“It‘s like going into Eldora we decided to take a week off to be sure we were prepped and ready to go win one of those big races,” Marks said. “We didn‘t want to tear things up or hurt a motor, so we took a weekend off. It got me home for a few days to relax and then we went out there and won.”
It turns out there is even more to this story.
“I‘m really focused right now,” Marks said. “And I have been working on a program that I was honestly too afraid to try out on the Outlaw tour because we were going to a different track every night and racing for points. When I jumped back into my car it was like I had nothing to lose. And we added the right people and that has been a tremendous help. Our success this year leaps right from having the right people in place.”
Moyle agrees wholeheartedly.
“Our schedule gives us an advantage because if you travel with the Outlaws or All Stars you are running for points,” he said. “When you are doing that you can‘t take a night and throw it away. For us we can try something and it may not work. We might suck that night but on the flipside, we learned things. If you‘re not trying different stuff you aren‘t trying to get better. Sometimes what we learned is what not to do. That‘s why you keep a notebook.”
Many life lessons can be painful, but the wise profit from them. That appears to be the overall perspective that guides Murray-Marks Motorsports. Racing is clearly a bottom-line enterprise, but when Marks and Moyle speak to their success both men use the word “humble.”
They understand the power that comes with appreciating the journey as much as the outcome. When magic occurs it is natural to try and decipher the ingredients that made the difference. Sometimes it all seems too complicated, but other times it seems surprisingly simple. Moyle thinks the success that has come their way is a function of a group of people dedicated to a goal and shaped by their past.
“All of our personalities match and we just keep to ourselves and keep our heads down,” Moyle said. “I also think we have all had our trials and tribulations over the past three or four years. We have all been through the wringer. I had my injury; Brent drove for another team and it didn‘t work out; and Fud has been through a lot, too. Now I take things with a grain of salt because I know everything can be taken from you in an instant. Every day is a blessing.”
For this team the stories and records compiled over this glorious summer will be etched in racing lore for generations to come. When he has time to sit still, Marks understands this.
Thinking back to what unfolded in July at Eldora Speedway Marks said, “I always felt like I was a good driver, but never felt I had the natural talent of a Kyle Larson or Buddy Kofoid. I just felt I had to work 10 times harder. It always seems like it is the naturally talented people who make history, so to do so myself is an awesome feeling.”