"In Their Words" Volume 14 Greg Pfeifer Racing- Courtesy of Chateau Speedway History Facebook Group Page

February 24, 2021

* more pictures that accompanied this story on the Facebook History Page will be added in the photo section

In Their Words Volume 14 – Greg Pfeifer Racing

In our long awaited 14th Volume of “In Their Words” we finally catch up with “Chateau Speedway Hall of Fame” Inaugural Class Inductee Greg Pfeifer of Austin. When we caught up with Greg in his garage this February it was a typical scene. Family and Friends gathered around on a Friday Night, TV on, sharing stories and enjoying a cocktail. Greg along with his son, and Bobby Crews and their wives were on hand, and a few others drifted in and out during the night as is usually the case there. When we sat down we had all 3 drivers chat about racing, and Greg’s wife, Lori, even joined us for a comment or two from the perspective of a wife and a mother of a driver. Plus there was Bobby sharing the news he was getting back into a car this Season at Chateau Speedway. Between the 3 drivers they have 8 Track Championships. Greg Senior with his in 1987 Street Stock, 1988 Hobby Stock, 1989 Hobby Stock – listed as Co Champion with Doug Hansen at The Track, and 1991 Hobby Stock. Bobby’s one Championship came in Pure Stock in 2002, and Greg Junior with his 3 all in Midwest Mod in 2005, 2011, and 2012. This Volume ended up involving me more in the stories, unlike the others, which was inevitable I guess as Greg and I have know each other most of our lives as classmates and friends. It was an enjoyable conversation as there was much laughter from everyone present during the hour we chatted. After we were done he mentioned a few more names that had helped him or he competed with and wished he would of mentioned them. He apologized for anyone he may have forgot to mention. I had caught him off guard as he didn’t know I was bringing the tape recorder to work on this so I had to return the following week to pick up some of his pictures to make scans of to share. On the return visit his dad Gene Pfeifer as well as Bob Crews were there. I jotted down a couple short notes from our talks as I did not have my recorder with me on that trip. I added a comment of each of theirs in near where they would have fit in. As far as the pictures you will see Greg took pictures of several of the wrecks he had over the year, shared a couple early photos of his dads cars as well. I’ve added a few of the local newspaper stories as well including the story on his worst wreck of all at the Mower County Fairgrounds Special in July of ’74. Included that video on here, as well as Greg JR’s wreck from this past summer. So let’s sit down and listen to Greg Pfeifer SR, Greg Pfeifer JR, and Bobby Crews on racing “In Their Words”.

Webpage: We’ll start out with the Hall of Famer, what’s your earliest memory of racing?

SR: My mother took me out to Chateau Speedway as a youngster, threw a blanket down, a bag of popcorn, and we sat and watched the races.

Webpage: You eventually became a second generation driver.

SR: Well I started out with my dad and three uncles, that’s how I started racing. It all started out in Crane Addition, my Mom and my Dad, I got involved with Ronnie Huffman, Duane Huffman, and Ellard Fortune. That’s how I got started with racing.

Webpage: When did you start working on everyone’s cars?

SR: I don’t remember what age I would have been but Duane, Ronnie and my Dad were working in the garage and I wanted my bicycle welded up, they told me I needed to start learning how to weld. That’s how I started getting involved. (Laughing) More in the way all the time.

Gene: (added in) I had a “55 Ford 390, Blew the engine one night and said I wasn’t going to race the next night. Came home from work that next day and he had changed it, we went racing, he was 13.

Webpage: You were a Freshman in High School when you got your first car, tell us about that.

SR: Well I did it kind of sneaky. I bought a car and I stored it at Julius Grage’s house. I didn’t tell nobody where it was at for awhile. He didn’t have a garage than so we stuck in back in the corner. (Laughing) He got in trouble with his Wife, for a moment as she thought he was gonna start racing again. Ya you remember that. (More Laughing) I finally told my dad and my mother that I was gonna start racing.

Webpage: You’ve said you your number came from the year you started.

SR: That’s correct I started racing in ‘73. Before I actually started racing, Steve Sorensen and me kind of teamed up together for a couple years. We built a car at Steve’s Parents house.

Webpage: Your First win on July 20 of 1974 out at Lansing.

