Terry Lawrence is starting the 2006 racing season where he ended 2005 -- in a NASCAR race at Phoenix International Speedway.
But the Idaho driver doesn't feel like he's spinning his wheels in the least.
"I feel good about what I'm doing," the 1999 graduate of Vallivue High School in Caldwell, Idaho, said. "It's been going in the right direction. I didn't do as much racing as I would have liked to last year, but I can't help that. It's the nature of the beast."
The 25-year-old California native resumes his quest for a full-time ride in stock-car racing Sunday with the Arizona Lottery 100. It's the season opener for the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series.
A former Nampa, Idaho, resident now living in Mooresville, N.C., Lawrence capped 2005 with a 27th-place finish at the Southwest Series 125 at Phoenix in November. He qualified 27th and battled back from suspension problems to maintain his starting position despite going 22 laps down.
He drove a race car owned by Mike Garcia in the November race. He returns with the same No. 57 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and financial backing -- as always -- from Meridian, Idaho, businessman Victor Clark.
"He kind of took over where my dad left off -- as well as Charlie Campbell (his sponsor during a six-time national championship go-kart career) -- to keep me racing," said Lawrence, whose father, Terry, passed away suddenly in 2002. "I definitely wouldn't be doing this without Victor."
Clark and his All-American Homes are back in the fold, but there is a difference this time around.
"We have a fresh motor. Well, it's one race old," Lawrence said. "And a brand-new rear end."
And, if all goes well, the one-time ARCA driver will get a chance to practice this time around.
But he's not worried about needing practice to get familiar with the Phoenix layout.
"I already have a good feel for the track and the car, and now we have a good bullet (engine)," Lawrence said. "Last time I qualified 27th (in a 42-car field) with no practice.
"We'll be fine this time."
Lawrence hopes Sunday's race is the launching point for a successful 2006 campaign. The game plan is to hone his skills with a few Southwest Series races and a couple ARCA RE/Max Series events with an eye at gaining clearance to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series by the end of the summer.
Last season started with promise when Lawrence impressed ARCA race car owner Bert Oostlander with a 178 mph lap at Daytona International Speedway. But the former Chaparral Speedway modified champion started only one RE/Max Series race for Oostlander -- the Williams Bros. 200 at Lanier Speedway in Georgia on May 28 (his birthday). Lawrence qualified 22nd and finished 13th, one lap down.
The rest of the season was spent in the shop, or looking for another ride.
And Clark has pulled the strings to get Lawrence back in the driver's seat. Lawrence should see competition this weekend from NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader as well as Idaho drivers such as John Dillon of Eagle, Eddy McKean of Jerome and Nick Lynch from Burley.
When he's not racing, Lawrence said he's shopping for a home in Mooresville. He’s settling in to the lifestyle, too.
"I've got accustomed to it," Lawrence said of life as a full-time racer. "It's a way of life. It's more of a business instead of a hobby."
