Mon, 7 Jan 2002, 05:43 PM The Aussie and the Yankees!

By Bob Frey

Andrew Cowin

Two of the biggest announcements of the off-season involved Andrew Cowin and Darrell Gwynn. First, Cowin announced that he and his family would, indeed, be running the entire NHRA tour in 2002, a surprising announcement since it appeared that they would not have the backing of K & N filters (their sponsor last year) in 2002. Then, the announcement came that Mike Dunn and Ken Veney would not be back with the Gwynn/Steinbrenner New York Yankees team this year. But then, last week, a third announcement, the blockbuster that answered one of the most asked questions of the year, "Who would drive for Darrell in 2002." Andrew Cowin, the young Australian star, would be the driver of the Darrell Gywnn team car this year. Since that announcement on Friday, there has been lots of speculation about the deal. I had a chance to speak with Darrell this morning and I asked him about the change. Hopefully, this will answer some of the questions that the fans have had, as well as put to rest a lot of the rumor and incorrect assumptions about the team.

In short, Darrell Gwynn put the change into a sports metaphor, when he said that the team needed to "go in a different direction" in 2002. Mentioning that he and Mike Dunn and Ken Veney had been together for a long while, and that they all have been friends for a long time, too, Darrell told me how tough it was to make the decision. "You have to realize, Bob, that I’ve had a great relationship with Ken Veney since back in the 1970’s when we both raced in the alcohol classes. And I used to play with Mike’s daughter, Samantha, when she came to the track as a kid. I like and respect both of them very much, and intend to stay in touch with them and remain friends. We’ll continue to run Ken’s heads on our racecar, because they’re the best. Having said that, I’m really enthused about the youth and enthusiasm that we now have on the team as we head into the new year." That youth and enthusiasm will not only come from Cowin, but from Todd Smith, who will be the crew chief on the team. "For the first time, our entire team will be under one roof, including the driver and the crew chief," said Darrell. Cowin will be under that roof starting today when he will join the team at its Florida shop, and the 22 year old will soon be moving to south Florida. Today will also be the first day that Andrew will sit in the Yankees’ car.

One of the big questions around the team centered on the influence that George Steinbrenner might have had on the decision to release Mike Dunn. "At no time did Mr. Steinbrenner say that Mike Dunn could not drive for our team in 2002," Darrell told me. "But I will say this. No one wants to see this team succeed as much as George and Hank (his son) Steinbrenner do, and they are both fully behind the new direction that we’re taking this year. And, all of our other sponsors, including MBNA, GMC, Winnebago, and MAC Tools are all very excited for us." Darrell went on to say that the team expects to announce several new partners for the team in the next week or two. With their current sponsorship programs, and with the new partners coming on board, the team will be fully funded and will run the entire 2002 tour. They will open the year with the same car that they ran at the end of last year, although the colors will be reversed, with the car being, mainly, white, with blue pin stripes. At this time, they intend to run at the Tucson PRO warm up, and, possibly, at Las Vegas the week before the Winternationals.

I asked Darrell if one of the requirements for Cowin to get the job was that he had to bring some sponsorship dollars with him, and Darrell told me that, "Andrew is not bringing any sponsor dollars with him." He did tell me that, after the announcement was made that Mike Dunn would not return, "…We did have several calls from drivers who wanted to know how much it would cost for them to get the ride." But, by then, we had already made our arrangements with Andrew, and we’ re very pleased with the way the new team is coming together." Darrell mentioned how much the Cowin family reminds him of his own situation years ago. "Andrew and his dad have been around racing for most of their lives, and his dad said that this is what he had hoped for for his son, that he would keep racing, get noticed and then have the opportunity to drive for a top notch team." When I asked if Andrew’s dad or brother would have a part in the team, Darrell said that, "…of course they will be welcome in the pit area at any time, but they won’t be part of the team per se in any official capacity."

When I asked Darrell about an Australian driving for the fabled New York Yankees, he laughed a bit and then pointed out the many different nationalities of players in the major leagues. "All Mr. Steinbrenner wants from this team, or his baseball team, is that we all have the best people in the right positions, and I feel confident that we have that. I want to make clear that I’m not taking anything away from what Mike and Ken did for this team, but sometimes you have to make bold steps to ensure the long-term growth of your team, and that’s what we’ve done here. I’m convinced that we will be a very competitive team and I can’t wait for the season to begin."

>From a selfish point of view, I wish that Mike would have stayed with Darrell and that the Cowin family would have raced their own car this year, if only because we, technically, lose one top fuel car with the new arrangement, and dragsters may be at a premium this year. Having said that, it will be great to see the big pin striped truck and trailer pull into Pomona for the Winternationals, and, anytime the Gwynn family is in competition, we are all better for it. And so is the sport.