25 Years of Wisdom

It was 12:01 a.m. and my drink was starting to water down by the minute.

I was standing in the middle of the patio at the world famous Dingus Bar and Lounge in Knoxville, Iowa. The 53^rd FVP Knoxville Nationals were well underway and the R&R crew had motored into town with a 29 foot RV, parked carefully at the Knoxville ball diamonds. Shirts and merch had been delivered and the “relaxing” was well underway. As the clock began a new day, I was reminded of the fact that I was starting my 25^th year on the good planet earth. Free drinks and a few toasts ensued and then I began to settle into the fact that I had hit the quarter century mark.

Based on life expectancy, I was crossing the one-third mark. Good health and plenty of opportunities had afforded me a great life at the big two-five. I have an excellent job in a field that I am extremely passionate about. I am blessed with great family and friends. Ambition is a double-edged sword but I’ll count it as a positive. Financial stability is always nice. Education? Masters is an option for the future.

Despite success in some areas, there are several episodes in which I have come up short. a few things I’m not proud of. However, in life, you learn that those instances are merely lessons that must be learnt for when similar situations present themselves.

Since my new age is a substantial milestone, I thought it might be wise to list some of the more important lessons that I have learned so far:

• ·      Apple products are stylish and hip but vastly over priced.
• ·      People weren’t lying…… location is everything in real estate.
• ·      They right tailor can make a $100 suit into a masterpiece.
• ·      It’s worth the five dollars to cut up your own fruit.
• ·      Tell your mother that you love her when you are on the phone with her.
• ·      Drive older cars…… May not look as stylish but certainly cheaper to tag, repair and insure.
• ·      Be a person that lets people know where they stand. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to build a skyscraper on shifty bed rock.
• ·      Believe in something bigger than yourself. Could be religion or even just the universe. I don't care. When everything comes crashing down (and it will at one point) you at least have something to get you through.
• ·      Take care of yourself. This means exercising, eating right, keeping up on hygiene etc. etc. It all creates an undeniable first impression.
• ·      Going along with the aforementioned tip, learn how to cook fellas. Women eat it up (no pun intended.)
• ·      Don’t be afraid to venture beyond your comfort zone. Exciting possibilities await just outside the boundaries you have set up.
• ·      Never shy away from a challenge. They build skills, knowledge and character.
• ·      Last but most importantly, remember that time is the only thing in this existence that cannot be refunded nor exchanged. Use it VERY wisely.

Sure, there is more in my knowledge bank but these are the most applicable to everyday life. Echoing some of the statements above, remember that this is something called life. Good and bad things will happen, some plans will work and some will not. Adapting is the best way to win this nine inning marathon. Keep your chin up, smile and be sure to have a nice word or two to say. It just may get you another 25 years and a watered down drink at 12:01 a.m.

P.S. I am reviving “Gump on the Run” to chronical my travels, adventures and continued wisdom gathering. I hope you enjoy and will come along for the ride.

End of the Road

As the checkered flag fell at the Dirt Track at Charlotte on the final night of the Lowes Foods World Finals, I noticed a collective “ahhhhhhh” coming from the pit area off turn 2. It was a sigh of relief from everyone that at long last, the 2011 World of Outlaws Sprint Car season was over. 65 race dates coast to coast (and twice into Canada) had taken its toll on racecars, rigs, drivers and crews. It’s an exhausting ordeal that kept me from my own bed over 160 times this year but I do have one thing to say: I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

When I began this blog a little over nine months ago, I was a motorsports and travel rookie. Fresh and wide eyed from Oklahoma, I plunged head first into the world of 900 horsepower winged chariots and the wheelmen that make their living entertaining fans coast to coast only inches from one another. I remember meeting the drivers for the first time. I was timid at best as I shook hands with legends that I had idolized growing up. Others I met were guys who were my own age, chasing their own dreams. 65 race nights is quite a way to get to know people. You see them day in and day out at times. You see them at their best and at their worst, in victory and in defeat. As I sit here now in an empty cubicle getting ready to post my last blog as the PR Coordinator for this amazing series, I can’t help but think of all the memories from 2011.

We started out in Florida for the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals presented by UNOH. Talk about being thrown to the Lions Den! From the get go, this was a job that very much was “learn as you go.” On my very first t-shirt throwing excursion, I was flashed by an elderly biker chick. Needless to say……. she got an Armor All shirt. Aside from seeing some interesting things, Florida was my proving grounds. Could I handle the job? Could I complete all the tasks? I left Florida with a renewed respect for what it takes to put on an event and for what all my job would entail.

