ROAD TO THE XFINITY SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
Growing up, I never intended to be a professional race car driver. My plan was to be an auto mechanic at my daddy's car dealership. I earned a two-year automotive degree at Mitchell Community College and was well on my way to working on cars. Your cars.
But having raced street stocks and late models as a teenager, I soon realized racing was in my blood. My uncle, Tony Eury Sr., convinced my dad to put me in a Busch Series car left vacant by Steve Park, and in 1998, we began racing full-time in the AC Delco-sponsored No. 3 car. Despite a rough start, it ended up being a storybook season with seven wins, three poles, and a NASCAR Busch Series championship. We followed with six more wins and a repeat title in 1999. It was then that I realized I could make a living by driving race cars. The mechanic job at my dad's dealership would have to be left for someone else.
