Team Drag Racing – Changing the look of drag racing

Josh Starcher Profile

Moroso’s new Vacuum Pump for blower cars

Shocks 101

Reggie Showers Profile

Ellen Pavao Profile

Remembering Orange County Raceway

NHRA – Memphis Same Day Coverage

IHRA – Budds Creek – Same Day Coverage

NHRA – Chicago – Same Day Coverage

NHRA – Dallas Coverage

AMS Pro Modified Coverage - Memphis

AMS Pro Modified Coverage - Dallas

NMCA Columbus – Same Day Coverage

NHRA - Indy – Race Coverage

NHRA – Indy – Photo Gallery

NHRA – Reading – Race Coverage

NHRA – Reading – Photo Gallery

IHRA – Norwalk – Photo Gallery

IHRA – Epping – Race Coverage

IHRA – Epping – Photo Gallery

Fun Ford Weekend - Cordova - Race Coverage

NMCA – Stanton – Race Coverage

Greer Dragway -Motorcycle Race - Photo Gallery

PRO – Reading – Race Coverage

PRO – Atlanta - Photo Gallery

One glance at Reggie Showers blasting down the track on his NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle might not reveal that he is a double-amputee. What would become clearly evident at first look is that the Prosthetic Design-sponsored rider is really talented and now that he has broken through the victory barrier by scoring a decisive double win during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash, Showers is ready to step forward with all the gusto he can muster. Despite an accident at age 14 that left doctors with no alternative but to take both of his legs, Showers probably wears the largest smile of all the combatants on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing tour.

“It takes a total package to win this year. Before, my goals were to qualify and to be the best that I could be, but I never knew what it took to compete on a championship level. Not until I got hooked up with George Bryce and started to apply some of his teachings and recommendations and his advice. It's tough out there; this is the toughest it has been in the history of the class. Last year and the year before, we could have been No. 1, 2 or 3 in the points easily with the effort that we are giving. But it is going to take even more now because everyone has stepped up with their programs and I think it is a testament to the professionalism of each and every one of my competitors racing NHRA Pro Stock Bike this year.”

Showers will admit that he never meets a stranger unless they are a fan of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (he likes the Philadelphia Eagles) and then he makes the one special concession. But, that's just Showers. He's an extremely competitive guy that has provided inspiration to others that a disability can be no disability at all.

Winning both the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash and the event at Indy most assuredly provided Showers with his most worthwhile accomplishment since his career began in 2000. It marked his first victory since bringing George Bryce onboard as the tuner on his Suzuki Hyabusa.

“I've watched my heroes win this race, John Myers and Dave Schultz, and for me to do it is just unreal,” said Showers. “I don't think this will sink in for quite a while. I still don't understand what I've done here. I've been on an incredible journey. Last year I made a tough decision to change crew chiefs even when I had no idea George Bryce would be available. But I guess God had a plan and he got us together and look what has happened. I used to know my place. I was a bottom-half qualifier who maybe could luck out and win a race. Now we're a team that can run with anyone.”

“I think my heart and my competitive spirit and also my sportsmanship makes me a good racer. I like my competitors. If they need a part, they can get it from me. I am not going to deprive them of anything to keep them from racing. The fact that I am a true sportsman at heart helps me out there.”

Showers' double Indy victory was the icing on the cake for a rider who now beams at the notion that he can run with the front-runners of the class.

“There have been a lot of high points since we started doing this,” said Showers when describing his most notable career accomplishments. “Probably for me, from a technical standpoint, is just being able to run good 60-foot times with the front-runners and heavy hitters in Pro Stock Bike competition. Now, winning the K&N Klash and then going on to win the biggest race of them all has got to be the ultimate thrill. Winning it is a heck of an accomplishment, and there's no feeling like it.”

Even Showers will testify that his class has to be one of the toughest to win in. He's not speaking from a biased point of view because the numbers certainly back up his assessment. This year has remained one of the most competitive on record.

“It is tough this year; it takes a total package to win,” Showers admitted. “Before, my goals were to qualify and to be the best that I could be, but I never knew what it took to compete on a championship level. Not until I got hooked up with George Bryce and started to apply some of his teachings and recommendations and his advice. It's tough out there. This is the toughest it has been in the history of the class. Last year and the year before, we could have been No. 1, 2 or 3 in the points easily with the effort that we are giving. But it is going to take even more now because everyone has stepped up with their programs and I think it is a testament to the professionalism of each and every one of my competitors racing NHRA Pro Stock Bike this year.”

“I have already proved to myself personally that I can do what I want to do as long as I set my mind to it. I'm done with that. Since I have overcome certain obstacles in my life, I continue to raise the bar with everything that I do whether it be flying airplanes, racing motorcycles or motivational speaking to kids. That was something I was terrified of when I first started doing that. Now I am so confident with my speaking and getting my message across. I think God put me in this position.”

There's no doubt that the hiring of Bryce has yielded huge dividends for Showers. He credits Bryce with helping to fill the holes that he saw prevalent in his program. Showers had the other necessities, such as a good engine program with Vance & Hines and more than adequate sponsorship with Prosthetic Design and Snap-on Tools. While Showers might not throw a lot of credence into astrology, he took Bryce's word for it when he suggested that he should join the team because the stars lined up. As Showers added, “It was a tough decision to make initially, but I can't stress enough how I think it is the best decision I have made in my racing career so far.”

Showers has always believed in his ability to perform, but he needed extra assurance. That is what has made 2003 his best season ever.

