My Introduction to Racing

My story begins when I was 8 years old. My Dad worked at Cummins Engine Company. He had a co-worker with 2 teenage sons and they had a go kart for sale. We arranged to meet at Ceraland to see if I would like it. Well at 8 years old, I did not like it. The Yamaha engines and exhaust pipes were too loud and they scared me. They begged me to ride it one time but I refused. So needless to say, my dad did not purchase the kart. Every time I pull into Ceraland Go Kart Track,  I remember that lost opportunity.   Of course as I got older, lets say around 11 or 12,  I changed my mind.   I saw a lot of kids my age racing go-karts at the local Bartholomew Co. Fairgrounds.   After just a few times of watching, I was hooked.   Unfortunately,   I didn't have a kart so all I got to do was watch...….and smell.   Let me tell ya, there is nothing better than the sweet smell of Alcohol and Klotz from a go kart pipe.   Its awesome!!   So in 1990, my Dad loaned me $1,000 to buy my first go-kart.  It was a Coyote Pro with a Yamaha purchased from Don Hudson.   I ran for a year and decided to sell the go-kart.  In 1992 my grandfather purchased a Mini Sprint.   My grandfather was a very good mechanic and he knew how to setup a race car.   The car he bought was old and very heavy and not fast.   All 3 of those make a bad combination.  He sold that car and in 1993 bought an Allen Ruppenthal - ERC chassis.   That car was light and handled great but my grandfather would ticker with the carb settings and muck it up so bad that it would not run.  So I got frustrated and was talking to a few guys about racing.   They said Ron Linville from Osgood, IN has the 71 car - Lowe Chassis and is looking for a driver.   The next week I went to the Friday night UMRA TQ event in Rushville.   I introduced myself to Ron and told him I was looking for a ride.   He took my phone number and said, "Yeah, maybe."   I watched the racing the remainder of the night and saw Tony Stewart win the feature.   The next day (Saturday morning) I am at home and around Noon the phone rings.   It's Ron Linville asking if I wanted to drive the 71 tonight.  I said, "Heck, Yeah!!"   He said, "Bring $50 to cover fuel, etc. and its your ride for the night."   So I packed my gear and $50 bucks and headed to Rushville.   I qualified terrible.   Started in the back of the heat.  Started on the last row of the B Main and run it all the way to 5th place before I got attached to the guy running 4th while I was trying to pass.  I was quite impressed with the car and especially the Honda 750 built by Kenny Miller.   I thought I could win races in this car.    I must have impressed Ron because he called me 2 days later and told me I could run the car the rest of the year (6 more races).   I ran a few more years in UMRA and did quite well for my budget.   I won a number of heat races at Bartholomew Co and Rushville.    Led a Rushville feature for the first 12 laps and then my oil pressure gauge blew up and I got black flagged.  Racing is a tough and expensive sport and at 26 years old I finally ran out of money, haha.    So I worked and began my career in IT.  I spend a lot of years working in computers.  And at 49 years young, I bought a go kart and got back into racing.  I will be 54 years old in 2022.   I have always enjoyed Vintage Kart Racing and Open Wheel Racing (i.e. Sprints, Midgets, Micros).   So we have a nice collection of Vintage Karts and Micro Sprints.   As my racing career enters its twilight, I hope to provide some younger drivers the opportunity to chase their dreams and experience racing with a quality organization such as McNay Motorsports.