Boris Said - Racing Career - NASCAR Career

NASCAR Career

Said made his NASCAR debut in 1995 in the Craftsman Truck Series at Sears Point International Raceway, driving the #4 Ford F-150 for Irvan-Simo Racing. He started 25th but finished 24th out of a 26-truck field due to overheating problems. He made three starts the following year driving Irvan's #28 1-800-Collect Ford, his best finish a thirteenth at I-70 Speedway.

Said moved up to trucks full-time in 1997 in the #44 Federated Auto Parts Ford. While his amateur season did not yield any wins, he finished second at the Pronto Auto Parts 400K and finished sixteenth in the final standings. The following year, he won his first career truck series race at Sears Point, in addition to his first truck pole at Heartland Park Topeka. He also made his Busch Series debut at Watkins Glen International Raceway, starting on the pole but finishing 40th in the #12 Zippo Chevy owned by Jimmy Spencer.

In 1999, Said scaled back on his Truck Series schedule, running only six events. He won poles at Portland and Topeka for Irvan-Simo, as well as driving for Team Racing and Bobby Rahal. He made his Winston Cup debut at Watkins Glen, qualifying on the outside pole and leading nine laps before his #14 Ford suffered engine problems. He also drove at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 34th.

In 2000, he made what would be his final Truck series start for five years at Portland, finishing fifteenth. After a 30th place run at California Speedway, he returned to Cup, driving the #23 for Jimmy Spencer, and finished 42nd at Sears Point. He also attempted the Cup race at Watkins Glen, but failed to qualify due to a lack of owner's points. He saw limited action in 2001, finishing fourth in a Busch Series race at Watkins Glen in a Robbie Reiser-owned car, and drove a pair of races for Jasper Motorsports, finishing eighth at the Glen. After running with Jasper again in 2002, Said served as a fill-in driver for Jerry Nadeau at MB2/MBV Motorsports. He won the pole and finished sixth at Sears Point.

Said signed onto drive a limited schedule for the team in 2004, running the #36 Centrix Financial Chevrolet, and finished sixth once again at Sears Point. The team expanded to run more races for 2005, where his best finish in nine starts was a third at Watkins Glen. During that season, he returned to the Truck series finishing 35th at Kentucky Speedway while filling for an injured Rick Crawford. He also ran two races in the Busch Series for Phoenix Racing, and had a fifth-place finish at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Said joined Evernham Motorsports to help the team's road course program in 2006. He won the pole at Mexico City, and finished second, as well as driving the #4 Geico Dodge Charger for Biagi-DenBeste Racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, starting 40th and finished 31st. In May 2006, Said and his crew chief Frank Stoddard and Mark Simo announced the creation No Fear Racing, which will use equipment from Roush Fenway Racing. The team's slogan is "Sell more cases, run more races." They ran four Cup races starting with the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. He won the pole at the Pepsi 400, his first Nextel Cup pole on an oval. Following his pole win, he promised a pit reporter that if he won the race or the race at Watkins Glen International, that he would shave his head. He was leading the race with three laps to go, and finished fourth, his highest career NASCAR finish on an oval track. In a post-race interview Boris said his performance in the Pepsi 400 was "the highlight of my career". Boris qualified and ran in the 2007 Daytona 500. Although he was not in the top 35 teams from the 2006 owner's points, Said posted the fastest qualifying time among non-locked teams and the 6th fastest qualifying time overall. Starting in 23rd position, Boris dropped back to last place near the beginning of the race. However, he managed to avoid the massive carnage at the finish and cross the line at 14th place.

Said failed to qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500. However, he successfully qualified for the 2009 event at Infineon. Later that year he drove the #08 US Chrome Ford Fusion for Carter-Simo Racing at Watkins Glen. Following an incident with Marcos Ambrose at Mexico City that wrecked his car, Said angrily wagged his finger at Ambrose when he passed by to lap him down. When interviewed Said said "I'd rather beat his ***" and after apologizing for his involvement he promised payback by saying "It is going to cost him a car" but his payback never took place.

It has been announced that Said will drive the #26 for Latitude 43 Motorsports in 2010. He ran the first four races and Infineon. The cars are former Roush Fenway Racing Fords and the team, which finished 22nd in 2009 and was sold to satisfy NASCAR's four cars per team rule, had exemptions for the first five races of 2010. By August 2010, Said stated that he did not expect to be back with Latitude 43. Said received a one-race deal from Red Bull Racing at Watkins Glen.

On August 29, 2010, Said led the rest of the race after Robby Gordon ran out of gas with 3 to go, and won his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Italian driver Max Papis passed him in the final turn to try to win, but a mistake by jumping over the curb too high cost him the win. Boris passed Papis after the mistake and they drag raced to the finish. By the time they reached the line Boris Said was a bumper ahead of Papis. (The finish resembled the 2009 Montreal finish where Australian driver Marcos Ambrose dominated, but made the same mistake Papis made, handing the win to Carl Edwards) lap.

Said drove for Phoenix Racing at the Sprint Cup Series road course events in 2011. Following an incident with Greg Biffle, after Boris Said accidentally turned David Ragan (Biffle's teammate) into David Reutimann at the Glen in 2011, causing Reutimann to flip violently, at the garage Greg Biffle punched Boris in his car and apparently gestured at Boris Said. Boris climbed out and Biffle hid behind his pit crew and while exchanging words Boris Said was prevented by Biffle's pit members from attacking Biffle. After the race Boris angrily retorted; "I'm more upset with Greg Biffle, he is the most unprofessional little scaredy cat I've ever seen in my life, he won't even fight me like a man. So if someone texts me his address, I’ll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a friggin’ whooping, and I’m going to give it to him. He was flipping me off, giving the finger, totally unprofessional. Two laps down, I mean, he's a chump." "I went over there to go talk to him and he wouldn't even let me get out of the car and he comes over and throws a few little baby punches, and when I get out, he runs away and hides behind some big guys. But he won't hide from me long, I'll find him. I won't settle it out on the track - it's not right to wreak cars - but he'll show up at a race with a black eye one of these days. I'll see him somewhere." No penalties were given. In 2012, he teamed with FAS Lane Racing to contest the races at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International.