SR: I don’t remember much of that but I probably struggled to win it, I’m sure it was fun.

Webpage: Hard part of remembering is that it was the following Day, Sunday Afternoon at the Mower County Fairgrounds, the big accident.

SR: I don’t remember much of that either, seen the film of it, it was a heck of a good ride I guess.

*I Feel the Need To put in a Side Note here: The film of the wreck is attached to this story but even though the trauma of that week has blocked it from Greg’s mind so many of us still remember all of it so vividly. Him winning the Consy to make the Feature that day, and then the wreck on lap 2 of the feature. The total silence in the packed Grandstand as they tended to him, the announcement that the drivers and officials decided not to finish the race, and then the slow quiet walk out of the grounds after the ambulance left with him. My own memory is getting home and my Dad putting his video camera away, taking me aside and telling me that if Greg didn’t make it that film would never be developed, he would not allow me to see a friend die on tape. After we finally got to see Greg in the Hospital and knew he would be OK the film was developed that so many have seen and made copies of over the years. (That is the purpose of the History Pages – to share the Pics and Videos – keep that in mind – know that you’re sharing them so all can enjoy how they wish) I think it was actually early 90’s before we had it transferred to VHS and gave Greg a copy, which up until than Lori had not even seen. Then I made the digital copy to the computer to put on my “Mower County Fairgrounds Racing History” Facebook Group Page a few years ago, the companion page of the “Chateau Speedway History” page along with some other footage and Pics from racing out there. (BTW Thanks to all who share on these pages, with your racing family) - I also remember taking the projector and film over to his house after he got home from the hospital, and with all his family and friends let him see it. The house was as silent as the fairground’s was as they relived it. Playing it frame by frame where you could see the helmet fly off and just the lap belt barely holding him as he whipped around and his hands almost touching the back tire. I remember looking at Greg just sitting there, staring, and looking so shocked at what he had experienced.

Webpage: You got back into a car the next year.

SR: Ya. I bought a car and Tom Groff and I rented a garage and we worked on it at night. My Mom and Dad didn’t know. I was supposed to be taking a class and one night the Teacher called my Mom and asked where I was. She said, “He’s in class.” The Teacher says “No he’s not.” (Laughing)

Gene: (added in) It was a Biology class. His mom went up to the school, asked how many nights he had missed, she was told he had only been their once. (Laughing)

Webpage: You’ve had several guys help you over the years.

SR: Over the years I’ve had a lot of great help. Curt Hansen, Joe Gullickson, Scott Willison, Kent Harrington, Bob and Val Crews, Tom Groff, Kim Crawford, and my Wife help’s a lot.

Webpage: We got Bobby here, talk about your start.

Bobby: Mine was my Dad and Billy Hansen raced together, they had the green Double-Zero ’57. That was always in my back yard

Webpage: What are your earliest memories?

Bobby: I remember the car going around the track; I was pretty young, probably playing with matchbox cars.

Webpage: Had you started driving before you hooked up with Greg?

Bobby: Nope, Nope, met Greg through Lori who worked with my mother at St Marks. And then I started helping Greg when I was 14 or 15. He’d come get me and bring me over and let me help with the race ar.

Webpage: Than you decide to get in a car.

Bobby: Well it looked pretty fun and I wanted to try it. It looked really fun after helping him.

Webpage: You had some success as well.

Bobby: it took awhile, it took awhile, never really had the money to run competitively it seemed.

Webpage: You ran a few different classes.

Bobby: I ran street Stock to start with, 2 years in high school. And then I raced for Timmy Hansen when he went camping in 93.

JR: That was the first car I ever drove.

Bobby: : Ya, than in 95 I was helping him get ready for the race season and he hurt his back so I actually got to race that year for Tim and that’s when I got my first feature wins in Tim’s car. Than the Pure Stock, I had that big Impala in ’01, than in ’02 I had the Monte I built that won the Championship, then went to B Mod for two years.

Webpage: Junior your early years were spent watching these guys.

JR: Absolutely, yep, I remember watching my father race, in the Street Stocks and Hobby Stocks whatever they was then. I vaguely remember that, I remember very well him racing the Super Stock. And he couldn’t really beat Tradup (Dave) (room laughing) but I remember that than he raced the car for Bob Stier, that was a Modified for a year or so. I remember Bobby racing like he said, ya that was the first car I drove the one he drove for Tim Hansen. I think I packed Track with it and remember thinking it was the coolest thing.

