BOB MOTZ
How has your exhibition evolved through the
years?
We made a lot of test runs at a few tracks way
back then to make sure that everything would
work the way it was supposed to. Heck, we must
have made a hundred test runs before we went
out before a crowd. We were limited to 150 mph
at the time because of the rules, and then we
started going faster. We ran a few races at first,
and then more and more each year after that,
and pretty soon, we were running at 35 events a
year. We’ve run with all of the sanctioning bodies, including AHRA, IHRA and NHRA, and
we’re covered a
lot of states in
those years, and
we’ve even been
to Montreal. What
we had was different and what
we had was something that nobody
had done before.
People seemed to
like our exhibitions, and we were
pretty proud of that.
I liked going fast, so it
was all very exciting.
You’re preparing to
bring your historic career to an end at Summit Motorsports Park.
Does this track have a
special place in your
heart?
We started running
at what was Norwalk
Raceway Park and is
now Summit Motorsports Park in the early
‘80s, and we have always
enjoyed it because there
have always been a lot
of people there. We always have a good following
wherever we go, but we have the biggest following at Summit Motorsports Park. The Baders
have done good for me, and I think I’ve done
good for them.
What highlights do you hold close to your heart
from your years of driving your truck?
I have always enjoyed going fast and putting
on a show. On top of that, I’ve met a lot of good
people, and the number of times that we’ve
and a lot of time away from family, but I enjoy
doing this, and nobody understands that better
than a race car driver.
Is the magnitude of the moment – making your
final appearance behind the wheel of your jet
been rebooked at
tracks means we’re
doing something
right, not only for
the tracks, but for
ourselves, and that
means something
to me. Everybody
tells me I should
hear the crowd, and
even though I can’t
because I’m in the
truck and I have to
focus and not make
mistakes, knowing that they’re happy makes me
happy. The highlights outnumber the lowlights,
but we did have that fire in 2007. I was severely
burned and I’m lucky to be here, but even with
that, I didn’t want to stop. It takes a lot of hours
truck – we ighing on you at all?
Everyone has had me retiring for the last ten
years, and we’ve managed to keep going, but this
is to be my retirement. I just don’t like for it to be
set in stone because I truly love what I do.
You’re an entertainer through and through, and
the sport of drag racing is better for having you
as a part of it. Do you have anything special
planned for the last outing? You’ve been known
to torch signs and burn down towers, right?
Well, yes, we’ve burned down the sign in the
staging lanes a couple of times in Norwalk, and
there are a lot of people who who want to know
if we’ll burn it down again this year. It’s funny
because through the years, the most common
question fans have asked me in the pit area at
Summit Motorsports Park is whether I’ll burn
that sign down. We like that we’ve given them
something to remember us DI
by. DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
38 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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PHOTOS: DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES
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