IamA Former world record holding 90 year old race car driver. AMA!

He wanted to share the story of how he got interested in racing midgets...

In my mid 20s I worked for a motorcycle shop. My friends and I would ride around on our motorcycles and sometimes the police officers riding on motorcycles would ride with us and have fun if they had time. One time they took us over to the race track and they were racing midgets. Most of my friends were laughing at such little cars, but I said "I could race those!" During the intermission I heard that they were selling a midget, so I went down there and took the guy up on the offer. He wanter $400 for it, so I put $20 down. I went home and asked my mom for the rest of the money. I only told her it was for a car though. I didn't say that it was a race car. So she gave me the money because she didn't want me driving my motorcycle anymore. I towed home the race car a few days later. When she saw what I did she wouldn't even talk to me.

Any close calls with death? Why did you quit racing? The linked page doesn't specify.

Well, I have to say yes. I had some close calls. Then again, if you weren't scared, you weren't driving hard enough!

I retired because my family was growing. I wanted to stick with them. But I wasn't completely out of the picture. I was on the safety team for about 10 years. I went to races almost every weekend. I also taught my kids how to race quarter midgets and I still am involved with the old timers in Indy. I go to the Indy 500 almost every year. People still ask for my advice sometimes.

what do you think of the changes in automotive technology that have taken lace over your lifetime?

do you generally find that cars are more, or less, enjoyable to drive today then they were when you first started? Do you think they preform all that much better, or not? (obviously consumer cars have no where near he oomph they once had, but aside from that...)

They perform much better, mostly because of the tires. You get a lot better traction now than they did back then. Also, the safety features have much improved. They didn't have fireproof uniforms back then.

It's a big difference of how fast people race now too. When I set my world record I was racing at about 104 miles an hour.

This is a great AMA. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

My great-great uncle was Frank Funk. He built/owned both the Winchester Speedway (Funk's Speedway) and a track in Dayton that's long gone. My great-grandfather also worked at Winchester. Did you ever race at either track? Ever meet or interact with my uncle Frank?

I never raced there. Very, VERY dangerous race track, Winchester was.

I knew who he was, but I never interacted with him myself.

Do you have any comment on ex F1 driver Michael Schumacher and his tragic accident skiing?

He was one of the top drivers. I sympathize with him and his family. They have some of the best doctors that work with racers, so it's my hope he will recover.

What was the most exciting moment in your career other than your world record run?

Passing my drives test at Indy. There was a lot that I had to go through. I had to drive 10 laps within 1 MPH of what speed they told you to go at without a speedometer.

holy respect! How did you gauge your speed without the speedometer?!

By the seat of my pants! You just had to feel it. The sound of the engine and the sound of the exhaust helped too.

That is awesome! So at your age are you the opposing force to the "old slow driver" stereotype?

I still drive too fast for my wife's liking, but I guess people would call me more of a balloon foot now. (As opposed to a lead foot.)

What triggered your passion in race car driving?

The money probably was a big drawing factor. I made good money because I won a lot. As I became more well known I did it more for my fans and family.

(If you're looking for more of how he got into racing, please look at my previous comment about it.)

I've raced stock cars on asphalt since I was 16, 31 now, but I've got a chance to run a midget this coming season. Should I go for it and if I do what's it like?

Well, it's as different as day and night going from a stock car to a midget. To learn to drive the midget properly would be the best experience you'll ever get.

Do you consider Lightning McQueen a role model?

(Account Owner: He never saw the movie, but I just showed him the trailer and he smirked.)

What is your favourite food?

Fun story, we wouldn't eat dinner before races, as you can probably understand why.

After the race we would always stop somewhere for a good steak.

Nowadays I really like home grown foods.

Edit: I should also add that he isn't really picky. Whatever my grandmother makes, he will eat every last bit of it.

Did you have a natural ability for racing or did you learn it over time? If your talent developed over time, how long did it take you to start winning? I did a few years of SCCA Solo II, and things never really slowed down for me.

I had a natural ability, but everyone improves over time, including myself. I was always around cars and other equipment.

