R.C. racing

This is where the first taste of any competitive racing started taking place. I had spent plenty of time with my Dad and Grandpa at various tractor pulls, drag races etc., but this was my first experience. When I was around 7-8 years old, I started working for the family business, McCombs Engine Sales. My job was an important one, i swept floors, sorted fasteners, and mowed down weeds in the back lot. This was my summer time job, I think I was about the only person in 3rd grade that had a summer job, and looking back now it was a way for my parents to keep me from fighting with my sisters all summer long. But i saved my money and with the help of my parents i bought my first car and a few other cars followed, after all, you can't just have one, right? This was a blast for me, it seems that i raced every week for several years, and most of the time dad took me down at least 1 other night for practice. I can remember the excitement I had racing, win or loose, when i got home I could not go to sleep, to much excitement, and i think it occupied my thoughts every waking hour during the week. Looking back the experience taught me several lessons. I remember that i was upset that my parents made me work all summer to earn money to buy the race car, although they said they would match me dollar for dollar to buy the car, I wanted it now! The lesson was learned through the hours of work, and that car was my prize possession, taking care to make sure everything was cleaned and maintained between races. Dad always taught me that proper maintenance and double checking everything was essential to success in racing, and he was always there to pick up the pieces of the car when I wrecked it and make repairs to try and get it back on the track. Dad also taught me about perseverance. I remember when he took me to Tri-cities WA. for a race. After weeks of anticipation, race day came, and through all the practice and qualifying laps we made, we just could not get the car to hook up on the track, it would always spin out in the corners. We started in the bottom qualified race, and whatever last second changes Dad made to the car, it worked, just when it mattered most, the car stuck to the track and we were able to win the race and bump to the next. All of the frustration just made the win that much better.