Daytona Beach, Fla. – Denver businessman Barney Visser became a Nextel Cup owner in typical fashion. He was curious about the sport and had enough money to invest in a race car. He grew passionate about all facets of racing, and he met the right people to steer him into NASCAR’s top level.
Uncharacteristically, however, the Cherry Hills resident paved his way on Colorado soil and has no plans to leave, even though most Nextel Cup teams are based in North Carolina.
Visser, owner of Furniture Row, the team’s sponsor, built a 40,000-square-foot race shop at what used to be Big Sur Waterbeds in northeast Denver after meeting fellow NASCAR dreamers Jerry Robertson of Arvada, Joe Garone of Westminster and Dave Capriotti of Denver. The foursome’s skills as owner, driver, crew chief and engine builder led to Furniture Row Racing, a single-car rookie team that will attempt to qualify for all 36 point races this season.
Veteran driver Kenny Wallace, a Missouri native living in North Carolina, is committed to run the first five races for Furniture Row. He was 51st among 58 entries in Sunday’s Daytona 500 time trials and will start 26th in one of today’s 29-car Gatorade Duel qualifying races, which will help determine Sunday’s lineup.
Robertson, the former Colorado National Speedway late-models star, is likely to end the season behind the wheel of the No. 78 Chevrolet. Wallace and Robertson will compete for different teams in the Busch Series, with Robertson’s car also sponsored by Visser’s furniture company.
“I’m here to take my skills and know-how and tell them what the car is doing,” said Wallace, 42. “A rookie team and a rookie driver is a recipe for disaster. You have a rookie team and a veteran driver, at least I can tell them what the car’s doing wrong.”
Visser’s group, which last season competed in 10 Busch races and qualified for the only two Nextel Cup events it entered, has turned some heads.
“I’ve really been impressed with their engines and their cars,” said legendary owner Richard Childress, a former boss of the late Dale Earnhardt. “They’ve been out of the way, away from the racing world, and it’s pretty impressive with what they’ve done with what they’ve got. I wish them all the success.”
Furniture Row has considerable Nextel Cup experience. Garone joined the team after serving as director of competition for two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip. Before that, Garone was a NASCAR executive and crew chief to Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott.
Engine developer Bob Benton worked in the same capacity for other Nextel Cup and Busch teams in North Carolina, and lead mechanic Buddy Hall grew up in the business near Charlotte, N.C.
“We’re bringing in as much North Carolina technology as we can,” said Visser, 56. “A number of these guys grew up in Colorado, went to North Carolina to learn the trade and want to come back to Colorado. Colorado is an attractive place to live.”
Capriotti, 57, always wanted to pursue his dream in North Carolina, but he never could justify uprooting his family. So the founder of Madcap Racing Engines and DC Racing Engines has been building motors for Front Range racers for more than 30 years. Robertson was his most successful client, and Robertson introduced Capriotti to Visser.
“To be able to do this in Denver and be able to compete is a dream,” Capriotti said. “It’s hard to believe that we’re doing it.”
Visser originally intended to run a full Busch schedule this year, but decided to make the leap to Nextel Cup because of his team’s potential and greater exposure for his furniture company.
“You get as much quality (television) air time in Cup qualifying than running in Busch,” Wallace said. “I love the owner, Barney, because he says, ‘The other teams have pressure because they have sponsors. Well, I’m the sponsor.’
“I wouldn’t say he’s going to burn his money. His heart is in the right place. He’s just a darn good guy, and certainly not a crazy man coming in here. He’s going to test the waters, but he’s in it for the long haul.”
Garone, who also used to call the pit-road shots for Rick Carelli and Denver-based Chesrown Racing, is cautiously optimistic.
“Our focus is to start small and build a very strong organization that we can branch off of,” Garone said. “I’m doing this because Jerry Robertson, Barney Visser and I love to race. … I’m just really excited about the program.”
Robertson can’t wait to make his second career Nextel Cup start, even if it doesn’t happen for a couple months. He started last, 43rd, in the Phoenix Cup race last fall, and finished 41st.
“I haven’t rung my bell hard yet, so I’m not afraid to hit the wall. And I don’t have a large bank account, so I’m not going to back off the throttle to save my bank account,” he said. “I’m still hungry. I want it so bad I can’t stand it. I have fire in my eyes.”
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