From Florida, my next trip was to the gulf coast area and my first weekend excursion with series announcer, John Gibson. The most prominent memory from our first weekend traveling together was how good of a multi-tasker Gibson is behind the wheel. Somehow, he managed to eat a bowl of spicy gumbo, fire off a quick e-mail from his phone and select the appropriate playlist on his iPod all while dicing in an out of traffic on the Interstate. I was so awe struck that I barely noticed the near collisions and onslaught of high beams that seemed to be headed straight for our small Chevy HHR.

The adventures with Gibson would continue to get better as we picked up our program selling comrade, Cinnamon Stubb. The three of us went on to have more fun and antics than I can ever remember having. Perhaps the running gag that sustained itself the longest was when a hostess at a Japanese Steakhouse proclaimed us as a family (much to Gibson’s chargin.) Despite all the ragging and jokes, I have an immense respect for both Gibson and Cinnamon and count them among my closest friends.



The entire road crew is a special group of people in general. As the season rolled on through the spring and summer months, everyone came together to form a unit that is responsible for getting this traveling circus up and down the road. One of the funniest pranks of the year actually involved a good portion of the gang. During the rain out at the spring show at Knoxville, I had taped a nice sit down interview with Steve Kinser at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and had just made it back to the Command Center off of turn three when I realized that the audio track was screwed up. I was livid and stressed out when the series director, Carlton Reimers, called me outside where him and the Farleys, Jim and Luci, were standing. He was getting after me about the rain out release when he finally just said, “You know, we need some ice in the Command Center.” He motioned me over to an ice cooler directly behind me. Without thinking, I lifted the lid and Carlton’s son, Justin, leaped at me from inside the cooler, yelling “boo!” According to eye-witness reports, I jumped a foot in the air, yelled a few words that would’ve made a sailor blush and slammed the door shut. Everyone one else was in tears from laughing so hard as I started to laugh myself. Carlton, Donnie, Steve, Jim, Luci, Eloy, Mark, Donna and Justin are some of the finest people I know and I feel very lucky for getting the chance to work with them. Whether it was Carlton yelling at me to make homemade confetti for the confetti cannon or Justin and I laughing because Frank Carr was doing some “window shopping,” we had a great time everywhere we went.

The rest of the season rolled along with a bump here and bump there. Nothing is ever perfect and there were frustrations along the way. This didn’t work right or that didn’t work right, someone didn’t call back or so. Once I learned how to roll with the punches, things got better. I started enjoying the traveling more and it didn’t bother me to be gone from home for five weeks on end.

Wrapping up the season with the Lowes Foods World Finals was truly a special thing. You have all three of the major dirt racing divisions in one area for one season ending event. As exciting as the sprint cars were, the late models stole the show. With Rick Eckert and Josh Richards being locked into a very tight points battle, the stage was set perfectly for Saturday night’s final race. With the cameras from SPEED TV capturing all of the action live, Eckert trailed Richards when they took the white flag. Richards blew a tire and Eckert sped past to claim the championship. If that type of finish can’t make you a race fan, I don’t know what will.

As the dust settles on 2011, it’s time to begin making preparations for 2012. The new year will mean a new job ole Gump. I will be moving over to Elite Racing to handle marketing and communications for the two-time World of Outlaws Champions. It was an opportunity that I couldn't turn down. I'm very excited about my new role and will use it to continue to provide awesome content to the fans of sprint car racing.

This season has been an absolute blast and very much a learning experience. What is amazing to me is that I still got a tingle in my spine when the field took the green flag at Charlotte. I’ve been to over 60 races this year and to still have gotten that feeling tells me that this is something I truly love and enjoy doing. Before I get out of here, I need to thank Chris Dolack and World Racing Group for the tremendous opportunity they afforded this rookie in 2011. They had enough belief and patience in me to see it through to the end and I really appreciate that. I also need to thank all of the media members and photographers around the country who made my job much easier by sharing their wonderful content with myself and the world. Additional thank you's goto the drivers and teams for putting up with me all year (and coming out for post race interviews after a tough loss.) Last, but certainly not least, I need to thank the fans and those of you who followed my adventures this season. I hope you had as much fun reading and watching as I did experiencing it.




Have a Happy Holiday season and see you at the track in 2012!

Gump

Temporary Groundskeeper at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park

From the time I was seven until I left home, one of my chief responsibilities was to cut the grass. Thats right, mowing the yard. Four years of college has taken me away from my greenskeeping duties but I was able to get back into the swing of things at this year's Super DIRT Week. In order to spare you all of the reading of what went on, I've posted a video below. We are really getting down to the final events of the year. Only 5 more to go until we crown a champion!

