Last weekend, we debuted the Morton Salt Chevrolet at the California Speedway. This marked the first of six races for this year that we will have Morton Salt as the primary sponsor.

Quality Farm Stores, our primary sponsor for all of the other 27 races, took position an associate sponsor role for this race. One thing for sure, the fans really liked the Morton Salt car and the paint scheme.

We qualified in the 25th position with a speed of 175.966mph. I got loose on my qualifying lap in turn four, so our starting position did not reflect how good the car was. In Happy Hour, we were 12th fastest, so we were confident the car was good for the start of the race.

I knew that I would have to patiently work my way toward the front, keeping the leaders in sight, if I was to have a successful afternoon. Early in the race, we were able to gain several positions, however, like many other teams, the car was pretty loose, and we needed to make some adjustments during the first pit stop.

On lap 41, we began to experience alternator problems that would cause the battery to run low. On our first pit stop, the crew replaced the battery along with the regular pit service.

We lost some valuable track position, however, we were able to make up some ground because the race remained caution free for many laps.

Unfortunately, the faulty alternator again drained the battery and we had to bring the car back to pit road for a new battery. This put us further back in the field.

When we returned to the race, we ran some of the fastest laps during the final stages. Our lap times were very competitive. However, it would not be our day with the unfortunate alternator problem. We finished in 28th-place.

I really had a good car. The guys really worked hard to get this car ready and they gave me a car capable of running in the top ten.

I got loose on my qualifying lap and had to start back in the field, but after crew chief Gene Nead made the adjustments, I had one of the fastest cars on the track.

It's unfortunate that we had the alternator and battery problem that got us behind. The team now sits in 15th position in the point standings, 42 points out of the top ten.

Next we head to Richmond, Va., for a Friday night race. I've had my ups and downs at Richmond.

Last spring, I was running in the top ten when I got involved in a multi-car wreck on the backstretch that ended our day. Last fall, I didn't run as strong, but I did manage to finish the race in 17th.

Actually, the first race I drove here was my best. I finished third in the truck race in '97 and led some laps in that race as well. I'm looking forward to another battle on the short track this Friday.

I've had a good race car everywhere we've been so far this year. We're still searching for the consistency that it takes to be a contender, but we've run well almost every week. We'll keep building on that until we get that first win.

Jay Sauter drives the No. 43 car in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division and will be submitting a weekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the season.