Convo: Pete Wright (cont'd)

Q: Who impresses you in the garage area today?

Wright: I'm gonna have to say one is Ryan [Pemberton, the 01's crew chief], because I work for him. And that's another reason I've stayed here. Ryan left us for a while, and I was a supporter of his to get him back. I like working for him because he's been through the ranks and he knows what it's like to drive to the races and all this stuff.

And then I'd have to think about Steve Letarte, Jeff Gordon's crew chief. I think he's done a great job there; and of course you know, everybody's going to say he's got Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports -- but he also has a number of people under him that he has to direct, he has to work with these people and handle the media and everything else.

I've known Steve since he was a kid and I've known his dad. And I think he's done an awesome job. Having Jeff Gordon ain't the key to the city, even though it's great to have a driver like that.

A man that's good at being a leader has to be able to handle controversy within his team, and I think that's where some of the better crew chiefs that are out there, shine; because everything ain't always going to be roses.

That was like Ginn's earlier this year. When there wasn't but nine of us on the team, it was nice! Earlier this year we had 200 employees and every little thing that happens [is a mess].

Q: In your time in the sport, who are the top three drivers?

Wright: I've been asked that a thousand times. To me, The King [Richard Petty] is The King -- but I can't rate him in the top three because at the time when he was winning all the races, the equipment that he had over other people [was better].

I think as far as drivers that really drove and was smart about what they did, I think you have to definitely put David Pearson in there. I was around him, and he most impressed me, but this is hard.

Cale Yarborough would be in there; of course Dale Earnhardt, because there will never be another Dale Earnhardt; Tim Richmond I thought was great and it's a shame he isn't around now because he would have took some of these kids to school.

Really, when I look back at drivers, I look back 15 years ago, when we didn't have all the stuff we do now, when you went to test, to show 'em what the cars are doing. They got in there and they drove.

But I think out of the latest ones we've got now, I think Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin [are the best]. I work for Mark [now], but I had never worked for him but I had watched him during his whole career.

Q: What impresses you most about Mark?

Wright: I worked with Darrell [Waltrip], and I thought that he was a smart driver. He could tell me when I was his crew chief, things that he wanted me to do. Mark knows what he wants, and he knows how he can get that feel and the way that he relates back to the crew chief or the engineer or whoever he wants to talk to at the time -- he's even helped me on the drivetrains and stuff, explaining they didn't feel right.

In the past 10 years I haven't had that. It's like, all of a sudden you're having a great dream and you're getting ready to wake up -- that's what it's like working with Mark. It's been a blessing to know I actually got to work with him, and that I can add him to my list.

Q: Did you ever think you'd be working for DEI?

Wright: No, I never did. I knew about it all going down, years ago with Dale [Earnhardt], but I just never thought I'd be there. It's like I said about my son working there -- maybe it was meant to be.

Q: Given your history in the sport, what's the experience been like, in the short term?

Wright: It's been a learning experience, because everywhere I've been in the past, it hasn't been as businesslike as it is right now. And being with [DEI] has shown me that -- that maybe there are other ways that things have to be done than what I've been accustomed to.

It's been a growing period for me, and I don't care -- you never know everything and you can't ever say you've done it all until you've worked around and went around the corner and worked for somebody else.

So it's all a learning experience, just not for me, but for all the guys on the team.

Q: Martin and Aric Almirola -- who are splitting time in your 01 car this season -- next year are going to split time in the 8 car currently driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. As a crewman, do you believe in the colors you're wearing, or the number?

Wright: I believe more in the number. No -- I take that back. I want to go where Mark Martin goes. Because he's the one that has puffed a fresh breath of air into my racing career and I would like -- you know, he's talking about racing another year or so -- I'd like to end my career working for him.

That's what I'm looking at.