Diary of a proud man: Reiser takes full blame (cont'd)

Friday night -- Reiser got home a little after 9 p.m., loaded up his truck with four-wheelers, his trusty chainsaw, some gasoline and was all set for a day on the trails the next morning.

Saturday morning -- Reiser was at the shop about 5:30 a.m. He returned home about 9, picked up Tracy and the boys and spent the entire day cutting trails and riding four-wheelers.

"We have a Polaris Ranger. Tracy drives that with Rhett and Reed. Ryan has his own four-wheeler that he earned with straight A's in school."

Saturday night -- Reiser spent the evening first at Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner and then watching Matt Kenseth win the Busch race at California.

Sunday morning -- The Reiser family attended church together. It was a cold and rainy day. Russ Strupp, the longtime jackman for the 17 team, had left earlier in the morning for the track in California.

"I went over and picked up Russ' two boys and their four-wheelers. We had all the stuff loaded in the truck and we headed back out to the trails. Tracy took pictures while I watched the older boys ride. It was a mud bath. I had to clean their goggles three times just so they could see.

Sunday afternoon -- "About 3:30 [p.m.] we loaded up and headed back to the shop. The boys were frozen and covered with mud. I think it took about three hours to clean the truck, the four-wheelers and some pretty muddy boys. Then we went home. Tracy had made dinner. Then we turned on the race."

This was the part that raised my curiosity. I said to Reiser ... "It surprises me that you didn't watch the race from start to finish."

"We started watching from about Lap 56 ... they were doing well, I think Matt was leading at the time. I'm pretty emotional. I love being there but I can't watch," Reiser said. "You probably know me better than anyone. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. It's like watching the [Green Bay] Packers play. I'm fine when they're winning, but when they're losing, I get pretty emotional.

"I talked to Chip on Sunday morning about the week ahead; work schedules, testing, the trucks, getting the guys back and team meeting times. We talked about race scenarios but really Chip and I had sat down earlier in the week and talked through everything and what might happen.

"Chip runs the team the same way I would. We have been together since 1999. All the guys that have been here all these years -- I take those guys to the track, they've been doing it as long as I have -- I know they can do the job. Heck, they proved it this weekend.

Kenseth won the race. Then in Victory Lane, a very rare sight, an emotional Kenseth. He said, "Robbie Reiser built this team. If it wasn't for Robbie none of us would be here".

Sunday night -- Reiser just listened, from home, thousands of miles away.

"Matt and I have a real good relationship. I appreciate him saying those things. But it's the team. They deserve all the credit. You should be writing about Chip," he said with a laugh. "He's the winning crew chief now. But it's just that since I'm not there, I'm the one they talk about.

Kenseth even thanked Reiser on his team radio while celebrating after the win. Kenseth added, "If you're watching." They know each other well.

"Not being there didn't enter my mind. To see them do it is very gratifying. The team is very well-rounded. This is more of a family than a race team. It's not about one guy; it's about the team succeeding. Watching Matt show some emotion in Victory Lane, after all we've been through, the arguments, the racing [Reiser and Kenseth were racing rivals in Wisconsin ... some might say bitter rivals], to see him show that emotion shows a friendship that is ... that is hard to describe.

"It's an honor to be part of this team. They take pride in what they do. I couldn't be prouder."

About 10 minutes after the race ended, Reiser's phone starting ringing, and didn't stop for the next 90 minutes.

"Our spotter called, Jack called, Max Jones called, Chip called, all the guys called and when Matt got done with everything he had to do, he called. That made me feel good," Reiser said. "But it was good to know they could do the job without me being there and then remembered me after the race. There's a sense of pride in that."

"The most important thing is that after the race, it wasn't about me or winning or sweeping the weekend. It was about what do we have to do next? How do we go about winning at Las Vegas? We need to get the most points possible."

Reiser has two more race weekends to spend with Tracy and the boys before he will head back to the track with his team.

"Matt has mouthed off to me about it a couple of times," Reiser said with a laugh. "All the guys have taken their shots. But I tell them, 'Hey, it's not easy being a shop guy'. I tell them you guys should try and do this. They kid me all the time."

In the meantime, he'll be working at the shop, getting cars ready, sending his team to the track while he stays behind.

"There will come a day when I won't go to the track every weekend, some younger guy will be doing that," Reiser said.

But as for his immediate future as a "shop guy"?

"Jack came by the other day and told me, 'Don't get too comfortable.'"

No problem there. The only place Reiser is comfortable is on top of the pit box on race day. You can tell by the smile.

Bill Weber is lead race announcer for TNT. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.