Daytona rubs racers right way
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, February 18, 2008
Gary Lloyd March, 45, shows his Dale Earnhardt tattoo while watching the 50th Daytona 500 Sunday at Checkers in Sioux City. March, a Sioux Cityan, began racing shortly after his hero, Dale Earnhardt, was killed. Earnhardt, who drove car No. 3, died in a crash near the finish of the 2001 Daytona 500. (Photo by Jim Lee)
Two months before the 2001 Daytona 500, Gary March of Sioux City plopped down $1,800 and bought his first race car.
His idol, Dale Earnhardt, then died in a crash on racing's biggest stage.
March watched the race with his wife Tami. He feared she'd put the brakes to his racing pursuit.
"She didn't really want me to race," March recalled Sunday while sipping a bottle of Miller High Life and watching the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on the big screen TV at Checkers, a Sioux City watering hole. "She smacked me on the shoulder and said, 'That's exactly why I don't want you to race.'"
Even with his racing idol gone, March, 45, couldn't help but put the pedal to the metal that summer. He's been at it ever since, save for last summer.
"I tried to take last year off, but I'm coming back," he said. "I sold all my racing stuff, but got it all back. Interstate Raceway is going to reopen (as Raceway Park) and that's great news for me."
Sunday was great news for racing fans and racers themselves as the Daytona 500 signalled the unofficial start to the 2008 season. An estimate 20 million fans mirrored March on Sunday. They watched this "Super Bowl of Racing" unfold. Many of them, like March, joined friends at a neighborhood bar.
While most at Checkers cheered for Dale Earnhardt Junior, there were Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne fans in the joint.
"I like Kahne," said Checkers owner Bob Quist, 68. "Budweiser supports Kahne and Budweiser supports me in this bar. So I'm going to support them."
Quist took his Budweiser loyalty a step further Sunday, opting to soak his bratwurst in Miller High Life instead of Bud.
"You have to soak these brats in four bottles of beer," he said. "I saved those four bottles of Bud for customers at the bar."
Quist downed four brats and "chased 'em" with Diet Coke while keeping an eye on a NASCAR prize board he runs for his patrons at Checkers, which is named for the checkered flag winning racers seek. "Dale Earnhardt Junior is going to have a big year this year," he said.
March a big year
Gary Lloyd March, an employee of Sioux Rubber and Urethane, said he hopes to have a big year in racing as well. March spent Saturday pulling the back end of his 08 hobby stock. Used a fork lift.
"Sioux Rubber sponsors me and I can work on my car at the shop there, because the business has torches, welders and plasma cutters," he said. "I took the rear end out yesterday. I've got to put on a Ford 9-inch rear end underneath it."
While his car's rear end says "Ford" the rest of him says "Chevy."
"I pull for anyone in a Chevy," he said.
Like the late Earnhardt, a Chevy man as well, March likes that racing is a contact sport. That's why he prefers Interstate Raceway, a short track often called "The Little Bull Ring" by drivers and their fans.
"Rubbin' is racin,'" March said with a grin. "You never know which way you'll be facing out there."
In 2006 March got spun going 65 miles per hour at Interstate and ended up hitting the wall while going backwards. His neck felt the blow for days after the race.
"My car ended up being a bit shorter," he said.
The comment drew a roar from buddy Dave Thorson, 52, who came to Checkers to join March for the Daytona 500. Thorson, a Sioux Cityan, attended the 1976 Daytona 500, the year Richard Petty and David Pearson bounced off one another coming out of turn four on the final lap. Petty crashed and Pearson staggered across, getting the checkered flag in a finish many fans call the greatest in NASCAR's history.
"I saw them slam each other all the way down to the finish," he said.
Bleacher seats back then were $45 apiece.
On a typical weekend these days, Thorson spends $35 attending races around Sioux City. He enjoys the action at both Park Jefferson Speedway, where nephew Jason Schneiders runs, and Raceway Park.
Unlike his buddy March, Thorson was not a fan of Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt.
"I thought he was a dirty-type racer," he said. "I do like his son."
