Welcome

Yeah, I know it’s cheesy, but this is really where it all started.  My cousin Tom (the headless guy in the photo) added little tabs to the gas and brake rods of his go-kart so that I could control them.  Here I am at 3 1/2 years, with my ever-present sailors hat, taking a break from driving around my Grandparent’s circle drive.

Because the tactics of racing had changed and cars were getting much lighter, we were not very successful with the late model.  So in 1978 we built a street stock out of my 1967 Camero SS (I know, I wished I had it back in street condition too).  As opposed to the late model, this car was very light. 

We were moderately successful with the street stock, running in the top three almost every week.  We even won a few races.  Ah, the days of racing in a tee shirt!! 

In 1980 I found myself without a ride, and without a car.  So I scrambled to find another one.  There was a group getting together in Alden, MI wishing to start a modified club.  We formed the Northern Michigan Modified Association (NMMA) that year, with our home track of M-113 Raceway, located just west of Fife Lake, MI.  Because Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, MI had just moved to sprint cars, there were a bunch of modifieds available for us to purchase.  Many of us did so, bringing them north for this new venue. 

My car, at one time owned and raced by Dan Eggleston, was one of these Butler imports.  We did win a few races, but that wasn’t the norm.  Due to my sponsor that year, this is the only red car I’ve ever owned.

In the fall of 1981 I got the itch again, and purchased a sprint car.  Not having the funds to get it ready, I found myself working for a friend of mine, who was a fellow NMMA member.  Doug Handwerk purchased this car from Randy Bok, a native of Nazareth, PA. We found ourselves in the unique position of having a car that was many years advanced from the much older Butler cars we were racing against.  We ended up setting several track records, and winning a lot of feature races and track championships from 1982 through 1985.  Doug still has a rather impressive trophy case in his home thanks mostly to this car.

Finally!!  It’s spring 1983, and I’ve at long last got the sprint car ready to race.  This car, new to me, was really an antique.  It was a late 1960’s Ward Watson chassis, raced mostly on pavement during its life.  I turned it into an outlaw dirt car.  About the only thing not hand fabricated was the hood and tail tank.

The best I can say about 1983, is that we learned a lot…  By 1984 we had a competitive car.  We traveled the SOD (Sprints On Dirt) circuit.  Here at Auto City, (Flint, MI) we were the only class racing.  That meant we had to run in our own track.

This is one of my favorite photos.  Turns 3-4 on the 1/2 mile at I-96.  Nice track, but always seemed like it was dusty.  I also learned from this photo that my sideboards were nearing their design limit… 

 My 1984 sponsor photo, taken at the Avilla Nationals.  In the background you can see Gerry Hart’s #39 and John Naida’s #9.  This would become the last time in many years that I would sit in any form of race car.