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How long have you been drag racing?
Since I was 6. Started on my bicycle against my sisters. I've been
racing mostly on the street for years with whatever I owned at the
time. Best race I ever had was while I was driving a friends Yugo
against the almighty street cleaner.
How did you get your start? I got my start when my now
Crew Chief Jeff Pakula, everyone calls him PAKMAN said, "You gotta go
with me to this World Ford Challenge Race in Joliet." Those words were
the beginning. I've seen fast cars with 30" plus tires an huge motors
that ran 10's but after watching Mike Murillo in the Texas Star Car I
was hooked. We went to a NMRA race in Byron entered with a little 75
horse kit and got our poopers kicked in. Even though we lost it was so
much fun.
What’s been the biggest challenge to your racing program this season? Compared to last season?
Time, time, and time. Getting the whole team together for testing is
hard,2-3 times a week. Usually the wives go nuts then it's work
schedules or the car isn't ready. Usually Jeff, my main man, tears the
car apart after races, like the heads come off and he inspects and
looks around for damage or fatigued parts. I wanna see what he does
this year with two cars. Poor guy. Our biggest problem now is holding
the car and people's minds together. It seems once you go under the 10
second mark parts fail quickly and we've broken a major part at every
race. Driving 10-20 hours to get to a race is very hard on everyone
mentally. So our biggest challenge this past season was time and
before that was knowledge. When you start building a car like these
you pretty much are on your own in many ways. When we first started
this year Bob Kurgan and his buddy Crazy Eddie came over at least once
every two weeks to help Pakman and always called, if it wasn't for
those guys we'd probably still be in the garage. Kurgan actually
helped with the dyno and so did Mike Post.
What would you consider your biggest accomplishments as a racer?
It's really been a lot of little things that have made us happy during
the year. Going faster at every single race was the best in 2002. As
for titles we have nothing but we as team have done better than we
expected. This was our first year of real competition and at EVERY
race we went faster, never did we slow down, so to me that is a big
accomplishment, our best time so far was 9.70 and lets just say that
was with 7 cylinders for the most part.
What’s gotten you hooked on the Mustang drag racing scene?
? What didn't!? Some guys golf and some bowl for a hobby but you cant
beat heads up racing as long as you can afford it. Can't really
pinpoint one specific thing, there are many. The whole thing of heads
up racing is such a rush!
What are your plans for the future? Jeff is talking about
a 2003 body style and retiring the convertible but that is still up
for grabs yet. 150 mph plus with no steel roof is scary in a way. We
are adding a 1994 Mustang to the team for 2003 and a big ol' trailer
for both cars. At the end of the year we might switch motors in the
cars and sell the vert as turn key but I'm getting WAY ahead of
myself. Oh yea I forgot to mention the last part to my team. Our plans
right now are a custom show paint job that Greg is applying as we
speak, a new engine by FastTimes that should speak for itself, revised
head job port job with no fluff, we plan on flying Jim LaRocca in from
New Jersey to dyno this new bad boy, lots of suspension adjustments,
I'm going to drag racing school in Vegas in February, we will now be a
two car team, and we just ordered a new 48 ft trailer. Is that enough?
What changes, if any, do you feel the sanctioning bodies need to make
in order for our sport to prosper? That is a double edge
sword question. Both the NMRA and FFW really do try to make everyone
happy but it can't be done, someone will always be unhappy. I feel
sorry for the rule makers of World Ford Challenge. Every year the two,
NMRA and FFW, cars' become further apart. Would be nice if they stayed
closer together in the cars builds.
Who are your biggest friends (or enemies) at the track? I
can honestly, hopefully, say I have no enemies except NMRA tech. Ice
water running threw their veins. Wesley, Thom, Mike, and Travis you
guys know I'm kidding. Right? I like everyone that I met so far.
Who do you fear having to see at the starting line? Why?
Who do I fear?! That's easy I fear me sitting in my car at the staging
lane, on the trans brake at full bonsai mode and having my wife pop
out of the blue pointing at the checkbook and yelling something at me
for a bill I hid and she found. Gives me goose bumps just thinking
about it! Then for sure I'd have to let go of the TRANS brake button
and get out! PS. Honey I don't hide no car bills!!
What would you tell someone looking to start out in the heads-up
racing scene? Do a few months research before even buying a
Mustang. Its a very expensive sport and you want to avoid buying
something twice. Whatever you decide multiply it by 3. We originally
thought the convertible would cost...ah never mind, my wife might read
this and then I'll be really busted. It costs a lot guys and girls.
What would you tell someone looking to start out in the heads-up racing
scene? Do a few months research before even buying a
Mustang. Its a very expensive sport and you want to avoid buying
something twice. Whatever you decide multiply it by 3. We originally
thought the convertible would cost...ah never mind, my wife might read
this and then I'll be really busted. It costs a lot guys and girls.
Very briefly, tell me the dumbest
mistake you've ever made at the race track? HA HA. There has
been numerous dumb mistakes, do we have enough paper here? Our first
time out with our T-Trim and right before our 3rd run in Georgia, Jeff
"Pakman" told me do not get out of the throttle you "sissy." So to
make a point and to prove the car wasn't working I didn't. I can
assure you everyone on our team crapped their panties and Jeff told me
the crowd stood up and screamed. That had to be the wildest ride ever!
Then there was the ghost rider car....don't want to talk about that
one! The Jason vomiting in the McDonalds parking lot drive threw on my
truck from too much Vodka, And my 90* burnout in the box, On that one,
I had my headlights on and shinned them on everyone in the crowed, all
I saw was very big eyes looking back at me!
Anyone you’d like to thank, wives you HAVE to thank, other things not
mentioned you feel are important? First and foremost my
crew, Greg Pakula, Rob Collumn, Jason Dalot, and a special thanks to
my right hand man Jeff "Pakman" Pakula without these guys there would
be no way any of this could happen. Thanks to my wife for letting me
dent the bank account, the teams wives, numerous if not all the NMRA
Renegade racers, of course a special thanks to Chris and Donna Sydor
-- thank you, Jim LaRocca and his entire shop for the red carpet
treatment and giving the car all that extra power, Illinois Auto
Central Thermo King for giving "Pakman" so many days off during their
busy season, and all my sponsors for giving me, the new guy, a chance.
What music do you listen to? Who’s your favorite?
Anything, it always changes
Any nick names for you? OSO = Bull in Spanish. I'm sure
Pakman could tell ya a bunch but you couldn't print them!
Do you have any pets? The kids have a cat.
Do you have Kids?
Yes, 2 kids.
What do you like to do as a hobby outside of drag racing?
My hobby is my business. I'm a workaholic.
What track do you dislike the most? Any track that
doesn't hook
Which is your favorite track to race on? Whatever one
that makes Pakman comfortable, because if he's comfortable were all
happy or our home track. RT41 in Indiana. The car doesn't look like
much but when it runs peoples' jaws drop. Who expects a convertible to
run in the 9's? Bad part is once it runs we have a bunch of people all
around talking and just having a good time, makes it hard to work but
it is fun, and if it isn't fun then why bother?
Do you have a lucky charm? What is it? None
If you could meet anybody you wanted living or not who would it be? Why?
2002 Playmate of the Year. Why? Do you really have to ask?
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