Webpage: How did you transition from working on the car to getting into one?

JR: My Dad made me…. (Laughing) No, from watching it, to working on it, to actually driving it happened fairly quick. I had started racing in Go-Carts in 2000, me and my Grandpa. Than all of sudden we sold that and we bought my first race car. I raced that following summer with that car and one night wrecked the tranny and we decided to go get my father’s car and that’s when I realized he had way better stuff than I did. (Laughing)

Webpage: Back to you Greg, you had a few championships.

SR: Correct and if it wasn’t for Crews Auto Salvage and Bob Crews…(Pause)…There’s one thing you got to know about Crews’ they had a fleet of kids, there was grandsons and nephews and stuff that all helped on the car. We needed parts we’d send Bobby, Gary, Dustin, and other kids, can’t remember all the names, we didn’t stop, they went out to the junk yard and looked for parts, we didn’t buy new stuff back than when we raced.

Bobby: We took motors out, plug wires, all that stuff.

SR: We scrounged junk; we didn’t go to the parts store.

Webpage: Remember some of your hard competitors?

SR: (Pause)….I tell you what, Doug Hansen from over in Albert Lea was a hard nut to beat, Dave Tradup was a hard nut to beat, Chris Adams… (Pause)…There were so many great ones, Roger Rupp…oh…all those guys taught me how to drive. It just didn’t happen overnight. I mean there are so many great drivers out there, it’s just unreal. As we all get older we all stay in contact and we like to talk about the past…..(pause)….Al Reidel was a hard nut to beat, he was as hard as all of ‘em.

Webpage: Talk about your transition to open wheel.

SR: The Midwest deal was really hard for me, I couldn’t…well I always wanted to look over the hood and I guess not seeing the tires goofed me up a bit. But it was fun when I did it.

Webpage: How about you Bobby.

Bobby: It took me three weeks just to get use to the quick steer in that thing, it goofed me up. I struggled; I wish I’d done it a little more. But ya, I think the best I did was a fourth in a Feature. Won a few heats over those 2 years. They were definitely fun driving but it was different.

Webpage: (To JR) You wouldn’t know the difference.

JR: No I wouldn’t know the difference. (Laughing) I couldn’t drive a Street Stock if I tried to. This is the only thing I’ve ever drove. I mean I wouldn’t know the difference, your right.

Webpage: You had a few championships too, ran against some good guys.

JR: You know, so back then, there was a lot of ‘em. There was a year dad raced the class against, Larry Nelson, Corey Miller, oh some others, uh Bryan Hernandez, Jerry Young….than the year I start racing than all of a sudden the class just blew up, you were lucky to make a feature, I mean I didn’t make very many features that first year. Like Lisowski’s, those two brothers. I was just happy to make a feature, did all right, I decided I had to go around cars instead of going over them. (Laugh) I think it was Bryan or Jerry, one of the two can tell you, I think I took off one of their carburetors one time. First year, it was, interesting. But now I’ve been in it long enough I can trust, I know who to watch for. But Bryan Hernandez he was a hell of a guy to beat. He was smooth; you could race next to him. Jerry Young, he was the same way, you could trust the guy. There was just a lot of good guys. I wish they would start racing again, I miss racing with them.

Webpage: Bobby who did you remember running against?

Bobby: There was some stiff competition when I started. You had the Waller’s, John Waller, the Hagen’s, the Nelsons; you had Bubba Reiss’s big block blowing by ya. I can still hear that motor in my head passing me down the back stretch. Ronnie Ross was huge. I was lucky to get some top ten’s in a Feature, I was lucky to make some Features. A lot of times had to go through a consolation just to get there.

SR: He was lucky his dad gave him a car to race. (Laughing)

Webpage: Was there much traveling?

