1on1: AMS track president (and part racer) Ed Clark (cont'd)

Q: I know you race often right there at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Do you go anywhere else to run?

Clark: Mostly just here. I've run Charlotte three times. I went up and ran Bristol last spring, which was a ton of fun on the half-mile up there, in the Roadster. It's pretty quick. I really got an appreciation for the Cup guys and what they do at Bristol after doing that. And I've run Lanier [National Speedway in Braselton, Ga.] a couple of times.

Q: What surprised you about Bristol?

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I haven't had any of these [accusations] where they say they're playing favorites because I'm the president of the track.

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ED CLARK

Clark: Well, everybody knows how quickly you turn a lap there. Of course we weren't going the speed of the Cup cars by any means. But basically you just put it to the floor and hold it to the floor all the way around. And after talkin' to yourself for a little while to get yourself to do that, it's thrilling. Once you go into the turn and commit to your line, if you go off your line you're either going to spin or hit the wall. So you can imagine what these Cup guys feel like when three guys get sideways in front of 'em. It's not like you're going to drive around it; you're going to be in it. It is just so quick, it's pretty astounding really.

Q: How did you fare there?

Clark: I had car trouble, so I wasn't up with the leaders. So I didn't have a good day. We had an issue with the brakes dragging, and actually wore a caliper out just from metal-to-metal contact, which slowed me down. But I got enough laps in, finished the race, and didn't get torn up. I'd love to do it again. ... We learned some things. If we do go back, we'll be better.

Q: You said you played competitive sports growing up. Did you do any racing then, and what other sports did you play?

Clark: I played baseball and basketball, and even football as skinny I was -- and I was a very skinny kid. But a lot of baseball and a lot of basketball. I played both through high school and was co-captain of the team. We won a lot of games. I actually got a few small-college scholarship offers, but I wanted to go to Virginia Tech. So I didn't play once I got out of high school.

But I really enjoyed that. My first name is Edwin, and that's after Duke Snider [Hall of Fame baseball player whose real name was Edwin Donald Snider]. I was named after him. I guess I never lived up to that reputation on the baseball field. My father was a big baseball nut.

Q: Does he ever come to watch you race now?

Clark: My mom and dad came down a couple years ago to watch me race, and I actually won. So that was pretty good. That's the only time they've actually seen me race.

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Q: Maybe you'd better start bringing them in more often as good-luck charms?

Clark: It's been good. We just raced [two Saturdays ago] and I won one of those to clinch my third winter championship in a Thunder Roadster. So that's three out of the last four years. I'm pretty proud of that. I just haven't won one of the summer ones. I've finished second twice in it. I hope to get my parents down here in the spring and maybe we'll be running a race then.

Q: Well, you know winning all these championships at your own track might bring about an investigation, don't you?

Clark: Trust me, I am lucky in that I think the bulk of the guys I race with think it's neat that I'm out there with 'em. And I haven't had any of these [accusations] where they say they're playing favorites because I'm the president of the track. I think our folks even go to the nth degree to make sure there is no chance of any favoritism toward me. I told 'em, if it comes down to making a call, make it against me so no one can question it.

Q: Back in the old days at some of these dirt tracks, you know there would have been a riot, right?

Clark: Oh, of course. That definitely would have been the case.