By Kenton Brooks
Phoenix Sports Writer
June 12, 2009 01:03 am
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Mike Withrow might be 52 years old, but racing is still — and always will be — in his blood.
He’s been successful in the Modified Division at the Outlaw Motor Speedway, but the Muskogee native is going to steer in another direction and go back a division and compete in the Hobby Stock.
“I need to slow things down because I’m not as sharp as I was at 25 or 30. But at the same time, I still want to race,” Withrow, the owner of Speedway Grille on Okmulgee Avenue, said.
The cost of maintaining a Modified car also is part of Withrow’s decision to go to another division.
“Parts for the car are so expensive,” he said. “That’s the way it is.”
And it’s getting at least another week’s delay in terms of his return to the track. He said Thursday the car isn’t quite ready yet.
Hobby Stock cars are not as expensive, have a little less horsepower and harder tires. All of that suits Withrow fine as he’s almost finished building a car with friends Mike Boyd, Charles Boyd, Richard Funk and Kenneth Bodnar.
Boyd has been a longtime friend of Withrow’s.
“When we first started, we would work to midnight or 1 a.m. three nights a week to get cars ready,” Boyd said. “Then we go to our regular jobs. (Withrow) loves racing.”
Boyd also recalls Withrow winning points championships in two different divisions in the mid-1990s.
“That’s a tough deal, but you have to love racing to put that much effort into it,” Boyd said.
Don’t think for a moment that Withrow still doesn’t get excited when he climbs into a car and behind the wheel and waits for the green flag to drop to start yet another race.
“It’s a good exercise program as racing gets your heart rate up,” he said, tongue apparently in cheek and jogging shoes aside.
But doing something you enjoy is always good for the soul, right?
“It keeps me young,” he said. “Look at Dan Leatherman (in the Outlaw Modified division). He’s in his 60s and still racing. I raced when I was a kid. I enjoy doing it now.
Withrow is also planning to make racing fun for the fans as he’s adding an additional seat in his new car so anyone interested can ride with him when he races.
“It could be for the fans, media or anybody,” he said. “We’re still working out the details on that. It’ll give everyone a better understanding and more appreciation for racing.”
Obviously, Withrow can’t see himself doing anything else.
“My options were to back up a class (in cars) or quit, he said about pondering his future. “I don’t want to quit.”
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Mike Withrow