| Stepping Back and Stepping Forward. | 
by Lori Walters
Racing is a series of give and takes. Nothing could have been more true for Gary Fultz as he pondered how to make a name for himself in racing at the beginning of the 2001 racing season.
In his third season as crew chief and secondary driver for a two-car modified team, Gary saw the writing on the wall after a race at St. Augustine Speedway. "I'll tell ya, I'd been really working hard to put the team in the winners circle for our primary driver and we happened to luck into a 2nd place finish early on in the year." With a second place finish in the books, it looked like this could be the springboard to bigger things for the team. The long days and nights of working in, on and under the car had finally payed off.
The enthusiasm hung in the air like a sagging balloon and quickly stalled after the driver's post-race interview. "After that, I basically knew it was time to re-evaluate my path and make changes accordingly," said Gary, "our driver pretty much painted an ugly picture during that post-race interview."
It was then that he made the tough decision to say goodbye to the team he'd help build. It wasn't hard to see that he was the glue that held this team together. Not only did he house the two cars, but he also maintained and repaired both cars, putting a safe, race-ready car on the track each week for nearly three seasons. He got in the seat and tested the cars, performing well enough to earn 8 starts in 2000, his first ever in any type of race car. He even posted a top 5 during Speedfest, against some of the top modified drivers in the country.
Fultz said he knew he was doing things right when a call came from Robert Deal, the 2000 ARA champion, asking for a chance to drive one of the teams cars in 2001. "I thought that said a lot about what I was doing. I tried my best to field a winning car for our team every week...and if you ever got close to one of our modifieds, you knew I meant business."
He has attended Finish Lines Racing School and has also attended their Mechanics and Chassis school as well, something he recommends to anyone involved in motorsports, at any level. It was there he met Alaskan Late Model driver, Corey LaCosta. That relationship grew into a team concept which saw Gary pulling long distance duty, offering advice to Corey and his team via phone weekly and often. Corey went on to win the track championship at North Star Speedway in 2000 and credited Gary with being a major factor in his success.
He was offered a salaried position with Team LaCosta for the 2001 season, but declined due to unresolved logistics issues. "It was really hard to say no to that deal, I have a huge amount of respect for Corey and his team but it's a big move from Florida to Alaska and we just hit a few snags in the deal. Team LaCosta still hopes to move south in the future and Fultz says he'll I'll do anything he can to help them when they do.
Many things have changed for Fultz today. He no longer starts his day with a wrench and a notebook or a suit and helmet. This is something that he he hopes to change, and fast. "Everything is positive. I've gotten a lot hungrier to succeed and find a role that suits me. I know I can be a positive force for any race team as a crewman, driver or in any role. I feel like I have a lot to offer and if desire to be a winner means anything, then I'm leading the pack."
As for Fultz, he's been visiting tracks and shaking hands too, trying to let teams know he's available. He feels that if there's a team out there who is looking for someone to help turn their program around, then he has what it takes to contribute to it in that direction. "I guess if you were trying to understand the way I've approached things and where I'm headed, I think you'd see I took a step back to take a step forward."
His desire to race and win is relentless. Hopefully someone out there will give him a shot at proving that, because if what you're looking for is 100%, then you'll be sitting in the winner's circle.
You can reach Gary Fultz at mod17crew@aol.com
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