I have always loved drag racing. There’s nothing else like it. It’s
the only thing I know of in which all of your senses come into play in
just a few seconds. Of course, when I started driving the cars were a
lot slower than they are today, but it’s all relative, isn’t it?
From the second you strap on that helmet you step into another world.
You’re still aware of everything around you, but at the same time it’s
kind of like you’re in some kind of isolation booth. Your crew can be
talking to you, and even though you can hear what they’re saying, their
voices seem to come from far away. As you sit there, strapped into the
car waiting to run, you can look out and see the fans, but it becomes
just a mass of colors. And even though your crew might be running all
around the car after the engine fires, it’s just you and that car. You
become one.
I won’t describe what a run is like because everyone who’s ever been
down the track knows the feeling, and it doesn’t matter if you were
driving a 15 second Stocker or a Top Fuel dragster. Like I said
earlier, it’s all relative, isn’t it?