Figure 8 racing at the Arizona State Fair
The Arizona State Fair Grandstands held a full capacity crowd waiting to see Figure 8 racing. Similar to NASCAR fans, and I’m pretty sure a cross breed of them, were seated well before the racing started.
I love the smell of the Fair with it’s grease, salt, sweet and motor oil mixed with dusty air. At least that is what it smelled like as I entered the racing pit to meet with drivers and their cars for the Saturday night Figure 8 racing at the Arizona State Fair Grandstand.
In tow I have a photographer, Josh Taylor and my son Noah who loves cars and to take pictures. So far, everybody is happy.
I wasn’t sure what I would find in interviews but what I was looking for was a “true grit” family story and that is what I found and then some. The question is: if the family that plays together stays together, what about the family that races together?
For the teams that come in and race, this night of Figure 8 racing is one of many races and qualifying rounds that they have ran in this season. The teams have a full pit crew, family and friends, plus the car and driver. I’m pictured with the wrecking crew because someone has to pull the cars off the track if there is a crash. There is always a crash!
Many of the racing teams have won titles in other events and come back again and again to race for the fans, themselves and against long standing rivalries and friendships.
The #26 car is driven by a retired Mesa Arizona police Seargent Terry Mumaugh whose family and friends were there to support him along with his sponsors Prattster Graphics and SugarJacks.com. After all, rah rah support is great, though sponsorships are needed to keep the car running!
The #5 car is driven by Eddy Madrid. He was a racer of few words, though performed well on the track.
Though it’s the #133 car that really caught my ear for a story: see, this family has been racing for over 20 years as a team and against each other. The entire family is in on it: Grandpa and Grandma, aunts and uncles, the nephews with nieces, and kids too. All wives and husbands are married into the racing and were proud supporters that evening.
The driver for the #133 car is Bobby Taylor, a three time champion at the now closed Manzanita raceway and will compete next at the November 6-7th SCRA in Tucson. What made his story different than the rest was not the fact that up to 40 family members come out to each race, but that this man has been in a severe car crash that caught on fire and burned over 30% of his body. That didn’t stop him from getting back behind the wheel and cranking out another set of race chases to the checkers for more wins.
When Bobby Taylor was diagnosed with tongue cancer and underwent extensive chemotherapy that racked his body with sickness, hair and weight loss which eventually caused him to need to re-learn to eat and speak, it was the love of racing that kept him alive.
That explains why the race car fan is more than an average fan and also why race fans tend to run as a family. I hear it again and again, on and off the track, the thrill of the chase is always out gunned by the love of racing.
Til next time!
See you at the NASCAR Auto Parts 500 by Pennzoil out at Phoenix International Raceway in November!
All photos are courtesy of Joshua Taylor and you can see the full index of pictures at http://shutternaut.com/azfair/index.html and to book him for your next photo event please contact him through Model Mayhem #1320456
