If a kid’s dad didn’t have a race car sitting in their garage when Bobby Davis was growing up, then something was wrong.
“That’s just the way it was,” Davis said.
Short track racing has been in Davis’ life since going to his first race by the time he could walk.
His uncle was a promoter for the 25th Street Speedway, while his dad raced for nearly eight years.
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So it was almost inevitable to have Davis behind the wheel of a racecar. It’s in his blood. The 54-year-old Columbus native completed his first race at around 19 years old and has been racing ever since.
Davis has raced in five different states on about 30 different tracks with his home track being at Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon. Davis loves the life of a local racecar driver, but it doesn’t happen without sacrifices and challenges.
Devin Gilpin, 27, of Columbus can attest to some of the challenges that arise as a full-time professional dirt-track driver. On top of the obvious Indiana weather that is currently holding races back, expenses are one of the major hurdles for most dirt track drivers.
Financing the maintenance of a race car isn’t cheap, and full-time drivers like Gilpin rely on sponsors to offset the cost. Landing new sponsorship deals every year is a journey in itself.
“It’s a job, man,” Gilpin said. “Normally at the end of the year, you just sit down and go through and try to make deals with your current sponsors for next season, and then go and try to pursue new ones. You get on the phone and send them emails and try to get on it … The pricing is astronomical, and it wouldn’t be possible without sponsors and getting people behind you.”
Gilpin likes to reach out during the winter before companies set their budgets for the next year. The financial commitment just depends on the size and location of where the company wants its logo placed on his car. Gilpin has a little more time on his hands to find sponsors, with driving being a full-time commitment for him.
Thirty-seven-year-old Columbus resident Joss Moffatt is a part-time driver with a full-time job, and he also finds time to get sponsors to help with the cost. Finding a sponsor is only half the battle in most cases. Promoting the business or product in return is the trade off.
“It’s like a third job,” Moffatt said. “You have to make sure you sell their products and make commitments to shows. Sometimes you get lucky where they have extra money and they’re a race fan, and they just give you money.”
Moffatt also has a race partner in Roville Wright, who owns half of his team and assumes half of the out-of-pocket cost. Other drivers like 24-year-old Zak Blackwood and Davis, who also have full time jobs, don’t use sponsors and have to come out of pocket for almost all of their finances.
Blackwood spent nearly $170,000 on dirt track racing last year and $42,000 on a new motor a few weeks ago. No matter the out-of-pocket cost or time commitment, all four drivers said they enjoy the lifestyle of being a driver.
Balancing a schedule is an important piece for a driver, especially those with families. Weekends are race days, and weekdays consist of repairing whatever damages occurred in the most recent race, washing the car, maintenance to the body work and working on the tires. Most drivers with day jobs spend an additional 20 to 25 hours a week working on their vehicles.
Davis said his family comes first, and they use the out-of-town trips to different races as little vacations. It also helps that his wife Tammy Davis enjoys working on the car, too. She does all the welding and tire work.
“She loves it, and I’m lucky to have her,” Davis said. “Not too many women would go for this kind of lifestyle. It’s a lot of work and a lot of money.”
Davis’ 11-year-old grandson Cameron also helps work on the car. Moffatt likes to keep a schedule that allows him to clear his Sundays and Fridays for family and friends. He said it’s hard to find time for anything else if he doesn’t stay true to the schedule that he put in place for himself.
Some of the best times for local racers are the times when they’ve won key races, like when Gilpin won three consecutive UMP Modified national championships in years from 2012-14.
Blackwood’s most proudest moments are during some of the times where he didn’t even win. Going to bigger shows as the underdog and racing against guys who have NASCAR money backing their team and performing well gives him a sense of accomplishment, win or lose.
Winning races can come with cash prizes, but Davis said he cherishes the trophies more than the money. Moffatt’s most rewarding moments were after winning his three career championships.
“After long, hard weeks, after building a car and you go out and win, that’s always gratifying because all your hard work has paid off and you see the smiles on the faces of your family and friends, and it makes it all worthwhile to you,” Moffatt said.
Moffatt also said there are times where racing can beat you down and makes you a very humble person. Having a bad race because of a car malfunction or making a bad decision on the track can haunt a driver for weeks, he said.
Blackwood said one of the hardest things to deal with as a driver is when something like a blown motor happens that puts them out for the rest of the season — and having to share the news with all of their supporters.
“It’s hard to face everybody because you feel like you let everybody down,” Blackwood said. “You have little kids that are drawing pictures for you at school and giving them to you all week, and then you go out there and blow a motor, and you have to face them after the race and you have people coming up to you and asking you about it.”
Being a racecar driver takes a lot of time, effort and money. There are lots of triumphs and failures, but those who commit to the life enjoy the ride.
Moffatt said being behind the wheel is an exhilarating adrenaline rush like nothing a person will ever experience in anything else they do.
“When you’re younger, that’s all you can think about — being a professional racecar driver,” Gilpin said. “Being out on the road is a lot different than people think about it, but this is my life, and this is my job and I love it.”
