Racing into the outdoors

With the eardrum-shattering screeching of tires and race engines surrounding him in the garage area at New Hampshire International Speedway, Scott Zipadelli speaks of the surreal serenity of hunting trips to western Canada.

Chasing the high prestige of a regular gig in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Ward Burton continues to escape into the natural world whenever there's time in a busy racing schedule.

Richard Childress created a racing empire, fielding cars for the late Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup series champion, while working big game hunts across the globe into his schedule. He has three drivers in today's Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at NHIS -- including Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick, 4-time NHIS winner Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer.

For all of these men, and for countless others working at all levels of NASCAR, being an outdoorsman takes on added challenges.

Read the whole story in today's Kennebec Journal.