Vision Racing

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Well, after about 20 hours of driving, we made it to Homestead, Fla., our destination for the remainder of the week. It’s good to finally be here and while I am enjoying the warm temps and bright sunshine, being stuck at a Comfort Inn in Florida City, Fla. with no rental car and not much around for the next couple of days isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. In fact, it makes being back at work in dreary, cool Indiana alongside friends and family seem not so bad. But such is the life of a trucker, I guess. 

 I don’t even know where to begin as far as recapping the trip, but I’ll take a crack at writing a little bit about the expedition and even more about my pilots and see where that takes us. I’ll follow that up with a little trip log and I think all of that, combined with my Twitter efforts (www.twitter.com/VisionRacing), both on the way down and while I’ve been here, should just about do it.

 I’ll throw up a few pictures on Facebook as well, but honestly, I didn’t take that many on the way down…a lot of our trip was done in the dark after all. Of course, you can always go look at any pictures I tweeted at www.flickr.com/photos/visionracing.

The trip went fast, but pulling out of the shop just before noon on Monday feels like it might as well have been sometime last week at this point.

Did I have fun? Yes. I had a great time.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Could I do it every race? Doubtful.

The open-road is very much a part of American culture and with that inevitably comes the semi tractor trailer. They’re everywhere and after riding in one, you see just how much of our interstates and their side attractions, stops, signage, billboards, etc. are devoted to the monster cargo carriers.

So with that in mind, sitting high atop a rig carrying Indy cars and equipment down the road was certainly a cool experience. It’s fun to chat on the CB radio, see some of America’s great country side from a slightly higher view, sleep on a bunk while cruising down the road, etc. But, perhaps what really made that a fun experience was the gentlemen graciously guiding me and our cargo down the freeway.

Let’s face it, none of the things I mentioned are that glamorous, nor could they really be all that fun after 20 consecutive hours, unless that is, you are with someone that’s making the experience that much more enjoyable for you.

I’m fortunate at Vision Racing to work with a lot of great people. I’ve never really worked for any other race team, but I don’t have to in order to know that the mix of people we have at Vision is very special; coming together to create a team dynamic that is very welcoming, enjoyable and professional. That’s no different when it comes to our truck drivers, especially the three gentlemen that I got to share the road with in Sean Hopper, Mike Briggs and Aaron “Dude” Nelson.

There was no hazing, no short quips, or any games played with the “new guy” (me) on this trip. Instead, these three gentlemen went out of their way to accommodate my presence on the transporter in order to make me feel comfortable, safe and to show me a good time. They played along with my tweets, my photography, my videography, my note taking and my inquiries. These guys knew my efforts were not just important to me, but to the team and especially to our fans, and deep down I think Sean, Mike and Dude thought it was pretty cool as well.

But here’s the rub, these three guys don’t really want to be driving to these far away races anymore than anyone in the right frame of mind would. None of them are long-time truckers, or die-hard rig riders. They don’t have previous careers hauling massive loads up the Canadian ice roads, or really all that much experience hauling anything but race equipment and/or the temporary living quarters for racing’s royalty.

No, for these three guys at least, driving the transporter and the motorcoach is simply a means to get to the racetrack, both literally and figuratively.

Sean Hopper picked up truck driving in 2004 while working for Cheever Racing. He’d never even set foot in a semi before the experience and it’s virtually all he’s driven ever since. His training came on the job and his CDL came immediately after and he’s never looked back.

Hopper told me, “Homestead-Miami Speedway was the first track where I started my career in racing. Once I got their and saw how the operation worked, I didn’t want to do anything else. In other words, I was going to do anything I could to stay in racing. Thankfully I worked with some people that knew my future in the sport revolved around me being able to drive a truck, even before I knew it. So they helped me learn the trade and it’s kept me employed so far. “

But it’s more than just being employed for Sean who started our trip in the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing Freightliner and took me well into Georgia with Dude and Mike just behind, who were rounding out our convoy in Ed Carpenter’s Prevost motorcoach. Hopper added, “I don’t love truck driving and I’m not looking to do it outside of racing, unless I have to, but I love racing and working in the IndyCar Series, so if driving a truck allows me to do that, then I’ll keep on driving for a very long time if given the opportunity.”

It’s a similar story for Mike Briggs who actually picked up truck driving in the 1970s while working in a different industry. He found the license and the skill to come in handy again about nine years ago when he started working in the World of Outlaws, which eventually led to a job with Forsythe Racing in Champ Car and then with Vision Racing last year.

“I’m just excited to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do,” Briggs told me while driving through the night in southern Georgia. “There’s stuff to put up with here too, but you’ll have that with any job, anywhere. Here I get to be around some great people and a great sport. I’m working alongside people like A.J. Foyt, who I’ve considered a hero ever since I was a kid. It’s surreal at times, but if driving this truck can make it possible, then I’ll keep doing it. No question.”
For Aaron Nelson, who got his start with the Goodyear Tire Co. when they were involved in the Indy Racing League and later Mo Nunn Racing, driving Carpenter’s motorcoach is now just as much about staying involved with racing as it is serving a family he’s grown to know and love in Ed and Heather Carpenter as well as Tony and Laura George.

Nelson said, “I’ve been in a position where I’ve had to look for something else and given the economy and the way things are it’s not easy out there. Sure, with a young family of my own, I’d love to be at home more often, but I’m even more grateful to have a job where I can provide for my family. And not only that, but I work for some really great people who have invited me into their own family too. That really helps you deal with life on the road and sort of justifies the whole thing. I like what I do and the people I work with and work for, and not a lot of people can say that.”

And while driving is not their first love or passion, you’d be hard pressed to think otherwise while riding down the road with these guys. Sitting in the cab with Sean and then Mike, I was impressed with the level of professionalism and care they displayed while manning the wheel. When they were driving that truck, there was nothing else more important at that very moment, and with millions of dollars worth of equipment on board, it’s easy to understand why. Plus, as I’ve tried to explain above, their livelihood depends on the safe arrival and return of said equipment.

So driving a semi and/or a motorcoach is a way for these three gentlemen to stay in the racing business. Simple enough, but if you stopped right there, you’d only get half the story. The long man-hours and seat-time is only half of the job for these guys because once they arrive to the racetrack, their work has only just begun. Their driving has only earned them the right to go to work alongside the mechanics, engineers, and other team personnel once at the track.

It’s not as if they can rest up from their travels and simply prepare to return home. That’s just another misconception of the sport as many times these guys no sooner than park the rig and record their mileage and their out unloading the equipment, setting up the equipment, polishing rims, airing tires, running food and every other odd job in between. As they say, “there’s no rest for the weary,” and I now think that old saying was coined for the racing truck driver.

I could go into great detail about the plethora of jobs and all other duties as assigned that these guys do once they arrive at the race track, but suffice to say, it’s easily a whole other job on top of their responsibility to drive the trucks to and from the racetrack.

These are the ironmen of the IndyCar Series. They are the backbone of any Indy Racing League operation. I’ve seen their work at the track first hand, from changing tires and fueling cars during pitstops, to setting up equipment and setting out food, but I got to see first-hand, the other side of their duty. It was both enlightening and humbling, to say the least.

They work hard and they work long, and they are gone from their families and loved ones more than any of the other crew.  And they do it all for the love of the sport. My hats off to these guys and I thank them for their hospitality. I wish them each smooth travels and many safe trips between the lines for a long time to come.

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