After spending all week behind the wheel hauling logs and wood chips throughout Michigan Jerry Bazuin looks forward to the weekend when he hauls a different type of load to the local dirt track.
Every Friday and Saturday night, Jerry climbs into his 1999 Freightliner with the motorhome-style box, hooks it up to the 40-foot enclosed trailer and hauls his hobby-an open-wheeled modified racecar to the track.
"On the racetrack you can go out there and drive as fast as you want to,"says Jerry's dad, Roger, owner of Bazuin Trucking of McBain. Roger began driving trucks back in 1978 hauling produce from California. When a big mill opened in the mid 80s, he began working for them hauling logs and wood chips.
He expanded his trucking business from that single truck to 20 trucks today. Bazuin Trucking became involved in racing back in 1996 when they sponsored a racecar. Jerry began racing in 1997 and Roger even tried his hand racing trucks for a couple of years, but is now content to be one of his son's biggest fans. In addition to Jerry's car, Roger sponsors a street stock car, four other modifieds, a pro truck and several racing events.
"It's kind of an expensive hobby," Roger says, "but it's something we all enjoy." The Bazuins own two racecars because you just never know what will happen out on the track. Having a spare racecar is one way they ensure they'll be back on the track for the next night's racing.
After putting a full day's work in, Roger, Jerry and a few friends often put in a couple of hours working on the racecars. "If something major happens we may take a day off to work on it," Roger says.
For many big name NASCAR and Busch series drivers, the local dirt tracks are where it all began. There are more than 1,400 dirt tracks in the United States and Canada. Pennsylvania boasts the most dirt tracks with 41, and you can find dirt tracks in every state except Rhode Island. There are several different classes. The open-wheeled modified Jerry drives is a very competitive class, which means lead changes can happen quickly every time they race.
"It's thrilling," Jerry says of his racing hobby. This year, Jerry placed 4th in the Michigan Modified Series at Mt. Pleasant Speedway. One of his favorite wins was back in 1998 when he won his second feature race at Cherry Speedway on his birthday.
For anyone interested in starting their own racing hobby, Jerry offers some advice, "Be willing to put a lot of time in it and have a lot of patience." One of the most difficult things to master is the set up on the racecar - getting the stagger and weight distribution just right so the car handles around the track. If it's off just a bit, the racecar will start to push.
Racing is more than just the time behind the wheel to Roger and Jerry. It's a great way to meet people - both race fans and fellow racecar drivers. When it comes to racing, it never hurts to bring along a few fans of your own.
