It’s commonly known in racing circles that I’m a disciple of B.J. Parker. The Southern All Star Series founder hired me many years ago and was a major contributor to my racing business and, more importantly, life education until the day he died in April 2011.

I have deservedly given B.J. much of the credit for where I am today in the racing world. But a great part of working for B.J. was the staff he already had in place when I came to work with the Southern All Stars. Of course, there was my MORE

I’ve heard a lot of racers — usually old geezers — say that you have to slow down to go fast. Believe it or not, a simple Google search of that phrase actually results in a slew of websites geared toward modern business practices. After a quick read through, you notice that most point to the same thing.

Slowing down relieves stress, eliminates mistakes and in the long run actually helps businesses gain productivity. That’s the overwhelming sentiment of the articles I read.

One website even MORE

Dale McDowell sat in a booth at Western Sizzlin in Rainbow City, Ala., on a cold January day in 1996. It was dreadfully dreary outside. Gray and overcast, the sun never managed to come out from behind a steady stream of rolling clouds.

Just a few hours earlier, the Chickamauga, Ga., driver had been competing in the Ice Bowl at Talladega (Ala.) Short Track.

“We need to work on our cold weather program,” quipped McDowell as he sat waiting for his food.

Whether or not he was serious is hard to MORE

Growing up, I always looked forward to March. It had nothing to with baseball — major league games were hardly on television back then anyway — and I hadn't quite grasped the concept of March Madness. Though I'm a huge basketball fan, the first NCAA tournament I remember watching was in 1982. I remember watching on the floor at my grandfather's house as some young kid named Michael Jordan helped North Carolina win the national championship that year. I was just 12.

Long before then, however, MORE