WELCOME TO ONE MANS HOBBY TURNED INTO A LIFE TIME OF EXPERIENCES. WHAT BEGAN AS A DARE FROM ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER FOUND ITSELF BECOMING A QUEST FOR COMPETITION; A BOND AMONGST FELLOW HOBBYISTS; A LEADERSHIP ROLL WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION; A STRONG SUPPORTIVE FOLLOWING OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY; A SENSE OF BUSINESS AND RELATIONS AMONGST PROMOTERS, SPONSORS, FANS, COMPETITORS AND EVEN VILLAGE TRUSTEES.

REMEMBERING BACK TO 1975 WHEN MY PARENTS FIRST TOOK ME TO A LOCAL DIRT TRACK RACE… I WAS HOOKED. THAT TRACK BEING JUST OVER ONE HOUR AWAY FROM HOME (CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AT THAT TIME) I YEARNED TO RETURN TO SEE WHO WOULD DO WHAT MAGICAL FEAT NEXT. THE DUELING AT UNTHINKABLE SPEEDS; THE SIDE BY SIDE DOGFIGHTS… LAP AFTER LAP. THE COLORS… THE MAGIC… THE SMELLS. I WANTED MORE!! I REMEMBER SPENDING HOURS AT A TIME IN MY BIG CITY WALKWAY (WE CALLED THEM GANGWAYS) IMITATING THOSE HEROES ON DIRT WITH TOY CARS. AN OVAL TRACK WAS CARVED OUT AND EVERY CAR HAD A NAME. I ALSO REMEMBER HAVING A TWENTY INCH BICYCLE WITH MY FAVORITE DRIVER'S NUMBER IMBEDDED ON IT. EVERY SUMMER MY FAMILY RETURNED TO THAT TRACK. EVERY YEAR THOSE SUMMERS WOULD COME TO A CLOSE AND THAT MAGIC WOULD RETURN TO THE BIG CITY WITH THAT SMALL BOY.

EVENTUALLY CARVED OUT OF THAT BOY A TEENAGER EMERGED INTO A MAN AND ALL TOO SOON A PARENT WAS BORN. ALONG THE WAY I TRIED MY HAND AT LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL, HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL AND WRESTLING AND EVEN A FEW SUMMERS AT BMX TRICK RIDING. SEVERAL YEARS HAD PAST (THE 80'S) WITHOUT THE "NEED FOR MORE" AND THOSE MEMORIES HAD ALL BUT FADED FROM MY MIND. IN 1998 I FOUND MYSELF BACK IN THE BLEACHERS OF THAT LOCAL DIRT SHORT TRACK AMONGST SEVERAL FRIENDS OF SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS. THAT DAY HAD LED ME TO THIS. YOU SEE, A DARE WAS MADE. A DOUBLE DOG DARE IF YOU WILL. THREE OF US WERE IN.

THERE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OVER THE TRACKS PA SYSTEM. LEARN TO DRIVE A RACECAR! EVEN MORE… RACE A CAR WITHOUT OWNING ONE. THAT WAS ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR. SOLD! UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE OTHER TWO ONLY ONE OF US STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND TOOK THAT DARE. THAT'S OK THOUGH; BECAUSE AS A FAMOUS BALL PLAYER WAS ONCE QUOTED AS SAYING: THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD, ONES THAT PARTICIPATE AND ONES WHO SIT IN THE BLEACHERS AND JUST WATCH. THOSE TWO GUYS ARE SOMEWHERE IN THOSE BLEACHERS LOOKING ON AS I CONTINUE TO PERFORM IN MANY CHILDREN'S MAGICAL SUMMERS.

THANK YOU FOR BEING ONE OF THOSE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE. WITHOUT IT WE WOULD NOT HAVE BALANCE. WITHOUT IT THE WORLD WOULD NOT HAVE RACING. NOW YOU HAVE B~BAD AUTOSPORTS.