[Jeff Niceswanger]

When I was 59 1/2 I was thinking to myself "you should retire". My health was starting to be an issue and everything I owned was paid off. I also had one of the fastest cars in the nation. At the time I had worked for the same company for 36 years, was the Union President (membership was about 240 total) and was the second man in the maintenance departments seniority list. I had been the President for 10 years and the headaches was too the point many an evening I told myself, "get the hell out of there". But it was a lot to give up. All dayshift, (it takes 25 years to get enough seniority to get off of backshifts !). 1st pick of equipment to keep maintained (Area of responsibility), super seniority in case of layoffs, heck I was one of 4 production members allowed to carry a cell phone. I was kind of king of the mountain. We had bargained a new buyout that the company,along with the membership thought was a good idea. If I retired, the company would pay for both Sue and I's healthcare till I reached Medicare age. It was the same insurance I was currently on, so Sue and I decided the time had came. Everyone bid me farewell, and as I walked out the break room door on that bright sunny May day I threw my Hard Hat, Dinner Bucket, Safety Glasses, Steel toed work boots and the Uniform I had worn that day right in the breakroom trash can. When I got home I walked in the house and threw my alarm clock away also. LOL
My Social Security and UE (United Electrical Radio And Machine Workers of America) Pension was almost 5 grand, plus we had a company sponsored 401 that had a fair amount of money in it.
John and I raced our Superstocker and I enjoyed life to the fullest. Bout 2 years ago, Sue tells me " Babe, might want to make sure you don't live tooooo long". I quickly analized her oddball statement to me and ask "Why babe, you wanna get rid of me? She says "Oh no, but your gonna outlive your funds." I had spent over 100,000 in three years !! That 401 had been wounded ! (This amount was on top of my SS and Pension that came monthly.) At that moment I vividly remember asking Jerry Silvious several years before why he was going to just up and quit racing. His answer was the same as mine "I'm not going to continue to spend my retirement income on this sport till there's nothing left.". The moral of our stories is "I can't continue to race unless I want to run in the middle of the pack. If you want to continue to be a hitter, don't retire".This doesn't relate to some racers as money isn't an issue, but for most it has some merit. I my case looking at what happend to brother John, I'm glad we quit when we did, as it gave him a summer to LIVE on that Harley of his, and my Holley tuning sideline is enough to satisfy the itch that this sport hooks into you. Just be careful of your money, it evaporates quicky.