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(Kristin Murphy - YDR)
That is the case for 410 sprint-car driver Doug Esh, who beginning this season is looking to make a full-time career out of racing on the region's dirt tracks.
He certainly couldn't have picked a better time to make the move. After all, Esh is the reigning points champion at Lincoln Speedway, and he also finished third in points at Williams Grove Speedway, just 75 points behind champion Fred Rahmer.
In fact, Esh's No. 30 sprint car team earned more prize money in 2006 than some of the nationally respected World of Outlaws pros.
The stellar season allowed car owners Dick and Leslie Leach to put their faith in Esh, helping him fulfill his dream.
The Leaches, owners of Leach's Automotive in Lemoyne, have put up the money. So Esh has made the commitment.
“It is my goal to be considered one of the full-time racers,” Esh said. “Can I maintain that? I am not sure at this point. The year I had last year, the car owners probably would be in a situation to make that happen for me.”
He is more than ready to give it a shot after holding a full-time job building rock 'n' roll sound stages for Clair Brothers near his Lancaster County home.
Almost all local racers hold down jobs to
Esh has to know the limitations of his car and put more emphasis on finishing races - which earn his team points and money. Not finishing a race earns next-to-nothing.
Crew chief Dennis Kohler has been preaching that message to Esh.
“If you have a fifth-place car, you have a fifth-place car, and that is what it is going to be,” Esh said. “It took me a long time to accept that and be OK with that.
“I haven't settled in years past and I wouldn't finish. Instead of being able to run fifth, I run 25th, and that cost the car owners a ton of money, and I take a chance of getting beat up.
“I was getting tired of getting beat up.”
Credit maturity for Esh's rise to the top of the standings in his sixth year of 410 sprint racing.
“A couple of years ago we were just going as fast as we could around the circle,” Esh said. “Instead of being a guy the race car drives, I have become a race car driver.
“Before, the car was taking me wherever it wanted to take me, and sometimes I couldn't keep it out of the fence.”
Esh, who came through the racing ranks in micro-sprints and 358 sprints, is aware of perhaps the biggest peril of a career racer - injuries.
Fellow 410 sprint driver Greg Hodnett has raced full-time for years. He said the personal finance side of the business - including insurance - can be tricky.
Hodnett's philosophy is to have six months of income set aside to deal with what he calls the “what ifs.”
“The biggest thing is to try to prepare for it,” Hodnett said. “I have quite expensive disability insurance for that reason. I also have a life insurance policy that is about six times as much as what a normal life insurance policy would be.
“I don't really think about it, I just try to plan ahead. This is the only thing you do, and you have to make it financially feasible to be able to do it. Because of that, it becomes your business.”
That preparation is crucial, as Hodnett found out last year when a crash put him on the shelf with leg injuries just prior to what his team deems the “months of money,” July and August, when the highest-paying races are run.
Just last week, he broke his shoulder blade in a wreck at Lincoln Speedway. Hodnett figures he'll be back in the car within a week or two.
Esh knows the risks. He saw what happened to Hodnett, but knows that racers wouldn't have it any other way.
“If you watched Greg get hurt and suffer for a few months, he crawls right back in - no big deal,” Esh said. “It is a sport that this is what I do and this is what potentially could happen.”
For him, it comes down to the competition. Esh just loves racing.
Of course, he admits that at 35, there is a now-or-never factor to make this jump to full-time racing.
He looks at Rahmer - the perennial champion who turned 49 this month and has amassed an amazing 400 career victories - and Esh knows he has some catching up to do.
Still, with the blessing of his wife, Kelly, and their children, he's ready to give it a shot.
“If I wait until I am 40 I might not be in a situation where I can have that thought process,” Esh said. “It is something that I want to consider that now is the time. Let's take advantage of it.”
Reach Steve Navaroli at 771-2060 or snavaroli@ydr.com.
About Esh
Name: Doug Esh
Age: 35
Nickname: The Hammer
Resides: Lancaster County
Wife: Kelly
Family: Jared, Kaitlyn and Jordyn
Drives: No. 30 Leach Motorsports sprint car
Resume: In his sixth season driving 410 sprints for Leach, Esh won his first 410 championship last year at Lincoln Speedway. He's won 358 sprint crowns at both Lincoln and Williams Grove. He got into racing at the micro-sprint level.
