I realize this story is about Scott Gaylord, the driver of the No. 00 Oliver Gravity Separators Monte Carlo. But...I AM the car. Yep, I'm Merlin, the car Scott is calling old. That's OK, I forgive him. Scott and I have been through a lot together. And he appreciates it. How many other drivers and owners were faithful to a car for ten years? In return I have kept Scott from harm to the best of my ability. It never mattered whether I was disguised as an Oldsmobile or Chevrolet, it was still me, Merlin, under that skin.

Now Scott has brought in a youngster named Chief to my garage. Like all new cars he is a little cocky. Scott and the team will make some adjustments on him (shocks, springs, etc.), and I will work on adjusting his attitude and he will be just fine. Chief is a good kid. He is anxious to get on the track and show his stuff. I just don't want him being over-confident and going too deep in those turns. It's my job to share data and school the new car to the best of my ability. I will still make some of the races, but I'm getting tired and Chief is a welcome addition to the team.

RacingWest: How hard was it on you and the team to have two back-to-back super-speedway events? Scott Gaylord: I enjoyed it except for our old car Merlin was struggling.

RW: What have you done to prepare for Laguna Seca; have you had an opportunity to test there? SG: I have not tested there but I have raced and won at both the new and old Laguna tracks in other stock car series

RW: If you had a chance to test the track, what was your opinion of the track, facility and location? SG: Great location, history and facility. I am sure all the Winston West teams and fans will have a great time there.

RW: Do you have any experience in road racing and if so where did that experience come from? SG: Yes, Mostly SCCA and IMSA. I have won a number of roadracing championships

RW: Would you like to see more road courses added to the schedule? SG: Circle tracks or road courses are both fun. I think it more depends on what the fans like

RW: When you share dates at a track with another series, which series do you prefer? SG: I think it works best when we are the main event, but when we do share, it is fun to be with other NASCAR events.

RW: Do you have any plans for sightseeing while in the Monterey area? SG: I do not think I will have the time.

RW: Who is your rear tire changer? SG: Jim Smith from Klamath Fall, OR. is our tire changer. I am not sure how much he gets to practice, but whatever he is doing is working, he is good.

RW: How has your year been so far? SG: OK, 7th in points but hope to improve. We hope to upgrade to a new car now that Merlin is 10 years old. We never had a bad accident with him but he is so outdated and over 300 pounds heavier than the new cars. He has been in three NASCAR Winston Cup races and over 50 Winston West races.