SR: Back in the 80’s, ’88 or ’89, whenever ’87. Bob Crews and myself and my wife and Val Crews we traveled all around. We traveled, we were chasing those goofy points back then, we went to Lansing, Kasson, Cresco, Jackson, Algona, sometimes we’d go 4 nights a week. We didn’t have a lot of money back than so if we needed gas money, Bob Crews and Bobby and the boys we’d go punch gas tanks in the junk yard to get gas to put in the Suburban to go. We had this old Suburban Bob bought from Lowell Pike, it was a six seater. I tell you what, I don’t know how many people we put in six seats, we had them jammed tight like a can of SPAM. We all took off and went and had a good time.

Gene: (added in) When I raced we got around a lot. I raced Chateau, Albert Lea, Charles City, Northwood, Kasson, Rochester, and St Charles.

Bobby: Me and Greg went to Owatonna or Waseca, he was driving an Enduro car for Karlie Kath, Greg won the Enduro that day. Meanwhile my dad took the Hobby Stock to Kasson and was waiting for us. Greg ended up winning the Feature there too.

Webpage: Any race or two stand out from all the years?

SR: I tell you what, I don’t care what anybody says, when you win a Feature there all good. I don’t care what race track you’re at or who you’re with, there all good wins. And you’re happy…you know what there was a lot of good Features but there was a lot of disappointments too sometimes. Win one night and your dog meat the next night. It was all cool. I remember one night I was racing at Chateau Speedway, Stan and Sandy Gilbertson had the Track than, and I was chasing that goofy Dean Hobbs around (chuckle) that race track. Got to the white flag and I passed that sucker and I come around to the Checker Flag and I spun out. Bob Crews and me been friends and partners for many years, so I pull in the pits and he says you S** of a B****, I had the money spent and you blew it. First to last. (Laughing). That’s the truth ain’t it Bobby (garage full laughing) that is the only time Bob Crews ever got mad at me. You remember that night:

Bobby: I remember that night. (More laughing) That’s ‘cause they were always counting on that money for the next week.

Bob: (added in) It was all pretty nice, everyone got along good, we had a good time. He did pretty much what I told him (Laughing)

Webpage: Let’s tell some stories, I remember a Kent Harrington Story.

SR: Kent one time, I’m racing, and I always try to keep my cars looking good, and Kent Harrington, after I got done with the feature, he goes what the heck, are you afraid to put a dent in this car, I said ya, he walked over and kicked a dent in the side of the car, “now we got a dent in the SOB, now race the thing.

JR: Ask my dad about tipping me over at Kasson...

Webpage: Well dad, what did you do? (Garage Laughing)

SR: Well we was down to Kasson, final night for Points Championship, I believe it was Matt Madsen and me were a point apart. He always wanted to go to Kasson so I said all right. So Bronson Kuhn hauls Him over to Kasson. We’re racing and I got behind him. I Was trying to get beside him and he kept getting into the side of me, I tried to pass him and he’d chop me off, so I said all right, I wrapped his a** in the back bumper. When I wrapped him I didn’t realize I’d wrapped him that hard, and all of a sudden I could see his drive shaft. (Room laughs) He went up in the air. And I come around, I didn’t even let, I think it was Fitzpatrick was the flag man, I didn’t even let him give me the black flag, I just pulled right in the pits. I pull in the pits and Mother (Lori) come walking up and goes “What the hell are you trying to do?” and Dave Klinger goes “What the Hell are you trying to do?” I said that kids a Damn hazard out there. (Lots of laughing and talking over each other) It was a long ride home.

JR: it was a quiet ride home anyway (more laughter)

Bobby: He did that to me down at Cresco one night too. I had put on thick tires and was running Hobby Stock in the Fair Races. He started behind me and the next thing I know I’m feeling bumps. And then there he goes.

Webpage: Not afraid to move somebody even if there on the team?

SR: You do what you got to do sometimes. (Laughing) I tell you what, when I seen my kids driveshaft that did scare me, I was thinking, I was tipping him over. I seen the entire underneath of the car, I seen the whole underneath.

Webpage: Well we saw his drive shaft and more with that wild ride he took last season at Chateau.

SR: I remember that night plain as day, I seen the car go sideways, I thought he was just going to spin, than when I seen it start to roll I said “g**d*** Greg you better of built a good safe car for your kid there, cause that kid took a roll.

