Barkshire working way up with low funds, high goals (cont'd)

By the end of 2003, Barkshire had compiled two top-five and four top-10 finishes in six Late Model races.

"It was just me and my low-buck pickup truck going to races. I didn't even have a crew chief," he said.

In 2004, Barkshire started the family team, Barkshire Racing, with his father Bob Barkshire and was crowned champion of two premier Late Model shows -- the Miller 200 at South Sound Speedway and the Fall Classic hosted by Yakima Speedway.

Competing for the first time in a NASCAR series, Barkshire garnered rookie of the year honors in NASCAR's Elite Division Northwest Series and placed sixth in the final championship standings in 2005 and fourth in 2006.

Climbing the ladder to NASCAR's big leagues, Barkshire and his father made a handful of starts in the Camping World Series West in 2007 and are now full time in the series for 2008.

"Last year was a building year and this year we are getting a whole lot better," said Barkshire, who has eight top-10 and five top-five finishes this season. "We run up front and are third in points as a rookie,"

And his victory at Evergreen Speedway was in dominant fashion at the track closest to his home in Auburn, 20 miles south of Seattle. His No. 46 Dodge led 126 laps of the 150-lap event.

"We've gotten a lot of positive reactions from fellow competitors because they respect the fact that we are a low-budget team and are able to be pretty good at it still," said Barkshire, whose team can't even afford matching uniforms right now.

So Barkshire continues to work. There's no time to rest on his laurels.

He works in the family race shop during the day, and at night Barkshire is a truck driver for FedEx shipping company. He obtained his commercial license years ago so he could drive haulers for Evans Racing Enterprises.

Now the skill affords the young driver health benefits and money to put food on the table while he pursues his NASCAR career.

"FedEx has been really cool about taking time off for racing," he said. "I've been working for them for five years now."

Barkshire jokes with his friends and family that he would be a great spokesman for the company should they ever choose to sponsor him as they do Sprint Cup star Denny Hamlin.

"I drive my own hauler and the trucks for FedEx," Barkshire laughed. "I'd be a great ad campaign."