[Bluteam]

Part 1 - http://www.nwracechat.com/view_topic...36&forum_id=59

As we begin page 2 of TJ's interview, we pick up at the end of his time spent in quarter midgets (I refuse to use the word "career" when referring to that time spent as a child - but that's a different story), and begin with a decision to enter a different level of motorsports activity. At 14 years of age, and after 9 years in quarter midgets, he felt he had accomplished and attained everything he wanted from the children's sport. One item we did not discuss very much was his participation in building the facility in which he still calls his home track. This would come back into play later, as we will find out.

His decision to forego the last two years of eligibility to race in QMA was heart wrenching for myself. If he found the decision difficult, it never showed. His approach to his mother and I was direct, and matter of fact. It was painfully obvious that he had picked up his mothers sense of awareness, and his fathers direct approach philosophy. Plain and simple, he wanted nothing more to do with quarter midget racing - for himself. The question was raised about his sister who still had many years left in the sport. His answer was quick. He would be happy to help her and let all of the attention be focused on her, until such time he was granted the permission to run the bigger cars - even if that meant a couple of years away from driving himself. As this interview unfolds, we discover how easily children can adapt to changes - even a child who garnered a tummy ache at the thought of a simple change. Not so easy for adults - especially parents, especially me.

The time we spent in Elma constructing the quarter midget track afforded us many things. Meeting new friends, discovering a different side to the sport of racing, and learning that even when children are involved - it's not always going to be easy. We also discovered that racing sprint cars is what one of our children wanted to do. I have often wondered what would have happened had that first wish for a dirt bike come true. If I had given in, would we be hanging out at a moto-cross track somewhere, or maybe just camping somewhere in the woods to go trail riding. We'll never know now. This kid is addicted. A promoters dream - especially a promoter who deals up the good stuff - TJ's drug of choice - sprint cars. And as a plus, the time spent near the bigger track also allowed us to prepare for the moment he would make the leap into an adult world. We had already spent considerable time talking about the consequences, the responsibilities, and the dedication needed to do this. In hindsight, that was the easy part. But remember, we're talking about a 14 year old kid who had the ability to fabricate and setup his own race car, and then go out and drive it to a National event win. The joke around our pit stall was the only thing TJ needed his dad for was to drive him to the track - and even that was doubtful. The hard part was letting him go.

As we find out in chapter 2, things do not always go according to plan. Sometimes that is good, and sometimes not so good. But at the end of 2006, one thing was for sure - our family was in for a big change. Read along and try to figure out who coped with it the best, and who still had very much to learn.


Here are his thoughts - enjoy.


CA: Do you recall who your quarter midget novice driver trainer was?

TJ: I just remember his name. Steve Glenn. That's about all I remember.


CA: As I outlined above - the time we spent building the quarter midget track in Elma was filled with influences and guidance in this path you have chosen. In your words, convey to the readers some instances that stand out that led you to where we are now - that being sprint car racing.

TJ: Well, the time Fred sat me in his midget when I was 12 because someone told him there was this little kid who should be racing at the big track. I didn't get to actually do it, but thinking back, it was better to wait. Seeing my friend from 1/4 midgets starting to race on the big track, because we were really close in talent, and I knew I could do it too. Sitting in their cars after the race. Having a big track right next door to go watch when we were done. Having the announcer at the big track talking with us kids - that made me kinda nervous! But it was fun.

CA: And now, thinking of the time frame at the end of 2006, and going into 2007 with your focus on driving a sprint car - is there a person who has taken on that same role as a teacher in your "novice" year again?

TJ: Marshall. He started by teaching me about the parts, and going through boxes of stuff and explaining what everything was. And then, when I got closer to driving, he explained some things that the car would do and what I would be feeling. Everything he explained to me is what I felt.

CA: We basically came to an arrangement - you and I - about how the transition from quarter midgets to sprint cars would take place. Tell the readers your version of the "deal".

TJ: Well, first I needed to know how to take a sprint car apart and put it back together. I needed to learn what the parts were, and how they worked. I also needed to build strength in my body through a workout program. I've never had any bad grades, so we didn't need to worry about that too much. I had to stay focused on what needed to be done, instead of playing video games and stuff. I had to call the parts guys to order parts and now I have to do that with sponsors. Marshall kind of taught me how to value the parts, and we bought some used stuff and learned what we should keep and what we should sell.


