Canadian Press
6/8/2005 5:33:22 PM
Very few Canadians have managed to break into NASCAR, which is what makes Marty Gaunt's unlikely journey from a Canadian Tire service manager in Richmond Hill, Ont., to part-owner of a Trucks Series team all the more amazing.
Born in London, England and raised in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill, Gaunt's love of racing grew from watching older brother John whiz around the racetrack.
At 13, Marty became a crew member on his brother's team. At 17, he got his own ride and drove for five years, until funding his car became too difficult.
''I think I just paid off the last loan two years ago,'' Gaunt quipped during an interview Wednesday. ''Racing will suck a lot of money really quick. It really wasn't that hard a decision. When I look back upon it, you never realize what's going to turn out later in life.''
It was then he decided that he belonged on the business and technical sides of racing, setting upon a road that would lead him to stints with greats like Roger Penske, Karl Haas and Michael Kranefuss and, eventually, into an owners' chair.
His business savvy was on display Tuesday, when he helped complete a deal that should inject new life into his team. Thomas C. DeLoach, Jr., who takes over as majority owner, and Jeff Hammond bought out Dan and Karen Whitt and changed the team's name from Clean Line Motorsports to Red Horse Racing LLC. Gaunt retained his share.
''I really love the challenge of the business-side of racing,'' said the 39-year-old Gaunt. ''It's become such big business. Putting corporate deals together and building the team is what I look forward to when I get up in the morning.''
Gaunt's career got rolling once he shed the racing helmet for good, becoming the crew chief for his brother's team, which by then was running in CASCAR. A few years later, he took over as crew chief for Peter Gibbons of Stouffville, Ont., who was driving in the ARCA and Sportsman circuits.
That gave the careers of both Gaunt and Gibbons a boost by exposing them to higher-level racing in the United States, but it wasn't easy. Both were still working day jobs to make ends meet.
''We used to drive 24 hours to get to Daytona (to race) and come back at four in the morning, take a shower and go to work at Canadian Tire,'' Gaunt recalled, laughing. ''We'd try to come in and look like we'd been asleep on the weekend.
''I was working during the day to support my bad habit at night.''
In 1995, Gibbons decided to move his team to Mooresville, N.C., and take a shot at NASCAR's Busch Series. Gaunt decided to follow him south and the decision changed his life.
Mingling with the real movers and shakers in stockcar racing's heartland, Gaunt began making critical connections that would later serve him well. When Gibbons lost his sponsor after the 1996 season, Kranefuss/Hass Racing hired Gaunt as its general manager.
''I guess it was the right time, the right place,'' Gaunt said. ''If Peter would have never moved south and I would have never got down here, my opportunity would probably have never come around.
''It's really, really hard for a Canadian to break into it down south. If you know someone, you grab onto them and do whatever you have to do.''
Penske later took over the team, first buying out Kranefuss and then Haas, and Gaunt immediately fell under his influence. He was impressed by the way Penske ran his team and remembers one meeting that ran eight hours and included three separate meals.
''I learned so much that day from Roger about how he does business and how to treat people and what business is all about - people,'' Gaunt said. ''You can buy all the nicest equipment but you can't get anything done without people and he's really big on that.
''That really fit into my way of thinking and my way of management.''
Gaunt went on to have stints with Robby Gordon and Kyle Petty before getting into business with the Whitts, whom he met in June 2003.
The Whitts were seeking a Trucks Series ride for their 19-year-old son Brandon and Gaunt saw potential in the youngster. Soon after Clean Line Motorsports was born with Brandon Whitt behind the wheel of a McMillan Homes/Cure Autism Now truck. The team set up shop in Mooresville before the 2004 season and finished 19th in the standings in its rookie year.
''The whole plan has been to build this team and to build a young driver,'' Gaunt said. ''You try to look into the crystal ball and say where is it going and what's happening. Brandon is now coming into his own, especially this year.''
Through eight races Whitt is 26th out of 53 drivers this season, a victim of accidents the past three races. He was running second at the UAW-GM Ohio 250 with 27 laps to go when a blown tire knocked him out. At the Quaker Steak and Lube 200, he was sixth with five laps left when another blown tire ended his day.
That's around the time talks between the Whitts and DeLoach, a former colleague of Gaunt's with Penske, and Hammond began.
''We sat down a few weeks ago and said, `How do we get to the next level? We've got fast trucks, Brandon is coming along but how do we get stronger?''' said Gaunt. ''Like anything else, when you get stagnant you get behind in a real hurry.
''So we decided let's look at doing a different ownership group.''
Friday's Chex 400 in Fort Worth, Texas will be the team's first race under the Red Horse name. Gaunt believes the team is now positioned for better things down the line.
''The long-term goal would obviously be to run (Nextel) Cup,'' he said. ''We haven't talked a lot about that, we've talked about Trucks racing and Busch racing and we're going to see how we grow.
''These deals at this level of racing, it's all on what your marketing partners want to do.''
One thing high on Gaunt's wish list is a NASCAR race in Canada.
He feels the operational and marketing agreement signed between NASCAR and CASCAR last November will open the door for Canadian drivers down south in coming years and that a race north of the border is imminent.
''I've lobbied for it, I think it would be great,'' he said. ''I've definitely expressed my interest to people in the Trucks Series and to people at the NASCAR headquarters and given them my opinion whether they like it or not.
''I personally think we're going to race in Canada. I don't know if it's going to be in '06, I hope it is, but if not I think you're going to see it in '07.''
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Great to see one of our guys breaking into NASCAR.
Greasemonkey.
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