Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

If someone came up to you and asks you why racing ? What makes it so attractive?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

"Hot, nasty, baddass speed."

It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.

www.myspace.com/bucky65c

when its wet.....

slide it in.....

what else needs to be said?

Jayson Ellis

"Crack" cost to much, and there aignt nothin better than Dirt in your Beer.

Back in the mid 80's there was this beautiful, natural blonde who I was trying to impress and take away from one of my friends. She wondered why I was so hung up on racing so I took her all the way to Tulsa for a NCRA champ car show. We sat there through heat races and right before the feature, she turned to me and said "What is the big deal about cars going in circles?" Right before the cars got on the track, she looked and said "Take me home." I told her the final race was fixing to come out and she told me to take her home or she would walk home. I missed that dayum "A" feature won by "Bullet" Bob Ewell.

That seems to be the sentiment from people who don't understand racing. Why just sit there and watch cars go round and around in a circle? There are times I think that to this day but when I get to the track, the slidejobs and passing throughout the evening, no matter what division is racing, reminds me why I love this sport so much.

NOT to forget the fact that you can get to know these drivers after the races if your a casual fan. You watch them race AND you can talk with them afterwards. Makes you part of the sport if you choose to do so. I have met so many of these drivers and crew over the years that run around in circles for a hobby/profession that I consider the majority of them my friends. But that can be a bad thing because you get to know these people on a personal basis that if something happens to them, it hits you really hard.

From the deaths of Ken Whitehouse to Leep, Jr. to "Sluggo" to Ronald Laney to the paralized kid Josh Howard from Memphis all bothered me because I knew these people and considered them all friends. But the one that bothered me, even on a personal level was Ryan Craighead. His death was back when I worked for ASCS and it was just that Saturday night after a race at Tulsa Speedway where we all cut up after the races and him and I gave that little "man hug" before I left. Then Fred Neighbors walked into work around 6:30 AM that morning and told me he was dead. Ryan reminded me of my son and to this day, stopping and thinking about it, it still bothers me. He was close friends with alot of people in this racing area and it affected alot of people - even to this day.

While I love this sport so much for the racing and the battles on the racetrack, I enjoy it even more becuase of the friendships and the tightness of the racing commuinty as a whole.

Then again, circumstances above is also why I hate this sport sometimes as well.

Sorry to ramble.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Because no matter who runs over who, he got into me ,or just doesnt like each other ,i have never seen a bunch of people who take care of each other better than racers .no matter what is needed they always help eachother.

David I am afraid if she was with me she would have had a long walk home

I don't drink and I don't smoke so I have to have something to spend my beer and cigarette money on. Sometimes I think racing gets in your blood and its like an addiction You can't give it up

I've never posted on here, but wanted to chime in on this topic. I worked on Duane Baker's cars for 5-6 years and then he gave me the chance to drive it until he took it to Dallas and destroyed it. After that, I worked on a few cars here and there and sat in the stands and watched. But it was in my blood and couldn't stand setting up there just watching, so I spent a CRAP load of money on a camera and now taking pictures, it still gives me a chance to be involved somehow. My fiance HATES dirt roundy rounders but every Friday night, she comes and works my picture table for me in the grandstands so that I can go take pictures. I too think that if she would have told me to take her home or she's walking home, she would have had a long walk back. But, then again, she wouldn't be my fiance too!

Chunk's Racing Images
Yukon,OK

I think its a combination of things. I listed them in no particular order.

1. I enjoy working on the car during the week as it's relaxing to me (most of the time),

2. I enjoy driving the car as its probably the most fun you could legally have,

3. I like setting the car up, it's almost like a puzzle between the what the tracks going to do and what you want the car to do relative to where you start.

4. I love the people because everyone is generally so nice. Even though people get in fights, if something happens away from the track one racer will usually do anything they can to help the other.

5. I don't know about other people, but I know that racing kept me out of trouble my whole life. When you are at the races every weekend and getting the car ready almost every weeknight it is close to impossible to get in trouble.

6. The burritos.

First of all.it is the most competive sport in the world. You don't have to beat one team,there are times when you have to beat a hundred plus teams. Plus the action can be unbelievable.

Now for some of the other reasons.

Take every sport in the world that involves a ball, then look at the best players in each of these sports. What did they learn getting to that point that is benificial in day to day life. "nothing" If you are A serious racer there is no end to what you can do with the knowledge you gain from this sport. This knowledge can be applied to much more than racing.

The things I learned from this sport is "it's only money" and shoulda ,coulda and woulda don't mean chit.

Ya know, I would have probably made her walk home considering it was a NCRA event. However, I tried so long to be with her (taking her away from my friend) and was hoping when I got her home that we would have.........Ah heck, nevermind. I was 19 at the time and had horns.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Yah man, women make us do stupid things. Racing keeps us in check.

My reasons, the smell of methanol being burned, the friendships,the competetiveness,the sweet sound of a finely tuned v-8 turnin up the rpm, and the long legged girls in short shorts in the stands as well as the pits, etc. Hell, it don't get no better.