 RCRN: Tell me about the Myers Brothers. For those who are new to NASCAR, who were they and what were some of their achievements?
My dad had the opportunity to drive for Lee Petty and qualified second at the 1957 Southern 500 at Darlington. He lost his life in that race. My uncle Bill was a Grand National driver and won a couple of races while driving for the Mercury factory team. Less than a year after my dad lost his life, my Uncle Bill was leading a race at Bowman-Gray Stadium, pulled into the pits, laid his head on the steering wheel and died of a massive heart attack.
Both of them died at very early ages. My dad was only 31 or 32 years old and Bill was a few years older. Those guys worked all of the time on those race cars.
Today, it is still an honor for me because there is the Myers Brothers Award that is given out at a breakfast during the NASCAR Cup Championship Week in New York City. It's given to the person who has contributed the most to racing for that year. If you look at the list of people who have won that award, it is pretty neat because you have got folks like Glen Wood, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and the Hendricks.
The Myers Brothers Award is one thing that, before I finish my racing career, I would like to be a part of. I would like the Myers Brothers Award go to Richard Childress Racing. We almost won it one time. We were in the running and I didn't even know it. We were in New York City and Richard said that if we won it, he was going to let me go up and accept the trophy. I never thought much about it until then, but now I think about it a lot. I would like to see Richard Childress Racing be recognized for what we do in racing and win the Myers Brothers Award."
RCRN: What is your most memorable race?
DM: "My dad was an early pioneer of NASCAR and lost his life at Darlington. I always dreamed as a kid of being a race car driver and going to Darlington and winning that race. I found out at an early age that was not going to happen, but actually being on a race team and winning Darlington for the first time was really special to me.
Of course, there are so many more special races that are memorable. Winning Indy in 1995 and 2003, the Pass in the Grass, the Winston's. I can't say that one is more special than the other, but being a part of winning so many of the big races and special events are the memories that stand out in my mind.
I told someone the other day, "How many times can you say that you won every single qualifying race at Daytona for 10 years straight. We won every Twin-125 during the 1990s. Being a part of it and then saying, "We won Daytona 25 or 30 times, but we only finished first once." We were always a contender and ran up front at Daytona and so many times that race slipped through our fingers. People would ask, "Think you'll ever win Daytona?" For a long time I thought that winning Daytona was no different than winning Charlotte or any other race. Then, to finally win Daytona, you realize that Daytona isn't just another race, it is Daytona!"
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