“I think the confidence level that I have been able to experience this year has been the best part of the season personally,” Showers explained. “I always knew that I had it in my heart. I always knew we had the capability to win, but now we've get the proof on paper. We get the time slips with low E.T. of the round, No. 1 qualifier, top back half and win lights. That has been a real confidence booster and that is what you need. You need focus and confidence in order to beat people like Craig Treble, Angelle Savoie, Geno Scali and the rest. It is tough out here. These guys are hard-core racers.”

“Hiring George Bryce was a tough decision to make initially, but I can't stress enough how I think it is the best decision I have made in my racing career so far.”

Being hardcore is something that Showers can relate to. He actually got talked into his first drag race, and though he doesn't condone the practice today, Showers won a street race back in 1983.

“I was 19 years old and I won that race. That feeling of victory and overwhelming sense of accomplishment was something that I just had to pursue. I wanted to get off the street because the street was so dangerous and I wanted to learn how to do it professionally and in a safe and confined environment. It just snowballed after that. I watched guys like Terry Vance, Bob Carpenter and Randy Mason race in Pro Stock Bike made me think that this is what I wanted to do. I knew I couldn't do it initially. I had to take baby steps. You have to walk before you can run. Here we are doing it now.”

Showers, who paid his dues by racing on the IDBA and Pro Star tours, feels that his heart and competitive spirit are what make him a good drag racer. He also prides himself in his sportsmanship values because he is very vocal about liking his competitors. Those are just a few of the attributes that help him to sleep well at nights. One of the more valuable lessons that Showers learned in his early years was how to believe in himself.

“I did learn that I can be successful if I truly believe in myself and my team's capability. What's the saying? Champions are made of people who can endure adversity? I think I have endured a lot of adversity.”

“ We didn't have a complete team and that is what George was available to give me at this time. He said the stars lined up.”

Showers never got bent out of shape because he had never won an NHRA POWERade national event prior to coming to Indy. He confided that he wasn't ready for that honor in the early years of his career. “I think I knew my place. All those years that I have been racing, I knew my place. I knew that I didn't have what it took to go out and dominate and earn a win. If I got lucky, that was realistically the only way I could have won a race. I wanted to earn my win when the time was right rather than be given a win. Now, we have all of the tools and pieces of the puzzle assembled, and the results speak for themselves – a double-up win at Indy!

“I absolutely have high expectations for next year. My goal for 2004 is to be the best racer that I can be. Maybe not the best racer out here, but the best racer that Reggie can be. I am working toward being a machine. I want to be a machine that when my competitors race me, they are going to know that they have a fight on their hands. I want to make less mistakes and win rounds and focus on the job at hand and not what is going on out in the pits and in everyone else's trailer. I want to be the best team that we can be, and win more races.”

The one thing that works positive in Showers' favor is that he has nothing to prove to anyone – even himself.

“I have already proven to myself personally that I can do what I want to do as long as I set my mind to it. I'm done with that. Since I have overcome certain obstacles in my life, I continue to raise the bar with everything that I do whether it be flying airplanes, racing motorcycles or motivational speaking to kids. That was something I was terrified of when I first started doing that. Now I am so confident with my speaking and getting my message across. I think God put me in this position. That is why George Bryce and Star Racing are part of my team now. That is why Prosthetic Design and Snap-on have come on to help me financially. God has given the talent to race this motorcycle with my physical disability. It is a mission. I have nothing to prove, but this is what I was put here to do. I think I was conditioned in the first 14 years of my life for my accident to be able to endure that accident and to learn afterward that I was on a mission to inspire and encourage everyone that I possibly can. I say that all the time and I feel like a broken record, but that is truly my job.”

Showers is making it a point to inspire as many as he can these days. He's going that extra mile whether it's soliciting charitable donations for the Shriner's Hospitals or just trying to help injured children to see the silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud.

“God has given the talent to race this motorcycle with my physical disability. It is a mission. I have nothing to prove, but this is what I was put here to do. I think I was conditioned in the first 14 years of my life for my accident to be able to endure that accident and to learn afterward that I was on a mission to inspire and encourage everyone that I possibly can. I say that all the time and I feel like a broken record, but that is truly my job.”

“I do a lot with the Shriners hospitals. Every race that I go to on the tour I stop at the Shriners prior to going to the race and do some motivational speaking. I go in and talk to the kids. Shriners provide burn and orthopedic care and I am the perfect poster boy for them. I am a burn survivor and a double amputee who has overcome, to a certain extent, these obstacles. I go in and I talk with the kids. I walk in dressed in full race gear, and they always ooooh and awe. I play a video and they know nothing about my disability and where I grew up and tell them I was an underachiever physically. I was into a lot of mental things and creativity. Then I break down my accident and I show them my legs and they all see that I am just like them but look what I can do. It is a real uplifting experience for me to help them and their parents. Their parents are very unsure about the future and where these kids are going with their disabilities.

“I'm like a walking, talking and breathing example of hope. It is so therapeutic for me, mentally and spiritually. Any chance I can get to help. I am a very private person by nature. This is a 180-degree flip for me because when I am at home, a lot of people don't even know that I race. When I am here, I am Joe Racer and I am always promoting the sport, my team, and my sponsor's products. It helps me to be able to vent because I keep a lot of things bottled up inside when I am at home. When I am here, I have a chance to purge and get all of that stuff out. I am learning a lot about myself and my purpose. A lot of people flounder in life and they don't know where they are going. I now know where I am going, or at least I have a good sense of direction.”