JR: That was interesting, um, it was just a racing deal, I knew what was going to happen and all I did was hang on. Once it went a couple times I thought it was over with you know. I opened my eyes and I could see the river, I could see the top of the wall, and I seen the race track and I go oh boy, this is not gonna be good. All I could do was hang on. Everything worked as the car did exactly what it was suppose to, my dad built a good race car, we did, it could of been way worse, I’m fortunate, I’m glad we did what we did and took the extra time on that car when we got it, and were doing the same thing with that one (pointing to the chassis that they just picked up for a second car) so it could have been way worse and I’m glad it turned out the way that it did. The track guys they do an amazing job at Chateau, they were there immediately and everything was all good. It went and I shut the motor down right away.

Webpage: Any other big wrecks for you?

JR: Not really, I got hit at Kasson one time after the race was done and it tipped on its side. Mike Sorensen crawled up on the race car and says you all right. I said I’m fine just tip it back on its wheels, and then I drove it off. I’ve been fairly fortunate.

Webpage: Bobby any big deals?

Bobby: My first night of racing was my worst one I guess. After that night Greg had to reclip the whole car, there’s the picture of it right there (Laughing in room) (see pic in photo group) I think somebody spun out and I tried to dodge him right in the middle of one and two and somebody just smoked me. Greg was cutting the frame off at the column Sunday morning. Other than that, no I’ve been pretty lucky

Webpage: Greg, that Fairgrounds deal was a traumatic accident but do you remember any others?

SR: Well one night we were over at Deer Creek, one of the first fall jamborees, I think I was the first one to climb the wall over there, cleared it, rolled it over. We fixed that car. I did roll over at Mason City one time, I’ve had three or four roll over’s, they’ve all been real exciting (Laughter)

Webpage: Bobby you’re getting back into a car this year I understand.

Bobby: I am, I kind of got talked into it, and got a guy that wanted to help me out, so I’m gonna go for it. 16 years out of a car but were going to go for it. Wouldn’t happen without Greg and Lori Pfeifer, Little Greg and Michelle and my wife, that’s for sure. This wouldn’t even be happening.

Webpage: Lori you’re in here with the other wives tonight, you got a husband and a son that you’ve chased around the area with and your always out here in the garage as well and put up with a lot.

Lori: Every day is different you know, you worry a lot, you hope for the best, and you yell a lot. I complain a lot but … well here’s an example. The other day they had this car was sideways in the front of the garage (pointing to the chassis) and I said no we’re not doing that. They knew my truck wouldn’t fit in, so I said my truck can sit out and this can go the right way so they can work on it. They’re lucky.

JR: At the end of the day this is what we do, we build race cars, we work on them, this is what we do.

Webpage: It’s been a busy offseason in here with different cars in here I hear.

JR: Ya like 7

SR: We’ve had 7 different race cars in this garage this winter, I keep buying em, I keep selling em. If I find a different deal I just keep going. It’s just in and out, trying to keep the world going

Webpage: We go way back Greg; some of the first racing actually was in your back yard in the 60’s with the bikes.

SR: Ya, we had kind of a field behind our house, which is now a baseball diamond and the city use to dump dirt and stuff so we had a semi bicycle – motor cross track, whatever you want to call it back there, we had everything. Jim Lammaker and a bunch of us all had fun, kind of a gang of us, you were a part of it, Tom Groff … you know what it was like back than we had the world to ourselves. Then there was going up and down Turtle Creek, you know Dick Trimble who gave us those Styrofoam crates, remember, they shipped those motorcycles in, we’d take em out on turtle creek and float down.

Webpage: Since were telling personal stories, our first rollovers were actually on Skinners hill.

SR: Oh my god, funny … you and me and Tom and some other guys, we’d go down skinners hill on these stupid wooden, what do you call em, Boxcars we made, whatever, halfway down the hill axles would fly off and tires and we’d crash, god we had a ball.

Webpage: Rubbin’ was racing even then?

SR; Rubbin’ was not racing than, it was called death roll man, remember our parents got madder than heck at us, we had a lot of fun, we did. I don’t know what my Mom and Dad and my Uncles did to me but racing is in my blood.

Webpage: JR what do you see for the Midwest Mod Class this year?