There's always stuff that you have to learn though. All cars drive differently.

Nowadays drivers have schools that they can go to to learn how to race. We didn't really have that back then.

Thanks for doing this. Who do you consider to be the best driver of your era and who was the best that you personally raced against?

The best that I personally raced was Rex Mays. He died in 1949 in a race. They should never have started that race. It was a dirt track with a huge pothole in it, knee deep full of water. He hit that, was flung out of his car (because there were no seat belts back then), and run over. Great man.

The best of my era was probably AJ Foyt .

What was the single best moment??

Of your racing carreer and life, i'd love to hear it

Racing: When I set the world record for the fastest 100 mile race in a midget (or any race car for that matter).

Life: When I got married and started a family.

What piece of advice do you have for the next generation?

Be a good Christian, and do unto others as they to unto you.

Have you ever played any racing video games? If yes, then what was your favorite?

I don't play video games at all. My grandson had me play some game once (it was Mario Kart Wii), but it's far too different. I didn't like it. I liked watching him play though.

Would you say racing was more dangerous in the past due to lack of safety equipment or currently due to higher speeds?

I think it's more dangerous now, not because of higher speeds due to motors, but because of the higher speeds due to bigger tires.

That's not to say that is wasn't dangerous back then. There were far more people who died back in my day. Plus I mostly raced on dirt tracks.

What were your relationships like with other drivers? Was it generally friendly or a more competitive environment?

Competition was strong, but most of us were friends off of the race track. There were some people I didn't care for, those who were playing dirty, but it was mostly friendly.

Did you ever have any near death incidences or are there any incidences where you thought you would die in your race car?

When I was trying to qualify for the Indy 500, one of my friend's mechanics set my car up, but he didn't set it up correctly. I was coming down the front stretch and I was coming to make a turn, and I spun out. I lost complete control. I was running at least 140 MPH.

That was particularly scary because I had no control at all. I just had to ride it out.

In that situation is there anything you can do to help going that fast? Or is a pray and duck your head type situation?

It happened so fast... You tense up and try to keep from wrecking the car.

Did you fight in WWII?

If so, where and how?

I didn't. I wanted to, but I couldn't due to health reasons.

What advice do you have for an amateur racer whose lap times have plateaued? What have you done in your career to break through those time barriers?

Have a mechanic figure out how to get more horse power out of the engine. Find someone new if you have to. Try different grooves on the race track. Don't kick yourself too much.

I'm over 90 years old. I don't worry about slower times anymore!

What is a common characteristic you find among fellow racers?

Respect for one another.

Are you a ford, Chevy, or dodge fan?

Ford

What is your favorite car, past or present?

Well, I still have my 2000 Mercury Marque 4 row sedan. That's treated me quite well over the years.

My dream car would be a nice fast Indy race car!

How long does someone in a professional pit crew have to work and practice to get that fast?

Lots of repetition. They also had to work their way up through the ranks of the pit crew. How long it takes to get that fast depends on the person.

What's the fastest you've ever driven?

I drove about 175 MPH when I was trying to qualify for the Indy 500.

Any thoughts on those old Miller and Offenhauser four cylinders?

Thy ran fast back in my day, and they run fast today. Not to mention that they stay together! I like them.

After WWII when did Indy start to feel 'professional' again? My impression is that there was lots of county fair level racing for a while first?

He doesn't really feel like it wasn't professional. There was no pro racing during the war, so professional racing jumped back in in 1946.

What do you think about the state of open wheel racing in the USA today?

It's still dangerous. People don't realize how different NASCAR is from Indy. It's extremely dangerous for open wheel racers.

We didn't have as much commercialization back then either. I don't really know how I feel about commercialization, but as long as they're also doing it for the love of racing and not just the money, I think things are okay.

I bought my truck from your sponsor Dave White... Can you get me a deal on a new truck?

It was Jim White that was my sponsor. The best I can do is try!

Does he know a Cliff Woodbury?

He said it doesn't ring a bell. He wants to know some more information though. How might he know him?

