The Essence Of Racing
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06/25/2015 J. L. Steele |
Something called "The Essence of Racing" has been heavily advertised recently. However, the real essence of racing has nothing to do with a fragrance. It seems these days, it's something that can't even be found at a NASCAR track. "The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of" racing, that quality, "that determines its character" its true essence, is something that fortunately can still be found on the local short tracks across America. It is something that isn't really on display when millionaires who don't know what it's like to personally work on an engine complain about aero push and dirty air before boarding their private planes. That indispensable quality which determines the character of racing, its essence, is what the fan finds when he or she visits their local short track. It's about drivers doing what they do because it's their passion, not because they have visions of advancement or riches. It's found in those people who race for the pure joy of the action and are fulfilling their dream. It's found in drivers like Tony Jagoditsh.
Tony is a 42 year old Legends car driver. He wasn't given a car at an early age by a rich father. He's only been racing for three seasons, which would seem inconceivable to some. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, he grew up as a fan of USAC Stock Car driver J.J. Smith and the late, great Wisconsin legend Jim Sauter. A truck driver by trade, Tony is almost the complete antithesis of what the casual fan sees from NASCAR each Sunday. A married father with three children of his own and four step children, he's spent the last year living and working in North Dakota, which is not a place that comes to mind when thinking about short track racing. "I am only off on Sundays, so my options are limited" he says. So why do it? Why take up a sport at what many would consider a late age, a sport that is known to drain people's finances, a pastime that can be difficult for some even when their path is easy? Why use such limited time to do something that outsiders would see as pointless with no real opportunity of celebrity or income? Here's why, because it's people with the mindset and the drive of Tony Jagoditsh that give short track racing its true character. Drivers like this are indispensable if the sport is to continue to exist and thrive at the grassroots level.
"This is my third season racing. I have never raced anything prior to this. What attracted me to Legends was first and foremost the good racing. My wife and I went to a World of Outlaws show in 2012 and the Legends were a support class. As soon as I saw them, I was thinking these little cars are awesome. Then they dropped the green flag and I had to have one." When the race fan is young, he looks at those local drivers with admiration simply because they're race car drivers. As the fan grows older, has his own family and the responsibilities that come with adulthood, he still admires those drivers but for different reasons. He now appreciates the sacrifices those men (and women) make simply to fulfill their own dream, to compete and put on a show for those fans. The fan might still think he himself could do what those drivers are doing but now he has tremendous respect for those who are actually doing it. Now a man with his own obligations, he realizes how deeply the drivers' love of racing must be to continue to be a part of those weekend programs The passion shared between those on the track and those in the stands in countless small towns on a weekend night are what make short track racing the emotional obsession it is. They can relate to each other from either side of the fence because they're so much alike and they are thankful for each other. That gives racing its character, its essence.
As newer and younger drivers enter the upper ranks of stock car racing, it's hard for many fans to relate to them as they did with drivers from previous generations. It's not because of their youth. It's because fewer of them know what it's like to race week in and week out, season after season at places like Wisconsin's Angell Park Speedway, Beaver Dam Raceway or Luxemburg Speedway. Wisconsin can hold its own against any southeastern state when it comes to the number of drivers who have called it home. Even if you've never been to Wisconsin or to those tracks, the same passion, heritage and dreams are found at the tracks you are familiar with. Although you might never meet Jagoditsh personally, the racers you hand over $10 to see on a Friday or Saturday night offer the same combination of desire and sacrifice he personifies.
Whatever you want to call it, name another passion, hobby or sport that requires the kind of sacrifice racing demands. Driving a truck six days a week, 14 hours a day to support a family with seven children, no one could fault Tony for being content with watching the dream from the stands like so many others. Instead, with the support of his wife Ann, he quit dreaming and now does it. "I found a car and my wife made it happen for me. My wife was the one that insisted I get a car and start racing and bought my original car and trailer for me. She encourages me to push myself and get better and that means the world to me." The non-fan, the one who doesn't understand the intense fervor that drives this sport might believe there are financial opportunities to be gained. Why else would a wife make those sacrifices? Because those women are as important to short track racing as their men are. He even credits Ann with helping on his car. "She has done a ton for me while I worked 14 hours a day."
