Starbucks, stress and sleepless nights for Ray Evernham
It's eating up Ray Evernham from the inside out. The wrecked cars. The losing. The stress. "I toss and turn a lot at night, hoping this is a bad dream," he tells David Newton.
STATESVILLE, N.C. -- The black sports-utility vehicle pulled in front of the Starbucks in Birkdale Village shortly after 6:30 a.m. just as it does almost every day when the driver is in town.
The young man working behind the counter didn't have to wait for the order.
"One venti skim latte with no foam," he said as he handed the cup to Ray Evernham.
Whether he arrived home late from a Nextel Cup race or a speaking engagement the night before or is beginning a routine day, this is the first stop for the owner of Evernham Motorsports before beginning the 20-minute drive to his shop in nearby Statesville.
"Sometimes I have Starbucks two or three times a day," Evernham said as he took a long sip. "It's one of my worst vices. Everybody has got to have something, I guess. I've always drank too much coffee."
Some might suggest Evernham, 49, needs something stronger than coffee during a season in which little has gone right for his three-car Nextel Cup organization.
He began the year by losing all three of his team directors -- Kenny Francis (Kasey Kahne) for four weeks, Josh Browne (Elliott Sadler) and Rodney Childers (Scott Riggs) for two weeks each -- to suspensions handed down by NASCAR for rule violations that he felt were unwarranted.
Then things got worse.
Kahne, who won a series-high six races and qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup a year ago, is 32nd in points with 10 finishes of 19th or worse in 12 events.
Sadler is 20th in points with three consecutive finishes of 21st or worse. Riggs is 37th in points, meaning he has to qualify each week because he's not one of the top-35 in owner's points guaranteed a place in the field.
"I toss and turn a lot at night, hoping this is a bad dream," Evernham said.
Then he wakes up and realizes it isn't, that the only way to turn things around is to focus on what he calls the "20 Things That Got Me Here." Near the top of that list is "hard work" and "doing whatever it takes."
Whatever it takes includes courting Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett Jr. as a financial partner, somebody who can take a more active role in the business side so Evernham can focus more on building cars.
It also includes hiring a stress doctor, somebody to help everybody at EMS manage the pressure and focus on the positives it will take to get back on track.
"I never thought I'd be in this position," said Evernham, shaking his head in disbelief. "For all I knew I'd still be in IROC racing modifieds. But I really feel I'm missing something leadership-wise or mentally.
"You're going to have stress. You just have to figure out how to manage it. There is an art to that, and if this can help then I'm willing to give it a try."
Familiar path
6:56 a.m. -- The Paul Schadt and Sarah Waters show on KAT Country blared over the radio as Evernham turned the ignition to begin his short journey.
"I like his show because he's a friend of mine," Evernham said.
When he's not tuned into country music Evernham listens to the NASCAR station on Sirius Satellite Radio because he likes to keep up with what fans are saying about the sport -- and his race team.
This is a tough sport. There's a lot of people wanting you to fall on your butt. Somehow, I've got to figure out how to get it better. Somehow, I've got to figure it out. I really believe I will."
Ray Evernham
"It's important to know what's on their mind because they're the ones that make us what we are," he said.
About five minutes into the drive Evernham turned off of Interstate 77 onto a twisting country road that leads through the tiny town of Troutman. He likes taking this route because there hasn't been the growth explosion here that there has been everywhere else between Birkdale and his shop.
"It sort of reminds me of the small town where I grew up," said Evernham, a native of Hazlet, N.J. "One diner. One funeral home. Everybody knows everybody."
This has become such a familiar path that Evernham recognizes many of the people who are beginning their work days at small shops that look the same now as they did when he moved into his new facility in November 2000.
"Sometimes, after we've had a good weekend, people will wave at you," Evernham said. "I guess we're lucky they're not throwing things at me now."
Hands-on approach
7:19 a.m. -- Evernham settled behind his desk in a large office overlooking the main race shop.
From here he can see everything, from the guy sweeping the floor to the people running the robotics he recently installed for long-term efficiency.
