The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game. He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off. Gosh I was proud.
On Memorial Day I was out floating on Lake Norman and came across Denny Hamlin. We struck up a conversation and one of the first things we were talking about was how much it helped him when he started racing the Cup car and how much it helped his Nationwide program.
Work ethic has always been stressed in my family. My dad is going to be 80 years old and he still works part time. My mom just retired a couple years ago and she's in her mid- to late 70s.