The Good Book instructs parents to raise their children in the right way and when they are old, they will not depart. Eli and Bonnie Patrick instilled solid and positive values in their son Robert – honesty and IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock racing.

Those are two traits the second-generation Patrick proudly says he holds dear to his heart. The Fredericksburg, Va.-based driver has been on the fast track to success since entering the fast doorslammer ranks in the early 1990s.

“Where I lived the mountain motor cars were king,” Patrick said. “Growing up as a kid there were a lot of old tracks within an hour where the promoters booked in those cars. Whenever those cars came to town, because my dad had a dealership, they would display their cars at the shop. I was a starry-eyed kid. I never wanted to do anything but run like they ran. They had an impact on me. My dream was to be one of them.”

Patrick said that he dreamed one day of driving one of those IHRA Pro Stockers and his inspiration came from watching legends such as Lee Edwards, Rickie Smith, Roy Hill and Ronnie Sox.

Patrick made his splash as a rookie in 1993 with two national event wins and an eighth-place finish in the championship points. He added two more victories the next season to finish second in the championship. He finished no lower than fourth in the next two seasons.

Patrick pursued an NHRA Pro Stock program for the next seven seasons but returned to the IHRA fold in 2004 and picked up where he left off. He added a victory that season to finish 9^th in the championship standings. A year later he was third and in 2006, Patrick finished fourth.

Patrick also captured the 2006 IHRA Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com pro Stock Showdown honors and set the elapsed time record in the process.

Patrick currently leads the championship race in 2007 with two victories thus far to his credit. His 16 victories rank him third on the all-time wins list for IHRA Pro Stock drivers.

Patrick’s growing celebrity has caught the eye of several former legends in the class. Following his second victory this year, Patrick got a call from two-time world champion (1977 – 1978) Lee Edwards

“Lee called me after we won Edmonton to let me know that he was proud of me,” Patrick said. “That says a lot and means a lot to me. What it says the most is that we are a tight fraternity and you can’t put a price on that.”