NORWALK, Ohio – “B’lasterman,” a huge can of B’laster lubricant, rises up on the side of the B’laster Racing dragster trailer and sprays that one tough problem.As a result the unyielding maintenance issue works through almost as fast as Barney Barnhart drives a dragster down a quarter-mile drag strip, about 7.20 seconds and 186 mph.Barnhart, Wadsworth, Ohio, competes in the Super Comp class during the B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser May 18 – 20 at Summit Motorsports Park, 1300 State Route 18, Norwalk, Ohio.“This is my 41st year of racing and proud of it!” Barnhart said. “I’m just as happy as I was my first year.”The B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser is an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.Showdowns span the three-day weekend, including categories of Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, Super Street and Super Comp.The DRAW/RFC Super Shootouts presented by Moser Engineering is at 6:30 p.m. Friday.The Super Shootouts is an event within the event. Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street racers will place money in a pool to race. The winner receives 40 percent of the pool; the runner-up, 20 percent; semi-finalists, 10 percent. Then 20 percent of the pool money is divided between two groups: Drag Racers Association of Women, and Racers for Christ.
After Super Shootouts races come the screaming top alcohol dragsters and funny cars. Then Five Fabulous Fans will judge the Stock and Super Stock eliminator showtime runs in categories such as “best wheelstand,” “longest wheelstand,” and “fan favorite.”Exhibition runs at 9 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday feature Bob Motz and his 200 mph jet Kenworth, Jill Canuso versus Ernie Bogue in 300 mph jet dragster showdowns, the Geezer Gassers, and pro-stock snowmobiles.After the Friday and Saturday night performances, spectacular fireworks romance Summit Motorsports Park.Racing teams are traveling from as far away as Iowa, Wisconsin and Canada.Comparatively speaking, Barnhart lives around the corner in Wadsworth, Ohio.“This is our home track,” said Barney Barnhart, who has won multiple championships in his long career. “Every time we’re not on the road, we’re here racing.”Penny Barnhart, Barney’s wife, serves as crew chief handling details such as the weather and tires, he said.The Barnhart’s newest addition is mascot Lucky Lucy, a rat terrier mix rescue puppy they brought home about Thanksgiving time, Barney Barnhart said.Check out the B’laster dragster, a 2010 American Racecars dragster with a 565 cu. in. big block Chevy engine, an Abruzzi transmission and converter, and Hoosier tires.
The team also receives help from Moser Engineering, and K&N, said Barnhart, adding he appreciates his sponsors.“B’laster is a great company,” Barnhart said. “They’re a great group of people.”Since 1957 the B’laster company has made PB B’laster, a lubricant. Now the family-owned business -- in Valley View, Ohio near Cleveland -- makes 18 products used by professionals and DIYers, according to a Website at www.blastercorporation.com.
Bill Bader Jr., son of legendary race promoter and former IHRA President Bill Bader, runs Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, home to an NHRA national event, a regional/divisional race, and as many major independent shows as any track in the country. Bader Jr. is as smooth as they come, all business, and a total pro – just like his dad. "Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals" rolls off his tongue faster than most people could say "Norwalk," his track workers aren't track workers – they're "team members" – and this weekend's Division 3 Lucas Oil Series event isn't a points meet; it's the B'laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser. The Pro Sportsman Association's Todd Veney caught up with Bader Jr., 44, to get his thoughts on what it takes to make a racetrack work, why he switched from IHRA to NHRA, and how he drew a turn-away crowd for a divisional race.PSA: How did you get 48,000 people to a divisional race?BBJ: By not looking at it as a divisional race. I looked at it as a national event. When we had our IHRA national events here, we didn't have John Force, Tony Schumacher, or Larry Dixon. Our biggest star was probably Mark Thomas – an Alcohol Funny Car racer – and I applied the same formula that made our IHRA national event a success to our divisional race. I looked into the old Coca-Cola Cavalcade of Stars name, saw that the trademark had expired, and registered it. I own the name. We made the Alcohol Dragster drivers our Top Fuel stars, and our Alcohol Funny Cars became our fuel Funny Cars. Some alcohol racers feel like they're second-class citizens, and I had a meeting with them in 2008 and told them that we were going to pack this place for the divisional. I saw the looks on their faces, but I told them, "Trust me. It may not happen this year or next year, but it will happen." And in 2010, it did. We literally had to close the gates and turn people away.PSA: So you see your events as entertainment – not as simply races.BBJ: Drag racing is entertainment. What's wrong with saying you're in the entertainment business? It's not like we're manipulating the outcome. We're entertaining people. We learned with our Night Under Fire event [where big-name nitro Funny Car racers, including Force himself, fill the stands for a one-day extravaganza] that you have to market each event differently. The fan who comes