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September 30th, 2007 will be a day I remember
forever! Whether it was in March of 1972 when I
witnessed my first ever auto race at 17 months old.
Or, when one of the first 10 words I could speak was
Bettenhausen. Or, when I sat out in front of mom and
dad's house with my hot wheels on a make-shift Eldora
Speedway, doing my best Terry Baltes "he's a full-time
racer" impression. Or, when I was slingin the go-kart
dad bought me around the neighbor's back yard on the
dirt track he had built. Or, when I was 14 and dad
would let me drive his truck out in the country down
the old stone road. Or, just from years and years of
going racing as much as possible. Where ever or when
ever it happened, all I have wanted to do my entire
life was drive a sprint car, period. All the other
things in life was just roads that I was traveling
down to get where I could drive a sprint car. When I
first started working on them at the age of 14. When I
skipped school to go racing. The time I quite the high
school basketball team because I couldn't go to open
gym every day in the summer because I was going
racing. Or enrolling in Tech College so I had a
back-up option in case I got hurt when I became a
sprint car driver. All paths I took, I had only one
thing in mind, to drive a sprint car. The problem, the
longer time past, the smarter I got, the more distance
it became. I didn't have a rich mommy and daddy that
could just buy my way into the sport like some did. I
didn't have a famous racing last name that I might get
to use as an advantage. The closest I could of got to
that was my uncle that got killed in Nam. He was a
national go-kart champ at 14 and had people looking to
take him up the ladder once he got older. He still was
racing, then he got the news he was headed to Nam. He
never made it back. I had to try and find a way,
without a major paying job or any major sponsors to
find a ride or get a car. It was suppose to happen
when I was 17. The driver I was working for was going
to try 6 more races then let me take over since he
hadn't caught on in 3 years of trying. Then it was
going to happen when I was 19. A friend I was working
for part-time, had no wife, no kids, 2 good jobs, and
money saved to buy a race car but, he soon had heart
failure and died 5 months later. Something was telling
me, my dream of being a sprint car driver was quickly
turning into just that, a dream. So time went on, I
went on, and realized it would more than likely never
happen. Then, it just switched from wanting to be a
full-time racer, to hey, I want just one shot to drive
a sprint car, just once! It don't need to be in a race
or whatever, just a school, or when someone rents a
track, just sometime, somewhere, somehow. It just got
farther and farther away as time went on. I can live
with that, am I happy about it, NO. Hey, that is just
the way things go so you better be able to deal with
it. Then a call comes in about a good friend of mine
that is renting a track and will let me take a few
laps. Only problem, I am going to be 650 miles away
with customers on a must do business trip. Another
call, these guys tried everything to make it happen.
We got to the track, it was a fun day at the track
where who ever could run some laps. They pushed off
the car, this thing wouldn't keep running for
anything. We worked on it and tore things apart for
hours and just couldn't ever get the thing a running.
I felt so bad for them because they tried so hard to
make it happen. I was so grateful for getting just
that close. I just chalked it up to, I am jinxed and
will never ever drive a sprint car, even 1 lap, in my
whole entire life. Then came another call. "Hey, what
you doing this Sunday?" I was like "taking 20
customers to MIS for a driving school." "OK, then the
next Sunday, the 30th, you are driving a sprint car."
Of course, in the back of my mind, I just knew
something was going to happen and that my hopes were
flying high for another could of, should of, would
deal. I couldn't wait for the week to pass by. The
week was over, its weekend time. Saturday comes, man,
tomorrow it might happen. Then, bam, I start to feel
like total dog crap. I am thinking, are you kidding
me, not again. I will make it, I don't care if I need
an EMS to take me, I will be there. Then, Sunday
September 30th arrives. I am jacked-up and ready. I am
running late of all things. Still need to stop pick-up
a friend's good fire-proof driving suit. I am rushing,
a pure black cat run directly in front of me and I am
like, here we go, thats a sign, the old black cat
theory. Finally, I make it to Evergreen Auto Park in
Osseo MI. I pull in and see a sign, $200 to win stock
car race today. I was again like, are you kidding me?
I thought well there goes that idea. Well, I didn't
know that a call was already made, early in the week,
that it was OK for us to get some track time in
between stock car races and then after their A Mains
were complete for the day. I bring my number one
racing partner, my daughter Shelby, with me and we go
in. All we see is stock cars, not a sprint car in
site. Then, here comes the 27k Kirkendall Racing
trailer down the driveway. Yes, this might actually
happen today. The entire gang is there, Ryan, the
regular driver, Ron and Troy, plus several others that
help them. We get everything ready, they promise it
will start this time. We get our info from the track
on what we can do and when we can do it. Team
Kirkendall is determined that my life long dream of
driving a sprint car will come true on this day. A few
other of there friends are on hand too for a few laps
of fun. Former sprint car driver, Dan Shaffer, is also
on hand to help and take a few laps. After the stock
car heats roll out on the track, they yell, "Duane,
get suited-up, you need to fire the car." I get my
crash course on how to and what to do. Suited-up, and
in the car, down the big long pit lane we go. Plenty
of room, so I can't mess this up. Its just me and Ryan
now. Ryan's pushing me with the 4 wheeler. We stop,
get locked into gear, he say, "you ready" I am like,
"lets do it." Of course, I have to give him the little
come on push me already signal. Off we go, fuel is on,
oil pressure up to 60, I flip the switch, its fires!!!
