If they aren't driving then they are off on the hunt (cont'd)

Gresham started drag racing in the early 1960s and scaled back to start a family. Now he helps his grandson Max Gresham race late models and hopes to see him in a few NASCAR Camping World East Series events.

The family recently purchased Peach State Speedway and renamed it Gresham Motorsport Park. He plans to renovate the half-mile paved oval and host touring series as well as other forms of racing. Early on, the track hosted two Cup Series events in 1968 and 1969.

“

I mean, most true racers will still only talk about racing when they are out here, but to be in the laid back environment and kick back with one another is the best.

”

JIM GRESHAM

Gresham's a Saturday night racer at heart but like most drivers, loves the outdoors, as well.

"We had Ryan Newman down a year and half ago and like me, he is a fisherman. We spent time fishing and man was he competitive," Gresham recalled. "He's as serious as a heart attack. He has the same focus and desire to catch a fish as he does driving a race car."

Added Newman: "He's right, we were competitive; if it wasn't the biggest fish it was the most fish. We definitely enjoyed our time together. Jim is a great guy."

Gresham said there is no better place in the world to escape the high-paced lifestyle of racing than a cotton field or a fishing hole.

"I mean, most true racers will still only talk about racing when they are out here, but to be in the laid back environment and kick back with one another is the best," he said.

Shane Wood, Ragan's catch can man on the No. 6 car, said spending a good bit of time away from the track in a secluded environment helps you learn a lot about your driver and teammates. Any good team has to be tight-knit away from the track, he added.

Ragan agrees and said any driver will tell you "the closer you become with your team the more proud they become to be a part of it."

Spending a few days clowning around skeet shooting and poking fun at one another is the finest form of male bonding. Several hours a day walking the fields will give you a lot of insight into a person's character.

"You had to be there," Wood said with a laugh. "But seriously, you want to be able to feel good around each other wherever you are. You kind of learn how each other speak and learn their different body language. You know, on pit road you can't hear a thing. Learning how we communicate in other ways helps you in that environment.

"Yeah, there's a lot of heckling or gloating. But I'll speak for myself on this, the one thing I love more than NASCAR is hunting."

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.