to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is not necessarily the same person who comes to the Night Under Fire. People who go to an NHRA national event typically are hardcore fans from major metro markets. The Night of Fire fan is more likely to be from someplace rural. He doesn't know everything about every car, and it's probably the only race he's going to go to all year. He just wants a good show, and he's going to get one.PSA: What's the best way to promote a drag race?BBJ: First, you have to understand who your fan is. We have all kinds of events, but 10 or 12 are significant events with their own unique footprint in the market, and each one needs a different marketing strategy. It's my job to sell tickets. It's not NHRA's job – they're a sanctioning body. What we've always tried to do is sell the entire experience. You can't just do one-week radio buys on WMMS in Cleveland and WIOT in Toledo anymore. It's not the same world it was 30 years ago. It's not the same world it was in 2008, when everything turned upside down. People have scaled down their lifestyles in the last four years; they've learned to live within their means. For the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, we're using 18 different marketing channels. We look at this place as a destination venue – like Disneyland. That's why we've laid claim to the July 4th weekend. Everyone in the United States is looking for something to do that weekend. Why do the same old mundane thing you've always done in the past just because that's what you've always done? Why go to the lake? Come to Norwalk, Ohio! The hardcore fans already know the race is that weekend – we want to get everybody else there. The commercial we're doing for that event doesn't look, taste, or feel like any drag racing TV ad ever. Nobody's screaming, nobody's crashing, and nobody's holding a Wally. It's designed to change human behavior.PSA: Whose idea was it to switch from IHRA to NHRA – yours or your dad's?BBJ: Mine. Dad bought the track in 1974. He already ran Sandusky Speedway – he was a round-track racer – and the first drag race at his track was the first drag race he'd ever been to. He always hounded Bob Daniels, the old Division 3 Director, to get a national event. He just wanted one in the worst way, but Bob told him flat-out, "You'll never have an NHRA national event in Norwalk – we've already got Indy and Columbus," so he reached out to Ted Jones and Larry Carrier to get an IHRA race and tried to make that the best it could be. We'd have this place packed for Saturday nights, but on Sundays there'd be 3,000 people in the stands. It was heartbreaking. When Dad stepped down from IHRA in 2004, I looked into the future, and our future was NHRA. I made a call to Tom Compton, and it started a two-year dialogue. Tom called Dad one day – I think it was more of a courtesy call than anything else – and told him that he'd already been talking with me for a couple of years about having an NHRA national event. Dad called me right up and said, "Are you crazy?" He was the president of IHRA and he had no idea that I'd been talking to Tom. That first year, 2007, when the first pair of Top Fuel cars fired up Sunday morning and the stands were full, we just looked at each other. That was a moment. It wasn't about how much money we were going to put in the bank; it was about a dream realized.PSA: Was the plan always for you to take over for him?BBJ: Well, I've been working here since I was 10 years old. My parents were divorced, my father was a workaholic, I wanted to have a relationship with him, and by coming to work here I kind of met him on his terms. I started out picking up garbage, and I've installed guardrails, done minor electrical stuff, put up fences, worked on drainage, and just basically done every job there is. My degree is in accounting and corporate finance, but I'm more of a marketer than a bean counter. This is not a business you can run with a pencil.PSA: What did you learn from Bill Sr.?BBJ: He always said, if the customer wins, you can't lose. I've seen him in bad situations, and when it's over, everybody comes out laughing, arm-in-arm. I definitely haven't mastered the art like he has, but we have an incredible rapport with our fans – they're our guests, always – and with guys racing in, say, the DOT Tire class, or the Alcohol Funny Car racers here for the divisional race, or the local guys who are out here every weekend. This track is my home. I spend a lot more time in my office than I do at home. The Bader family isn't the Angel family or the Meyer family, who had other businesses before they owned a track. This is all we do. This is how my sons are going to college. It's who we are and it has to work.PSA: What's been most surprising?BBJ: Just how hard this really is. It has to be one of the most difficult ways in the world to make a living. This business will eat you up and spit you and not even care, and you have to be mentally tough like my dad. People come to one of our major events, see 30,000 people in the stands, and think they're looking at 100,000. The human mind overestimates the size of the crowd and underestimates the expense and risk involved with putting on an event like that. That's why all these people think they want to get in this crazy business. Hundred-hour workweeks are not uncommon, and it's not just me. The people who work here are dedicated, drank the Kool-Aid, and bought in to what we're trying to do.PSA: What would you do to improve drag racing as a whole?