JR: There is good competition. You know. The technology is getting so much stronger and it’s hard to stay on top of the game and you got to try new things to get that much further ahead. You know Trevis Underdahl is a good example. He’d been out of it for so long and he was tough to beat, he was always going to be there and you knew it. And Dan Wheeler he hasn’t lost anything after all these years, he’s there. There all good, I mean, you can’t say luck of the draw anymore because of the inverts, which I think is good it’s anyone’s show anymore.

Webpage: Let talk past promoters Greg, you’ve raced for a lot of them.

SR: There’s been so many promoters, they’ve all been good, I don’t care. Pete Glynn, Dick Stern, Archie and Harry Hansen, just so many great promoters. Stan Gilbertson was good; him and Sandy were great promoters. One thing about Stan the more beer you gave him the better the track was (Laughter) I don’t care, I love Stan and Sandy and tell you who else I liked was Jim Hermel from Morristown. I can’t say nothing bad about any of ‘em, they all tried. Lansing is a good track; I don’t care what promoter had the track they always wanted to run a clean show….spin it off as fast as they can. They do a good job

Webpage: As far as Drivers go you talk up the track a lot and help out some out there.

SR: One thing about Mark and Annette Wytaske, as people look at the track, every week they should be able to look around and see some kind of improvement. There not just sitting back there collecting money, the money they do make they are putting back into the track to try and improve it. Look at the new deck, if you just look around you can see what they’re doing every week.

JR: They’re doing a damn good job, best I’ve seen in a long time and I’ve been going out there for a long time. They definitely… they legitimately care about Chateau Speedway. And that’s exactly what that race track needed.

SR: One thing about my early memories of racing, you go out to Chateau Speedway and some nights you had 10 inches of mud to pack down, Kasson would be the same way. The Race tracks have changed so much since I started racing. Use to be when you got to the race track you prepared the track, now the track is prepared when you get there. They do a beautiful job. Back then you got there and you didn’t know what to expect.

Webpage: Bobby mentioned one Enduro story earlier any other stories between the Enduro’s and Demos?

SR: One Demo car, I built a 64 Imperial I got off my Uncle Duane Huffman for a Demo up at the Dome, didn’t do very well. I brought it back and let my Uncle run it at the Mower County Fair. Doug Pickner, a big shooter out of Owatonna beat out my Uncle, we got second. I told my Uncle I’m gonna run it the next night, and I beat up on Doug and won it. I won one Enduro and one Demo and I quit.

JR: The first car I ever built was a…well I do the compact cars, I don’t do any of those full size cars. I did do one full size car and I took it to a winter show and got sixth out of 40 which was pretty good, Garden City is where that was. Normally I run Pinto’s, Pinto Wagons; I won Austin fair several times. I actually, (pause)…well my Dads going to get mad at me, but I actually got a car built, right now it’s in Bobby’s garage and I’ve Pre-registered for a show in Onawa Iowa on March 6th. I’m gonna take it there and that is going to be the end of the derby for me. I’m not doing anymore, I’m done, I had one derby left and I’m gonna wreck it and that’s going to be that.

Bobby: After I quit racing in ’04 I Derbied for 6 years. I did all big cars, Chryslers, Imperials, I won in Austin a few times, some seconds, did some traveling, it was fun. These guys helped me build a Pontiac for an Enduro car, one of the first things I did

JR: Well a few years back my dad did an Enduro, he got into my fire suit, I don’t know if he was claustrophobic or something but he says “I can’t do it”. So I put my fire suit on and get in and got strapped in than he goes “Heck with it I’m gonna do it”. So he got in and did good. I thought he was gonna win in and then the tranny ended up cooking in it. I ran it the following year I think it was, I did all right, it was fun. I’d never done it before. Had a Hornet, we went to Farley Iowa, they’re crazy. Started 3 wide and they had 200 of em. They turned ‘em loose there were people turning over and catching on fire and they kept going. Thank god the motor blew up, I was sick of that, it was stressful. I had a flat tire and my Dad and Dan Guttormson and Kyndra and my wife they couldn’t change the tire fast enough. I could of probably got out and changed it, but thank god the motor blew up, it was sickening. That was too crazy for this guy.

Webpage: Let’s talk your Hall of Fame Selection at Chateau Speedway.

