My Stock Car Days
While I was going to college to get my Bachelors of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, I followed my dream of racing stock cars around the local Michigan race tracks. I raced in 300 races before retiring (when my 1st son was born) and won 30 races in total. That may not seem like a lot but I won 1 out of every 10 races I entered. That was a lot better than many others I raced against.
In 1981, I started out working on a pit crew for a local guy who then hurt his back. He decided to just build the cars and hired me and another guy to drive his new two car team. Since I was new and the other guy was somewhat experienced I drove the back-up Ford (#235). Within 6 weeks I was out running him and I got promoted to the good car (#236) and he quit. I went on to win the first major event for the team. The following year I bought the main car and started my own team (#55). I had a lot to learn.
I only won two races that next year but went on to learn a lot about how to build a better car. I was finished with college and working at Ford during the day and studying race car technology during my free time. I designed my own roll cage (picture in the gallery) and decided to build my own car from scratch.
It started out as a 1971 Chevy Chevelle that I bought for $200. I stripped it down to bare frame and then put every piece back together the way I wanted. The tracks had rules about engine placement relative to the stock body. I wanted the engine as far back to the center of the car as possible so I moved the whole body back and welded it in place so it looked like the engine was in stock position but it was actually 6 inches back. It made a huge difference and I never got caught.
The car ran under the number 35 and it won the first race it entered. It stuck to the track like glue. We started running Mount Clemens race track but then moved to the high banked Flat Rock Speedway. After a successful year at Flat Rock I went back to Mount Clemens for their final year under #44 before they went out of business. I reworked the car and improved it a lot including a lot nicer paint job that was featured in the local paper. That car won 13 races that year including a couple major events. It became a fan favorite but I could only achieve a 5th place finish in the final point standings. It was the closest I would come to winning a championship.
I continued to race and actually moved up to higher speed late model classes but soon found it took more money to be successful than I could afford. They were custom chassis race cars with big buck engines and full pit crews. So my last couple years I decided to run the standard stock cars again, part time because I just didn't have the time for it with a wife, job and soon a family on the way. I raced in demolition style enduros just for fun for another guy but my final race came in my stock car. On my final race, I was hit from behind and shoved into the wall and climbed the fencing. I blacked out for a few seconds and woke up to see my pregnant wife screaming to me through the fence. I decided then to hang it up. I had too much to lose. That's when I started focusing on electronics and in 1998 launched elproducts.com just as the internet was getting popular. I miss the racing but I don't miss the work.
In 1981, I started out working on a pit crew for a local guy who then hurt his back. He decided to just build the cars and hired me and another guy to drive his new two car team. Since I was new and the other guy was somewhat experienced I drove the back-up Ford (#235). Within 6 weeks I was out running him and I got promoted to the good car (#236) and he quit. I went on to win the first major event for the team. The following year I bought the main car and started my own team (#55). I had a lot to learn.
I only won two races that next year but went on to learn a lot about how to build a better car. I was finished with college and working at Ford during the day and studying race car technology during my free time. I designed my own roll cage (picture in the gallery) and decided to build my own car from scratch.
It started out as a 1971 Chevy Chevelle that I bought for $200. I stripped it down to bare frame and then put every piece back together the way I wanted. The tracks had rules about engine placement relative to the stock body. I wanted the engine as far back to the center of the car as possible so I moved the whole body back and welded it in place so it looked like the engine was in stock position but it was actually 6 inches back. It made a huge difference and I never got caught.
The car ran under the number 35 and it won the first race it entered. It stuck to the track like glue. We started running Mount Clemens race track but then moved to the high banked Flat Rock Speedway. After a successful year at Flat Rock I went back to Mount Clemens for their final year under #44 before they went out of business. I reworked the car and improved it a lot including a lot nicer paint job that was featured in the local paper. That car won 13 races that year including a couple major events. It became a fan favorite but I could only achieve a 5th place finish in the final point standings. It was the closest I would come to winning a championship.
I continued to race and actually moved up to higher speed late model classes but soon found it took more money to be successful than I could afford. They were custom chassis race cars with big buck engines and full pit crews. So my last couple years I decided to run the standard stock cars again, part time because I just didn't have the time for it with a wife, job and soon a family on the way. I raced in demolition style enduros just for fun for another guy but my final race came in my stock car. On my final race, I was hit from behind and shoved into the wall and climbed the fencing. I blacked out for a few seconds and woke up to see my pregnant wife screaming to me through the fence. I decided then to hang it up. I had too much to lose. That's when I started focusing on electronics and in 1998 launched elproducts.com just as the internet was getting popular. I miss the racing but I don't miss the work.
