BUSCH: Lyndon Amick - a Profile

Lyndon Amick No. 35 SCANA/Powertel Chevrolet By Brett Borden

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 10, 1999) They say the young rebound more quickly than the aged. In NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division driver Lyndon Amick's case, that's a good thing.

Amick, 21, has struggled in three races this year, posting an average finish of 36th after races at Daytona, Rockingham and Las Vegas. But the finishing numbers don't even begin to indicate how competitive the No. 35 SCANA/Powertel Chevrolet has been.

After qualifying mid-pack at the season-opening NAPA Auto Parts 300, Amick led several laps in the event before the transmission broke on a restart, triggering a huge frontstretch accident. At Rockingham the team had to use a provisional starting spot, but he had rebounded before getting collected in some other cars' accident.

At Las Vegas, the former champion of the Goody's Dash Series, NASCAR Touring Division, qualified third, alongside his "teammate" Hank Parker Jr. He was running at the front, competitively, when his car's engine blew.

Yes, it's been one problem after another, but Amick is ready to tackle those problems with the help of team manager Barry Dodson and crew chief Buddy Barnes -- who were together as crew chief and crewman, respectively, when Rusty Wallace won his NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1989.

"All problems are correctable," Amick said. "We're in the middle of doing that right now. It's just that a couple of freak things have happened. I think that's just it. I know that the team is very talented and very capable of running up front, so minor setbacks don't really get me down. I just try and keep a positive outlook.

"As far as Barry goes, he's made a major difference in our team. He's kind of like another father figure for me. He takes good care of me and he's a real good coach."

Amick looked like a well-coached driver at Las Vegas in qualifying. He placed his No. 35 Chevrolet third on the starting grid, ahead of several NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers who were entered in the Sam's Town 300. Amick says he enjoys competing against the guys he hopes to run against every week in the future, but he can also understand the complaints of his fellow NASCAR Busch Series drivers.

"I enjoy it," he said. "But at Las Vegas a lot of cars went home and 17 Cup drivers made the field, and that bothered me there. So, I'm on both sides of the fence. I like to race against them, but I hate to see people go home."

One of the drivers who has helped Amick the most in his fledgling driving career is a long-time veteran of the NASCAR Busch Series, Randy LaJoie. LaJoie, he of back-to-back series championships in 1996-97, has taken the young Amick under his wing.

"We work out together during the week and ever since I've been racing Busch he's been there for me," Amick said of LaJoie. "For advice or whatever is needed. That's helped me a lot."

And as Amick continues to blossom -- don't forget he has only 30 series starts -- he'll continue to lean on the veterans, both on his team and in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Source: NASCAR Online