Georgia division manager bumps into NASCAR drivers

Jonathan Lapkiewicz, ABS Georgia division manager, learned one of life's important lessons while attending the 2006 ABS National Sales Meeting in Ontario, California.
   The lesson: You never know who you're going to bump into on the elevator.
   On the final day of the sales meeting, Jonathan was shocked when he was riding the elevator at the Sheraton Ontario Airport Hotel and suddenly realized that the man standing next to him was Dale Jarrett, one of his favorite NASCAR drivers. Jarrett was in town to race in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway.

Too stunned to speak

"I was too stunned to say anything while we were riding down to the first floor," Jonathan says. But a few seconds after stepping off the elevator, Jonathan got brave enough to ask Jarrett for his autograph.
   The driver cheerfully complied with the request and then he told Jonathan, "It's your lucky day. You're getting a two for one."
   Before Jonathan could respond, Jarrett introduced him to fellow NASCAR driver and teammate Elliott Sadler, who was strolling through the hotel lobby. Sadler gladly signed his autograph as well. Once again, Jonathan was a bit too thunderstruck to strike up a conversation.
   "I stood there like a statue with its mouth hanging open," Jonathan says. "Then they were gone."
   Jarrett, who races the #88 car, sponsored by UPS, finished 17th in the Auto Club 500. Sadler, in the #38 car, finished 23rd.

Transfer to Georgia fuels NASCAR fanaticism

Jonathan grew up in Indiana and while he always enjoyed watching motor sports, he says he didn't become a full-blown NASCAR junkie until 1999, when he was transferred to Georgia.
   His favorite race is the Daytona 500. He attended three consecutive 500s from 2003-2005. During the 2004 season, he made pilgrimages to the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and the Brickyard 400 race in Indianapolis.

His all-time #1 drivers: #3 and #8

Jonathan's all-time favorite driver was Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who was killed while competing in the 2001 Daytona 500.
   "It was a huge shock when Dale was killed," Jonathan says.
   Less than six months after Earnhardt's tragic accident, his son Dale Jr. won an emotional victory in the Pepsi 400 race at Daytona.
   "I've become a huge Dale Jr. fan since then," Jonathan says. He's filled his home with Dale Jr. memorabilia, including a Goodyear Eagle Tire from his #8 race car. Jonathan bought the tire in 2005 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where racing fanatics can purchase all types of unusual souvenirs. You won't have to go in Jonathan's backyard or garage to see the Dale Jr. tire—it's featured prominently as an end table in the living room.

Planning a special day at MIS

This Father's Day Jonathan is taking his dad to Michigan International Speedway for the 3M Performance 400.
   "I'll go anywhere to watch a race," Jonathan says. MIS is located in a pastoral setting called the Irish Hills on the lower peninsula of south-central Michigan.
   He also has plans to visit Mooresville, N.C., which has been nicknamed Race City USA. Mooresville is home to many NASCAR racing teams, including Dale Earnhardt Inc. In 2003, the state of North Carolina even renumbered one of its highways in Earnhardt's honor. Dale Earnhardt Highway #3 replaced the former Coddle Creek Highway #136.