Another front-runner to be humbled quickly was Robbie Reiser, the man who'd later give Kenseth his big break in the Busch Series. He passed up an American Speed Association offer to move south, but money for a handful of Busch and Craftsman Truck Series races with engine builder Carl Wegner never materialized. Finally, a Break Gerry Gunderman was the only owner calling Kenseth that off-season, and the driver readily accepted a job with the powerhouse ASA team from Franklin. I couldn't beg my way into a truck or a Busch car or anything, even a last-place ride. Even if it wouldn't have worked out, I still had to take it.
Most people never get the chance.
This chance worked out, though, and it became clear that it would on the first day. Kenseth and the Reiser Enterprises team improved their car in every session and left Nashville with a sixth-place finish. A week later, in his superspeedway debut in Talladega, Ala., Kenseth's steadiness in the draft earned him the trust of several Winston Cup drivers. Mark Martin called the next morning to congratulate him on a seventh-place finish and to lay the foundation for taking him on as a teammate some day. Unlike their late start in '97, Kenseth and Reiser began '98 with 21 races under their belt, and they were ready.