I have heard that racing is not a sport, that it’s not that difficult. Let me be the first to tell you- I couldn’t agree more. For those that are passionate about it; racing is not a sport- it’s a lifestyle. Racing is not that difficult either- at times it’s next to impossible.
To recap what has happened so far, I bought a car, I thought I knew what I was doing; I wrecked that car, rebuilt it, went in debt, and went racing again. It literally happens that quick- racing can suck you in and give you the worst case of tunnel vision ever. If you’re not careful, racing can take just about everything from you. You can give it everything you have, and in the end you are just left wanting.
Our season had just ended, and to be honest, I was relieved. I needed a break, a chance to regroup and get a game plan together. Up to this point, I had been going at it pretty much alone. I had a buddy helping me but he had a girlfriend and a life of his own, my father helped when he could, but I had nobody really dedicated to the car- at least not as dedicated as myself. My girlfriend was at her breaking point, we never spent any time together and she hated being replaced by a racecar. Things needed to change.
I had an idea one night when I was working in the shop, I was going to go back to my high school shop teacher and float an idea by him. I needed help, and I needed help that didn’t have wives, or girlfriends, or kids, or anything else that would get in the way of their time. That sounds so selfish on my part, but racing is just that way- sadly, it does not reward the thoughtful. My shop teacher thought it sounded like a good idea, and said he would put it out to his more mechanically inclined students. What could it hurt?
Over the next few weeks, I was introduced to a number of guys that expressed interest in helping out. I had them come down to the shop, one by one to evaluate them and their knowledge base. I am aware that beggars can’t be choosers, but if I was going to put my life in their hands (literally)- then I wanted to be sure that they had their head in the right place. This is the point in my life where I started to learn management skills. Each one had his own strengths and weaknesses, which was fine- everyone does. After all- they were juniors and seniors in high school, and not industry experts. I learned quickly that having everyone in the shop at the same time was more of a free for all, and less a productive work environment- but it was help.
This decision had freed up just enough time to keep my girlfriend from leaving me, and things were kind of starting to click with the guys. I remember ignorantly thinking at the time- I felt like Rick Hendrick, I felt like I had things under control. Things were looking up, I was kind of paying the credit card down, the girlfriend was off my back, and the car was on its way back together after going through it. If only that could’ve continued, it would have made things much, much easier.
Looking forward to next week, we’ll see how it all falls apart, and what I try to do to get things back on track. I hope that everyone is enjoying this blog, and getting to see what goes on behind the scenes. I appreciate the comments; it means a lot to me that you take the time to leave them. My sponsors thank you for the interest that you have shown in them, please continue to click through them and show your support. Thanks for stopping by.
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