TERRY McKNELLY....#57
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JUNE 25, 2004
WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO INTERVIEW TERRY McKNELLY LAST NIGHT...
I WAS SITTING IN THE BLEACHERS WHEN JUSTIN , THE CCS ANNOUNCER CAME OVER TO ME AND TOLD ME THAT TERRY McKNELLY WANTED TO TALK WITH ME.... I SAID "AH OH, AM I IN TROUBLE?" AND JUSTIN SAID , I DON'T KNOW..ARE YOU AND LAUGHED....
TERRY WANTED TO TELL ME THANKYOU FOR THE COMMENTS I HAD WROTE ABOUT HIM AND HIS GRANDKIDS.. WAS MY PLEASURE TERRY...
ANYWAY YOU KNOW I DON'T LET ANY OPPORTUNITY SLIDE BY ME FOR AN INTERVIEW...SOOOOOOOO TERRY WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO LET ME....
TERRY McKNELLY DRIVES THE ORANGE #57 HORNET.. HE LIVES IN LOUISVILLE, ILLINOIS...
HE TOLD ME THE ONLY TRACK HE RACES IS THE CLAY COUNTY SPEEDWAY..
I ASKED HIM WHEN HE HAD STARTED RACING AND HE TOLD ME TWO YEARS AGO AT THE AGE OF 55...... I ASKED HIM WHAT HAD INSPIRED HIM TO DO SO AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD A NEPHEW THAT DROVE A BOMBER AND THAT HE GOT TO DRIVE IT ONCE AND ADDED THAT WHEN HE DID HE SPUN OUT AND IT REALLY SHOOK HIM UP....BUT.... THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK FOR HIM TO GET THE BUG AND WHEN THEY STARTED THE HORNETS CLASS HE WAS IN.....
HE TOLD ME THAT RANDY McNEELY HAS BEEN A BIG HELP TO HIM ALONG THE WAY AND THAT RAN'DY'S CREW CHIEF GREG BURKETT HAS BEEN ALSO.... SAYS HE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEIR HELP...
I ASKED HIM WHAT HE THOUGHT IT TOOK TO BE A GOOD RACE CAR DRIVER AND I LOVED HIS ANSWER... HE SIT THERE FOR A MINUTE AND SAID.."WELL...I REALLY DON'T KNOW..HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT MUCH.."... **well..just don't think about it too much Terry cause whatever you are doing..."it works"!!
I ASKED HIM WHO HIS TOUGHEST COMPETITOR WAS AND HE TOLD ME WITHOUT A DOUBT MARK PERSINGER....
ASKED IF HE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT MOVING TO A BOMBER OR OTHER CLASS AND HE TOLD ME NO..THAT HE ENJOYED IT RIGHT WHERE HE WAS AT...
THE EVENT THAT STICKS OUT IN HIS MIND THE MOST WAS IN ONE RACE WHEN HE WAS COMING AROUND TURN TWO AND JARROD PAYNE WAS IN FRONT OF HIM..HE SAID HE DID NOT SEE HIM AND RAN RIGHT INTO HIM....
IN HIS FIRST YEAR HE TOOK 2ND IN POINTS AND GOT "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR"..
HE HAS NO PIT CREW CHIEF OR PIT CREW.. PRETTY WELL IS ON HIS OWN IN THE PITS...
ASKED IF HE WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANKS TO ANYONE AND HE SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO THANK GREG BURKETT..
TERRY THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW... I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE GOT TO MEET YOU..
CJ