New York City is well known as a gritty and tough place to grow up and make it. “If you can make there, I’ll make it anywhere” as Frank Sinatra famously crooned, is words of wisdom. Now, I’m sure many of you can relate to the hustle-n-bustle of being in the advertising business in this town, especially if you commute in and out of here every day. For myself I’ve been working in Manhattan for over 25 years and I’m still not use to all of its insanity. That’s where drag racing comes in for me. To some it’s a loud and useless sport and to others it’s a symphony of mans’ achievements in engineering. With a mechanical engineering background and a self described “motor-head” I fall on the latter side of the argument.
What’s the thrill of drag racing? Foremost, many people love the excitement of cars racing down a track, but fewer know just how these machines work. From horsepower of the engine, weight of the car, friction of the road, to air resistance, all of these aspects can be explained by physics when broken down into their various components. The thrill for me is born out of a combination of manipulating the shear horsepower, the high decibels and a competitive spirit.
As our race team’s active crew chief, drag racing has given me an outlet to make some noise, take advantage of my mechanical skills and have a little unique fun away from the hectic schedule of the media business. When my team and I arrive at a track we concentrate on one mission and that is to safely win races. In order to do that there are literally hundreds of variables that go into a successful run. From a well tuned engine to a focused driver, everything needs to be synchronized like a Swiss clock.
The atmosphere at the race track is thick and intense. Our racing category puts us up against seasoned professionals traveling over 150 mph in a matter of a few seconds. There’s little room for error and “safety” is our mantra. When our team driver Russell Arthur was a kid he was convinced that one day he was going to become an Astronaut. Although he was only about eight years old at the time his dream has gotten a little closer to being fulfilled. Now as a professional race car driver (and our graphic and production manager) he has gained the insight of what it must feel like for an astronaut at launch time. At the starting line of a race he experiences the intense g-force that is comparable to a rocket’s lift off.
To sum up this article I would like to add that drag racing is an art, albeit loud, the noise is music to my ears. If you would like to see the Billboards2Go.com racing team in action, you’ll find us at Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ this coming July 28th. The events are the 34th Annual Old Time Drags & Rod Run and the11th Annual Funny Car Reunion. Besides racing in the event we’re sponsoring the “Jungle Jim Award” for the best burn out. If you don’t know who Jungle Jim was or what a burn out is, don’t worry… you’ll have a blast anyway if you show up. The doors open at 8am.
Lastly, a good tip: bring hearing protection, a hat and a bottle of water.
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