"Sometimes I'll stay back here on Fridays when the road crew is at the track and walk around when people don't expect me to be here so I can get a feel for what it's really like," Evernham said.
At times he feels disconnected. Having made his reputation as a crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports, where he teamed with Jeff Gordon to win three Cup titles, Evernham is used to being in the middle of everything.
"Sometimes you get accused of micromanaging," he said. "Then sometimes, like last year, you get accused of not being around. You're like, 'What the hell?'"
A year ago, former driver Jeremy Mayfield insinuated that Evernham spent too much time with a developmental driver in the truck and ARCA series and not enough time helping restore his team.
The riff led to Mayfield being released and an ensuing lawsuit filed by Mayfield, which eventually was settled out of court.
Sadler, who left Robert Yates Racing to replace Mayfield, has trouble believing Mayfield's charge.
"He puts in more hours than any owner I've ever been around," he said. "And he knows what's going on more than any of them. It's not 'How much money am I going to make this weekend?' It's 'How can we run good and lead laps and run up front?'
"He's just focused. This is not a hobby for him. This is his life. He's very much into it and he wants his employees to be into it. He puts his blood, sweat and tears into it and we should do the same."
The office
7:42 a.m. -- Evernham picked up the newspaper and immediately turned to the results of Sunday's race won by Hendrick Motorsports, which has won nine of the past 10 events heading into this week's race at Dover.
"The guy is just amazing," he said of his former boss, Rick Hendrick. "He's kicking our butts and everybody else's in the garage."
The office, adorned with woodwork on the walls and leather on the furniture, says a lot about Evernham. In one corner there's a cardboard cutout of Elvis Presley, not only one of Evernham's favorite singers but "somebody to talk to during the day."
In another corner is a pair of oversized boxing gloves for a man whose biggest passion outside the garage may be in the ring, which he occasionally enters for an amateur bout.
On the wall to his left is a jukebox with all of his favorite songs. On the wall in front of him is a cabinet full of die-cast cars and awards, including a plaque recognizing him as one of NASCAR's all-time great crew chiefs.
But Evernham isn't focused on the things around him. He's focused on the notes from the speech he made the night before in Philadelphia only hours after another poor performance at the track.
"In this business, sometimes you get down on yourself," Evernham said. "It's probably good to go do something like that after a bad day. In a way, these people pump you up. And sometimes you need pumping up.
"Let's face it. I feel we've done a terrible job this year."
Evernham put on his glasses and slowly began transferring his speech notes from a small pad onto a larger one.
"Sometimes, there's not enough brain capacity, so I always write things down on these little pads," he said.
A few minutes later, he began sorting through mail and memos, tossing those that were completed in the outbox on the left-hand corner of the desk.
But his mind keeps drifting back to the race, where a mistake on pit road took Riggs out of the top 35 in points.
"If we didn't have that loose wheel he'd still be in the top 35," Evernham said. "Stuff like that drives me crazy."
'It wears you out'
7:58 a.m. -- Rick Russell, the general manager and chief financial officer at EMS, walked by Evernham's office.
"He's my right-hand guy," Evernham said as he shouted good morning.
Evernham then whirled his chair around to the computer facing the shop. He pulled up his schedule that will take him away from the office for most of the week, which has become the norm.
I'm trying to be more patient, but it eats me up. You want everything you want right away and it kills me when it doesn't happen.
Ray Evernham
"It wears you out," he said. "You can't do all the business stuff I do and be involved in the mechanical side. We are lean right now compared to teams we are competing against.
"I'd like to do more, but it's hard for me to jump out of here and help with all the fires we have going. My main goal here is to identify the issues and get them all fixed."
Evernham then reached into his drawer and pulled out thank-you notes to send to people he met during the weekend. He ripped up the second one before he'd written two words and tossed it in the trash.
"I spelled Michael wrong," he said. "They should just call him Mike, huh?"
Before getting to the third one he stopped to call the stress coach, whose first visit was scheduled for the following day. From there it was a series of phone calls before Russell returned for a meeting.
"Somehow, we've got to figure out how to get it better," he said.
