Leilani Munter was 24th-fastest among 59 drivers testing an ARCA car at Daytona. Credit: Courtesy

License to drive: Munter takes laps at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Every stock car driver dreams about driving at Daytona. There is something magical about the track. Not only is it a massive 2.5 miles around, it has such a deep and storied history that just taking a few laps there is an honor.

	Leilani Munter hopes to make the ARCA race at Daytona in February. Credit: Courtesy
	PHOTO GALLERY • Leilani at Daytona

Legends are made here. Lives have been lost here. It is the place where drivers want to get their names in the history books.

I would be willing to bet that every stock car racer out there remembers their first lap at Daytona. If you have raced at Daytona, you have accomplished something that thousands of drivers around the country will only get to do on Playstation and in their dreams. It is an honor and a badge of accomplishment in the racing world.

A few days ago, my racing plans for 2007 included a handful of ARCA races with Konica Minolta Printing Solutions and some Late Model races. Daytona had been scratched from our ARCA schedule and so I planned out a December filled with snowboarding, Christmas shopping and good times with family and friends.

Then last week, with the ring of my cell phone, all that changed.

The phone call was from one of my marketing partners advising me to go to Daytona and get approved. He said there is a company that is considering sponsoring me for the February ARCA race.

I called the NASCAR team that I have been planning on racing with in 2007 but with such late notice (the test was a week away) they could not have the car and team ready quickly enough.

	Leilani Munter talks with David Green at Daytona. Credit: Courtesy
	Leilani ReportsLeilani Munter catches up with what's going on at and away from the track Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

We settled on testing at Talladega in January to get approved, something ARCA has done in the past with drivers that have had to skip the Daytona test. I called ARCA to make sure this plan would satisfy their requirements and was told that it would have been sufficient prior to Talladega being resurfaced, but now that it was as smooth as glass, it no longer will be done. Basically I was told I needed to be at Daytona in a racecar or -- sponsor or not -- I would not be running the race on Feb. 10.

Since the first team I called couldn't have a car ready in time (at least not properly), I called up my good friend, mentor and boss Andy Hillenburg to see if he could help me out.

Five years ago, I walked into John Bickford's office (Jeff Gordon's stepfather) to ask for advice.

"I want to race," I told him. "I gave up my whole life to move here and race. Now what do I do?"

John advised me to go see Andy at Fast Track Racing School and ask him for a job.

"Tell him I sent you," he said. "And good luck. I hope you make it."

With those words, I thanked him and marched over to Fast Track determined to get a job. I told Andy my story, told him I would work hard, that I didn't need to be paid much, I just wanted a chance to learn.

Andy promptly turned me down. He told me he had enough help but asked me to keep him posted on my progress. I was a little disappointed but kept knocking on doors and eventually I found work at another racing school and shortly thereafter, with a Busch team.

	Andy Hillenburg helped Leilani Munter with some notes on handling Daytona. Credit: Courtesy
	USRA LATE MODEL SERIES •   Munter sets female mark with fourth-place finish at Texas.

Three years later, probably because I wouldn't go away, Andy finally gave me a job at Fast Track and explained to me why he turned me down three years before.

At the time I came into his office looking for a job, he had a female employee that wasn't being very professional with her male co-workers. Andy didn't want to get into more trouble with company drama so he was shy of having another female in the garage. Lucky I was stubborn enough that I didn't give up and eventually Andy gave in and hired me.

Now he has become the kind of friend that I go to when I want to hear the truth, not necessarily what I want to hear, but the honest truth. He is a good friend, an excellent racecar driver, team owner and coach.

Luckily Andy has an ARCA team racing out of his Fast Track Racing School and was conveniently going to have an extra car in Daytona that I could take the required laps to be approved to race there.

Andy is a two-time Daytona ARCA winner so it goes without saying that he knows his way around the track. I knew he would be able to point me in the right direction.

After he went over the racing line he wanted me to run and warned me about where the bumps might upset the car, his final words to me before I climbed in the car were classic: "Don't hit the apron and don't hit the wall and you'll be fine."

I'll tell you one thing that surprised me and the other Daytona rookies -- it is a bumpy ride, much bumpier than you would imagine. On the clock I was 24th-quickest of 59 racecars in the Saturday afternoon practice with a lap of 177.644 mph. Not too bad when you consider that we went there with no sponsor money and were up against Nextel Cup teams including Hendrick and Evernham.

Some of the teams had a whole pack of engineers with them. My team didn't have one. Of course as a driver you always want to be up front, but considering our funding and equipment, I was happy with our results.

I only got two runs but I guess I did alright because ARCA approved me to race. I still don't know if I will have a sponsor for the race, but if it does happen, thanks to Andy Hillenburg, I am ready to race.

When I walked out of Andy's office after he turned me down for a job five years ago, I wish someone could have stopped that disappointed and discouraged young woman in the Fast Track Racing School parking lot and told her this:

"Don't worry. Five years from now Andy Hillenburg will be taking you to Daytona for your first ARCA test. All you need to do is work hard and keep your eye on your goal."

MOST POPULAR Features Headlines Opinion Video Conversation: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Conversation: M. Waltrip Conversation: E. Sadler Last Lap: Best of the rest By the Numbers: Daytona 500 More Features Roush No. 6 Cup hauler involved in injury crash Big checks from Toyota a threat or mere myth? Higher speeds, added wrecks close LVMS test Driver opinions differ on LVMS after testing NASCAR puts limit on past champ provisional More Headlines Here's hoping NASCAR fixes the 2007 schedule Jr.: I expect to drive the 3 Top 35 rule is Toyota's worst enemy for 2007 Top 10: Predictions Partial in the buff pose shows Edwards is buff More Opinion NASCAR.COM Junior's future with DEI Earnhardt Jr. on his contract and relationship with Teresa Improve competition Learn how the Car of Tomorrow could improve competition More Videos

If someone could have told me that information, then all these years of struggling would have been easier to bear. If I had known that things were eventually going to turn out OK, my nights would have been filled with less worry and more confidence.

There were many days along this journey that I had such serious doubts that I came close to giving up on my dreams. There were several people along the way that told me I would never make it.

One person in particular told me, "You will never drive an ARCA car, you might as well give up on that right now." I am so glad I didn't listen to him and I continued on with my journey that led me all the way to Daytona.

And I have learned an eternal lesson: I don't doubt anything anymore. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers and president of Pixar Studios advised the graduating class of Stanford University to stay hungry and stay foolish. I am happy to report that I am still hungry, still foolish and still determined as ever to make my way into Victory Lane.

But right now, I'm pretty happy just to have turned some laps at the most famous NASCAR track in the world