March glanced at the TV then down at his beer. He rolled up his right sleeve to show his pledge of allegiance to Earnhardt the father. The tattoo, which surrounds a No. 3, reads "Forever the Man; Forever a Fan."
"I got this two months after Earnhardt got killed," he said.
About the time he began racing himself.
His idol, Dale Earnhardt, then died in a crash on racing's biggest stage.
March watched the race with his wife Tami. He feared she'd put the brakes to his racing pursuit.
"She didn't really want me to race," March recalled Sunday while sipping a bottle of Miller High Life and watching the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on the big screen TV at Checkers, a Sioux City watering hole. "She smacked me on the shoulder and said, 'That's exactly why I don't want you to race.'"
Even with his racing idol gone, March, 45, couldn't help but put the pedal to the metal that summer. He's been at it ever since, save for last summer.
"I tried to take last year off, but I'm coming back," he said. "I sold all my racing stuff, but got it all back. Interstate Raceway is going to reopen (as Raceway Park) and that's great news for me."
Sunday was great news for racing fans and racers themselves as the Daytona 500 signalled the unofficial start to the 2008 season. An estimate 20 million fans mirrored March on Sunday. They watched this "Super Bowl of Racing" unfold. Many of them, like March, joined friends at a neighborhood bar.
While most at Checkers cheered for Dale Earnhardt Junior, there were Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne fans in the joint.
"I like Kahne," said Checkers owner Bob Quist, 68. "Budweiser supports Kahne and Budweiser supports me in this bar. So I'm going to support them."
Quist took his Budweiser loyalty a step further Sunday, opting to soak his bratwurst in Miller High Life instead of Bud.
"You have to soak these brats in four bottles of beer," he said. "I saved those four bottles of Bud for customers at the bar."
Quist downed four brats and "chased 'em" with Diet Coke while keeping an eye on a NASCAR prize board he runs for his patrons at Checkers, which is named for the checkered flag winning racers seek. "Dale Earnhardt Junior is going to have a big year this year," he said.
March a big year
Gary Lloyd March, an employee of Sioux Rubber and Urethane, said he hopes to have a big year in racing as well. March spent Saturday pulling the back end of his 08 hobby stock. Used a fork lift.
"Sioux Rubber sponsors me and I can work on my car at the shop there, because the business has torches, welders and plasma cutters," he said. "I took the rear end out yesterday. I've got to put on a Ford 9-inch rear end underneath it."
While his car's rear end says "Ford" the rest of him says "Chevy."
"I pull for anyone in a Chevy," he said.
Like the late Earnhardt, a Chevy man as well, March likes that racing is a contact sport. That's why he prefers Interstate Raceway, a short track often called "The Little Bull Ring" by drivers and their fans.
"Rubbin' is racin,'" March said with a grin. "You never know which way you'll be facing out there."
In 2006 March got spun going 65 miles per hour at Interstate and ended up hitting the wall while going backwards. His neck felt the blow for days after the race.
"My car ended up being a bit shorter," he said.
The comment drew a roar from buddy Dave Thorson, 52, who came to Checkers to join March for the Daytona 500. Thorson, a Sioux Cityan, attended the 1976 Daytona 500, the year Richard Petty and David Pearson bounced off one another coming out of turn four on the final lap. Petty crashed and Pearson staggered across, getting the checkered flag in a finish many fans call the greatest in NASCAR's history.
"I saw them slam each other all the way down to the finish," he said.
Bleacher seats back then were $45 apiece.
On a typical weekend these days, Thorson spends $35 attending races around Sioux City. He enjoys the action at both Park Jefferson Speedway, where nephew Jason Schneiders runs, and Raceway Park.
Unlike his buddy March, Thorson was not a fan of Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt.
"I thought he was a dirty-type racer," he said. "I do like his son."
March glanced at the TV then down at his beer. He rolled up his right sleeve to show his pledge of allegiance to Earnhardt the father. The tattoo, which surrounds a No. 3, reads "Forever the Man; Forever a Fan."
"I got this two months after Earnhardt got killed," he said.
About the time he began racing himself.
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