Driver Development Programs - The Road to the Top

That might be why Gibbs signed a driver-development deal with 15-year-old USAR Hooters Pro Cup racer Joey Logano last year. JGR also oversees a Hooters Cup program featuring young gun Woody Howard and facilitates a Drive For Diversity Program that it initiated with late NFL great Reggie White, featuring NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series drivers Aric Almirola and Chris Bristol.

The JGR signing of Logano, the teenage wunderkind, raised eyebrows only because Logano was a Mark Martin protg who appeared to be headed for Roush Racing. The fact he was 15 wasn't a big issue after Hendrick Motorsports signed 15-year-old Chase Austin in 2004.

"There was a lot of hoopla about Joey Logano," said de Souza. "We had been watching him, and there was a window to do something with him. We decided to step up and do that. Mike McLaughin has worked with Joey. He was very impressed. Given Joey is only 15, he's a long-term project for us.

"The age group we are primarily looking at is from 18 or 19 through the mid-20s," de Souza continued. "We look at our Busch Series and other programs as two-year programs. But it's also nice to have the diversity program and the Hooters Cup program, so we still have escalating levels to put people through depending on where they come to us."

Crocker is the current star of the Evernham driver-development stable, which also features a NASCAR diversity initiative that saw Tommy Lane compete in 18 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Late Model Stock events at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway in 2005.

Evernham has always kept a focus on his open-wheel roots, and Crocker got his attention when she became the first female to win a World of Outlaws Sprint Car race. In 2006, Evernham will have Crocker split time in the NASCAR Truck Series with a sprinkling of Busch Series events.

"Erin came in this season and ran some ARCA races. Now we have a set plan for her many years in a row and eventually in a Cup car," said Sawyer. "Erin has a great deal of speed. She has the raw speed. We just have to take the time to be able to try to race side by side with the 42 other cars, whether it's at Richmond at 120 mph or Daytona at 200 mph."

While getting comfortable in the seat and eventually winning races is paramount to a driver's success on the track, performance off the track with the media and sponsors have young drivers up on the wheel as well.

"It's a performance-driven business," said Sawyer. "You have to be marketable enough for a sponsor to want to get on board. People see the potential in the stock, if you will. Everyone buys into it, and the stock grows. That's what you do with an Erin Crocker or a Kasey Kahne. You see great potential in them at a young age and hopefully, as an organization, we do the right things to make sure they are successful not only on the racetrack, but that the sponsor is getting their return for their dollar off the track as well."

"At the end of the day, if a driver can win races and he's not an idiot, he's marketable," said de Souza. "While sponsors want drivers who can speak, what they really want is someone who can win races. At Joe Gibbs Racing, we look for a certain person anyway, someone we know is going to be a good fit for us. That's a pretty quick read. I can tell soon after I meet these guys if this is going to be the kind of person we want at Joe Gibbs Racing. You can tell at first glance at how they walk in, how they handle themselves, where their heart is."

In an effort to make sure the candidates are marketable, both teams rely on sponsor media training to smooth out the rough spots.

"Our marketing people put seminars on with our drivers, making sure that they understand that not every day is a great day at the racetrack," said Sawyer. "We've got to make sure we get the message across to the fans and the media. We're in the entertainment business, and we have to move product."

All Gibbs driver-development candidates also participate in a personal strength and conditioning program, and the diversity candidates at both JGR and Evernham take on additional duties in the race shop.

Sawyer and de Souza admit to getting hundreds of resums for all kinds of positions. While it might not be the most effective way to get noticed, it still works, according to Sawyer.

"You have to do your homework," he said. "Be out there, be seen. Get to the races and introduce yourself. I see a lot of young drivers at Busch Series races walking around with resums, shaking hands. That's good. If you're a local racer, there's a good chance Ray might be at your event the weekend of a Busch and Cup race near you, especially if it's a Sprint Car race."

In the end, it's not where you come from that might be the most important element of getting involved in a Cup/Busch development program, but rather where you want to be in the future, according to de Souza.

"Are they really focused, are they really dedicated, and are they wiling to pay the price to do what they want to do? That's what we are really looking for," said de Souza. "We are a people-development business. We decided that if we were going to grow people, whether it be crewchiefs, mechanics, crew personnel and drivers, we needed to focus on training people and giving them a chance to grow with us. We looked at the development program initially from a driver perspective, but we quickly realized that we could expand it well beyond that. I think that's been a big bonus for everyone."