My drivers ed teachers father was cliff Woodbury and he said he was a race at driver back in the 30s or so, became the first Indy pole-sitter to finish last place. Also set the one mile record in 1930 at Daytona with 180.9 mph. He told us a lot of stories about him and it always kinda stuck.

That was before his time.

Did the numbers on your car have any significance?

Numbers were assigned to us by our previous year's standing. I always liked my #5 though. Even my kid's quarter midget was #5.

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I have no regrets in my life. I did well in racing, I have a wonderful family that I love. I wish I could have won more races, of course, but my life has been blessed with many, many good things.

1. If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

2. What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?

Thanks for the chance to talk to you. Never heard of you until now. I enjoy the story and history.

I would teach safety.

(We discussed regrets in a previous post)

wow those cars you used to race with look awesome!

what do you miss most about the 40s-50s that isn't currently available now?

We used to race 7 nights a week. They don't do that anymore.

In your eyes, How has the sport changed over the years?

Well, I don't know so much about the sport. I know the mechanics and the tires of the vehicles have changed for the better, especially when it comes to safety.

I think I was more connected to my fans than racers are these days. I think the commercialization kind of raised that barrier between the fan and the racer.

Thank you for doing this AMA. It is amazing to know you had a hand in racing as we know today.

As for my question: What kind of courses do you prefer? Circle? Road? Figure 8?

I drove my midgets on oval dirt tracks. If I was still racing today, that's still what I would prefer to run.

What and when was your first race?

It was at Partington's Pasture. It was a quarter mile race track in the middle of a pasture field. 20 laps. I didn't win. There were 10 cars in the race.

What technological change are you most surprised at?

How good the tires that they make nowadays are. Communication as amazingly improved too. We used chalkboards in my day, not radios.

Do you consider Group B Rally racing to be the pinnacle of racing? How do you feel about manual transmissions being phased out in favor of dual-clutch automated transmissions?

I don't really have much experience with the latest models of clutches or transmissions.

He's not sure what you mean by "Group B Rally racing."

My grandpa used to race midgets. What was your experience like with these cars?

It was like having fun all the time!

A midget was a lot of fun to drive because it acted quickly because of the short wheel base, as compared to the big cars. The big cars went faster, but they weren't as fun to drive.

Did you ever go to the Indy 500? If so, ever meet Smokey Yunick?

Yeah, I met him before. He had the best garage in town! Great mechanic. He could certainly make race cars run fast!

(He tried qualifying for Indy once. He missed the qualification by one point. Full story in a previous post.)

Did you ever cheat to get a win or try to? If so, what did you do?

No. I don't believe in cheating. I was always very Christian about it. It's so much better to win on your own merit than winning something you didn't work for.

Has he seen the movie Rush? It came out this fall, and was about two F1 drivers in the 70s. I'm not particularly into racing, but it was really cool. I'd be interested to know what he thought of it.

He and his wife really wanted to see it, but they didn't get a chance to.

Did you happen to know Cliff Woodbury? He was the national AAA dirt track champion in 1927, raced in Indy for 4 years in the 1920's and afterward had a garage in Chicago. He was involved in the Indy Oldtimers Club before he died.

That was before his time.

Would you ever get into racing again? Vintage races, Bonneville, etc?

No, I'm too old. I did get to drive around in a vintage car in the pre ceremony of Indy once. That was nice.

What is your grandfather's thoughts on Offenhauser engines from back then? I would love to see some of your grandfathers races on youtube!

They didn't tape his races back then, unless someone has some sort of home movie.

Did you ever win the 500?

No.

I passed my drivers test and I tried to qualify once, but it was about one point short of making it into the race.

How did you first get into racing?

As someone who doesn't really understand the appeal, what first drew you to the industry and what kept your interest?

Thanks again for the AMA.

Well, probably much like yourself, I had the desire to be the best I could be in the profession I had chosen.

Do you advise others to get into racing or is that a risky business to get into?

If they have a passion for it, they should pursue their interest. I wouldn't advise them to street race though. Go to a well known driving school. It's not something that I would advise all willy nilly though.

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(Account Owner: Too soon man. Too soon.)

I've never gone skiing.