How to Win Five in a Row

Five in a Row
To win five sporting events in a row is an amazing feat. There has not been a Triple Crown winner in horse racing in 30 years. To win a Superbowl in football takes winning at least three in a row and is celebrated as one of the great accomplishments in all sports each year. To win a World Series requires winning four games, although they do not have to be in a row: just the best of seven. So when Ron Hornaday won his fifth consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Race on Saturday, I watched in awe.
There is so much that has to happen to win just one race. So many things can go wrong, and so many things have to go right. There are 36 other trucks on the track, all hoping to make it to Victory Lane. Equipment can break or malfunction. The pit crew can make mistakes. A driver can be caught up in an accident beyond his control. Thousands of other things can happen to take a car out of the race or put it behind the leader.
So what does a driver have to do to win five in a row? First he has to have awesome equipment. He must have engines with outstanding horsepower. The handling on the truck has to be spot on. Pit stops need to be fast. All of these things have to happen, and the driver has to believe he is a winner. In fact, on a racing team everyone has to believe. The guys in the shop who prepare the truck for the race, the people in the engine department, squeezing the last bit of power out of the engine while making sure it holds together for the entire race, the driver himself—all need to believe.
To be able to do this five consecutive times is historic. In fact, it has never been done in this series and has not been done in any of NASCAR’s major touring series since 1971, when NASCAR was very different from what it is today. The moral of this account is that if you believe you are a winner, you will be! The 33 team believed it was and proved it to the rest of us.
As a side note I could not be happier for Ron Hornaday and his team. About 4 years ago I was with some friends in Mooresville, NC at this little, hole-in-the-wall, local bar to listen to a band and relax on a Saturday night when a guy tapped me on the shoulder, asking for help to move a table. I said, “No problem” and “Man, you look like Ron Hornaday.” He replied, “I am,” and we ended up talking for awhile. I can tell you that he is as down to earth and as much a gentleman as anyone I have ever met. He has all the humble qualities someone needs to make history like he has. In my book he deserves the accolades. I congratulate the 33 team! They proved to me that if a person believes, he can achieve.

Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”-unknown