Compton fights frustration with big-picture thinking

Of all NASCAR's national touring series, the Camping World Truck Series is leading the way in international expansion and veteran driver Stacy Compton -- a relative newcomer to series ownership -- is doing his part.

But last weekend, Compton got a real lesson in restraint at his home track, Martinsville Speedway.

Narain Karthikeyan made history at Martinsville as he became the first driver born in India to make a NASCAR national series start.

Karthikeyan was on the lead lap until Lap 200, when contact with Clay Greenfield sent the No. 60 around and Karthikeyan was unable to get it re-fired, dropping him a lap.

Karthikeyan was the benefactor of the free pass, returned to the lead lap and finished 13th.

-- Sporting News Wire Service

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And rather than succumbing to sheer frustration and jumping off the roof of Martinsville's frontstretch tower, which serves as the competitors' spotters' stand, Compton calmly called the shots for Indian newcomer Narain Karthikeyan's stunning lead-lap, 13th-place Truck Series debut run.

It was Compton's latest lesson in big-picture thinking that began last year when his Turn One Racing, LLC entity purchased Wyler Racing's truck team. Compton gets back behind the wheel of the Wyler/Turn One No. 60 Chevrolet on Friday at Nashville Superspeedway, thoroughly satisfied with how last weekend worked out.

"Of course, as a driver it's incredibly frustrating to get out of the seat -- especially at Martinsville, of all places," Compton said. "But looking down the road, it was definitely the right thing to do. If things go the way we want them to, we want to run two full-time trucks next season, for Narain and myself."

Martinsville was the latest step as NASCAR expands its international footprint. This season, drivers from Colombia, Tasmania and Italy are racing full time in Sprint Cup. Drivers from six countries including Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, Mexico and New Zealand have competed in the Truck Series.

And last weekend Karthikeyan's participation opened the door for Neo Sports, a national Indian network, to broadcast the Martinsville race live -- albeit in the middle of the night. But according to Yohann Setna, who after the race said he'd worked with Karthikeyan's Narain Racing group for years, said "we can't help that the earth is round, and it's a different time in India.

"But the race was going to be re-broadcast in prime-time on Sunday [March 28], so that was a really big deal."

Araceli Villegas, NASCAR Media Group's international director, said the Indian broadcast was a continuation of the Truck Series' history of being broadcast internationally "for many years. The series is broadcast internationally throughout Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. NASCAR races are currently being broadcast in over 175 countries." (Continued)