USAR: Gary St. Amant signs with Bullet Racing

Longs, SC-Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere.

Gary St. Amant hopes the Chinese proverb proves holds true during his sophomore season in the Hooters Pro Cup Series.

"The two things I learned the most about during last season were the racecars and points system," said St. Amant, who finished eighth in the final points. "I felt like we really learned a lot about the racecar. By the end of the season, we were definitely a title contender. As far as the points system, it was totally different than anything I had experienced before, and you have to look at it different. I don't think I'll change my driving style a lot next year, but we're going to try some things during the regular season that could help us in the Championship Series."

St. Amant, who finished third in Northern Division points, may not need much help to be considered a legitimate threat to take the '05 title.

During his rookie campaign, St. Amant racked up 10 top-five finishes in 17 starts. After the first two rounds of the Championship Series, St. Amant was in the top five in overall points, but back-to-back DNFs derailed his championship and rookie-of-the-year hopes.

"[The DNF at Myrtle Beach] definitely was the biggest disappointment of the season," said St. Amant. "We had a chance to get our third top five in a row, and maybe win the race. That was one of the biggest heartbreaks I've ever had in my career."

Though the season didn't end like St. Amant had envisioned, his rookie season did have plenty of highlights.

In just his sixth start in Pro Cup, St. Amant picked up his first win at Lake Erie Speedway. But St. Amant's best memory, ironically, came in a race he didn't finish.

"The day and night we had at Illiana was great," said St. Amant. "We showed up with a new braking system that didn't work. We basically had to fix the car all during practice. With no practice, we went out and qualified on the front row and had a dominant car. That just showed me what kind of team we have."

And that team will stay intact in '05.

St. Amant has been signed to drive the No. 11 JEGS.com Chevrolet for the Bullet Racing Team in the Northern Division this season.

-br-