SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/618747
SJ: Had you ever attempted to do that before? Covey: I never want to get out of the truck. I mean I want to race the Baja 2000. I want to sit in the truck the whole time. I'm so passionate about the racing, I enjoy it so much and this truck's my baby. The only reason I get out is if the truck needed repair, as I was the only one who could fix it. So I stayed with the truck for that aspect also. SJ: How do you transition from your job in the shop on race day, being the co-dog/ navigator? Covey: Well the racing is the easy part. The shop part is more challenging because we have a pretty limited staff. There are only two of us here full time. We have four cars to prep and two race cars. So managing that and everything involved with the race cars/ race teams is a challenge. But race day's the easy part. When I get in the truck, Steven and I manage the team from inside; but that's the fun part. We can take all that hard work and go off the start line and race against the best out there, and that's fun for us. SJ: Who are some of your peers that you respect and think are top guys? Covey: From my generation that I have a great deal of respect for are Pete Mortenson, Javi Valenzuela, and Willy Valdez. They've all had a lot of experience, have done very well with their teams, and have been very competitive. With guys like that, you obviously want to keep your eye on what they're doing. But we're all friends too. We all know each other and there's a respect amongst the mechanics, because we all know what it takes to get to this level. SJ: You all know each other but no one else knows who these guys are half the time. Covey: Yes. Everyone knows who the drivers are, but the guy on the right is the one not only prepping the cars, we're navigating and managing the race and the drivers. We're kind of the unsung heroes of TrophyTruck racing. SJ: I know how Steven drives; he'll put you in the weeds. Covey: Oh yeah, after a race. Look at his side of the vehicle, and then look at my side. His side's brand new and my side's ripped off the truck (laughing). I'm sure people have seen videos where trees are coming in my side. We take a beating, but it's all part of it. SJ: Not getting of the glory like the drivers do, does that bother you? Covey: No, I think it's just kind of expected, which is fine. I mean, Steven deserves the credit. He drives the truck. For me, being nominated and winning the SCORE, "Mechanic of the Year" last year, and be recognized for the work we did was pretty awesome. And to win, if I could've won the SCORE Baja 1000 last year it would've been the trifecta pretty much. SJ: Tell me about Zeus. What makes this truck special? Covey: Zeus is a badass Trophy Truck (he laughs). This truck has finished every race it has competed in until this point, and it seems to just get faster. Steven is probably one of the most aggressive drivers out there, and Zeus just takes everything Steven gives it. He beats on it for 250 miles, 500 miles, 1000 miles, and it never has any issues. A lot of that has to do with what goes on here in the shop, our testing, and the people who are involved with the truck including King, Dougan's , Rancho, ID Designs and Power Steering Solutions. Everybody that has a hand in this truck is what makes this it successful. Without those people, Zeus wouldn't have won a championship and wouldn't be competitive. SJ: Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years? Covey: Hopefully with a couple more championships. We're going to start focusing on getting race wins versus championships because you have to race with a different attitude when you're racing for a championship versus just going out to win races. The aggressiveness isn't as high when you know you have to finish a race. Sometimes you'll back down and be a little more conservative versus really running hard and really trying to win a race. SJ: You'll see guys cherry picking the big races like the SCORE Baja 500, the SCORE 048 SCORE JOURNAL