BBJ: Our sport has a problem: kids don't have the passion for the automobile that they once did. Lots of them aren't even interested in getting a driver's license. We need to get mainstream America more excited about drag racing, get people emotionally involved. I don't think the human-interest side of the sport is exploited nearly enough. Most top-end interviews are uninspiring. Racers have become homogenized – there's no color, no personality. Everyone's afraid of irritating their sponsors. Where's the subplot? What are the real storylines? Don't talk about which lane is better. Who cares? Drag racing is a fast, ultra-exciting, consumable product. Every time you turn around, somebody just won. There's a problem, and we, as an industry, need to figure it out. One thing about me – and it's a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask – is that I'm never satisfied with anything. Ever. Every night when I drive out of here, I think there must be something I could have done better.
NORWALK, Ohio – The lists were released of top alcohol funny car and dragster drivers scheduled for showdowns May 18 – 20 during B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.No complacency here.Dave Hirata, Lowell, Ind. intends to mash his top alcohol dragster all the way to a world championship. Hirata’s career best standings set him on a platform of 7th best in the world. His career top speed is 276 mph and an elapsed time of 5.16 seconds.The 2006 McKinnery chasse and HMS-built 433 engine are packaged into Hirata’s first brand new race car.While fans meet Hirata and collect his autograph and HERO card, they can chat about his favorite television programs on the Food Channel and ESPN, and his love for Velvet ice cream – “CHOC-O-LOTTT.”Mike Kosky, Cuddy, Pa. races and builds his own top alcohol dragsters.“I won nine national events in alcohol dragster using three different motor combinations: Rodack, Oldsmobile, and BAE Hemi,” Kosky said, adding he races “because I can at 68 years old.”Kosky won the Keystone Nationals in 2011, and runner-up in the Englishtown Nationals. He also won two divisional events in 2011, and in 1989 was the fifth member of the 5-second club racing alcohol dragsters, he said.For career bests, Kosky rang up 269.80 mph and an elapsed time of down to 5.27 seconds, he said.“Pawn Stars,” “Pickers,” and the History Channel, are regular fare for Kosky. And when he’s not racing, Kosky enjoys working on race cars of any kind, he said.
After 42 years of lining up for showdowns, Robin Samsel, Marion, Ind. races his top alcohol dragster because it’s “in the blood.” Samsel’s goals for 2012 include winning two divisional and two national races. Keep in mind Samsel’s career best times of 271 mph and an elapsed time of down to 5.29 seconds.If you see Samsel at the autograph sessions or in the pits, strike up chit chat about some of his favorite things: old Western television shows and movies; classic rock music, and strawberry Velvet ice cream.John Hart, Hicksville, Ohio began racing in 1978, and set his goal for top alcohol funny car racing this year to beat Frank Manzo one time.Hart’s career best speed is 249 mph and his best elapsed time is 5.78 seconds on the quarter-mile drag strip. Hart drives a 2009 Dodge Charger with a 525 Hemi engine built by Gordy’s Race Cars.