The end is near

We are coming down to the end of the season now. The leaf's are changing colors, Football is dominating the airwaves and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season is winding down. What a season so far. Steve Kinser and Craig Dollansky have won 9 a piece and niether one is leading the standings. That honor belongs to Jason Meyers. The 2010 Champ is looking to repeat and with a 180+ points lead, it appears he will do so. Even with that type of points lead, Meyers is still on edge a little bit, knowing that anything can happen in these final six (plus one qualifying night) races.

Since we were delayed in Pennsylvania, I am now up here in Syracuse, New York, helping out with the 40th edition of Super DIRT Week. It's amazing to see the miletrack at the N.Y. Fairgrounds and realize all the history that has taken place here. We start bright and early tomorrow morning so that's it for this blog but I'll post more as we go throughout the week.

A clear mind and long trail

Imagine for a second that it's a cool morning anywhere in the country. You've just laced up your best running sneakers, set the iPod to shuffle and set for wristwatch for 30 minutes. The next half hour is a time for you and the elements to work together to strengthen your body. I try to get these 30 minutes three times as week as we head up and down the road on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Between banner hanging, press release writing and video shooting, there is plenty of opprtunity to get stressed burnt out. Running is a way for this PR dude to get away from it all.

A lot of people don't realize that I was rather chunky growing up and aquired my love of running from a good friend of mine, Andy Aronson. The summer between my Junior and Senior year of Highschool, Andy joined the Army ROTC and I began running with him. It was those insanely hot days in Holcomb, Kansas that transformed me and my way of thinking. Through running (and later weight lifting) I realzied that anything truely was possible with enough will power and determination. By the time I rolled into the halls of Garden City High School for my finaly year, I was 50 pounds lighter and smiled more than ever. I couldn't believe how much more energy I had and how I didn't ache as much anymore. Since that summer, running and working out 3-4 times a week has been a staple of my daily life. I can't remember a week since there where I haven't atleast got three miles in.

Being out on the road this year has been a bit of a challenge since we're always moving and the geasey fast food at 2 am doesn't help. However, I've been able to keep it in check through running and get rid of the stress in the process. Am I in the greatest shape I could be in? No. I know what that would take and it's no fun. I enjoy just being healthy. I enjoy being able to pick up things a go for a run or get in a good weights session. I've run 5K's in the past with decent times. One day, I would like to try a 10K of an Urban-a-thon (Think of running thru downtown Chicago at rush hour and dodging everything.)

You might be asking, what does all of this have to do with racing and traveling? I'm sharing this because it does make such a huge difference when it comes to coping with all of the traveling and working. What we do is difficult and sometimes the conditions make it even worse. I remember Williams Grove at the end of July and I-55 Raceway in August. Hot and humid conditions caused several people to faint and rush inside. Because of my health, I was able to stay outside and keep going. Think bout a race car driver. Stamina and endurance are key, espically during those long hot months. Many of the drivers engage in some type of exercise program to try to get a leg up on the competition.

Even though we all don't race or work 12-16 hours a day at the race track, a simple walk or so can benefit anyone. Healthy eating is also key but thats a subject for another blog (maybe when we talk about SuperDIRT week.) So the next time you need to make a quick trip to the store or what not, see if you can walk or ride a bike. And if you're out on the trail and see a dork with a Cameron University t-shirt on jogging along, wave me down and say "hi."

The West Coast....

So I know I haven't been around too much lately but the summer months mean we're pretty busy on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. From Knoxville to the West Coast, we've had quite a journey and instead of writing everything out, I figured I'd take a minute from our stop today to fill everyone in on our travels thus far. Check it out!

As the Odometer Rolls

“Welcome to Charlotte. The current time is 11:32 am and it’s a beautiful 83 degrees outside. On behalf of your New York based flight crew, we want to thank you for flying American Airlines.” These were the words that woke me from an uncomfortable (yet highly needed) slumber as a regional jet landed at Charlotte Douglas International airport on Sunday, July 31. For many, it was a routine flight but for me, it was the final port of call an exciting and epic twenty four day road trip that started in Minnesota and ended in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The busiest time of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series schedule meant that I would be living the “road life” so to speak, operating out of a suitcase and always counting the mile markers until the next race. Many more with the tour will be out on the highways longer than I was but it was still a pretty long and exciting stretch.

