JegsPromod.com
HOUSTON (March 22) -- Rick Stivers has been racing in one form or another since he was a child. If you ask him, he'll laugh and say, "I got 18 stitches in my eye when I was 6 years old because I fell off my bike doing a burnout in the gravel, so I guess racing is in my blood."
For the past 20 years, the 50-year-old resident of Lexington, Ky., has been mesmerized by the thrills of drag racing, working his way through a variety of classes and owning several cars. He's finally settled on a 2,500-horse power Pro Modified door-slammer that runs the quarter-mile in six seconds at more than 240 mph. He's never had more fun.
Last year was a season of change for Stivers as he joined forces halfway through the season with Tim Tindle. With the addition of a teammate and under direction of champion tuner Chuck Ford, Stivers won his first NHRA event in Richmond, Va. Calling that win "the hardest one to get," Stivers says it was something he will never forget.
"I remember being just flooded with emotions," he said. "It took us so long to get to that point, and with my wife Jill and son Rick Jr. by my side, it was an amazing moment."
Finishing the season in ninth place, Stivers again was faced with change in the off season.
"I was approached by a gentleman who wanted to purchase my entire operation," Stivers said. "The price was right, so I took it, thinking I could get another car if I wanted to keep racing in 2008."
Torn between getting another car or taking a year off to focus on his successful HVAC business and a blossoming horse ranch in the suburbs of Lexington, Stivers said he held out as long as he could to make a decision about racing in '08.
"When we weren't even sure there was going to be a series in the NHRA this year, I felt as if my decision had been made for me," Stivers said. "But Tindle called me and said JEGS had picked up the title rights to the NHRA Challenge and that he had a car for me to drive. I got pulled back into the driver's seat.
"Tim had made an agreement with Mike Janis to provide the horsepower and tune the cars, and he said all I'd have to do was show up and drive and he'd do all the rest. It was a deal I couldn't pass up."
At the JEGS ProMod Challenge season opener in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend, Stivers qualified No. 13 and faced off against Californian Kirk Kuhns in the first round of eliminations.
"I was on a pass, that's for sure," Stivers said of the run, "It hooked up and went like it was on a rail, straight down the track. I knew it was going to be fast but then it blew a burst panel and just lost power. Kuhns slipped by me right before the finish line.
"He ran a 6.10 at 233 mph under full power, and I coasted across the line with a 6.13 at 211 mph. It was a low six-second pass or a high 5.90 for sure, but it just wasn't meant to be for that race.
"I know we've got the power to run the numbers, and I think we got some kinks worked out now, so I'm really excited about the rest of the season. Working with Tim and Mike Janis is great. It's a relaxed, fun atmosphere in our pits. Not a lot of stress, just a lot of success, and that's just how I like it."