I idle down the long pit lane and drive into the pits
like I am Steve Kinser. Hell, just starting the car, I
was satisfied. I was so pumped up, I would have been
happy at just that. No way, you are going on the track
between the Dashes and the A's. I am thinking, in
front of all these people, this can't be good. Another
sprint car has arrived for an engine shake down. A
motor X racer turned sprint car driver. I know his
name is Aaron and its a red 39S. I didn't get Aaron's
last name but he is a real nice person. I thought, now
I will look like a fish out of water. Aaron says don't
worry this is only my 4th time in a sprint car. We
watch the stock heats and get ready. The track decided
they better split us up and give us each a session.
The pit steward tells me you get 2 warm-up laps and 10
at speed. I am strap-in and ready to rock. Shelby
keeps saying " are you nervous?" Really, I wasn't. I
get pushed and on to the track I go. I swerve back and
forth a little to get an idea of what is going to
happen when I hit the go button. After a few laps to
get the car up to temp, I start to push the throttle.
I am liking this!!! I didn't want to get in over my
head. I just took an easy, well for as long as I
could. I get the cross flags and am like, already, I
better go a little faster. I am right foot to the
floor off 2 and 4, each lap letting off a little
deeper in the straights. Yes, the straights, don't
want to destroy Ryan's ride. The checkered fly and I
can not believe I was actually just in a sprint car.
After all the stock car mains were complete, we got
some more play time. A few of the other took their
shot, no lap limits now, then I am getting one more
shot. Dan, made an adjustment on the car and takes
some laps. He tells me it will stick, just drive it.
The faster you drive, the easier it drives. Ryan says
he has another wing and Ron says if you hit the wall
make it good so it looks spectacular. The sun is
starting to set as I get some more laps. After a few
faster laps, I drive it in farther, letting up past
the flag stand now. Off 2 and 4, I am sideways, like a
sprint car should be and on the hammer. The tires are
squealing on the hard slick track as I enter the
turns. I actually enter high a few times to avoid the
ruts. I am actually real comfortable in the car and
have a lot better control than I thought I would. A
few bobbles here and there but pretty smooth, on the
hammer, sliding into and off the turns, actually
looking like I might get the hang of this with some
seat time. Ron sticks his hands out of the pit
opening, giving me the hammer it more motion, just as
I do, I see steam out of the overflow and the temp
gauge jumps to 260. I shut it down, not wanting to
ruin anything. We are done for the day but, what a day
it was. I will NEVER EVER forget Ron, Ryan, and Troy
for this chance to drive their 305 sprint car. They
are excellent people that did everything in their
power to make a life long dream of mine come true.
Words can't not describe how grateful I am to them for
this dream come true. This may have been my one and
only chance to ever drive a sprint car but, now I can
say, I have done it at least once. Would I do it
again, HELL YEAH. I truly 100% know with some more
seat time, I could drive one of these things. From
being around them and talking to several drivers that
I know, I kind of had some ideas of what to expect
but, until you strap in and mash that go peddle, you
have no idea. You can think and say you know and all
that you want but, it is 100% different when you
actually sit in the seat and pull on to the track.
Trust me, I dreamed and imagined a million times of
how or what if would be like and it was totally
different that anything I could of ever imagined. So
any 305 teams looking for a new driver, call me. Just
had to try, can you blame me. Once again, a HUGE
thanks to the entire Kirkendall family. I will NEVER
forget you guys.
PS: yes, I still have my wallet. Long story short,
they said I had to do write about this as payback for
driver their car. In between firing the car and
watching a few stock car heats, my wallet came up
missing. I shut it in my usually hiding place, went to
get it, its not there. So we look all over, tear my
car apart from bumper to bumper 3 times, no wallet.
Some how it must of got taken. So, I walk up to the
track director, tell him we think my wallet is stolen,
they stop the entire race program! Announce that we
need to find the wallet before anyone goes home for
the day. After a walk back to the car, someone suggest
to look behind my hiding place, maybe it fell into a
spot we cant see. Guess what, he was right. 3 years of
having that car and NOTHING has fell into that hiding
spot. So i have to take the walk of shame back upfront
to announce we found the wallet and it wasn't taken.
Talk about feeling like a jack@**. So driving the
sprint car wasn't our only excitement of the day.
Plus, once again I gave everyone another reason to
laugh and make fun of me. Not like that will be the
last time I give people a reason to do it.
UPCOMING:
SATURDAY MSCS Lawrenceburg IN $10,000 to win |
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