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How long have you been drag racing?
We started racing in the Trophy Stock class of Fun Ford Weekend in
1996. Our first FFW in 1996 was actually the first time that I had
ever driven down the 1/4 mile. We've been hooked ever since.
How did you get your start? We attended our first FFW
event after reading about it on the internet through the 5.0 mailing
list. The mailing list was the major enthusiast pipeline before the
websites came into being. A large group of the 5.0 mailing list
members were planning on attending the FFW Norwalk that year and we
thought it would be great to actually meet some of the people in
person.
What’s been the biggest challenge to your racing program this season? Compared to last season?
This year, Street Warrior expanded its rules to allow things such as
ported aluminum heads, long tube headers, bigger tires, etc. Its been
challenging to make the major changes in such a short off-season.
Proper selection of components is critical in heads up racing so it
takes time to research the best of parts and explore the combinations
of parts that you think will yield the best results. Heads-up racing
is so competitive that five or ten horsepower can mean the difference
between running at the front of the pack and running in the middle of
the pack. Trying to put together a combination that will let you run
at the front becomes like a whole second full-time job. I spend
countless hours on the phone with various racers, shops and vendors
trying to learn as much as possible about every aspect of the race
car.
What would you consider your biggest accomplishments as a racer?
Our 2002 season was by far the best season we've had since we started
racing. We were able to qualify in the #1 position at six of the seven
events that we attended and came out of the season with two wins, on
runner-up and three semi-final appearances. Some motor problems
mid-way through the season kept us from our full potential, but that's
how racing goes. When you try to live on the very edge, you're going
to fall off once in a while.
What’s gotten you hooked on the Mustang drag racing scene?
The thrill of the competition and the people that we've met. We look
at the folks that we've met through racing and actually consider them
better friends than most who live in our own hometown. Unfortunately
we only get to see these folks and the events so that means hitting
the road to make as many events as possible. Looking forward to the
competition and time with friends makes it easier to pack up and hit
the road though. The thrill of competition and of winning are the
ultimate driver though. Its unexplainable, non-racers would never
understand it, but its better than any drug out there on the street in
terms of the addiction. There's just some innate need to get out on
the track and better yourself on every single pass.
What are your plans for the future? We're finishing up
our 2003 Street Warrior combination and will be back out there on the
circuit in 2003. Hopefully we'll be running with the leaders again
this year. The new Street Warrior rules will push us deep into the
tens on a small cubic inch, high revving combination. We take things
one season at a time though. Who knows what we'll be doing in 2004 and
beyond, but I have problems imagining us hanging up our racing helmet
anytime in the near future. We haven't tired of it, not by a long
shot.
What changes, if any, do you feel the sanctioning bodies need to make
in order for our sport to prosper? The economic downfall of
the last few years has hurt the most. It takes a huge personal
investment, both in time and money, to run a national race circuit.
Unfortunately, in these lean economic times it becomes tougher to find
the sponsor support necessary to fund our race team. The best effort
that the sanctioning bodies could make towards our sport is to give
the sponsors an equitable return on their investments. When the
sponsors are happy, everyone is happy.
Who are your biggest friends (or enemies) at the track?
Racing in Trophy Stock and Street Warrior over the years has allowed
us to build great friendships at the track. Its not uncommon to see
eight or ten S/W tents all strung together in the pits. We help each
other unselfishly and enjoy great weekends at the track. Fun, food,
friends and spirits...that makes a great weekend of racing even
better. We're great friends in the pits, but even greater competitors
on the track.
Who do you fear having to see at the starting line? Why?
I don't fear anyone on the track. Win or lose, I always give it my all
once I roll into that water box. Every season brings new players into
the mix, but there's also those tried and true competitors; those few
who you can always depend on having something extra on the track. I
love the close races the most. Its amazing the thoughts that go
through your mind in those ten or elevens seconds that your racing
down track with your competitor's fender right beside you. I'd much
rather have a race that's won or lost by fractions of a second than by
a total blowout.
What would you tell someone looking to start out in the heads-up
racing scene? Prepare yourself; it takes time and money.
Heads-up racing is a race of cubic dollars. You can't be competitive
with a backyard build-up and you'll never be a season long contender
on a shoe-string budget. It takes a commitment of your hard earned
dollars, as much or more than it takes a commitment of your time.
