TODD MOYER

Have you ever wanted to try other kinds of racing?

I have no desire to do anything other than drag racing. Back around’ 98, me and my wife, Kathaleen, got into dirt tracking for two years. I did a deal called“ Thunder Bombing”- it’ s a demolition derby at 50-70 mph. Some nights, we’ d have 80 to 100 cars running on a 3 / 8-mile dirt track. They’ d be lined up three wide all the way around for the 100-lap race. It taught me how to drive a car better. I thought I was pretty good until I got on a dirt track on street tires and tried to go 70 mph. My first few weeks, I looked like a clown. I was always backwards or spinning out. I drove an’ 83 Delta 88 with a 403ci Oldsmobile motor in it, and that thing rolled! We had a $ 500 carb on it and tricked it out a little. I drove it with the big bench seat in it, with my left hand, and my right arm up over the back of the seat for support. That sounds pretty wild. Any good stories to share?

Once a car hooked bumpers with me, and drug him around the track. His steering broke and that’ s why he hit me, so when he broke loose at 50 mph, he went up the wall, hit the fence, and crashed his car so bad. Why’ d you stop dirt track racing?

I got hit by an axle. It came through the window, hit my helmet and split it open, gashed my head, and knocked me out cold. I said‘ that’ s it, this is dangerous’. Tires and rims were always coming off cars and flying through windows. It was too much. What’ s the Texas racing scene like right now?

Honestly, it’ s not like it used to be. The only place that’ s really got it going on now is North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas. Down here at Baytown, they don’ t do a whole a lot. And then we have Houston Motorsports Park, they do a lot of grudge racing. No prep and grudge racing are the biggest things here right now. Who are the people that make your racing life possible?

Without my wife’ s help, I couldn’ t do this. We’ ve been married since’ 93. A lot of times the shop is so busy that I shouldn’ t be leaving to go racing, but Kathaleen will stay to fill in my shoes. She’ s a good woman. Right now I have 39 jobs here. It’ s a challenge, but she does a great job keeping control of things. As far as racing goes,

my main crew chief is Steve Benoit. He works on my cars during the week and drives the rigs. Then I have Joe Oplawski, my tuner, who I work with and he’ s great. What’ s it like to be Todd Moyer in real life? What’ s an average day like for you?

I’ m pretty much a workaholic. I get to the shop at 6:30AM and work until 7:00PM every

evening. I’ m the guy that runs the show. I have myself and eight mechanics that I guide to diagnose vehicles and work on things. About 70-percent of what we do is automotive diesels. We do a lot of air conditioning work, check engine lights, just routine maintenance, but we stay busy. I really love going to work. It’ s where I want to be. Where are you going to be for the rest of the season?

We’ ll follow the PDRA calendar for Pro Boost with the Camaro, and then we’ ll probably go to Denton for the big Small Tire Nationals race there in September, they’ re paying $ 20,000-to-win in Radial vs. the World. Then there’ s a big no prep race in Baytown in September, the Lone Star Resurrection. PDRA is the focus, but I’ ll be out at other events now and then. DI

PHOTOS: JAMES SISK, IAN TOCHER