http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_634358.html
Weekend warriors test their mettle with pedal
Buzz up!
By John Grupp, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Photos
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Gary Haluska
Guy Wathen/Tribune-Review
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Larry Patts
Guy Wathen/Tribune-Review
About the writer
John Grupp can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7930 / Grupp's blog
There is nothing diplomatic about state legislator Gary Haluska on Saturdays in the summer.
Haluska, an eighth-term legislator in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is among the weekend warriors who toil at every-day jobs before transforming into need-for-speed fanatics at local drag strips.
From white collars to white knuckles, in 10 seconds flat.
"The nice thing is nobody wants to talk politics," said Haluska, D-Cambria. "They want to talk racing. That's kind of refreshing."
Each summer weekend at Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, the pits are stocked with a diverse collection of professionals who release their tensions by racing at speeds of up to 155 mph.
They range from the owner of a coin/collectable shop to a high school teacher to a vice president of operations for a major construction company to a Plum woman who repairs and services medical devices.
"I just like the competition," said Larry Patts, 61, of McMurray, a long-time engineer and research scientist who races a 502-cubic inch orange Dodge Dart.
Weekend warriors
One summer weekend at Pittsburgh Raceway Park (PRP), Haluska, who has represented District 73 for the past 15 years, sits inside his hauling trailer moments after running a Saturday afternoon time trial. He has driven his 1969 Chevy Camaro to a 9.94-second quarter mile at speeds of 130 mph and now relaxes in a free moment.
"Obviously, it's a lot of fun," said Haluska, 59. "With my job, I can't be here every weekend. I try to get here six or eight weekends a summer. More, if I can."
A few feet away sits the impeccable Camaro, Haluska's baby since 1973. The 454-powered maroon Chevy runs in the Top Eliminator class at the International Hot Rod Association-sanctioned (IHRA) quarter-mile strip located about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. It is the only remaining drag strip in Western Pennsylvania.
Nearby, other pristine race cars bop past Haluska's trailer with throaty big-block engines that literally shake the humid afternoon air. Wide-eyed little children wearing ear covers make their way to the bleachers with their dads and brothers.
Along a chain-link fence that curves toward the starting line and the staging tree, modified- and street-class cars line up two or three wide awaiting their first chance of the new weekend.
Kara Bowman, 27, of Plum races each weekend at Pittsburgh Raceway, which underwent a recent multi-million dollar facelift and holds events from April to September. She drives a yellow 1967 Dodge Coronet in a sport she began at age 16 and never stopped, even as she entered the work force in the medical device repair industry.
The petite blonde — who admits she sometimes sits on a pillow to improve her vision — has a difficult time convincing anyone what she does for a weekend hobby.
"Nobody believes me," she said. "I tell them the paint on my fingernails is to cover the dirt."
Patts knows the feeling. He is a research scientist for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, after working for 30 years as a mining engineer.
He still gets funny looks when he tells people his weekend plans include drag-racing a 530-horsepower Dodge.
"I guess they don't think that somebody who's got white hair should still be racing," he said.
Expensive hobby
The competition, camaraderie and speed are the main draws to the sport. Virtually nobody does it for the money. Patts said he has about $20,000 invested in his Dart — "It's a pretty reliable little car" — and spends about $150-$200 a week in entry fees, travel costs and racing fuel.
What can a driver win? At Pittsburgh Raceway Park this summer in Top and Modified classes — the two most popular divisions — cash prizes are $800 for first and $350 for second.
There are about 60-70 racers in Top and Modified each weekend. Saturday afternoons are the time trials, with the bracket finals later that night. Action continues on Sundays.
"There are more disappointed people than happy people," Haluska said.
Attendance is down 15-20 percent due to the economy, from 250-275 racers on a typical Saturday last year to about 200-220 this year.
"We could take it as far as we want it, if the economy (rebounds)," Tedesco said. "If we make another $1 million in renovations, we could host a national event."
Track manager Frank Tedesco, who, along with his brother Michael, bought the track in 2001, said the weekend racers are involved in the sport for reasons other than a big pay day.
"Some people think they are professional," he said. "But in reality, if you are not doing it to have fun, there is something wrong with you. You will never make money. The track doesn't make much money. The racers don't make money. It's strictly a hobby."
Bob George, for one, is a little more invested in the sport. George, 62, of Eighty-Four, Pa., operates Bob George Racing, which runs 40 cars along the East Coast. A vice president for Mosites Construction, he races a 1965 Plymouth Belvedere powered by a 426 Hemi.
"It's a stress reliever," he said.
Larry Serenari, 57, of Bentleyville, who owns a pair of coin-collectable shops in Western Pennsylvania, is a 40-year drag-racing veteran, off and on. His red 1983 Camaro is propelled by an 890-horsepower custom-made big block
"It's the need for speed," he said. "I've tried golf, I've tried a little bit of hunting. This is what I love."
Serenari said drag racing isn't for everybody. He got back into driving three years ago after a lengthy absence.
"It an adrenaline rush," he said. "It's a little scary. For some people, it would be very scary."
Mark Romeo, 23, lives down the road from Pittsburgh Raceway Park, in New Alexandria. He bought his race car, a 1970 Chevy Nova, nine years ago for $100 from a local junkyard. A graduate of California University (Pa.), he works as a shop teacher at Turkeyfoot Valley High School.
"The speed and exhilaration is awesome," said Romeo, who ranks fifth in Modified points this summer. "But the competition is what I really come here for. I could race a Yugo, for all it matters."
This weekend is one of the biggest of the summer at the track, as the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Junior Dragster Team Finals run through today, July 19.
There are four classes each weekend — Trophy, Modified, Street and Top Eliminator — plus a motorcycle division.
Trophy Class is for true street-worthy cars, literally driven to the track. The track also holds a Test n' Tune sessions on Wednesday nights to get a feel for racing before any actual live, at-stake passes.
What about someone who wants to bring his or her 2006 Mustang out to the track for a quick, informal trip down the quarter-mile strip?
Cars that cover the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds or slower don't require any safety modifications (and the drivers don't even have to wear helmets). Roll bars are used once a car reaches times of 11.50 seconds, and helmets are needed at 13.50 or faster.
Win or lose, the racers assist each other. If someone needs a tool or a spare part, the PA announcer says "racer in need," and help invariably arrives.
"It's real competitive," Tedesco said, "but when it's over, they are friends. They just want to go faster and faster."
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