“This is all new to me…”, said first time racecar owner Chris Tedd. Just a few days ago, Chris Tedd, out of Constantia, N.Y. picked up his new racecar from the Scriba, N.Y. garage of Kevin and Kathy Knopp. Tedd purchased the #04, the 2008 track championship ride, and will be ready to contend for rookie of the year in 2010, along with already announced rookies Fred Kilian and Bob Henry Jr.

He hasn’t set his goals too high yet, but from talking to him, I could tell he’s not going to be satisfied as an also-ran. “I don’t plan to go out there and be a ball of fire right away, but I don’t want to run around in last”, he said. “I have a competitive edge. My goal is to not piss anybody off. I don’t want to wreck the car. If I can’t do it, I’ll let somebody else drive it.”

Chris looked at a few small block supers that were for sale, but Knopp’s was easily the best deal. “Kevin’s done racing - he gave me everything he had”. He also looked at Shawn Walker’s #68, and Wayne White’s #4, but he was pretty satisfied with the deal that he got, which also included the enclosed trailer and all the spare parts.

The 38 year-old driver has enough funding at this point to “just about” run the full season, but he will be searching for sponsors and teammates in the coming weeks. He will run weekly at the speedway, and wants to take a shot at rookie of the year in ’010.

Tedd’s friend Dennis Richmond has “agreed to do the wrenching on the car” for Tedd. Dennis has done some driving himself, and may get a ride here and there in the car if the situation permits. The team would like to rent the track for seat time prior to the start of the season, and plans to attend the open practice on May 1st. “I wanted to try it the couple times I went”, said Tedd, who was encouraged by Richmond to take the plunge. “I used to kick my brothers’ butts in go-karts!”

He’s undecided at this time what his racing number will be. As a Jeff Burton fan, he’s leaning toward #31, but he’s not sure at this point. He doesn’t have a team name yet (I’m thinking “Right Said Tedd Racing”, inspired by that goofy 80’s band “Right Said Fred”). Is this just a stepping stone to the big time? “I don’t think at 38 I’m looking at a career in racing. This is just for fun”, but he didn’t rule out a fantasy of trying a supermodified 4-5 years down the road if he finds out he’s good at it.

He did scare me when he said it’s a “weekend hobby”, because experienced racers know that if you’re serious about it, the weekend is only one small part of your time investment. If you want to succeed, you’re committing 4-5-6 days a week to your racing hobby.

He is pretty excited about the season, though. “It puts a spring in your step, for sure”, Tedd added. “When I come home, I go out and look at the racecar. THEN I kiss my girlfriend”…