Boris Said

Infobox_NASCAR_driver
Name = Boris Said


Birthdate = birth date and age|1962|9|18 | Birthplace = New York City, New York
Cup_Car_Team = #60 - No Fear Racing
Prev_Cup_Pos = 51st | Best_Cup_Pos = 42nd - 2005
Cup_Top_Tens = 7
Cup_Poles = 2
First_Cup_Race = 1999 Frontier @ The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last_Cup_Race = 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen (Watkins Glen)
(Sub for Kyle Petty)
Previous_Year = 2007 | Best_Busch_Pos = 58th - 2006
Prev_Busch_Pos = 75th
Busch_Top_Tens = 5
Busch_Poles = 2
First_Busch_Race = 1998 Lysol 200 (Watkins Glen)
Best_Truck_Pos = 16th - 1997
Truck_Wins = 1
Truck_Top_Tens = 9
Truck_Poles = 3
First_Truck_Race = 1995 Subway 100 (Sonoma)
First_Truck_Win = 1998 Kragen/Exide 151 (Sonoma)
Last_Truck_Win = 1998 Kragen/Exide 151 (Sonoma)
Last_Truck_Race = 2005 Built Ford Tough 225 (Kentucky)
Years_In_Truck = 7
Total_Truck_Races = 65

Awards = 1997 & 1998 24 Hours of Daytona winner

1998 12 Hours of Sebring winner2005 24 Hours Nürburgring winner
Updated_On = July 8, 2008

" primarily due to his extensive road-racing experience.

Racing career

Said's early interest was in motorcycle racing. He saw his first automobile race in 1985 , the Detroit Grand Prix. He did not begin racing automobiles until the age of 25, very late compared to the usual 16-19 years of age that most professionals start.

He first began racing in 1987 when he began racing in the SCCA. He got his big break with a ride in the SCCA World Challenge series in 1991 driving for Baer Racing, later to become Baer Brake Systems. Upon Baer's withdrawal from the series to focus on the manufacture of brakes in 1992, Boris got another big ride driving in the IMSA series in 1993 driving a BMW M3. He won the 1997 and 1998 24 Hours of Daytona and 1998 12 Hours of Sebring in IMSA. He also became the first American to win the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2005 driving a BMW Motorsport-entered BMW M3 GTR with co-drivers Pedro Lamy, Duncan Huisman and Andy Priaulx. Fact|date=May 2007

Boris has also been invited as an "At-Large" Rally Car Racing entry for the ESPN X Games 13 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles CA, on Sunday August 5th, 2007. Boris will be driving a 2007 Subaru WRX STI prepared by Vermont Sports Car, who run the Subaru Rally Team USA. He will be joined by American rally car racing legend John Buffum, as his co-driver.

NASCAR career

Said made his NASCAR debut in 1995 in the Craftsman Truck Series at Sears Point International Raceway, driving the #4 Ford F-150 for Irvan-Simo Racing. He started 25th but finished 24th out of a 26-truck field due to overheating problems. He made three starts the following year driving Irvan's #28 1-800-Collect Ford, his best finish a thirteenth at I-70 Speedway.

Said moved up to trucks full-time in 1997 in the #44 Federated Auto Parts Ford. While his amateur season did not yield any wins, he finished second at the Pronto Auto Parts 400K and finished sixteenth in the final standings. The following year, he won his first career truck series race at Sears Point, in addition to his first truck pole at Heartland Park Topeka. He also made his Busch Series debut at Watkins Glen International Raceway, starting on the pole but finishing 40th in the #12 Zippo Ford owned by Jimmy Spencer.

In 1999, Said scaled back on his Truck Series schedule, running only six events. He won poles at Portland and Topeka for Irvan-Simo, as well as driving for Team Racing and Bobby Rahal. He made his Winston Cup debut at Watkins Glen, qualifying on the outside pole and leading nine laps before his #44 Ford suffered engine problems. He also drove at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 34th.

In 2000, he made what would be his final Truck series start for five years at Portland, finishing fifteenth. After a 30th place run at California Speedway, he returned to Cup, driving the #23 for Jimmy Spencer, and finished 42nd at Sears Point. He also attempted the Cup race at Watkins Glen, but failed to qualify due to a lack of owner's points. He saw limited action in 2001, finishing fourth in a Busch Series race at Watkins Glen in a Robbie Reiser-owned car, and drove a pair of races for Jasper Motorsports, finishing eighth at the Glen. After running with Jasper again in 2002, Said served as a fill-in driver for Jerry Nadeau at MB2/MBV Motorsports. He won the pole and finished sixth at Sears Point.

Said signed onto drive a limited schedule for the team in 2004, running the #36 Centrix Financial Chevrolet, and finished sixth once again at Sears Point. The team expanded to run more races for 2005, where his best finish in nine starts was a third at Watkins Glen. During that season, he returned to the Truck series finishing 35th at Kentucky Speedway while filling for an injured Rick Crawford. He also ran two races in the Busch Series for Phoenix Racing, and had a fifth-place finish at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Said joined Evernham Motorsports to help the team's road course program in 2006. He won the pole at Mexico City, and finished second, as well as driving the #4 Geico Dodge Charger for Biagi-DenBeste Racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, starting 40th and finished 31st. In May 2006, Said and his crew chief Frank Stoddard and Mark Simo announced the creation No Fear Racing, which will use equipment from Roush Fenway Racing. The team's slogan is "Sell more cases, run more races." They ran four Cup races starting with the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. He won the pole at the Pepsi 400, his first Nextel Cup pole on an oval. Following his pole win, he promised a pit reporter that if he won the race or the race at Watkins Glen International, that he would shave his head. He was leading the race with three laps to go, and finished fourth, his highest career NASCAR finish on an oval track. In a post-race interview Boris said his performance in the Pepsi 400 was "the highlight of my career". Boris qualified and ran in the 2007 Daytona 500. Although he was not in the top 35 teams from the 2006 owner's points, Said posted the fastest qualifying time among non-locked teams and the 6th fastest qualifying time overall. Starting in 23rd position, Boris dropped back to last place near the beginning of the race. However, he managed to avoid the massive carnage at the finish and cross the line at 14th place.

Said failed to qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500.

V8 Supercar Race

Boris had been listed on the entries into round 9 the Austrailian V8 Supercar Series, the L&H 500 at Phillip Island, Victoria, that took place on the weekend of 12-14 September, 2008. He drove the #67 Supercheap Auto with Matt Neal. They finished the race in 19th.

This deal also includes racing at the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst, New South Wales. This will take place from the 9-12 October, 2008 and is by far the largest event on the Australian touring car calendar. [ [http://www.v8supercar.com.au/v8data/2008/evnt_255/drventry.asp?ssn=2008&eid=255&ind=M V8Supercar.com.au] ]

External links

* [http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=saidbo02 Boris Said's statistics at racing-reference.info]
* [http://www.sobenofear.com/crew/bsaid/ Boris Said homepage - SoBe No Fear (primary sponsor)]
* [http://www.borissaid.net/ Boris Said Fan Site]

References