Q&A: Gary Peterson

Menards Infiniti Pro Series owner-driver Gary Peterson announced that his team would make its 2004 season debut in Phoenix next week, and may expand to run two cars later in the season.

Q:
We've heard that you have an interest in fielding a two-car team in 2004 but, at this point, only one car, with you behind the wheel, will be entered in the Phoenix race next weekend. Are there plans to have a second car in 2004 at some point?

Gary Peterson:
Yeah. We ran two cars last year, for GJ Mennen and myself. And, we are actually close to having somebody in that second car for Phoenix - that's why I was a little bit late getting to the 'phone [for this interview]. We probably will have an announcement tomorrow for the second driver for the Phoenix race.

Q:
Are you saying that you will definitely have a second car at Phoenix?

GP:
Yeah, looks like it's going to happen.

Q:
Any chance we could get a second name out of you, or not?

GP:
No, I can't do it. I was trying to, but they have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Q:
I understand. You've obviously been a successful businessman with AFS. How has that helped you become a team owner in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series?

GP:
It's helped a lot. We have 350 employees here, with the different departments. Trying to keep everything together, keep everybody happy in the organisation, it's a tough situation in running this business, and also trying to run the race team. I'd like to step out of it a little bit more and have somebody else be involved a bit more, so I've been working towards that. But all in all, they're both a business, and you have to treat them as a business. That's about all I can say about it.

Q:
What are some of the challenges of being an owner-driver in such a competitive sport?

GP:
Well, just like this. I was two minutes late for your press conference. I had another call coming through. I was trying to get off. It's just last minute trying to catch an airplane to get back to Indianapolis to get everything organised. Just things change constantly in a business. Meetings come up that are important. You have to rearrange your schedule. As far as the racing part of it, driving the race car is the easy part. I think everybody that owns a team or runs a team would say that. It's hard to keep both things going at the same time.

Q:
Gary, have you ever talked to Eddie Cheever and compared notes on what it was like to be both a businessman and also a driver?

GP:
I haven't talked to Eddie directly on that. I've talked to him - I've talked to numerous other drivers in the past in my former Atlantic career that I had for ten years. I haven't talked to Eddie, but I know exactly what he went through. This is supposed to be my last year of driving. I am going to step out of the car after this season. Hopefully, that will ease up everything that goes with it, a little more pressure, and we can do better with the two-car team next year.

Q:
As an older driver, do you kind of get pleasure out of running with the young guys like Arie Luyendyk Jr?

GP:
I really do. I've got such support from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the safety team. I would step out if I wasn't competitive. Other than the accidents I've been involved with, which are out of my control, we run right up at the top with them. I do enjoy it. But I think I will enjoy stepping out, getting a young driver, working with him, bringing him up through the ranks.

Q:
Would you like to get one through the ranks to the Indy 500? Is that kind of your goal?

Q:
Yes, it is. My goal, my dream, like everybody else, was to run the Indianapolis 500. But, just with what it takes to do it, finances, the time, it isn't going to happen with me. So I think that's the only way I'd be able to live my dream, is to do that. A great friend of mine passed away last week, Louie Unser. Louie and I were tight. He started me in this racing career I have. You know, we talked about it. Louie wasn't able to drive it, but he lived his dream in bringing up his brother and the other people he's been involved with.

Q:
Going back to kind of the balance between being an owner and driver, do you feel on race weekend it's almost a sense of relief to get to the racetrack and finally get in the race car? Is that really your get-away?

GP:
Yes. That's exactly right. When I get to the racetrack, you go in that zone every driver talks about, and I forget about the business. Basically, I focus on racing. For me, I mean, my blood pressure drops, everything gets in slow motion. It's great euphoria. It is a release for me from this business.

Q:
Did you become a race car driver and then an owner? What was first?

GP:
Well, they kind of started at the same time. I started racing in the desert; off-road racing, motorcycle racing, like most of us did in California. Rick Mears, Roger Mears, a whole bunch of us started here. I had a sponsorship, but it wasn't enough. So I actually started my own business to go racing. That is kind of how I did it. The business got larger and larger, what always happens in the business, you run out of time, have the money, but you don't have time to do what you love. Time just slipped by since I started.

Q:
Thank you very much, Gary. We appreciate you joining us on today's call. See you next week down in Phoenix.

GP:
Thank you.