No fewer than eight top alcohol dragster drivers from Indiana are registered for B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser.
NORWALK -- Every year around April men get the so called "bug," the itch, the testosterone level rise in all of us! Why you ask! Because the drag racing season is here...That's no different for NITRO FEVER, the injected-nitro dragster drag racing team.Over the winter the team reflected on past years and came up with some great modifications to the race car and new parts to ensure great performance.Driver Dave Hill said that the team is very excited to compete at the B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser on May 18 - 20 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.With the potential for new marketing partners, the wheel-standing Nitromethane-burning, Ameling-built dragster needs to put on a great show for the fans who will be attending the event!The crew -- Ben, Brian, Bob, Ryan -- especially enjoy competing at Summit Motorsports Park.“We always enjoy the excited and very enthusiastic Ohio crowd,” said Crew Chief Ben Ameling. "The Bader family has always provided great entertainment for families to come out and enjoy a premium show for a great price."
Look for great things in the near future when you have NITRO FEVER!Proud supporter of the "Pro Sportsman Association.”
NORWALK, Ohio – Kathy Fisher will unveil and debut a new dragster from the television series “Married With Dragsters” May 18-20 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.The unveiling and debut will be an event within an event during B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser, an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.Kathy Fisher is a national television personality and a sportsman racer with Performance by Fisher Racing. The team car for Kathy Fisher’s husband and teammate, Kevin Fisher, also will be on display.The party begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 in a party/pit area on the Budweiser side of the track near the finish line grandstands.
NORWALK, Ohio – Top alcohol dragster driver Karen Stalba competes on the drag strip at speeds of up to 266 mph and an elapsed time of down to 5.34 seconds in the quarter mile.
But similar to testimonies of many women who have driven on the “mommy track” caring for a toddler, a preschooler, a husband, a career and a household, the speed is pretty much the same at home. It’s like multi-tasking on nitro.Karen Stalba, Hammonton, N. J., competes May 18 – 20 at the B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser, an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.So be sure to introduce yourself to Stalba, the 2011 top alcohol dragster champion in Division 1, and her crew in the pits. Also, collect her HERO card during the autograph session. Information is on the Web at www.karenstalba.com.Stalba’s racing goals for 2012 include: 1.) Win the regional championship in top alcohol dragster. 2.) Jump up from racing in finals twice in Atlanta, to winning a national event. 3.) Finish top 10 in the country.While Stalba is away from home this weekend, her mother in law will help her husband, Tom Stalba, with the children.Tom Stalba drives a 1963 Corvette Roadster in the Super Gas class. More information is on the Web at www.thomasstalba.com.Karen Stalba has raced since 1999. Four months after Karen gave birth to Paul, their oldest child, she resumed racing.“It was difficult in the beginning, but once my mom started coming, that helped,” Karen Stalba said, “especially after our daughter was born.”The Stalba’s children love life at the track.“There are always other families and kids around to play with or see,” Karen Stalba said, “so they have fun. My daughter is two and she loves to put headphones on and warm up the car with me. And she towed back with me after we won Epping (New England Dragway, Epping, N.H.) last year, giving thumbs up to everyone!“It can be pretty tough at times,” Stalba said, “and if I didn’t have my mom and my family at the track, it would be nearly impossible. My mother in law has also helped in the past.“We are always on the go, and the kids are with us all the time,” Stalba said. “We have good people that work at our business, so it affords us to be away and not stress over how things are running at the office.”If early indicators matter, Tom and Karen Stalba’s son, Paul, might choose a different style of racing from his parents.“My son is five and slides the golf cart sideways around our stone driveway,” Stalba said. “I think he could run dirt ovals and kick butt!“My son is big into ice hockey lately, and is on a little NHL league locally,” Karen Stalba said. “If he doesn’t want to race, that is O.K. with me. But I think the more opportunities they are given and things they are exposed to will help them see that they can do anything they put their minds to.“I just want them to find the things that make them happy and do their best at them,” Karen Stalba said. “They don’t have to be the best in all they do. I just want them to do the best they can in whatever they choose."