SR: I Tell you what if it wasn’t for my Mom and Dad, my Uncle Ronnie Huffman, Duane Huffman, Ellard Fortune, Bob and Val Crews, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I got elected into the Hall of Fame because of them, Bob and Val Crews and my wife. If it wasn’t for those guys standing behind me I wouldn’t be where I’m at. The night you announced the people who was going to get inducted I was sitting next to Steve Sorensen, listening, and all of a sudden you said Greg Pfeifer, Doo looked at me, that’s Steve Sorenson, everybody called him Doo, or Porky back in the day. He took his hand and slapped me on the back and said you SOB you deserve it, all the s*** you been through.

Bob: (added in) I couldn’t of picked a better driver.

Webpage: One of the guys not there that night who went in with you was your good friend Mike Guttormson.

SR: One thing about Mike Guttormson they called him Noodles for a reason; you never knew what he was gonna do. Him and Karl Fenske…he would go like a son of a gun or he was gonna put on a hell of a good show for the crowd.

Webpage: Any regrets?

Sr: Yes and No, Thank god it’s all good now (laughing) there were lots of nights I slept on the couch believe me (more laughing)

Webpage: Well at least she let you back in the house.

Lori: You got to remember back in the day there were no cell phones. So on Sundays when he was traveling I wouldn’t go because I had to get up early, go to work, take care of getting to daycare, and I had no idea at Kasson what he was doing. He hurt his back once and he let Dave Moffit drive his car and he came home and woke me up and says you got to come out so you don’t get up in the morning and see this and Dave Moffitt at Kasson had hit a tree

JR: What was that, the throttle stuck or something wasn’t it?

Lori: Ya so I never knew. So now if I stay home for whatever reason I can do My Race Pass. I can see how things are going. I actually did that when he got his accident. I was home with Gregory and there was a yellow and then it went to red…and I just sit and stare at it. Sonny called me first, and he said Greg got in an accident and wrecked the car. And I went “WHAT?”, and I could tell it was 9:00, and two minutes later Michelle called me and I was already out the door and on my way out there. But ya back than we never knew. You never knew till they got home how they did. I can’t image doing that now.

Webpage: You want to finish your story on that night.

Lori: I was pulling out of the driveway when Michelle called and I’m on the way out there as the Grandson is saying you shouldn’t be speeding Grandma. (Laughter) I got there and walked up and there was five million people by the car and I saw the car, it was just getting loaded onto Nelson’s open trailer, and the next thing I did was look for him so I could see for myself that he was okay you know. Then I looked at Dad and said “Were done – This is it” … well you can see how that’s going (as she points around garage and everyone is laughing)

JR: Got two more race cars in the garage (Laughing)

Lori: That’s what I’m saying (Laughing) you know it can be hard

Webpage: Dad how do you handle race night as a former driver and a Dad.

SR: I see my kid get in the car, I’m nervous – I don’t care, I’m a typical Father. Last year I had Eric Condit drive a car for awhile for me. I got nervous with him in there. It’s a bit nerve wracking. You see the checkered flag and it’s all over with. Your stress level goes down, I tell you what, racing is racing, it’s been a part of my life, always will be a part of my life. I don’t care who’s out there, I don’t ever want to see anybody get hurt, I just want close racing and clean racing.

Webpage: I want to Thank you guys for taking the time for this visit, any final thoughts guys.

SR: I want to say a Special thanks to my Wife for putting up with me all these years. My Mom and my Dad, and Duane and Ronnie Hoffman, Ellard Fortune, Bob and Val Crews. A Special thanks to Snuffy, he’ll know who he is (Laughing) But If it wasn’t for Bob and Val Crews I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at right now. The biggest Trophy I ever won was my Wife Lori. (some jeering and laughing)

JR: I got to thank my parents too for everything they have done, if it wasn’t for them I definitely wouldn’t be doing this and wouldn’t want to without them I got to thank my Wife for dealing with what she has to deal with, you know what, we have fun doing what we do, you know we may bick’ and fight and whatever else but at the end of the day we have fun doing what we do

Bobby: I want to thank Greg for all he’s done this year, Lori, Little Greg, Michelle, my Wife. Last summer I never thought this would ever happen again. Now in a couple months I’ll be racing again, all I can say is stay tuned.

All: “Ya Stay Tuned”