Q&A with Chuck Rider

Introduction: Entering his 12th season as owner of Bahari' Racing, Chuck Rider is intent on getting the team back to its accustomed status as one of the leaders in NASCAR Winston Cup racing. A graduate of Catawba College where he was a Dean's List student, Rider eventually became president and CEO of AEA Inc., a large distributor for All Pro Auto Parts. As chairman of Automotive Marketing Association (AMA), Rider oversaw operations that covered 41 states and achieved $1 billion in annual sales. He and co-owner Lowrance Harry created Bahari' Racing with Dick Bahre in 1987. Rider is still business partners with Harry at Bahari' and Preferred Power, Inc., a central distributor for Briggs & Stratton engines for five states. Rider serves as president and CEO of Bahari' Racing and Preferred Power.

Talk about the Jimmy Dean/Bryan/State Fair/Rudy's Farm sponsorship.

"Not only have we changed inside as a team, but we've changed our sponsor. We have an individual in Jerry Laner that is the CEO of the Sara Lee Meat Group that is very enthusiastic and wants to do things in a first-class way. He wants to build a great reputation in NASCAR racing. We have four companies with the Sara Lee Meat Group in Jimmy Dean, Bryan, State Fair, and Rudy's Farm. All four companies are excited about marketing their brands through racing in order to sell more products. They're very enthusiastic groups. They are achievers in their own business. They've had great success and great growth. Bahari' Racing can accomplish a lot with them."

What hindered Bahari' Racing's progress last season?

"I think we introduced too many things from the very start of the season. We had Derrike as a new driver and Doug and Derrike needed to learn to communicate. We had new rules almost immediately when we were accustomed to more downforce on the Pontiac. It was the new 'five and five' rule and we had to adjust to that. We had to learn a new SB-2 engine. There was a learning curve with that and we also introduced our new chassis program. I think we were well prepared for all of that, but when Derrike got hurt at Atlanta in the fourth race that actually eliminated us from doing any testing with the chassis. We didn't learn anything about our new chassis until we were able to test with it for the fall Charlotte race and then we won the pole there. We had a real injured driver through much of the season and we gave him as much support as possible. I think if we had to do it again, he would get out of the seat and say, 'I know they're going to support me.' I think that hurt us."

How do you feel about the 1999 season?

"I'm very excited about 1999. I think that Derrike is working out and getting himself in shape. He's not hurting like he was before. I think it's going to be a good, healthful situation when he sits in the car. I think he has believers. He has a new concept with the people behind him, like our new crew chief, Dan Glauz. Dan has tremendous knowledge and something to prove to the world. We have new individuals on our road crew. We're excited about going forward with this team that really believes in Derrike. We've probably changed nine or ten people in the organization and we feel they're young, aggressive people with good attitudes and work ethic. I think that's the key to successful teams."

How humbling can this sport be to a car owner?

"I've been in the business for 11 years and I think the lowest we'd ever been in points was 23rd. We're usually in the top-15 in the point standings. We feel like we've always had the best in equipment and people to accomplish that task. We were almost on stage at New York the year before last year and behind the stage last year. It's very humbling. It's very frustrating. It would have been so easy for someone to point fingers. But throughout the year we tried to have continuity and this team proved it could work together and on any weekend we could have success. We knew we had the ingredients to be a successful team. We had a lot of factors going against us that made us fall so far. At least we recognized those and did something about them."

What are your goals for Bahari' Racing in 1999?

"I think we can achieve a pole again. Certainly we'd like to get a couple of top-five finishes and several top-10 finishes. I think we should end up in the top-15 in the point standings. I think that is a realistic goal. I'd like to see us accomplish more, but I think after the season we had, I think those are goals we need to strive for. For us to win it would really have to be our day. Derrike certainly has won in his career. We've come close. I'm not going to predict a win until I can see how well this team gels together."

How do you feel about the state of NASCAR racing?

"I think NASCAR has been successful in the past because the majority of the competitors were composed of single-car teams. You had an equal base of competition with single-car teams. I don't see performance as a gain with multi-car teams. The gain is more through the financial side. We know you can run a second car team for probably 70 percent of what it costs to run the first team. There is then a financial gain that is then given to that owner. He can either put the dollars in his pocket or he can do more R&D with that. That is what the situation is."