Professionally Karen Stalba also is a mechanical engineer and a business owner. “I don’t want to force anything on (my children) that they don’t like. But I would like them to go to college because it helped me get where I am today,” said Stalba.In addition to her love of racing, Karen Stalba enjoys going to the beach, entertaining friends and family, and cooking.“Running between preschool, gymnastics, hockey, the businesses and taking care of the house, it is pretty hectic,” Stalba said. “I don’t know how I would handle any idle time.“I have done a lot of fun things in my life,” Karen said, “but watching my kids grow is some of the most entertaining stuff out there!”While Stalba’s racing and dragster thrill fans, she’s punching the limits for the love of speed and competition, she said.“And for the challenge of trying to make the car go faster with ever-changing track and air conditions.”Parenthood puts racing into perspective.“We recently failed to qualify at the Virginia Region 1 event, and it was a big let down after winning the Division 1 title last year,” Karen Stalba said. “I was pretty upset when we towed back, since we were shut off with a fuel leak, and didn’t get to make the pass.“But when we pulled into our pit, my kids were there waiting with their bikes and scooter,” Karen Stalba said. “And just seeing them makes you realize it was just a race. There’ll be plenty more. And the kids are there and love you no matter what.“When we get home and they cuddle up on the couch on either side of me and fall asleep, it just makes me smile,” Karen Stalba said. “I am very fortunate that I have great kids, a wonderful husband and terrific family and friends.
NORWALK, Ohio – Brian Cireddu from Brunswick, Ohio locked up the Mr. Gasket Pro class with back to back wins in the Mr. Gasket $50,000 Super Series Saturday and last week at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.This week’s runner-up A.J. Buchanan, Vickery, won the Mr. Gasket Pro championship in 2011.James Ring, Sandusky, Ohio, came off a series of frustrations and said he was ready to walk away from racing. Instead he claimed the top spot in the Accel Sportsman class.The vigorous competition at Summit Motorsports Park continues May 26. Be there. Other class winners Saturday, May 12, 2012 include:• Mallory Super Pro – Winner, Randy Scheuer Jr., Toledo; runner-up Steven Schmidt, Massilon, Ohio.• Wiseco/Cycle Tech Super Bike – Winner, Matt Short, Cleveland, Ohio; runner up, Rick McWaters, Bucyrus, Ohio.• Accel Sportsman – Runner-up, Nick Hastings, Shelby, Ohio.• Lakewood Stock – Winner, Perry Paugh, Oakwood Village, Ohio; runner-up, Michael Barker, Port Clinton, Ohio.In Bear Motorsports Novice Junior Dragster competition Saturday at Summit Motorsports Park, Kaitlin Zietlow, 9, Brook Park, Ohio, zipped down the track for her first career event win, receiving a jacket and a trophy.Kaitlin, a 4th grader at Big Creek Elementary, drives under the nickname of “Wild Child.”From a family of racers -- even a grandfather who began racing late in life -- Kaitlin proudly wears the family royal blue T-shirt emblazoned with her nickname.The Zietlow family racers, their cars and their family nicknames are as follows:• Gina Zietlow, mom, 1972 Dodge Charger, Accel Sportsman class, nickname Wild Fire.• Bill Zietlow, dad, 1971 Dodge Charger, Mr. Gasket Pro class, Wild Bill.• Taylor Zietlow, 14, sister, Bear Motorsports Advanced Junior Dragster, Wild Thing.• Kathy Zietlow, grandma, organizes the family, Wild Kat.• Larry Zietlow, grandpa, 1972 Dodge Charger, Mr. Gasket Pro, Wild Card.Gina Zietlow said Kaitlin’s success this week was influenced by two hours of practice with the timing tree, and better dial in estimates.
