HITSTATS By

Nice guys do finish first

By RYAN PYETTE -- Calgary Sun  Steve Jefferson always kept his chin up.
 Even through all the embarrassment, like last year, when he drove into Eau Claire Market with a flat tire in the Mopar 500 parade.  Even through all the heartbreak, like 1996, when he came into Calgary's Race City Motorsport Park for the year's final race with a big CASCAR West super series points lead, and watched it all slip away.  Even through all that, the veteran driver from Prince George, B.C., kept his big smile, always gave the thumbs up to the crowd.  He stayed positive.  But that didn't make losing less painful.
 "I still have nightmares of '96," said Jefferson yesterday, prior to this year's CASCAR West super series wrap-up at Race City.  "I had something like a 30-point lead coming here. All I had to do was stay right behind (second-place point man) Wade Lee to win, and I was doing that.  "Then, the clutch broke, that was the end of our day, and Wade won the title."  This year, Jefferson came into Calgary with a bigger 52-point lead over Saskatoon school teacher Dan Shirley.  It was the product of a lousy '98, when Jefferson spent the season trying to figure out the car.  But the hard work shone through this time.  "To win the West championship, it's the achievement I've been after in 15 years of racing (and six in CASCAR)," said Jefferson. "I've been around long enough to know you'll get there if you stay around long enough.  "To win this last race and the championship here, they have to drive me off the cloud to get me into the trailer.  "And to be the first Dodge to win, it's really something. (Sponsor) Mopar gave me the chance to come racing, and I can go to them, and say, 'Here you go, here's the championship.'  "And that's pretty special."  Even with all his success this year -- top five finishes on all the circuit shows except one -- Jefferson never once put his nose in the air.  He knows the other side, the sometimes-brutal truth of racing.  "And knowing it just makes this year that much more sweet," smiled Jefferson. "You gotta keep trying, that's what separates the true racers from the wannabes.  "You can't just go home and give up when you get disappointed.  "And we've had some pretty big disappointments. We had some days where you have to wonder ... but we kept on trying, because we knew we had what it takes."  And finally, his unfailing belief in himself paid off.