While many families plan summer vacations, the Jagoditsh's are planning their own trip. Tony says he is, "planning on racing at Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minnesota which will be a 500 mile round trip every week and that's racing for a maximum $175 payday." You read that right, there are no zeros missing. While many who call themselves race fans won't drive more than an hour to watch a night of racing, Tony, Ann and their family will drive about 8 hours knowing a win won't even pay the expenses. With a career best finish of 6th one time in North Dakota and with several 11th place finishes in Wisconsin where car counts average 20 to 25 in the field, the odds are that they will make the return trip home with much less money than that $175 prize, yet it's a trip they'll gladly make. It's what they do and who they are, a racing family with a true love for what they do.
To those that follow grassroots racing and understand its brotherhood, it will come as no surprise to hear Tony give a lot of credit to others. "I have had a lot of help with my car" he states. "I've had help from Jim Bucher, Dallas Ross, Keven Schutz and Mike Mueller, all fellow racers. In North Dakota, I have received help from three time national champion Shane Williams and Nathan Wayne." While living in North Dakota, he's been racing at NODAK Speedway in Minot but is now venturing out to other tracks including Dacotah Speedway, a 3/8 mile clay oval in Mandan, North Dakota which is roughly 135 miles from his home in Parshall. "Right now, my plan is to stay in Legends racing. The other competitors are the best group of racers and we always have fun in the pits." He does admit that once he's done working in North Dakota and returns to his native Wisconsin, he wants to try racing on asphalt.
Tony is a 42 year old Legends car driver. He wasn't given a car at an early age by a rich father. He's only been racing for three seasons, which would seem inconceivable to some. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, he grew up as a fan of USAC Stock Car driver J.J. Smith and the late, great Wisconsin legend Jim Sauter. A truck driver by trade, Tony is almost the complete antithesis of what the casual fan sees from NASCAR each Sunday. A married father with three children of his own and four step children, he's spent the last year living and working in North Dakota, which is not a place that comes to mind when thinking about short track racing. "I am only off on Sundays, so my options are limited" he says. So why do it? Why take up a sport at what many would consider a late age, a sport that is known to drain people's finances, a pastime that can be difficult for some even when their path is easy? Why use such limited time to do something that outsiders would see as pointless with no real opportunity of celebrity or income? Here's why, because it's people with the mindset and the drive of Tony Jagoditsh that give short track racing its true character. Drivers like this are indispensable if the sport is to continue to exist and thrive at the grassroots level.
"This is my third season racing. I have never raced anything prior to this. What attracted me to Legends was first and foremost the good racing. My wife and I went to a World of Outlaws show in 2012 and the Legends were a support class. As soon as I saw them, I was thinking these little cars are awesome. Then they dropped the green flag and I had to have one." When the race fan is young, he looks at those local drivers with admiration simply because they're race car drivers. As the fan grows older, has his own family and the responsibilities that come with adulthood, he still admires those drivers but for different reasons. He now appreciates the sacrifices those men (and women) make simply to fulfill their own dream, to compete and put on a show for those fans. The fan might still think he himself could do what those drivers are doing but now he has tremendous respect for those who are actually doing it. Now a man with his own obligations, he realizes how deeply the drivers' love of racing must be to continue to be a part of those weekend programs The passion shared between those on the track and those in the stands in countless small towns on a weekend night are what make short track racing the emotional obsession it is. They can relate to each other from either side of the fence because they're so much alike and they are thankful for each other. That gives racing its character, its essence.
