As a savvy veteran, Morgan knows to take a hard look at the total package before rushing into a decision. He liked what he saw. Everyone involved in this deal points to one key factor. The involvement of Curt and Devin Fischer, racing supporters and body shop owners from Jefferson City, Mo., had already provided a boost.
Gennetten underscores how important they were to his success, in particular helping with the engine program. He also believes without this foundation it would have been nearly impossible to lure Morgan into the fold. Morgan said little to dispel that notion.
“The pieces are all here,” Morgan said. “Having the Fischers on board was a big part of my decision. I knew I was walking into a good situation particularly when it came to the engine program.”
The team leans on the handiwork of Pennsylvania engine builder Tommy Rider and from there Morgan felt he could add some finishing touches to get the squad pointed in the right direction. Another key ingredient to the mix was veteran hand Steve Daniels, a man who spent more than 20 years working with the late Kevin Doty.
Ayrton Gennetten appreciates the experience he has on his side.
“It‘s hard not to be excited,” he said. “I have Steve Daniels for my car chief and we have a lot of supporters behind us. It is kind of surreal because normally you have to do something like this for a few years to get an opportunity like this. But then the Fischers came on board they took a chance on someone and luckily it was me.”
Morgan and Gennetten quickly got on the same page. In their second race together, Gennetten set quick time with the All Stars at Sedalia and finished on the podium. Gennetten was also named rookie of the year during the Knoxville Nationals.
Since those grueling August nights, he scored three times in 360 competition, including taking top billing during the traditional date at the Missouri State Fair. He also notched three wins racing with MOWA. In addition, his entire body of work over the course of the year at Knoxville Raceway, resulted in him being named rookie of the year at the Sprint Car Capital of the World.
It didn‘t take long for Gennetten to grasp what his new crew chief brought to the table.
“Chad is very smart,” Gennetten observed. “He says he judges the car on the first two laps because after that a driver will usually fix it based on what they are feeling. So he goes from there and after that we talk. He does his thing and I just drive. He allows me to focus more on driving. He makes our motors better and just gets me more comfortable in the car. When I tell Chad what I feel, he says here is what I can do to fix it.” Then he added with a laugh, “When I told my dad how the car was, he said just drive harder. That was Beaver‘s theory.”
The question that looms is how long this new marriage can last. Morgan says he is in it for the long haul.
“That‘s what I would like,” he said. “I‘m kind of hardwired that way. I‘m a long-term thinker. In racing you deal with the honeymoon phase and you may have success early. But I always say you will learn what a race team is made of based on how you handle adversity. And it will come. Can we survive the ups and downs and then do some special things?”
Morgan has also been around long enough to know you can have all the resources in the world, but the driver needs to be capable of doing the job.
“I feel like he is so naturally talented,” Morgan said of Gennetten. “He adapts and settles into a race really fast. I spend more time talking to him about situations like how to handle a restart and tendencies of other drivers and what to expect from them. I just talk him through that kind of stuff because I have been around this a lot longer than him and, hopefully, I can try to shorten the learning curve.”
This is a team poised to make noise. Ayrton Gennetten is ready to take on new challenges, Beaver Gennetten is relieved to have lightened his load and Chad Morgan is re-energized.
“It has been fun,” Morgan said. “I kind of hit the reset button. When I was with Brian, we took the whole journey of being young and up and coming and then you are a contender and then a threat. So I know what it is like when you climb that mountain.”
As for the next season, it will be a mix of races that make the most sense, with a goal to compete at a high level.
“I have always felt the best way to race is to not tie yourself down to anything,” Morgan said. “Going to the biggest events and the races that pay the most money is always a win-win. That is the best decision for a race team given the expense involved.”
As Beaver Gennetten sits back and watches this all unfold he is prepared to do his part. Plans are in place to locate a shop convenient for all parties and there is joy in watching something grow. After all, he watched his father begin a thriving business in the basement of a grocery store.
When he thinks about this racing team and where is son is headed, he can only say, “It is going farther and faster than anticipated, but we have got great people around us and we have pride in being able to bring another car to the party. We probably care about racing too much, but that is where all of our true friends are.”