Very briefly, tell me the dumbest
mistake you've ever made at the race track? Probably the
dumbest is when we made the haul to Bristol after changing cams and I
had the timing set off by a tooth. The car just wouldn't perform and
we were scratching our heads trying to figure out why. We ended up
well off the pace and were eliminated in the first round. It was a
long, silent ride back to Cleveland after that race. You only make
mistakes like that once. But in a heads-up racing program, a single
event like that can make or break your entire season.
Anyone you’d like to thank, wives you HAVE to thank, other things not
mentioned you feel are important? Of course I'd like to
thank my wife Tammy and boys, Nathan and Nicholas. We approach each
season as a family and attend as many events as possible together. I
couldn't imaging traveling twenty-thousand miles a season by myself,
and wouldn't want to. They deserve as much credit as anyone, if not
more, in making our racing career the enjoyable and successful career
that it has been. I'd also like to thank all of our sponsors; past,
present and future. We've had people of the years that have been very
supportive of us, and we thank them all. The list may not be as long
as other racer's lists, but we couldn't have done it without them.
Over the last two or three seasons, we developed fantastic
relationships with Lentech Automatics, Victory Engines and
Lloyd-Manwell Ford. These people have stuck with us through thick and
thin, and have become much more than sponsors. They have become great
friends as well.
What music do you listen to? Who’s your favorite?
We listened to everything from country to alternative. Lately we've
been on a rock/alternative kick that includes bands like Puddle of
Mud, Lincoln Park, Kid Rock, etc.
Any nick names for you? None that I know of, but others
in the Street Warrior gang probably have a few that they mumble behind
my back!
Do you have any pets? Two cats and a dog. We've gone
through a few cats over the years and usually name them after
something racing related....Mustang, Jegs and Nitrous. Nitrous is
still with us. We've also got a chocolate lab pup that will be
traveling with us in 2003. We've aptly named him Paxton. Like I said
earlier, non-racers just wouldn't understand.
Do you have Kids?
Two boys, Nathan (11) and Nicholas (7). They love the racing and love
packing up to hit the road. They both have a lot of friends at the
track. At eleven, Nathan is beginning to be more helpful in working on
the car, at home and at the track. He really likes playing a part when
we win. Nicholas likes hanging out with others at the track and
charming the women. He spends a lot of time over at Gullet's trailer
when he's at an event.
What do you like to do as a hobby outside of drag racing?
Is there another hobby outside of drag racing? If there is, I wouldn't
have time for it. I used to be an avid golfer, but I haven't hit the
links in several years. I can tune the car for that extra hundredth of
second in the time it takes to play eighteen holes.
What track do you dislike the most? On the FFW circuit,
I'd have to say Epping NH. Its not so much the track (although its not
a great track), but more so just the drive that it takes to get there.
I absolutely hate driving in that New England traffic. I'd like to
know where the hell everyone is going at 7:00pm on a Sunday evening
when we're trying to get back to Cleveland and its three lanes of
bumper-to-bumper outside of Manchester NH!
Which is your favorite track to race on? For a racing
surface, I'd have to say Norwalk or Cordova. Both hook great, Cordova
probably just a little better than Norwalk though. The facilities at
Cordova leave a lot to be desire though whereas the facilities at
Norwalk are great. Our favorite race of the year is Bristol though.
The track at Bristol is the neatest on the circuit.
Do you have a lucky charm? What is it? A lucky
charm? No, but we do have a ritual where my wife leans into the car
and gives me a kiss before a leave the pits for a pass, whether its
qualifying or eliminations. I'd rather have that than a lucky charm
any day.
If you could meet anybody you wanted living or not who would it be? Why?
Its not racing related, but if I had a wish to meet anyone it would
probably be Neil Armstrong. I'd love to sit down and listen to him
tell me what it was like to ride that Saturn V into space and step
foot on the moon.
Additional Comments: As most
of our close friends know, I work for NASA in the job that funds our
racing program. I manage a NASA facility that tests cryogenic
propellants, called the Cryogenic Propellant Tank Research Facility,
in Sandusky OH...just a few minutes from the Norwalk track. I've spent
fourteen years with NASA and enjoy my job thoroughly. In the early
years of my career, I did a lot of mechanical/aerospace engineering.
Now that I'm in a facility management role, I don't get to do much of
that engineering anymore, but I look at our race car as my creative
outlet for that engineering talent.
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