The first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting there's a problem. The problem is in the eye of the one making the diagnosis.

Pat Dakin understands his addiction all too well.

Since 1971, he's been coming to the drag strip year after year and makes no bones about what drives him to do it time and time again.

"I’m just stupid," Dakin surmises.

"It kind of gets into you. It’s like a disease; it’s not curable. As long as I have my health and can afford to do this I’ll probably keep doing it. Who knows how much longer?"

As long as Dakin has health, finances and the desire to run 300 miles per hour, he'll suit up to drive his Top Fuel dragster on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Dakin has been running the roads and blazing the strip since 1971, originally as one-half of the famous Rupp & Dakin partnership. A lot has changed about Top Fuel racing since then.

"They are infinitely adjustable to where before Gary [Rupp] had to do it by the seat of his pants and did quite a good job with what we had back then," Dakin said. "The sophistication has just grown to the point to where you really have to be on top of your game to really be successful."

Back in the day, being on top of your game meant packing up your operation at the end of the day, heading back to the hotel, working all night, and then grabbing a shower to get back to the track first thing in the morning.

"It’s really evolved and I’m just fortunate to have lived through the evolution. It’s almost like going through the Industrial Age," Dakin said. "You see these things back in the beginning, and up until now, it’s just been a tremendous change. Fortunately, we’ve been able to keep up with them. We don’t race that much and when we do attend a race that’s all I want to do. I don’t want to do anything more than that. We have fun. That’s the main thing."

The larger financed teams have specialized crew, while the lower budgeted operations primarily operate with a volunteer, uncompensated crew. Dakin is somewhere in the middle.

"There’s no volunteer people here; everybody is compensated," Dakin said. "It’s a job for them, and they all get along great. If you ever watched this car on a turnaround, we’re generally the first one to start the car even with the big high-dollar Schumacher and Kalitta teams. We’re right with them when it comes to servicing the car."

How do they make it happen? Dakin's team boasts continuity, and the crew has been in place now for six years.

"They’re just really good at what they do and their turnaround is just really, really good," Dakin said. "Fortunately we don’t break a lot of parts."

That's an impressive feat considering Dakin likes to race like he did back in the day, walking a fine line between being on the edge, and racing smart.

"It’s the same thing, everything just gets done a lot quicker," Dakin said. "The one year that I drove a front runner car was probably the most fun I ever had. You just didn’t know any better. You were 20-years-old, and you couldn’t get hurt, so what’s the difference?"

Dakin sadly admits he learned differently, almost on a daily basis. He's lost former competitors and longtime friends, many of whom were in the same age bracket. He counts his blessings today at 71.

"I’m very, very fortunate," Dakin said. "I try to take care of myself physically, and it looks like it’s worked ok. Things have been going well and I can still afford to do this."

Dakin keeps busy helping Kalitta Racing by scuffing tires for the team, and their assistance has been helpful to his team.

In the end, it's one legend helping another.

Or as Dakin sees it, a legend named Kalitta helping another team.

"If people try to call me a legend, I just laugh," Dakin said with a smile.

Dakin instead sees himself as a racer with a racing addiction who has done it for a long time.