| meant teams like Norm's (that had only one | | | | Greenwood and family and friends that just |
| race car) had to turn a superspeedway car | | | | can't wait for me to get there. They know how |
| into a dirt car while inside the transporters | | | | to work on the race car, and they're there. |
| on the road from Michigan to Illinois. The | | | | When we go to Daytona, we have people who |
| dirt events that ARCA runs are not your | | | | work for Caterpillar down there that can't |
| average dirt races, either. They race at what | | | | wait for us to get there and race. I have |
| former ARCA champ Bob Keselowski called "The | | | | people all over the country, and they just |
| Superspeedways of Dirt." They are 1-mile flat | | | | call me and make sure I'm coming because |
| dirt horse tracks that are in Springfield and | | | | they're going to be there. When I had SoBe, |
| DuQuoin, both in Illinois. How's that for | | | | which was a major sponsorship, we had half a |
| versatility? | | | | dozen full-time people. Now we have full-time |
| | | | people, but they're volunteers." |