MODESTO, CA...As we fight through life’s challenges, sometimes it’s easy
to forget what’s most important to oneself. The measure of success is
obviously different for everyone. Some measure their success by having big
bank accounts and others may measure their success on the amount of power
that they have obtained. But when it’s all said and done what does any of
that really matter?
I measure my level of success on having quality friends and the good
times that I’m able to share with them. I’ve been lucky enough to make a
bunch of great friends throughout my 39-years of being involved in Sprint
Car and Midget Racing.
(Race fans, welcome to Peter Murphy Racing!)
I absolutely love making new friends. I have been told on many occasions
that I’m a social butterfly when I’m at the racetrack. Without a shadow of a
doubt – I agree. I also owe a lot to my friends; thankfully the publications
that have given me a shot, such as Justin Zoch from FlatOut Magazine and
Mike Kerchner from National Speed Sport News, I have been able to meet even
more fine folks from allover the United States.
I am quick to say that I owe a lot to Allan Holland (HoseHeads.com),
Lance Jennings (SCRAfan.com), and Ken Stansberry (TheSkipperPartys.net).
They were the branches on the tree which really helped me expand my writing
to a National level. They all have been extremely supportive, and I want to
publicly thank them for that.
I look back when I first started this deal (writing). I remember how
excited I was when I conducted my first interview. If memory serves me
right, my first interview was with
Patty Haudenschild. I really enjoy the
personal time that you get when you’re interviewing someone, so I pursued
that route. I really do receive an adrenaline rush from it. It’s like
anything else; when you have a passion for something, you will not allow
anything or anyone get in your way.
(this car was a dominant force in '08 non-Wingeg Sprint
Car Action)
I had an epiphany over the weekend and I believe that’s where I gathered
the steam to wear my heart on my sleeve for this write-up. I went to the
Tulare Thunderbowl this past weekend for the USAC/CRA Series race and was
quickly reminded why I still continue to go watch the best form of
Motorsports on the planet some 39-years later. It seems that as I’ve gotten
older, I hold the sport closer to my heart than ever before. I think that it
also goes back to what I’ve said prior about meeting new faces along the
way.
I truly feel that I’m one of the most fortunate guys on the planet. I
will go onto admit, that I feel that I’m not very good at writing - I’m just
lucky. I’m not even on the radar when it comes to comparing who’s the best
that there ever was, or currently is. To be frank with you, I don’t care
about that anyway. What inspires me is all of the people that help this
sport for the positive. If you want to bad mouth drivers or the different
clubs that are out there, I’m definitely not the guy you want to sit next to
at a race. I’m here to help build our sport for the better.
Another thing that continues to inspire me is the relationships that I
have forged throughout the years of attending races. And sometimes I’m
fortunate enough to have something extremely cool happen to me at the track.
Let me share something with you that I thought was just that.
(“Showtime” taking a moment to pose for me. I have no
clue as to why chicks dig this guy.)
At Tulare last Saturday, good friend Danny Sheridan came rolling out for
his heat race and I immediately put my “race ritual” into motion, as I do
for all of my friends that I see shoot out onto the track. I stood up and
started clapping for him. Well, he saw me and then proceeded to throttle the
car and pull a tail tank wheel stand for me……now that’s cool! I had a
feeling that he did that for me, so I went to confirm that with him after
the race. “I saw you in the stands and you got me pumped up! I did that for
you!” Sheridan said. Did I feel special? Most definitely. I know that it may
sound weird to some, but some of you understand the rush that I felt.
I’m telling you, if Danny himself or anyone else for that matter, came up
to me and asked, “Gary, I have a proposition for you. I’ll give you $500
dollars cash, or I will do a wheel stand for you, which one do you want?”
Without hesitation I would push Danny towards his car, because I will take
the wheel stand every time. As I write this, I can hear the motor snarl and
see the front of the car come up off of the ground….screw the money.
(Can you count how many main event stickers that is on
last yeas tank?)
I don’t understand all of the bitching and complaining
that I see on message boards and such. I know that our sport isn’t perfect,
but it’s damn near perfect in my book. Would I like to see certain things
happen? Of course! But I refuse to tread on it because it’s not happening as
quickly as I would like it to.
I will leave you with a perfect example of some of the
smack talking I despise: How many times have we seen nasty comments made
about Kraig Kinser in regards to his performance with the Outlaws? Do people
not realize how tough that it is racing with WoO? Kraig is an extremely
talented racecar driver who is having a rough go. To make a car go fast,
everything has got to be clicking. There’s a lot more to it than just
climbing in the car and go. Any driver, crewmember and car owner will attest
to that. I just don’t think throwing Kraig or anyone else under the bus is
okay. We’re supposed to be in this deal together.
Riding the cushion and blowing past the negative stuff,
let’s get back onto the positive side of the racetrack. I happen to have a
friend that’s not only one of best Sprint Car drivers around, but more
importantly he’s like a brother to me. His name is Peter Murphy. Now here is
a guy that is not only one of the best, but he’s a huge fan of the sport.
His desire to win is second to none and his attitude and positive outlook
towards our sport is refreshing. Not too get too mushy, but I really admire
him. He was my racing hero long before I started helping him with his public
relations. I’m so thankful that our friendship reaches beyond racing.
(A work in Progress, she looks tough)
This my friends is how I measure my level of success. I
have some really great friends that I can count on, and that means more to
me than anything else. I can’t take all the money and power with me when the
“Big Man” decides to call on me. Thankfully, I’m not money driven anyway;
I’m people driven.
After nearly throwing my back out cheering for Pete at
Tulare, I stopped at his shop; Pro Signs in Fresno on the way home. As soon
as you walk through the front door, you are immediately hit in the face with
memorabilia. Chills went down my spine within inches of just walking through
the door.
Murphy is an avid helmet collector and he has helmets
from the best of them: Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Terry Gray, Joey Saldana,
Tim Shaffer, Ricky Gaunt, Sammy Swindell, Tim Kaeding, Kraig Kinser, okay,
I’ll stop here because the list goes on and on and on. This is just where he
makes his unique stickers.
(More trophies adorn the beautiful shop.)
When walking into the race shop portion of his business,
is an absolute sight to behold. If you get excited about Sprint Car racing
like I do, you’d think that you died and went to heaven. The shop is
extremely clean and I actually commented that I could eat off of it. Who am
I trying to kid, I’ll eat off of just about anything. But seriously, the
shop is immaculate.
Race fan Murphy, also has racing memorabilia adorning the
walls in the race shop as well. The car that he drove to 12 feature event
wins last season, hangs proud from the shop ceiling.
When he first opened up his business, he didn’t really
know what to expect. But, no surprise to me, he is the doing well and
services a lot of the cars that we see out at the tracks. This is by no
means a plug for my buddy. He won’t even know this has been written until he
sees it (hi Pete!), or someone lets him know about this.
(Peter gave me this trophy. As you can tell by my smile, I felt like a
fat kid in
a candy store.)
I’m glad to see his success off and on the track. He’s
one of the good guys in the sport and doesn’t crap on anyone. Just ask his
buddy Steve Kinser who helped Peter get his start in the sport, “Peter’s a
good boy and a great friend; well, I shouldn’t say that he’s a friend, he’s
family to me. Pete has worked hard for everything that he’s got and he
really is a great person.”
I’ve got to agree with you King, Pete’s family to a lot
of us racing nuts…
If your team is seeking a good graphics guy, you can
reach Peter by calling Pro Signs at (559) 292-4429
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