My introduction into stock car racing had just been completed, and to say the least it was not pretty. I was once told that nothing is a failure, as long as you learn something. So far the only thing I had learned was racing gets expensive quick, and I just set a speed record.
I remember the long drive home. There was absolutely no traffic on the roads and it was very peaceful. I thought it was an odd contrast to the mayhem that was, just hours before. Everyone in the truck was asleep, leaving me to ponder the day. Had I made a mistake buying this car? Did I bite off more than I could chew? Did I even have enough money to fix the car before the season ended? In all the trips to racetracks I have made since that night, I think that one felt the longest.
We rolled back into town around , and had to back the whole trailer into the shop because there was no way we were getting the car off at that time. It somehow looked worse that it did at the track. It was a surreal experience looking at my racecar- the trailer wet with water and oil, parts ripped open and torn from their mounting points, the odd smells that accompany wrecked racecars. It was more than I had bargained for and as bad as the car looked; I felt worse.
The next day I headed over to the shop and opened the doors up to the sight of what I had left there last night. I spent the night tossing and turning about what I was going to do. I was in such a hurry to get the car ready to race, I didn’t really take the time to see how it was put together. How was I going to fix this? I chained the car to the back wall of the shop and pulled the trailer out from under the car and got it set up on jack stands. I figured that I couldn’t do anything until I got all the broken pieces off the car.
I spent all afternoon, unbolting and cutting the pieces of the car that were no longer useable- and in some cases; identifiable. I remembered sarcastically thinking that things were starting to look up. I only needed an upper and lower control arm, a spindle and a hub assembly, a tie rod along with the center link and idler arm, a new radiator, a new wheel, and a brake rotor. It might as well have been a whole new car.
It was time to make some new friends. I had no idea where to start looking, and neither did anybody else on the team. I started calling other race teams, and speed shops to find some answers. A little piece of advice for anybody in a similar situation- don’t call your competition for ideas on how to fix your racecar. Not only do they not care, but they will find it humorous that you are in tough spot. After a couple days I was able to find what I needed at some local speed shops.
It is at this time I would like to thank the credit card company Mastercard. Not only did they accept my credit application, but granted me with 7200 dollars in credit and gave me a wonderful interest rate of 21 percent. At a very unintelligent age 19, I had just found my funding to get the car back on the track. Its funny how you remember things like that.
After taking up about a quarter of my credit, and shipping all the parts to the shop, I was at a point to start reassembly. I figured we could get back to the track for the final 3 races of the season if we worked really hard. So, once again me and my buddy (Adam is his name) set out to rebuild the front end of my racecar. There was just one problem; we really didn’t know what we were doing.
In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing about getting us back on the track and the toll racing can take on relationships, work, and your finances. I will be updating this blog every Thursday, it makes it easier than posting a date, so make sure you check back often. As always- I welcome your comments. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the blog, or anything pertaining to racing for that matter. I do ask that you check out my sponsors on this page- as in any racing, sponsors make it possible and they help make it possible for us.
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