Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Cowin harbors no ill will toward his old team

Monday, Feb. 3, 2003 | 9:52 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Andrew Cowin has every reason to feel resentful as he readies for the 2003 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season opener this weekend in Pomona, Calif.

But the 23-year-old Australian, who was replaced last month by Cory McClenathan as driver of Darrell Gwynn's New York Yankees dragster, was anything but bitter as he tested with his new team, Carrier Boyz Racing of Bristol, Tenn., Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Although Cowin earned four number-one qualifier awards, posted the quickest Top Fuel run of the year (4.490 elapsed time) and finished a career-best eighth in points last season, Gwynn replaced Cowin in the dragster because McClenathan was able to bring additional sponsorship money to the team.

Cowin insisted he harbors no ill will toward Gwynn.

"That's just the way the mop flops," Cowin said matter-of-factly. "It was a bit of a kick in the gut but that's just the way it goes sometimes. It's all business and everything (but) something really good came up here (with the Carriers) ... and I take everything in a positive way; that's the only way I want to take it.

"I consider myself very lucky. I'm a kid and I'm doing what I love, driving Top Fuel dragsters. I'm living a dream right now."

Cowin is hoping he doesn't wake up from his dream anytime soon. Carrier Boys Racing only has the funding to run this weekend's Winternationals at Pomona and possibly the event in Phoenix in two weeks, team co-owner Mark Carrier said, and will temporarily cease operations at the end of the month if the team hasn't secured a primary sponsor by then.

Nevertheless, Cowin said he is happy to be along for the ride -- however long it lasts.

"I'm hoping they're going to get (the funding) because they're really committed to the deal," he said. "They've bought everything they've had to buy and they've updated a lot of stuff and spent a lot of money so that goes to show you how serious they are about it.

"Drag racing is in their blood as well as in mine because we've both been brought up around the sport. I hope something eventuates out of it because it could be a really good thing. We're looking to find some more funding so we can compete at a professional level. We have all the bits and pieces that everyone else does, we just need the funding."

Whatever happens, Cowin will compete in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout as well as the weekend's national event in Pomona. Cowin qualified sixth for the Shootout last November but inclement weather forced officials to postpone the event until this weekend.

The winner of the Budweiser Shootout will earn $100,000. The Shootout winner is eligible for an additional $50,000 if he or she also wins the Top Fuel eliminator on Sunday.

"We want to go there and take home that one-hundred grand," Cowin said. "It's the top eight drivers in the world (competing in the Shootout) ... and you've got to be in it to win it. Hopefully, we'll get some more exposure and that might drag a sponsor into the team. That would be the icing on the cake."