Earnhardt vs. Gordon
10:46 a.m. -- Evernham entered the race shop that housed the original No. 9 Dodge driven by Bill Elliott to do a television interview.
He was as comfortable on camera as he used to be barking out orders as a crew chief on the in-car radio.
"When you've got something good to talk about, it's easy," he said.
This was easy. Most of the interview was about his years with Gordon, who recently passed Dale Earnhardt for sixth place on NASCAR's all-time wins list.
Evernham was diplomatic comparing the two stars, making sure to give each their credit. He recalled how much fun, despite the pressures to succeed, he had during the Gordon years.
"Those are memories you treasure forever," he said.
Evernham thought he'd have more memories to treasure as an owner by now. The spot in the lobby he reserved for his first Cup title remains empty.
The memories didn't get any better as Evernham moved through the garage, pointing to the car Kahne drove into the wall a day earlier.
"We've wrecked a lot of cars this year," he said.
Evernham continued through the shop, stopping occasionally to visit with employees. If he had a choice, he'd be under the hood with them getting his fingernails dirty.
He'd also like to spend more time riding through the country on his motorcycle or pursuing hobbies such as fishing and boating like a lot of other owners, but that's not in his nature.
"I would like to have somewhat of a normal life," he said. "But I've made promises to people."
Stress management
12:33 p.m. -- A punching bag and speed back hang from a platform under the staircase inside the garage.
Evernham often works out here when he breaks for lunch before going to the gym, but on this day he heads straight for a stationary bike for 20 hard minutes of cardio and another 20 minutes of abdominal exercises.
"This helps get rid of the stress," he said.
Halfway through the workout Evernham walked to a cabinet and began playing with the radio dial.
"I can only take so much of this head-banging music," he said, changing the station to hip-hop music that didn't sit well with him either.
Evernham works with the same energy and drive in the weight room as he does in the boardroom. He likes showing the younger guys he can keep up, too, bragging about how he held his own during a midsummer outdoor run last year.
But when the workout was over he didn't stand around for idle chat. It was back for a quick shower and the rest of a hectic schedule that included a conversation with Gillette, a company he hopes to have a deal finalized with in the next three months.
He also had serious discussions with management about possible reorganizing their resources.
"It's one of those days where you don't get any lunch," Evernham said.
Moving forward
5:30 p.m. -- While his teams scurried to get ready for the second half of a long day of testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Evernham stood in the back of Kahne's hauler and observed.
He doesn't always come to tests such as these, but he did on this day because he wanted to talk to Kahne about his recent run-in with David Stremme. He also wanted to chat with Sadler and Browne about some communication breakdowns on pit road.
I would like to have somewhat of a normal life. But I've made promises to people.
Ray Evernham
"The key thing is to try to get everybody to try harder to focus on the positives," Evernham said. "Like with Kasey, there's nothing he can do about what's happened so far. I told him life is good and we're going to figure this thing out."
Evernham isn't a patient man by nature. He's never had to be, winning his first championship with Gordon three years after they were paired and two more before leaving to form his own team in 1999.
"I'm not a person that likes to wait for the cake to rise," he said. "I'm trying to be more patient, but it eats me up. You want everything you want right away and it kills me when it doesn't happen.
"It kills me. Sometimes I just can't take that, but I know I have to. No matter how bad you want a baby, it's still going to take nine months."
EMS is Evernham's baby. He hurts when the company fails just as a father hurts when a son falls and scrapes his knee.
"I still don't think of these guys as they're mine and I own all of these cars," Evernham said. "It's more like they're working for the company and I work for the company, too.
"I never had anything the whole time I raced. I raced to win and to prove I was better than the other guy. It's the same thing here. I just want to prove we're as good as the Rick Hendricks and Jack Roushes and be one of the top organizations."
Evernham looked out the back of the hauler once again as the cars headed for more testing. There is determination in his eyes and much more work to be done although the day is more than 12 hours old.
"This is a tough sport," he said. "There's a lot of people wanting you to fall on your butt. Somehow, I've got to figure out how to get it better. Somehow, I've got to figure it out.
"I really believe I will."
David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.
