'SMOKE' SAYS DRIVING A SPRINT CUP CAR ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE

Years ago car owners searched local short tracks for drivers. Now they look for a more complete-package that includes sponsorship.

"The best way to make it is to have a sponsor," said NASCAR car owner James Finch. "This has gotten so expensive, a driver has to bring something to the table. I wish it wasn't like that, but that's the business we're in right now."

Making sales pitches for million-dollar funding is harder than anything he's ever done. He's proven to have the talent to be a full-time driver in ARCA or the NASCAR Camping World Truck or Nationwide series, but he's still lacks something important - luck.

"It's pure math," Tony Stewart said. "There's 43 guys that run the race every week here (in Sprint Cup). There's probably nowadays close to one million drivers in the United States, so do the math. Figure out what the odds are making one out of 43 out of one million people, and that's how hard it is to get that opportunity. There is no clear-cut way and sure thing."

Savannah Morning News