CA: So you have successfully retired from quarter midget racing, and now we're in the winter of 2006/07, with the goal being what?

TJ: Well for me the goal was to have a sprint car ready for the 2008 season. We got there earlier than I expected, but I was ready to wait until 2008. I just knew I wanted to move on to something bigger, and sprint cars was what I wanted to do.

CA: What is the significance of the number 19 that you use?

TJ: It's Stevie Smith's number, and I liked him because he was the bandit and he drove the Ingersoll-Rand car. Later on I learned that he knows how to build his own cars, and I had learned how to do that too.


CA: Aside from welding the frame together, you were able to fabricate and construct the race cars on your own by the end of your tenure in the quarter midgets. As you were learning the new cars, did any of what you had learned tie into the bigger cars?

TJ: I guess just working on them I knew how to take something apart and put it back together. Like a front axle. They're basically the same thing - only bigger. Because you're going so much faster, and your life depends on that bolt being tightened, you have to check it twice and make sure it's right. The torsion bars were different than the coil over stuff, and little things like that. Probably the biggest thing was learning that everything needs to be torqued. We already were used to doing a lot of maintenance on our cars, like with the bearings, and motors, and stuff. But I'm glad we don't have to pull the pan and look in the motor after every race now!

CA: I want to touch on this later, but what about the driving part? Was that a big adjustment for you?

TJ: The biggest adjustment was how much slower the reaction time is in the sprint car. I was used to being in a corner every three seconds, and with the sprint car you have a lot more time to think and make a decision. That made it easier to switch. But staying on the gas all the way through the corner was harder to get used to - especially without the wing. The corners are so long and the cars are so much bigger that if you let off, it messes up the whole corner. It just takes some getting used to, and I think I'm getting better.

CA: So we're going to leave quarter midgets behind us now, but before we do, give us a final thought. Obviously, the plan of using 2007 as a year to focus on your sister never really developed as planned. The opportunity for you to be around the quarter midget track without racing hit a little snag along the way - again, maybe a story for a different time. But you made a statement at the end of 2006 in regard to your feelings, so my question is - do you foresee a time when you can return over there and pick up where you left off? Not necessarily to race there again, but to feel comfortable just being there at a facility that you helped construct and spent so much of your life at?

TJ: There will probably be a time when we can go back there, but it won't be the same as before. Nicki still wants to race, but it's uncomfortable being there. I know she has fun helping me with my workouts and doing a scrap book - stuff like that. The people changed down there. I think maybe we were in it for so long, they just had different ideas, and they made us feel unwelcome. I guess an X squared and a Y squared don't mix.

CA: OK, so now we're headed to California on spring break to get you in the driving school. As usual, we're getting close to the track, and TJ develops a _______?

TJ: "My tummy hurts" (he says with a giggle) Not really the same though, 'cause I was just excited. I just needed to see the track before we went to the motel, then I was good. I was just thinking about all of it, and mom was with us, so I was good. (giggle)

CA: Did you, do you, or will you, ever realize the significance of the person you were in the presence of for 2 full days down there?

TJ: Ya, I knew that was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. When I found out I was the only one there, I realized there's not very many people who can say they had one on one time with Jimmy Sills in a sprint car.

CA: What is it like to be a youngster, and push off in a 410 sprint car for the very first time?

TJ: After they strapped me in, and Jimmy had told me everything to do with the fuel and throttle, he went back in the push truck and I put it in gear, and he started pushing. It fired right up, but I would say I like the sound of my AA better. (laughing) But that doesn't say I wanna drive a 1/4 midget again. (he says with a concerned voice like someone who had just said too much!)

CA: Let me back up for just a second. The role of a teacher in racing - like Steve, Marshall, or Jimmy - do you see yourself in that role someday?

TJ: I think it would be cool to tell new drivers what to expect. I kind of already did that with some of the 1/4 midget kids. Like that time we were driving under yellow and they all followed me up in the dust. I doubt they knew what I was doing, but I heard later they had all gotten together before the race and said to do what TJ does, 'cause he's doing something special to his tires.(laughing) That was cool.

CA: A pretty fair amount of time passed between the driving school and your first race. Tell us what it was like on the inside. I know you never show a lot of excitement, but give us a look into what you were feeling leading up to the first race.

TJ: I know some people didn't think I was very excited, but I was. It started when Jim was taking the motor out of Marshall's car. That was when I realized it was going in my car and we were going racing the next week. It happened earlier than I expected. I wasn't nervous or anything - just happy.

