Coming of Age...

One of my brother Mike's most vivid memories is the story that he often tells about the day he realized he was getting old. Nothing earth-moving at all really, he was simply driving down the road one day and passed me driving a motor vehicle of my own. It just didn't seem possible to Mike that his little brother, Van, the youngest of 3 boys, should have a valid driver's license and be shuffling in and out of traffic as if he knew what he was doing.

About a decade later I was driving down the road and a Chicago song came on. Instead of turning the station, I just sat there and enjoyed it. For years, I officially recognized that particular day in history as my cue that perhaps I too was getting old (ha ha). What happened last Saturday at Mooresville, however, is my new official, "I'm getting old story."

I was fortunate enough to attend my first IHRA Pro-Am event in years this last weekend at Mooresville Dragway. As I stood there in the staging lanes watching Super Stock form a single file line, I began to think about the first time I ever went to Mooresville. The year was 1989, and my pal Tim Starnes of Hickory, NC had a high-winding Modified Camaro. Tim and his family let me tag along with them and attend this very same divisional race, only we called it World Championship Series (WCS) back in those days.

As I stood there last Saturday watching Mike Boyles and Steve McCreary exchange pleasantries in the staging lanes, I began to distinctly remember that both men were present at this same IHRA divisional meet nearly 20 years ago. I approached Mike and Steve and told them of my memory...so they too would have a brand new, "I'm getting old story." I told the story to Ronnie Skinner also, another competitor who was present both then and now.

I took a snap shot of Boyles and McCreary standing in the staging lanes Saturday, then I came home after the race and dug through my shoe boxes of pictures until I found one that I snapped in 1989 - a snap shot that also has both Mike Boyles and Steve McCreary in it. Launching from the starting line is Boyles' famous "Good 'Ol Charlie Brown" wagon. Pulling into the water box behind him is none other than the "Dog Gone Vette" of Steve McCreary. McCreary updated his equipment a few years ago to a little sport compact ride, while Boyles still bangs gears in his old, brown wagon. Both men still compete in IHRA Super Stock.

The swiftness of time takes me by surprise sometimes; last Saturday at Mooresville is a perfect example.

The May issue of Drag Illustrated is about to start showing up in speed shops, mailboxes and other outlets this very week. I'm excited for Buzz Varner, who's feature story appears in this month's issue. I could sit down and talk to Buzz for hours. Whether it's race coverage or a feature story, Buzz Varner always gives me a great interview. I finally had to stop writing for the sake of length, and I regret not being able to share more of Varner's stories.

I drove to Burlington (2+ hours east of my home in Hickory, NC) to visit Buzz in his restaurant. He fried me a cheeseburger, I had some pie and coffee, and it was a real pleasure to spend the afternoon there and hear some great racing stories. Some of my favorite stories (that didn't make the magazine) were the hair-raising tales of crashes and near misses in a Pro Mod car. "Some of the worst rides I've ever taken are the ones when you don't actually wreck", laughed Varner.

He told of being so out of shape that you can hear the tires squealing from inside the car with ear plugs in. He told of nitrous explosions so violent, the windshield was split and the jolt he took in the car was like a punch. One of the wildest stories Buzz told me was the time at Coastal Plains when a radiator line busted. "Somebody actually got that run on tape, and it looked like I ran through a rain storm", said Buzz. "Luckily, the parachutes came out and got me straight before the tires got dry enough to bite or I'd still be flipping", laughed Varner.
Here's a picture that turned out nice of the "3 stooges" - taken at Farmington a few months ago. Buzz never looks thrilled when I bring out the camera, but he continues to tolerate me. Ha! Left to right: Rod Houck, Garry "Hooter" Hoots and Buzz Varner.

A favorite of mine...

Every now and then someone asks me "What's the best photo you've ever taken?" Well, I like to think that I've yet to take it! I could hardly pick an absolute favorite anyway, although I might could narrow it down if I started putting photos in categories such as best burnout, best launch, etc. How about the category of "luck"? Take this picture for example. Funny thing is, even though I was specifically trying to get this shot, I still feel lucky whenever it happens. I like to give stuff names, and I've always called this technique the "flowing parachute shot". It's the moment when the parachute first begins to exit the car. The window of opportunty opens and closes for an instant, and I've always thought there was something cool and special about the way it looks on film. This photograph is far from the "most beautiful" I've ever taken. Color saturation isn't magnificent, and the focus is even a little soft in places. Still, it goes down as one of my all-time favorites, especially when I think back to what I was using in the way of "equipment".


The year was around 1993, and I was shooting a Saturday qualifying session of mountain motor Pro Stock at Bristol. My camera was a manual focus Nikon N2000 that I rescued from a pawn shop. The camera did have a motor drive, but we called it "film advance" back in those days. Modern digital cameras of today have the capabilities to reel off 8 frames per second. This Nikon with 1980's technology, however, was lucky to spit out 1 frame per second, and that was with fresh Energizers. In other words, you better make your "one shot" count because that's about all this camera would do - especially when your subject happened to be a pair of Pro Stocks traveling around 200 mph! Other than the obvious, another reason I like this picture is because Charlie Garrett (near lane) seems to have drifted to the center line, and the cars are incredibly close to each other! Pictures come and go, and I've forgotten plenty of them, but this picture will always be a favorite of mine.

Well, it's approaching midnight on Tuesday. I'm sure Wes is about to officially start his "late night creepin". Ha! Speaking of Wes, I'm looking forward to hanging out with him this weekend at the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham. Most people would be surprised to learn that Wes and I have only met once in our entire lives; at Dragstock 2007. When you live halfway across the country from each other, you have to rely on telephone and email transmissions to stay in touch.

On the night of Farmington's Quick-8 opener last month, an email from Wes came through at 4:00am on Easter Sunday morning. "You still up?", asks Wes. Sadly I was! I could hardly sleep after witnessing the first side by side 3 second final round in nitrous doorslammer history! I left Farmington at 11:53pm...don't ask me how I remember the trivial things. I always make a stop in Statesville on my way home from Farmington. You guessed it, time for some Waffle House love. Me and my legendary eating disorder sat down to cheese eggs, grits, hash browns, raisin toast and bottomless cups of coffee.

After my snack, I opened my laptop and wrote a story, yes, right there in the Waffle House! I couldn't wait, the article was flowing and I had to ride the wave. I got home that night just in time to get the "Are you still up?" message from Wes. I finally went to bed at 5:00am Easter Sunday. A few hours later I was sitting in church wondering why I wasn't wearing a belt. Life's a blur these days. I try to savor the moments as they're flying by. Mike Boyles of "Good 'Ol Charlie Brown" fame once told me that it's important to enjoy it while you can. Sounded like good advice then, and even better advice now.

Hello!

Hello adventure seekers, and welcome to our internet hideout! Hope you get to know us and love us...maybe even want to feed us! I'm fortunate to live within the city limits of drag racing heaven (Hickory, NC) even though I didn't take advantage of it for many years. When I was a young lad I used to write a weekly drag racing column for my hometown newspaper in the early 1990's. The track eventually closed and my column died along with it. Before I knew it, 12 years had gone by and I had hardly even gone to a race. My accidental return to drag racing story telling and picture taking occurred when my buddy Rod Houck talked me into writing an article and sending it in to a drag racing website. And people wonder why my wife ain't got no use for Rod Houck. Ha! Too late now, cup cake, I've been infected all over again!

Van