Racing In 2009?...

Having fun at the Beaver (5/4/08)




Last Blog For A While (6/3/08)

Repost of a letter I wrote to Beaver Bob McCardle... Best wishes to everyone... :-(

Hi Bob,

It's with a very heavy heart that I write this letter but I definitely need to. Life has thrown a lot at me in the last year or so. Changes with my career/schedule are taking up most of my time as well as far less flexibility in the workplace altogether causing problems. A dramatic decrease in business is seriously effecting my income in a bad way. Personal and family issues that remain unresolved require much more attention than I've ever given them. Altered priorities where music and my home and many other things are concerned are coming into the picture. Life in general has become far more demanding of me than it's ever been in the past. I'm on overload in all directions and something has to give somewhere.

I knew I'd have far less time this year to devote to racing but I wanted to continue anyway. I had no idea how badly the lack of seat time would effect my efforts. I've always given racing 100% since I started. I've neglected almost everything else for years to be in the car as much as possible. Whether it was driving my car to the track to try to win a trophy in the early days or busting my ass for weeks last year to have a car that was race worthy in time to claim my first ever Ironman in Pittsburgh at the Bracket finals I always gave it my all. I'm not a gifted driver like some are and I don't find it easy at all. I've worked VERY hard from day one for everything I've achieved. I managed to be "good" more days than I was bad and found that very satisfying knowing how difficult it was to do well and I have a few nice trophies and titles to show for all my efforts. I've never been great or perfect by any means but that was OK as long as I could look back at the end of the day and know that I had done all that I could when I was chasing a win. This year is very different. Where I once was able to give 100% I'm only able to give maybe 25%.

Without fail I've always tested before regular racing started. I usually have 20-25 passes on the car before the first real races start. This year I never even sat in the car 'til the day before the first points race. I've always been in a position to race as much as I want whenever I want as I feel the need to. I've usually managed to be racing somewhere as much as three or four times a week if I felt the need or desire to. Not this year. I've been showing up cold on Sunday after a week (or more if there are rainouts) away from it and trying to go racing against what is on average probably the most talented group of racers I've ever had the priveledge of competing against off one or two shots at the track and it's obviously not working for me at all. I don't have the budget for more and even if I did I'm stuck working a very long six days a week that allows me absolutley no opportunity for additional seat time. I've been making a completely "half-assed" attempt to compete against the best around and everyone knows what the results have been.

The bottom line is I've made a very difficult decision. I'm going to take a break from racing for a while. After never missing a points race for almost 8 years I'm gonna walk away from it for an undetermined amount of time. It'll probably be at least the rest of this year and possibly much longer depending how things develop with work and debt and the rest of my weird existence. Racing has been the main driving force in my life for a long time now and it feels strange (almost painful) to be letting go of it at all but for me I think it's the only thing that really makes sense right now. I enjoy driving my obnoxious little yellow car but that's not what it's about for me. It's the competition and giving my all and seeing how far sheer willpower can take me. It's 100% or nothing with racing and most other things in my life and right now I have very little extra to put toward anything.

All that being said, I'm hoping you'll convey my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to everyone there (yourself included) for the way they welcomed me and made me feel like part of the "family" in a very short few weeks. People like the Raias and the Shannons and the Kohrs and Mike McCracken and the Klocks and the Volmanns and so many more (just look at your weekly roster... it's all of them) were so good to me and made it easy to settle in and feel like I belonged there. Mike gave me a "Zoo Crew" sticker last week to put on the car. That goofy little sticker means more to me than any decal I've ever put on that car and will stay right on the hood where I put it for a long time to come. I hope you realize how good they all are. They all exemplify what racing should be all about and those people and people like them are why drag racing is the greatest sport in the known universe. I feel like I let them all down 'cause I was hoping to make a positive contribution to the team in Pittsburgh this year. Sorry guys.

I'm gonna post this letter on my website as a final blog entry for a while. I refuse to say goodbye to anyone 'cause this is not the end. It may be the end of a chapter but there are many pages left in the book. A bump in the road maybe but it's a very long highway with no end in sight. I'll be back at "The Beaver" and elsewhere one day driving an obnoxious little yellow car and I'll be ready to race like never before and once again she'll have the right to proclaim in big purple letters across her doors she's a "WINNER BEATER" and we'll both feel good about it. Until then I'll say to my friends (here and there) thank you so much for everything you've done and everything you are and put everything into your racing that I wish I could put into mine right now. I will see you all again... Peace...

Sincerely, Pete

Some cool sites to check out...

IHRA Drag Racing
Beaver Springs Dragway
New York International Raceway Park
NHRA Drag Racing
ESTA Safety Park Dragstrip
Lucky Drag City
Skyview Drags
Auto Racing Web Directory
Children of the New Sun
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