CA: One thing we have not touched on was my reluctance to even allow you in the pit area, even after you were of legal age to be there. Now you're signing in the back gate at Madras Speedway for your first race in a winged sprint car, you're strapping in the race car, and you're being pushed off with other cars on the track. How are you feeling at this point?

TJ: You had always told me I had lots of time to be an adult, and only a little time to be a kid. Now I was with adults, and not with kids. It made me feel more grown up I guess. I knew I had to be more responsible now and not make any dumb decisions. But now I'm in the car, and it was kind of like at the school. I wasn't nervous, and it felt good.

CA: And you win your first time out. Expected? Surprise? Any different feelings after some time has passed? Would you sleep with the trophy again?

TJ: I don't think anyone expected me to win, but I knew after the heat race I had a good chance at winning as long as I didn't make any mistakes. I was actually pretty surprised to win my first race out. I wondered if the crew in the pits thought they were dreaming or something. I was surprised to hear you tell me you can't stand there and watch anymore. Would I sleep with my trophy again? Maybe if I won the Knoxville Nationals or Oval Nationals.

CA: So you go from the high of winning right out of the gate running a winged sprint car, to not being allowed to run without a wing due to your age. Is time dragging for you, or is it all happening so fast you didn't have time to think about it?

TJ: Well, I didn't think there would be an age problem, so that kind of dragged the time a little bit. But then when we decided to go to California to race some non-wing. I wanted to go do that, but I knew they would be really tough down there because it's a good group of guys. I think running with them helped me more than if we had run a smaller series. I watched and learned a lot from them.

CA: And we're off to California again. Traveling should be something you're used to - right?

TJ: Ya, it wasn't as long of trip as going to Indiana or Maryland. But actually, there was no video games in the truck, so it seemed like it took longer! (laughing) I do like traveling and going to new tracks and meeting new people. That's fun.

CA: You're in the car again - this time without the wing and on a new track again. Are you aware of the calming effect my pep talk has had with you, or do you ignore everything I say and do?

TJ: What was your pep talk?

CA: Whatever. Hey, by the way, in the last part you told me you had gotten over that crooked steering wheel thing. A little birdie told me you were kind of concerned in the push off lane that maybe your wheel wasn't straight. Any comments?

TJ: (sheepish grin) Well, in the quarter midgets I just got used to it, but in the sprint car I needed the weld spot on the wheel lined up at the top. I'm not sure why. (grinning) It does have the little grips on the back that I needed to be right. (he says all the while knowing that he needs structure and consistency until such time he feels comfortable - this is big. We'll see why a little later)

CA: Later on, we learned of the problem in the non-wing car of having no power steering. But as you worked to get the car around the track for those three races, unknowing of the aforementioned problem, were you having any doubts about what you had dove into?

TJ: No. I knew that I had the right things to run up front and beat those guys. It would have easier if there was power steering, but now I know if it ever goes out, I can actually still hold onto the wheel for a while.

CA: Do you really think there was a need to go and tell your mom about the problem?

TJ: Probably no need, but I would have told her later anyway! (laughing) She makes my PB & J's.

CA: Anyway, you're gassing it up in a sprint car. Is it what you have been expecting, or rather, dreaming about?

TJ: Well I had accomplished my dream of racing a sprint car. I don't think I can expect anything from people, like Marshall letting me use his motor. But in the car, the school and what people had told me about running a winged car was what I was feeling. Running without the wing wasn't what I expected at all though. I thought it would be easier than with a wing, but it's definitely not.

CA: Describe the differences in feelings off the track. You're in the drivers meeting. A REAL drivers meeting - not like a quarter midget "handlers meeting". This one they're talking to YOU. It's your responsibility to listen and understand what is going on. You're parked next to Peter Murphy and Tim Kaeding. Do you know who these guys are?

TJ: That's the part of the sprint cars that makes me feel more grown up. I have to pay attention because they're actually talking to me. I know the other drivers are there, but they're just like me, except I don't smoke like some of them. I don't want to say they're "just drivers like me", because I know they have a lot of experience. But it wasn't really anything different except I feel more grown up I guess.

CA: Unfortunately, this year you and I witnessed first hand the possible consequences, and the dangers in this sport. We talked about it a lot before you ever got in the car. Did that help? Or maybe a better question is this - would it have made a difference to you in seeing it unfold before your eyes had we not talked about it beforehand?