In Bear Motorsports Advanced Junior Draster competition Saturday, Owen Hoover, 15, Norwalk, Ohio also beat the pack for his first career win in three years of racing.This year Hoover switched to a 2006 Huddleston Performance Half-Scale junior dragster, he said. "I just got used to the car."
In other Bear Motorsports Junior Dragster racing this week:• Advanced – Runner-up Connor Grisez, Vermilion, Ohio.• Intermediate – Winner, Jaeden Durst, Fostoria, Ohio; runner-up, Stephen Crowell, LaGrange, Ohio.• Novice – Runner-up, Trinity Marshall, Fisherville, Ky.
NORWALK, Ohio – The billowing of a smoky burnout can describe a parent’s heart when a daughter climbs into a car with a powerful engine and noses it up to a starting line.Both daughters of Amy and David Young, South Amherst, race at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.“It’s scary the first time,” said Amy Young. “Especially when Kayla moved into the big car.” Amy faces the “what ifs” and watches anyway, she said.“Oh, yeah!” Amy said. “I’m usually on the starting line with them and I’m usually in the pit area with them.”Racing since she was 10 years old, this is the first year Kayla Young, 19, competes in a 1999 Ford Mustang in the Mr. Gasket Pro class as part of the Mr. Gasket Super Series on most Saturdays. Meanwhile Taylor Young, 14, a ninth grader at Firelands high school, pushes the limits in the Bear Motorsports Junior Dragster Advanced class. Taylor has raced junior dragsters since age eight.While Amy has driven a few runs in a stock Mustang at some Fun Ford weeks at Summit Motorsports Park, the girls are chasing after their dad’s accomplishments.“He has his stock Mustang,” Amy Young said, “but his focus now is on the girls. He gave it up when they both started running junior dragsters.”The cruise up to pro for Kayla coincides with her first year of studies in pre-physical therapy at Cleveland State University, Amy Young said. Her circles of friends are increasing, but she comes home to Summit Motorsports Park.“She probably has more friends here at the track than she did in high school,” Amy Young said. “We have a big family here at the track. We call it 'our track family.’“So it’s a great sport. Especially with Kayla now in college.” Amy Young said. “It’s a great opportunity to be out here with them every weekend. It’s kept us very close as a family.”
Coming off a stout performance at the NHRA Spectacle of Speed at Lucas Oil Raceway (April 27-29), NHRA Top Dragster competitor Tom Martino looks to carry his momentum into race two of the NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the 2012 B’laster Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser at Summit Motorsports Park (Norwalk, Ohio) May 18-20, and keep his hopes for the 2012 NHRA Division 3 Top Dragster title alive.Of all the competitors heading to Summit Motorsports Park May 18-20, there’s very few who have had more experience competing at the legendary “Norwalk” facility owned and operated by the Bader family than Martino.The most memorable moments for Martino in his 35+ years of racing at “Norwalk” include multiple trips to the winner’s circle and most recently, his first ever 200+ MPH pass down the 1/4 mile at the 2010 NHRA Cavalcade of Stars in front of a sold out crowd (which became a record for one of the largest single day overall event attendance in the history of NHRA divisional events) - Martino adds, “The Bader family runs a top notch, first class racing operation. When you travel to Summit Motorsports Park you feel like you’re more than a competitor, you’re part of the ‘Norwalk’ family. Of all the towns we travel throughout the year, Norwalk, Ohio is one that is highlighted on our schedule every year. When you pull into the entrance gate, regardless the day, you get excited for what ‘surprises’ the Baders have planned. From a fan perspective, you’re getting to witness some of the best drag racing competitors from around the world battle head-to-head, pair-after-pair, at the Taj Mahal of drag racing. They even have a pound of premium Velvet Brand ice cream for only a $1. What’s not to like about Summit Motorsports Park...”Spitzer Top Dragster, the fastest heads-up sportsman class on the planet, is scheduled to have one qualifying session on Friday, May 18 at 4:30 PM; two qualifying sessions on Saturday, May 19 at 1:30 PM and 6:30 PM; and first round of eliminations on Sunday, May 20 at 10:30 AM.Currently sitting in the Top Ten in NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Spitzer