The Real World Part Two
/As you started to learn yesterday from the introduction to our trip, this was more than some joy ride across the southern United States. Today we are moving on to the next part of our trip. A part that takes us to Tulsa Oklahoma and Oklahoma City for a couple of days.
As we left Memphis on Wednesday night, after visiting Beale St. we decided to head into Arkansas for the evening before making our way to Tulsa, OK for the next couple of days. The purpose of visiting Tulsa was to be able to visit E3xtreme Co-Founder Ellen Eschenbacher, along with stopping at Tulsa Raceway Park, and also a visit with TRP’s Co-Owner, Pro Mod & Radial Superstar, Keith Haney.
E3xtreme Co-Founder Ellen Eschenbacher
We rolled into Tulsa on Thursday late afternoon and was met by Ellen. She was nice enough to offer up her apartment for us to crash at on Thursday and Friday. Talking with Ellen, you could hear the disappointment in her voice regarding everything drag racing. As you all might know, Ellen has taken a position with Mid-West Pro Mods, and by the time we arrived in Tulsa it was already determined that the first race of the season in Ennis was going to be postponed, they had already lost their second race, which was to be contested at Outlaw Street Car Reunion in Bowling Green, and there was still fear of the unknown regarding Throwdown in Tulsa.
Working in this industry means that when there is no racing, you are usually not getting paid. It isn’t like a 9-5 job and if you get laid off you collect unemployment. I could hear the frustration in Ellen’s voice regarding everything that was going on. Add to that the fact that TRP was closed due to local government decisions, and the situation is even more frustrating. As is usual with Ellen though, she keeps her head up and also tries to make the best of every situation. This time was no different either. She was trying to look at the future and what that holds for her, the series, their drivers, their sponsors, etc. Always the optimist she is, we talked about Throwdown and how I still felt that would be a viable option.
On Friday we headed over to TRP so that David could see the facility for the first time. We also need to pick up a set on new Mickey Thompson Deegan 38s that we ordered and had shipped to the track. I was able to catch up with Jimmy Boles while wee were there to. Jimmy is pretty much the man handling the track, and he was in the process of tacking care of some things including maintenance during this down time. He was looking forward to the point where they could open the gates and welcome racers back on the property as well.
L:R E3xtreme Co-Founder Damon Steinke, Jim Dyas, David Hiler, Keith Haney
Once we jetted out of TRP, we headed to Classic Chevrolet to meet up with Keith Haney and talk with him about everything that is going on. Some many know this, but for those that don’t, Keith owns eight car dealerships all around the Tulsa metro area. While we knew that the service area would be open, we didn’t realize that they were still selling cars too. Keith’s staff was doing a great job of sanitizing everything at every turn as well in an effort to keep his staff and customers as safe as possible. Keith told me that this crisis has been hard on him not only professionally but personally as well. Anyone that knows Keith also knows that he wears his heart on his sleeve. If he has to cut back on staffing, that is something that he takes very personal. He was able to let us in on some super secret stuff going on with his racing program that we will bring to you in the future as well. As of this writing, the Throwdown in Tulsa is still on schedule the weekend of May 7th also.
Michael Henson
Saturday morning we headed to the other side of the state with the intentions of making a few stops in the OKC area. Our first stop of the day was at Henson Racing Engines to catch up with Michael Henson. We we were able to take a tour of his shop and talk business with him. I asked him how all of this down time has affected his engine building business, and to my surprise he stated that business had actually picked up and been busier than usual. I was certainly glad to hear that he was staying busy in the shop and that racers were willing to actually get ahead of the curve with their plans for this season. Michael did state that he would be concentrating on the smaller local shootouts this season, as it did not appear he would be invited back to participate in the NPK series.
Andy Johnson’s NMRA Coyote Stock Mustang
After leaving Michael’s shop, we headed over to my goo friend Andy Johnson’s house to check out what he had going on in the garage. Andy Johnson, for those that don’t know, fields a beautiful foxbody Mustang in NMRA’s Coyote Stock class. Andy is retired law enforcement, and now works a different job, but one that is listed as essential. He gave both Jim and David a lesson on clutches and everything else Coyote Stock, while I took some photos of the car. It was great to discuss the current status of the class, along with the future, including the swap to the Gen III engines for next season. Along with Michael’s car, you will also see a full feature on Andy’s car very soon.
We still had some more stops to make while we were in the OKC area. The most important of which was the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Better known as the Oklahoma City Federal Building that was the site of the worse terrorist attack on US soil prior to 9/11. For David and I, who were both old enough to remember the bombing like it was yesterday, the memorial was something that we absolutely had to stop at. For Jim, who at the time was only a little more than a year old, we had to explain to him what happened, why it happened, and the reverence involved with stopping here. In fact, this Sunday is the 25th Anniversary of the bombing. When we got there it was lunch time on Saturday and the entire area reminded me of Beale St. There were very few people to be found anywhere, with the exception of some mourners at the memorial, and some of the local homeless. This was something that everything should see for themselves and experience the gravity of.
Todd Martin’s MWPMS Mustang (Photo by David Hilner)
L:R E3xtreme Co-Founder Damon, TRP Co-Owner Todd Martin, David Hilner, Jim Dyas
After leaving the memorial we headed up the road to for a visit with TRP’s other owner and Pro Mod driver Todd Martin. I always enjoy sitting down to talk with Todd, and it’s usually not about drag racing. We typically talk about business, as Todd is a very successful businessman. Stepping into Todd’s shop I felt like I should take off my shoes because it was so damn clean in there though. For hours Todd, David, Jim, and I discussed racing, the crisis, the stock market, business, and much more. The building is absolutely beautiful though. I really could not get over the space, along with the office space as well. Todd and I discussed the fact that TRP is closed for now, along with how unhappy he is about that fact. Just like any good track owner though, he and Keith both realize that going against the grain at that point would serve no purpose. The community is still going to be there and you will still have to conduct business within it once all this shit is done. It doesn’t mean he isn’t frustrated though. Add to that Todd had just opened a new restaurant the week that everything was forced to be shut down. So he will have to hold a new grand opening when they are allowed to do so.
David Hilner showing Chris Day a shot that he captured.
The last stop in OKC was another racer’s shop. Most know our last stop from the hit show Street Outlaws. His name is Chris Day, but a lot of you know him as Kamikaze on the show. Chris invited us in for a sit down about everything Street Outlaws. The business of TV and live in general. Chris and I have had some disagreements in the past, but it was nice to sit down with him and hear what he had to say regarding drag racing, television, popularity, rumor mills, and so much other shit that comes with being a celebrity. I found it refreshing to talk with him about everything. He was also concerned about everything that was going on in the world, but certainly not letting it consume him one bit. Chris’ car is one that we would be doing a full feature on very soon here as well. I will certainly go more in depth regarding a lot of things during that feature.
Kamikaze (Photo by David Hilner)
Once we wrapped up at Chris’ it was time to head down the road, grab some dinner, and off to Amarillo. Part Three of our series will pick up in Amarillo. Stay tuned to E3xtreme as we continue on our journey to bring you what is really happening in the industry today.