My life’s biggest passion: Drag racing

Me racing my Talon at New England Dragway

This morning I decided I wanted to make this blog more than just an online journal. I want to include parts of me, and what I love. I will be elaborating on this topic more with my other loves. But my numero uno love, second to none is racing…drag racing to be specific.

A little history on this…

I have a father who loves cars as long as I can remember. I can remember being as young as five years old and liked mowing the lawn. Dad would let me ‘walk with him’ pushing the mower, and then he would give me $1. Not a bad deal. I realize my desire to learn how engines worked began then.

I also remember Dad taking me to the drag racing track around the same age. I was too young to know what it was, but this exposure became relevant a few years later. I first felt a connection of my own with cars when I was about 13 and first saw a 1990 Honda crx. I instantly  fell in love with this car, its unique body lines, no frills interior, and subsequently became fascinated by internal combustion engines. I had to know how they worked.

I loved this particular Honda because it came with a small displacement engine, but due to its light-weight, and immense handling capabilities through correct weight distrbution; when swapped with a larger, honda motor they produced measurable results on the track. Thus my love was born of light weight, four cylinder cars. I have also tinkered with mitsubishi’s, corvette’s, and even a saturn!

I spent my teen years focused on learning as much as I could about cars, engines, whatever I could, always fascinated, wanting to learn more and the more I learned, it was like the less I learned I knew! It was ever evolving, and ever satisfying.

I started modifying my own cars in 2002 or so, and have just been learning, and growing ever since.

I started drag racing in 2004, and have never looked back. Having been to the ‘drag strip’ many times when I was young, I already knew with these surroundings, they felt familiar. I still remember the first time I ‘staged’ my car to race, the feeling, the adrenaline; nothing compares…it felt perfect. I was enthralled, I loved it. And I always wanted to improve my times and go faster. I love the feeling of racing something, that I built with my own hands!

N.E.D

Something else interesting happened. I had an innate natural ability to drag race. I cannot really describe it, but it just comes to me. I am at peace on the track, my mind, reflexes, body just work together like a perfectly orchestrated symphony. There is nothing on this earth that I have experienced that compares. This is my Bliss.

Engine Removal 2.0

And ever since I have spent 90% of my free time working on, racing or enjoying my car (s).