Picking up from my last blog, Johnny Gibson, Cinnamon Stubb and myself made our way over to Carlisle, Pa. for a few days. After watching Jason Meyers, Greg Hodnett and Jason Sides all claim victories at the track, it was off to Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York the following night. The five and half hour drive overnight is among the most brutal of the season but we made good time. As we cruised down the Interstate, I kept having flashbacks to victory lane and the #14 Elite Racing Team. You could tell the instant that Meyers crossed the finish line that it was big. For the Outlaws, it marked the first time that a touring driver had taken a win there since July of 2008. For the team, it was a way to give thanks to a man who was extremely responsible for their title run last year, Charlie Garrett. Meyers expressed his gratitude in victory lane to track announcer Bruce Ellis.

“This one is for Charlie Garrett,” said Meyers. “He was a big reason that we won the title last year because we never had an engine failure.’

Lebanon Valley Speedway presented a great opportunity to host the folks from STP. As one of the biggest sponsors of our series, STP is a valued partner and I hope they enjoyed their time at the track. They certainly saw an exciting race as Craig Dollansky took the checkers over Meyers and Kinser.

From there, it was across the Empire State and over to Buffalo for a relaxing night. A series of text messages led me to the cargo area of a Ford Escape and trip across the border with a group of friends. An elevator ride to the top of the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls gave us a breathtaking view as we settled down to dinner. Coming from Kansas, water is something of a scarce commodity when it comes to seeing it in large pools above ground. Seeing Niagara Falls was amazing as we sat down just as the laser lights were hitting the cascades of falling water. A quick bit of walking around downtown after the meal allowed us to burn off a few calories before heading back stateside.

The next day, Johnny, Cinnamon and I made our official crossing around 3 p.m. and enjoyed lunch at the Hard Rock Café. One thing I do enjoy about being on the road is the meals. At home, I’m normally going so fast that I tend to snack here and there as opposed to sitting down for a meal. Out on the road, there is time enough to set down and enjoy great cuisine. After lunch and a quick trip to see the falls during the day, we settled in for a ride to Ohsweken.

The annual race at Ohsweken is a big deal. Bands, sponsor giveaways and more populate the track on the Six Nation’s Indian tribe reservation. Throw in the orange and white fence around the track and you would be hard pressed not to think that you were at a University of Tennessee football game. Ohsweken marked NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s very first Outlaws win. Some have made comments that the track conditions helped Stewart to the win. I will agree with that but Stewart earned that one as he had to hold off an ever strong Sammy Swindell. Interviewing Stewart was like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be a broadcaster in racing and interviewing a two-time NASCAR champion is about as big as it gets. The win was insanely popular with the fans and drivers alike. As I waited to do the website interview, several drivers and crew members came to congratulate the driver who said that his first Outlaws victory might eclipse another triumph in the Brickyard 400.

From Ohsweken it was over to Brockville for their inaugural race at Brockville-Ontario Speedway. Rain threatened to derail our trek through the Great North but eventually it stepped aside and allowed for an exciting nice of racing. Sammy Swindell led early on until his left rear tire came apart which handed the lead to his teammate, Craig Dollansky. Dollansky led until a damaged nose wing began flopping around and took the air off the nose of his Maxim which paved the way for Paul McMahan to take the lead. Meyers tried to a jaw dropping dive in turn three on the last lap to wrestle the lead away from McMahan as the two split a lap car coming to the checkers. Certainly was a thriller that kept the fans abuzz all night long and on Twitter.

The final stop on the road trip tour was to Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que. Quebec is a quirky area. They only speak French, have stick figures doing things on their road sign’s and love thrills. With three support classes, a fireworks spectacular and a motor cycle stunt, the Drummondville race didn’t disappoint. Another thing that was different was that I had a translator any time I was on the PA system. Alex, the tracks regular announcer, followed me around as I interviewed the drivers and then provided the translation for the crowd. It threw me off during the dash interviews but I finally got the hang of it come feature time. Speaking of the feature, Lucas Wolfe is getting dangerously close to his first WoO win. After dueling with Meyers again in a battle that brings up memories of last year’s Ironman 55, Wolfe faded to third but still received a thunderous ovation from the Canadians as he stood on the stage with race winner Meyers and runner up Steve Kinser.

So that was my great summer road trip. I went through eight states, two Canadian provinces, stayed in more motel rooms than I can remember, ended up going for a shopping cart ride to a bar, had late night swims, won a deal time trivia round or two and made memories that will last a life time. Now the only thing that is missing is that often used back to school assignment, “What did you do on your summer vacation.” I think I could have finally gotten an “A” for this one.