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How long have you been drag racing?
10 years
How did you get your start? I've been racing all of my
life, from r/c cars to go karts. my dad has always been involved in
racing and he introduced me to the sport when I was less than 6 months
old. I got my first mustang when I was 16 years old and of course I
had to do some street racing. I started going to my local tracks
, bracket racing and grudge racing. It kinda took off from there.
What’s been the biggest challenge to your racing program this season? Compared to last season? Racing an automatic/nitrous
combination has been a problem. reason being is that our minimum
weight is way too light. We raced at 2150 last season and our minimum
was 1975 pounds. We were giving up a tenth and a half. the stick cars
were racing at only 50 pounds more than us. That's not very
fair.
What would you consider your biggest accomplishments as a racer?
racing out front and winning with a REAL automatic transmission.
This is not a clutchless transmission with a converter bolted to it,
it's not even a lock up trans! It's a real 2 speed Powerglide. I guess
it's more of an accomplishment for Harold, J.R., Lenny and the rest of
the guys at Dynamic/TCT. They are the ones who build the transmissions
and converters. I couldn't do it without them!
What’s gotten you hooked on the Mustang drag racing scene?
I shouldn't say this, but I'm not really hooked on the mustang racing
scene anymore. I used to be. when I first started driving and street
racing, that's all I was interested in, mustangs. But now I just wanna
race. I don't care what it is, I'll race it! As long as it has 4
wheels!!!!! My good buddy, Gene Wilson, has a supercross track at his
house just down the road from me. He keeps trying to get me on one of
those things but I don't want any part of that stuff. Gotta have
4 tires!
What are your plans for the future? IHRA Pro Stock and
then hopefully NHRA
What changes, if any, do you feel the sanctioning bodies need to make
in order for our sport to prosper? Better television
coverage is a must!
Who are your biggest friends (or enemies) at the track? I
have a ton of very good friends at the tracks, Jamie Meyer, Mike
Galimi, the guys from Dynamic/TCT, heck I could make a list a mile
long! I love 'em all.
Who do you fear having to see at the starting line? Why?
Donny Walsh cause he can drill your eyes out on the tree. Billy
Glidden cause he can qualify dead last and pull a killer run out of
his a-s!
What advice would you give to
someone looking to start out racing in the heads-up scene?
Don't try to start at the top. work your way up. I have raced
everything from a bone stock car up to where I am today. take your
time and learn as much as you can about your car and how to race. work
on your car yourself. That's one if my problems, I relied
on too many other people to fix my stuff while I was starting out. I
didn't learn enough about the mechanical end of the car. I really
regret that now.
Very briefly, tell me the dumbest
mistake you've ever made at the race track? I gave Billy
Glidden the best lane in the first round at Atco last season. we had
lane choice and didn't think much of it at the time but it cost us
that round! I also ran into the wall at Holcomb's race at the end of
last season with my foot as hard on the gas as I could push it! I
thought it was the brake pedal!
Anyone you’d like to thank, wives you HAVE to thank, other things not
mentioned you feel are important? I have to thank my family
first, they have all supported me from the start. my wife and 2 sons
are behind me 110%. My parents have always been there for me too. My
DAD is my partner in this stuff and there's no way I could do it
without him. Thanks to both of you! My good friend and crew chief,
Barry Phillippi, is my right hand man at the track. He takes a big
load off of me. He has to drive 300 miles to my shop before we even
leave to go to the races. he his dedicated and I couldn't do it
without him. Paul Dishroon is our other team member out on the road,
he works hard and has played a big part in our success this past
season! Thanks guys. I gotta thank Billy Glidden for all the power he
gave us last season. Harold, J.R. and Lenny form Dynamic/TCT have been
behind me for several years now! They have become more than just a
sponsor, they are truly great friends and I thank 'em for the support!
Kenny Holcomb and Holcomb Motorsports came on board with us this past
season and really appreciate what they did for us and I look forward
to many more seasons with 'em. I have to thank Dave Page at Pennzoil
for his continued support, Bassani exhaust, and everyone else who
makes it all possible!
What music do you listen to? Who’s your favorite?
Heck I listen to all kinds of music! From Kenny Chesney to Usher to
Creed. I hate to pick a favorite. I like Creed, Travis Tritt, Kenny
Chesney, I like a lot of different music and singers. I think if I
don't make it racing I might try to do some singing. I sing all the
time.
Any nick names for you? Buck. I'm not really sure who
gave it to me, it was either my brother or grandfather, but my brother
calls me that all the time and has for years. I had to have braces
when I was little, he was making fun of my teeth and it kinda stuck
with me
Do you have any pets? yes, it's like a zoo around here.
we live on an 11 acre farm here right beside my parents. between us
all we have 9 dogs,3 cats, and 4 or 5 horses. we just got rid of our
pigs, goats and ducks, but I wish we had 'em back.
Do you have Kids? Yes, 2
boys. Dustin and Austin. Dustin will soon be 4 and Austin is a year
old now. Dustin likes cars and racing as much as I do and I think
Austin likes 'em pretty good already too!
What do you like to do as a hobby outside of drag racing?
I try to play golf but I suck at it. Used to fish a lot. heck I
really don't have a hobby.
What track do you dislike the most? I hate the pits at
Reynolds. it took me 2 weeks to clean out the inside of our trailer
after we raced there!
Which is your favorite track to race on? all of 'em!
Do you have a lucky charm? What is it? Yeah, I have
a lucky rock that my Mom gave me a long time ago. it goes down the
track with me each run. There's also some coins in the pocket of my
fire jacket with that rock, I think my dad gave me a silver dollar at
a race and I stuck it in there. I'm pretty superstitious about stuff.
I usually eat a quart of chocolate ice cream for breakfast during the
race weekends for luck. I don't how that got started.
If you could meet anybody you wanted living or not who would it be? Why?
My Grandfather. He died before I was born and I've always heard a lot
about him. Everybody who knew him talks about what a good guy he was.
I think we'd get along real good! we'll meet up one of these days.
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