Hometown: Berlin, VT

Division: Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors

Car: Lamson Property Service #13 Mitsubishi Galant

2018 Season: 3 podium finishes; CVTsport.net Thunder Road Highlight Star of the Year

What are your favorite hobbies outside of racing?

My favorite hobbies outside of racing are hunting, fishing, ice-fishing, and general outdoor sports. I also coach my son’s basketball team. He’s in third grade, and it’s a mixed 3rd/4th grade boys team. It’s a lot of fun; I have a blast doing it.

What do you do for work?

I work for the city of Montpelier in the Department of Public Works. I work in the stock room making sure all the tools are in good working order and available when the guys need them, along with payroll stuff, answering phones, and talking with residents. I’ve been doing it for four years now.

What are your racing plans for 2019? Do you have any goals?

My racing plans are up in the air right now. I still have the Purple People Eater – I’ve kind of put her to bed for the winter. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next year, though. I have a 14-year-old nephew that’s going to start racing Street Stocks next year, so if I don’t race the Warrior myself, my attention will definitely be with him full-time. But that’s where I’ll be a lot of the time regardless helping him out. I’ll be there one way or the other. I might surprise a few people and pull the car out a few times – I’m just unsure at this point.

What was the highlight of the 2018 season for you?

Boy, there’s so many of them. Really, just all of it, honestly. I had a ton of fun racing with those guys. It was a blast. To be able to bring the car that I had to the track every week, which was probably a lot heavier than most cars that I raced with, and be competitive and get a few podium finishes, and all in all have a good season…it was all-around fun. Every bit of it.

What did it mean to be recognized as the Highlight Star of the Year at the banquet?

I thought that was pretty cool. I know Carl Parton, and he does a great job with his videos every week. I think it’s neat. Being a race fan all my life, even those little funny or comical awards are great for the racers. Like I said at the banquet, I just go out and race the thing – race it hard, and if you gotta move a couple people, you gotta move a couple people. No big deal.

How did you get started in racing?

My father is a big race fan, and he first brought me to the track when I was about six years old. And man, I never left the place – I was hooked. When I was in high school, we knew a few people, and we were helping a few people out in the pits, and a buddy and I decided it was a good time to build an Enduro car. We went out and I think made it three-quarters of a lap, and I absolutely destroyed the thing. It was the best time of my life. I had a blast! (Laughs) It just went up from there. We built a bunch more Enduro cars, and years ago, when Tom was still around and running the place, he did this Hell on Wheels competition, so we built a car for that as well. That was a lot of fun. I’ve helped a lot of people in the pits along the way, and I just never got away from it.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

Definitely my family. That’s number one. I have a 15-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. To watch those kids grow is just awesome. My wife and I have been together a long time. Part of what made last year a lot of fun was just being able to race at all. Our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in May, and I was actually unsure that I was going to race. But it all worked out through the summer, thankfully. She’s gone through some treatments and recently had a bone marrow transplant in Boston. Right now we’re just moving forward and hoping we can get her home for Christmas. He brother was the donor, so that was pretty cool. It’s been a long road, but we’re still moving forward. That’s what you have to do.

Do you have anybody that you consider a role model or hero?

I look up to a lot of people. I’ve been around the race track a long time. There’s a number of people that I grew up watching – watching them race and never giving up. It’s hard to pick just one.

Who’s had the biggest influence on you as a racer?

My parents are huge part of my racing and being involved. Like I said, my dad started bringing me early on, and my mother’s been there supporting me over the last however many years I’ve been doing it. So I would say my parents. My kids get a really big charge out of it as well, so to have them there seeing me doing well, that’s a big prize for me. My wife, on the other hand, I think would be happy if I wasn’t racing. (Laughs) But she got over it pretty quick. She’s pretty good with it now, too.

What’s the most memorable trip you ever went on?

We go to Maine every year for a family vacation, and that generally is a lot of fun. We have a blast doing it. There’s, like, 17 of us that go and hang out up there all week. We also make trips to Oxford and Beech Ridge. So I would say that the annual Maine trip is the most memorable.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

I never really thought about that. I guess it would be cool if I could be a deer whisperer. It’s a little bit different – I’m not a great hunter, but I love to do it. So if I was a deer whisperer, maybe I could lure them in a little closer so I could get a better shot. (Laughs)

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I don’t really have one. I’m a pretty easy-going guy.

What are the top items on your bucket list?

For starters, I would say probably become a millionaire and buy a hunting ranch so I could hunt all the time. The next thing I’d like to do that I’d love to race a Tiger car, as foolish as that sounds. I think they just would be a lot of fun to race.

Finish this sentence: on a Friday night, you’ll typically find me…

It depends on what season we’re in. You may find me camping, you may find me around the fire having a cold beer, or you may find me at a football game. You never know where I could be.

So no Friday is typical, is what you’re saying.

No, not really. (Laughs)

Who is your biggest fan at the track?

My biggest fan at the track is probably my kids, I’m guessing. Followed closely by my father and some close friends that sit over on turn 3.

If you could give one piece of advice or a life lesson to your younger self, what would it be?

Don’t get into racing. (Laughs) Just kidding. Probably just to do the same thing you’re doing. I’m pretty much doing what I thought I would do – staying out of trouble and going to work every day. As long it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.

Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?

Hopefully doing the same thing I’m doing now – just going to work and living my life.

What would you do with your life if you never had to worry about money again?

Oh, I’d do a lot of stuff. (Laughs) But mainly, I’d just make sure my family’s all set and make sure we lived a good life.