I'll admit it, I generally cheer for the underdog.
As rough around the edges as some people think I am, I can just as easily turn into a soft-hearted guy over a feel-good story.Though I love watching basketball, football and baseball (by the way, I'm proud to be a Cubs fan, I've waited a long time for them to win as often as they are this year), my favorite sport is auto racing.
Particularly stock cars.
That being said, I have a lot of respect for everyone involved with ML Motorsports.
If you're not familiar with ML Motorsports, here's a brief history lesson.
It's a Warsaw-based stock car team that was founded in 1998 by Mary Louise Miller and her daughter, Stephany Mullen. The team started out by competing in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series.
During the 2006 season, ML Motorsports competed in its first Nationwide Series, formerly the Busch Series, race.
So far this season, the team has competed in six Nationwide Series races, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at Talladega (one spot ahead of my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and a fourth-place qualifying effort the following week at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. The team's driver, Mark Green, also turned the fastest lap in the two-hour practice session at Richmond, beating Nextel Cup stars like Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle.
One of the things I admire most about ML Motorsports is that the majority of the team members are from the area.
While Green comes from an established racing family, with brothers Jeff and David Green both former Nationwide Series champions, it's the hard-working, homegrown team members that make ML Motorsports go.
Guys like Tony "Toad" Barnes, Tim "Flounder" Frantz, Jeremy "Flip Flop" Marsh, Tony "Jr." Baker and Mike Neer that work in the spacious 40,000-square-foot shop every day.
It's the over-the-wall pit crew guys like Mike Shingledecker, Craig Barnes, Ken Nisly and Andy Willis, guys that grew up or currently live in Kosciusko County, who are the backbone of the team.
It's guys like Brian Ross, Darren Drake, Mark Gutekunst and Eric Sainer, guys who didn't grow up in our county or don't currently live in our county, but devote their time to making the No. 70 Chevy as fast as it can be.
While some of the well-known teams in the southeastern part of the country have hundreds of full-time employees, ML Motorsports employs fewer than 12 full-timers.
Everything this team has been able to accomplish, whether it be their six wins in the ARCA Series or the fifth-place finish in the Nationwide Series at Talladega, has come through vision, hard work and determination.
Being 12 hours away from the Charlotte, N.C. area, the hub of stock car racing, could be viewed as a disadvantage by some. The guys at ML Motorsports, though, just keep forging ahead.
Nowadays, there is a certain excitement that hangs over the shop, located just off U.S. 30 on 500W.
Frantz told me a week ago that part of that excitement is because of the new enthusiasm Ross brings as crew chief.
Those who are familiar with local race car drivers know who "Flyin Brian" Ross is.
This past Saturday I went over to Plymouth Speedway and watched as Ross led 91 laps of the Jim Blount Memorial. After starting on the outside of row three, he took the lead on lap nine and never looked back. In two of three weeks Plymouth Speedway has been open this season, Ross has turned the quickest qualifying lap.
He won the prestigious Jim Blount Memorial after rebuilding his car because of a big wreck the week before.
Ross is a throwback to the early days of NASCAR. There's nothing he can't do with a racecar, whether it's buidling a racecar, toting it to the track or driving it around at a high rate of speed.
Oh yeah, he wins a lot, too.
Now he's taking all his experience as a driver and using it in his new role as ML Motorsports crew chief.
In a phone conversation with Frantz last week, I tried to get a better understanding of Ross.
What Frantz told me was this, "Brian Ross is a racer. That's what he does. He eats, sleeps and breathes racing. We're very excited about having him as our crew chief."
This weekend ML Motorsports will kick off the busiest part of its Nationwide Series schedule, competing in a race Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.
ML Motorsports is scheduled to compete in seven of the next eight Nationwide Series races.
If they can continue their momentum from Talladega and Richmond, these guys are on the verge of doing something great.
This is a group of guys that this community can be very proud of.
So, if you're not doing anything Saturday at 6:30 p.m., turn your television on ESPN2 and cheer for the No. 70 car.
