Where is ... Lyndon Amick?

Lyndon Amick gets a kick out of the question.

Now that Amick is on the ground in Afghanistan, deployed there for the last four months as a part of the South Carolina National Guard, how would his buddy Dale Earnhardt Jr. fare in such circumstances? What kind of soldier would Junior make?

"I wonder how he could do taking orders from someone else?" Amick joked in an e-mail interview from Camp Stone, his base of operations in Herat, located in the northwestern part of the country. Then again, Amick continues, it might be fun to have Junior along for the ride in the war-torn country.

A real soldier

Lyndon Amick, shown in full combat gear, is ready to fight if called. Standing on top of a building in Herat, Afghanistan is a far cry from the life he left behind in Saluda, S.C.

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"I know Junior has the guts and will to get the job done as a soldier," Amick continued. "All kidding aside, I know he would do fine. I think we could make a great pair tearing up the highways in Humvees. At least we would get where we were going in a convoy really fast."

There can be no doubt that Amick is a very long way from home, and in circumstances far different than the ones he faced as a Busch Series driver from 1997 through his last start at Talladega in April 2003. Certainly, his living conditions are far removed from the comfortable home in rural Saluda, S.C. that he shares with wife, Melanie, and children Billy, Drake and Jonas.

Amick today lives in a barracks with 12 other men. There's a mess hall, gym and common room, where the computers and television are located. Internet access is spotty.

Still, Amick isn't complaining.

"They have made a lot of strides in making it better for soldiers to enjoy the down time we have," Amick said. "All you want is a place to sleep, eat ... and Internet. I think most infantry guys are happy. We are not used to those things in most cases, so we are pretty happy with our setup here. Others may complain, but I think overall, our platoon likes it."

So far is Amick removed from his family, they live on what he says are daily calls on the cell phone he took with him overseas. Since e-mails are sometimes hit and miss, that's what they get by on.

Amick knew he would miss those he loves most in this world, but he didn't know just how much.

"What I didn't expect was how hard it would be to be away from my family and friends," Amick said. "It is much harder than I thought, I still think it's harder on them than on me."

Since arriving in the country, Amick has been in touch with a handful of the people he knew in the motorsports community -- people like Brad Pickens, the car chief for Kyle Busch who helped start Amick's Busch Series team. Other than that, he's been limited to keeping up with his friends in the garage through the Internet and televised races.

For Amick these days, every race is a night race.

"We see the races on TV, but it's in the middle of the night," said Amick, who was promoted to sergeant in December. "I miss my friends in NASCAR more than anything ... well ... except actually driving a racecar. I wish them all well. They're doing their part by entertaining the troops on TV."

How much has life changed for Amick? Once, he faced a field of 42 other drivers who were doing their best to beat him to the finish line. Now, he faces an enemy intent on doing him harm.

He's not been in combat, but the possibility is there.

A question about the dangers he's faced seems to spark something in Amick, and he gives by far the longest answer of the interview.

"I have been all over this province, from the best places to the worst, and I have been blessed to have not had any IEDs (improvised explosive devices) or shots fired at me," Amick began. "It's not that I don't want to get into a fight. I am well trained and ready to do my job. I have had my finger on the trigger two times. In this country, you have to assess every situation and every person.

"Are they a threat? Is this car swerving to avoid something or is it a suicide bomber trying to take me out? They're decisions that you have to make every day."

Playing soldier is not an option for Amick. He's a real soldier, up against a very real danger. There may be those of his comrades in arms who want a little action, but not Amick. Not necessarily.

He just wants to come home, safe and sound, to Melanie and their kids. He's scheduled for a 15-day leave in January, and should return for good just a few months after that.

"A lot of people want to get in combat," Amick concluded. "I guess they signed up for it. It doesn't matter to me if I get in it. I will do my job as I have been trained. I know that nothing is worth someone getting hurt, not me or my guys. If it happens, so be it. I take comfort in the fact that I am a Christian, and I am saved. I am well trained as an infantry soldier to do my job. That is in my control."