TJ: I don't think about those possibilities when I'm racing. If you're thinking about crashing, you probably will. It doesn't change my decision if someone wrecks and gets hurt. If I have all the right stuff that fits me good, then it's everything I could do to keep me safe.

CA: Tell us the two things that stand out most for you in the last 12 months. First the negative, then finish with the most positive memory.

TJ: I don't really have a negative, because I don't like to think about that. There was some people who I thought I could trust, and they turned out to be something else. I guess as a positive, maybe a little surprised at all the people who did support me. That was cool. I just learned that you have to go on with life because there will be more positive memories.

CA: You do know that your cheering section has begun to develop, and is heard to be shaping up as a little on the boisterous side - right?

TJ: Ya, especially the guy who was standing up cheering when I won! And the lady who said "who's the driver of that 19 car? Get over here!" That makes me smile. Nicki is probably my biggest cheerer, and I'm surprised that my mom is so calm when I'm on the track.

CA: Signing autographs - is that something new or unexpected? Do you see it ever getting old?

TJ: It's VERY new. I don't think it will get old because it makes me feel good that I'm somebody's favorite driver. Bob Beerbower was the first adult to ask for my autograph. That was cool.

CA: In the items mentioned earlier in regard to our agreement to do this - do you feel you have kept up your end of the bargain?

TJ: I kind of messed up in the beginning by stopping my workout. I'll never know if I could have made the whole 30 laps running without power steering if I had been working out. But the rest of it I think I'm doing a good job. I'm learning how to talk with people and getting the right stuff ordered, like parts and stuff.

CA: November 2006 to November 2007. Are you on track?

TJ: I'm actually a little ahead because I got to run earlier than I expected. Part of that was to know all of the parts and what they do, and I think I've learned that pretty good.

CA: Describe a few laps in a sprint car.

TJ: It takes me too long to get strapped in, but once I'm ready, I'm in gear, they bump me with the push truck and I wave them to start pushing. Wait for some oil pressure, turn the fuel on, and hit the switch. We're lining up and I'm looking for the guy to line up behind. We get bunched up and they give us the one to go. We're idling around until the line in turn 4 and you hit the gas. You can't see anything because of all the dust flying. Going into the first corner on the high side, and while everyone else is on the bottom, I got a clear track, and I just stay hard on the gas and don't lift. Going down the back stretch and headed for turn 3 still on the high side because I'm still passing guys. Turn 3 is more of a sweeper so don't throw the car in as much and then coming out of 4 start looking for a spot to get in line. A few laps later guys are smoking their tires and it's like a drag strip and I can't see anything again. Keep the tires good - save 'em for later. About lap 15 or so my arms get tired and I'm like "oh crap". I start seeing everybody pass me that I already passed. I hold on as much as I can waiting for a yellow. No yellow, so I decide it's probably best to pull off. I can barely steer it into my pit stall. I shut the motor off and take a deep breath. They ask me what's wrong. Then dad starts laughing and Marshall starts taking pictures while he's laughing at me. It's fun.

That's my son - my friend. CA.

So now we have seen a child make some very grown up decisions - including choosing not to take up smoking, and knowing that he can't focus on the past. He's recognized the present isn't exactly what he wants, and has set his sights on the future, and is happy things are progressing faster than he anticipated. He has continued to show his childlike tendencies, like wishing he had some video games to play while passing the time on a 900 mile trip to a race track, or acknowledging that his mom still makes his favorite sandwich. He also clings to a defined structure in his life - like making sure the wheel is straight.

I will tell you - it is no joke that I have a hard time watching him race now. Even if I get myself to the fence to watch, it doesn't sink in. I've stared right at him out on the track and still have to ask the guy next to me what happened. Denial maybe? It happens a lot with adults. More so when a person doesn't want to admit to what they're seeing take place. Can the denial and feelings be overcome? In time - maybe.

The surprises from TJ are not over. Just when we think the wind has changed, the stars are starting to align, and it's safe to order ham and cheese - WHAMO! A child reveals his intellect, his apprehension, and shows a bit of wisdom beyond his 16 years. Who is to say what is right for TJ, but TJ himself.

Oh how easy it used to be to manipulate the skinny freckled face kid with glasses. Wanna play "who can hit the softest' just one more time before we go any further TJ?

Stay tuned for part 3.




:greenflag: :checkered:
Green to Checkers,

Ted Hartman



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