That’s the level Doug Esh, 36, reached last weekend. Sprint car racing has been a challenge, to say the least, for him this season.
So when he damaged his second race car in six days at Williams Grove Speedway, Esh made the call to do something he hasn’t done in seven years. He stayed at his Lancaster home.
Esh hit rock bottom.
“We had a car to race,” Esh said. “But with the way things have been going for us, with all the bad luck and crashes, we decided to stay home. Sometimes, you can’t force things to happen.”
And that’s what Esh believes he’s been doing all season. He added Duane Lawler to the team as an owner with Dick and Leslie Leach. Some said this team would come right out of the box and be dominant, but it hasn’t and Esh’s confidence hit a low point.
“I can’t put into words how bad things have been going for us,” Esh said. “I could see if it was from a lack of trying from the car owners, driver and crew, but we’re working our butts off and we’re not catching the breaks. I can’t pinpoint the problem.”
Esh has been getting some advice from other competitors.
“I turned off my cell phone last Saturday and didn’t want to talk about racing,” Esh said. “I couldn’t get over the people who left messages about how tough this business can be from a mental standpoint.
A rejuvenated Esh plans to return to the track on Friday at the Grove. He’ll definitely be in the No. 30 410 Sprint Car and it’s uncertain if he’ll compete in the $4,000-to-win 360 Sprint Car race. He said the team will still call Williams Grove Speedway home on Fridays, but they will race for money on Saturday nights.
“We have to focus on climbing the ladder again,” Esh said. “Our new approach is to get fifth, then get fourth and so on until we get back to winning.”
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