As newer and younger drivers enter the upper ranks of stock car racing, it's hard for many fans to relate to them as they did with drivers from previous generations. It's not because of their youth. It's because fewer of them know what it's like to race week in and week out, season after season at places like Wisconsin's Angell Park Speedway, Beaver Dam Raceway or Luxemburg Speedway. Wisconsin can hold its own against any southeastern state when it comes to the number of drivers who have called it home. Even if you've never been to Wisconsin or to those tracks, the same passion, heritage and dreams are found at the tracks you are familiar with. Although you might never meet Jagoditsh personally, the racers you hand over $10 to see on a Friday or Saturday night offer the same combination of desire and sacrifice he personifies.
Whatever you want to call it, name another passion, hobby or sport that requires the kind of sacrifice racing demands. Driving a truck six days a week, 14 hours a day to support a family with seven children, no one could fault Tony for being content with watching the dream from the stands like so many others. Instead, with the support of his wife Ann, he quit dreaming and now does it. "I found a car and my wife made it happen for me. My wife was the one that insisted I get a car and start racing and bought my original car and trailer for me. She encourages me to push myself and get better and that means the world to me." The non-fan, the one who doesn't understand the intense fervor that drives this sport might believe there are financial opportunities to be gained. Why else would a wife make those sacrifices? Because those women are as important to short track racing as their men are. He even credits Ann with helping on his car. "She has done a ton for me while I worked 14 hours a day."
While many families plan summer vacations, the Jagoditsh's are planning their own trip. Tony says he is, "planning on racing at Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minnesota which will be a 500 mile round trip every week and that's racing for a maximum $175 payday." You read that right, there are no zeros missing. While many who call themselves race fans won't drive more than an hour to watch a night of racing, Tony, Ann and their family will drive about 8 hours knowing a win won't even pay the expenses. With a career best finish of 6th one time in North Dakota and with several 11th place finishes in Wisconsin where car counts average 20 to 25 in the field, the odds are that they will make the return trip home with much less money than that $175 prize, yet it's a trip they'll gladly make. It's what they do and who they are, a racing family with a true love for what they do.
To those that follow grassroots racing and understand its brotherhood, it will come as no surprise to hear Tony give a lot of credit to others. "I have had a lot of help with my car" he states. "I've had help from Jim Bucher, Dallas Ross, Keven Schutz and Mike Mueller, all fellow racers. In North Dakota, I have received help from three time national champion Shane Williams and Nathan Wayne." While living in North Dakota, he's been racing at NODAK Speedway in Minot but is now venturing out to other tracks including Dacotah Speedway, a 3/8 mile clay oval in Mandan, North Dakota which is roughly 135 miles from his home in Parshall. "Right now, my plan is to stay in Legends racing. The other competitors are the best group of racers and we always have fun in the pits." He does admit that once he's done working in North Dakota and returns to his native Wisconsin, he wants to try racing on asphalt.
Fans not familiar with the Dakotas might be surprised to learn there are several tracks that host Legends cars. Although there are races three or four nights a week in North Dakota, Tony's options are limited due to his work schedule. He certainly makes the most of those opportunities. He's also one of the more engaging drivers on social media, which is how this writer discovered who he was. His Twitter handle is @JagsRacing. Followers can watch his races from the viewpoint of his GoPro camera, mounted on the top of his black and yellow #25. Although I've watched visited countless tracks across the nation, I'll admit I never gave much thought to racing in the Dakotas. The fact that he isn't running a "big money" series caught my eye as well, along with the joy for the sport that he exudes.
If you're still seeking the true essence of short track racing, look at drivers like Tony Jagoditsh. Visit your local short track and support those drivers. If you'd like to support Tony and his efforts personally, a $25 donation gets your name prominently displayed on his car. Although you might never see him race in person, you will in even a small way, be adding to the character of and contributing to that quality that gives racing its spirit, its essence and you won't ever find that in a bottle.
If you're still seeking the true essence of short track racing, look at drivers like Tony Jagoditsh. Visit your local short track and support those drivers. If you'd like to support Tony and his efforts personally, a $25 donation gets your name prominently displayed on his car. Although you might never see him race in person, you will in even a small way, be adding to the character of and contributing to that quality that gives racing its spirit, its essence and you won't ever find that in a bottle.