Top Dragster points, Martino concludes, “We look forward to having a host of family, friends, fans, and fellow sponsors with us for this event. We are going to do our best to give them what they came to see. If there’s a must win event on our 2012 schedule, this is the one. Let’s secure a “Wally” for the great state of Ohio, and bring home a win for our ‘team’...”You can follow the Martino @ www.facebook.com/martinomotorsports; www.twitter.com/martinoracing; www.youtube.com/martinomotorsports; and Instagram: @martinomotorsports for live updates, event coverage, and real time race results and/or tune into www.dragracecentral.com for event results under the heading “LODRS 3-2”, category Top Dragster.For more event information please visit: www.summitmotorsportspark.com/cos
NORWALK, Ohio – Gretchen Willi grew up with racing, and she and her husband, Rick, raised their children the same way – at the track.So when the Westlake mom hurries to the starting line while her son, Michael Willi, 18, finishes a burnout in his 1982 S-10 and nudges up to the indication light, generations of memories stand with her.She feels them all.“Nervous, proud, excited. A whole basketful of emotions,” Gretchen Willi said. “He’s accomplished a lot. This is his first year in a real full-sized car. He’s done really well, so I want to see him continue.”Though Michael and his sister, Samantha, both raced, Michael’s calling emerged like a jet semi truck.“By the time he could hold a crayon he was drawing dragsters every day,” Gretchen Willi said. “Every paper from preschool on he had a dragster on it. His teacher said, ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s his dragster.’“His dad and I could see it in him from an early age,” said Gretchen Willi. “This is what it’s going to be for him.”Gretchen and Rick drove Michael to the east side of Ohio for junior dragster training, but rain cancelled it.“We took him back,” Gretchen Willi said. “It was the first day of school. We had to take him out. Then the gentleman working with him said, ‘He’s a natural.’”Michael won his first race at age nine, said Gretchen.And rain played a role in Michael’s win two years ago at the U.S. Army High School Nationals presented by Purpose Green at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, Gretchen Willi said.The Willis left the Mr. Gasket Super Series points meet on Saturday because of rain, Gretchen Willi said, adding Sunday morning did not fill with race day focus.“At 10 a.m. I said, ‘Mike, are you going to race in the High School Nationals?’ He said, ‘Are they running?’ On the way out he said, ‘Mom, if I win, can I have the day off school tomorrow?’ I said, ‘Mike, you sure can have the day off school.’”In many ways both parents adjusted their lives to help Michael reach his goals.For years Rick Willi enjoyed driving sporty cars such as Corvettes for pleasure on the street, but not for racing. Now he’s almost always shoulder-to-shoulder with Mike at the track, fine-tuning the pickup.Also, Rick works as a tool and die engineer, a career field that lends itself to custom racing equipment.“He comes up with some special touches for the cars,” Gretchen Willi said. “Nothing ‘can’t’ be made.”Gretchen, a financial systems analyst for the United States Department of Defense, said the family adjusted their schedules and finances.“It’s not a cheap sport,” Gretchen Willi said. “And I work with scheduling a little bit at work so I can make sure everything is ready to go.”Other changes followed socially.“We changed weekend activities with friends,” Gretchen Willi said. “We developed new friends. Now we have race track friends and our home friends.”On race weekends Gretchen packs up her hobbies of sewing and quilting and brings them to the track. And she meets with her quilting friends on Wednesday evenings.Two years ago Gretchen finished a picture quilt of Michael’s junior dragster.“That was his end of the season gift,” she said.Gretchen Willi highly recommends that others become involved in drag racing.“It’s one of the only sports you can go to on a Friday or Saturday night and see a minimum of three generations sitting and eating together and enjoying each other,” Gretchen Willi said. “You watch the kids grow and develop sportsmanship and compete on the track. Yet when they’re off the track they’re best friends.”During the racing season, the Willi family camps out at Summit Motorsports Park at least every other weekend, Gretchen Willi said.“It’s not enough,” Gretchen said. “I love it here.”
