How did you get started in Drag Racing?

[Tar Heel]

My mom and dad were separated for a brief time when my brother and I were young; maybe in elementary school. My dad has us on weekends and took us to Dragway 42 in Salem, Ohio one time when he had us and it was the coolest thing that we had every seen.

Fast forward to HS when I was working as a stock boy and carrying out groceries as a small grocery store in NE Ohio. A local Stock racer came in with his car on an open trailer and I thought that was the neatest thing I had ever seen. We struck up a friendship despite our almost-to-the-day 30-year age difference. I went to his house to help work on the car and the rest is history. Worked out a deal where I mowed his grass, etc. and he paid for me to get into the races with him (looking back I think he got the better end of that deal ... LOL). That was almost 40 years ago and even though I don't currently class race I've been racing ever since.