I have always liked cars and racing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would go to the Indianapolis Speedrome with my neighbor and watch the races on a Saturday night. Like thousands of kids before me, I dreamed of being a race car driver, but like many things, in life, what we dream about and what happens are two different things. Now all grown up, with kids on their own, and in my second career, I still had that little burning desire inside to race cars, and with nothing holding me back, I decided to fulfill a long-time dream.
Of course, things aren’t as easy as we always hope, and for me, the big one was, “where in the heck am I going to put a race car”? I lived in a small condo and a driveway that would barely fit a Honda Civic, so where would the race car and trailer go? Answer: Sell the condo, move to the country, and build a new home with a BIG driveway and lots of space. You might ask, what does my wife think of all this? My wife, Kim Generous, is the driving force behind helping me fulfill this long-time dream.
If you want to race, you have to have a place to run, and for me—luck was on my side! Spring of 2015 had arrived, and rumors of a new 1/3 mile paved oval track were confirmed true. I needed to find my very first race car. I contacted Dave Elliot, the Baby Grand representative for Alaska, and asked him if they would be racing Baby Grands at the new Alaska Raceway Park oval track. His response showed me that it was a definite “Yes”! Dave just happened to have what I was looking for in a car, and it was also a prior championship car to boot. So after the condo sold, Dave and I worked out a deal, and soon I was the proud owner of a Baby Grand race car!
So now I have a race car, but it is winter in Alaska and a long time before Spring. This time was advantageous because I had plenty of time to work on my new race car. The car was in pretty good shape but needed some bodywork and a new paint job. It had been a long time since I had done any bodywork, but luckily it was like riding a bike, and I was able to get the body in pretty good shape, and in no time, she was ready to paint. My friend Kevin Hamilton, from Hamilton Customs, did a fantastic job putting on a tri-color paint scheme, and I added the numbers.
Sponsors you can’t (or maybe shouldn’t) have a race team without having sponsors, and luckily for me, I knew a couple of small business owners willing to help me out. Yvette Belisle from Alaskan Spirit Realty got the hood, and her husband, Robert Belisle from Denali Auto Detail, got both rear fenders to advertise on. With help from their friend Tony, the graphics were printed and applied to the car.
Now the expensive stuff, safety equipment! I didn’t have a single piece of safety gear. After saving up for a few months, I could purchase most of what I needed through my friend Dave. I got a containment seat, helmet, head restraint (Hans Device), a 5-point harness, a 2-layer fire suit, gloves, socks, underwear, etc. Add in a two-way radio system, transponder, and race radio to hear the track officials; you are spending another $5000 before you even get to the track.
It is May 2016, and the new 1/3-mile oval track is ready for the Tesoro Inaugural Debut Race at Alaska Raceway Park on June 4th. The first Test and Tune sessions are just days away. It’s time to hit the track and see what I have, not only in a race car but my ability at something I have never done but always dreamed of doing.