One year ago, Stephen Leicht was on top of the world, he had just held off Brad Coleman to win first Nationwide Series in Kentucky and today Leicht is without a ride, doing practice duties for Clint Bowyer's Nationwide car when Bowyer has other commitments with his Sprint Cup car. Leicht did have a ride with Richard Childress earlier this year, but the team was forced to fold after they could not secure any sponsorship. Now Leicht is setting up cars for his teammate.“Plain and simple, it’s not going to be a good feeling when that race starts, knowing I’m not in the race,” Leicht said. “Anyone that’s won at a track and then has to go sit and watch the same race, knowing they won and they can win again, is not going to be good. It’s disappointing not being able to race, especially having to sit and not being able to defend my title at Kentucky next weekend. There’s something that doesn’t seem right about it.”
Leicht blames his misfortunes on bad timing. “Look at David Gilliland. He won that race [at Kentucky] two years ago, and now he’s in a full-time Cup ride,” Leicht said. “I won it last year, and here I am, and I don’t even have a full-time [Nationwide] ride. It’s not one person’s fault, it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the way sponsorships have been working out and the way the economy is right now. Everyone’s struggling. Wrong place, wrong time.”
“I knew Robert [Yates] was going his own way and Doug [Yates] was going his own way, and I was going to go in a different direction,” Leicht said. “I never in a million years thought that by the beginning of this season that I wouldn’t have at least a sponsor. When I got hooked up with Richard [Childress], it was a dream come true. I always wanted to run for Richard. I still have all the confidence in the world in him and his team and his marketing people to find a sponsor. But here we are, 12 races in, and still don’t have a sponsor – for the [No.] 21 car. That’s the winningest car in the series, and they cannot find a sponsor for it. It’s unreal. It’s almost like bad timing on my part. I’m here, and they can’t find a sponsor for it.”
Leicht went on to say that Childress has been helping him to find a ride with a different Chevy team, but nothing has come together, but he still keeps memories of that first win close to him.
“Everything just seemed to be in place,” Leicht said. “I said, ‘If we’re going to win, it’s going to be this weekend.’ Sure enough, we went there, and the car off the trailer was awesome. It felt good. We qualified fifth, and in the race, I was in a position to win, and I got it done. I think it’s sunk in now more than ever because now that I’m not racing, and we don’t have a sponsor, and I’m on the sidelines watching. That to me is when it really sinks in. You’re like, ‘Man, right now I’m not racing but I know if I could race, I can win races. We’ve already shown that.
“It’s just a shame that this 21 team can’t find a sponsor. These guys deserve to be racing. That 21 car is the best team out here. … We need a sponsor so we can prove that.”
Lets hope something does come to him.
Leicht returns to site of win - looking for a full-time Nationwdie opening (Scenedaily.com)
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