Tim Allen - The Right Tools.

[ASieveke29]

The drivers most influential for securing interest in Dirt Racing are not always in the National spotlight. Watching a person fueled on passion and competition chase their dream is a motivating sensation, and an urge to share the experience of the thrill is what makes Tim ‘The Tool Man’ Allen one of the most prominent drivers in Dirt Late Model Racing.



EDUCATION – CAREER – RACING
Tim Allen of Kannapolis, North Carolina had aspirations of racing since he was young, and gained further inspiration from watching Freddy Smith, Haywood Pyler, Carl Smart, Mike Duvall, Billy Scott, and Dale Earnhardt at the old Concord, North Carolina dirt track.

After many unsuccessful attempts to talk his father into allowing him behind the wheel of a race car, Allen decided to concentrate on his education and career. “I went to college (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida as well as Atlanta Tech for Avionics Technology), graduated, and got a good job,” said Allen, who has spent the last 15 years as a lead aircraft technician for a major corporate flight department.

“Then, I decided I was going racing.”

GOING RACING
Allen made the first step toward his childhood dream in 1998. Even with his career in place, he still strived to convince his father that racing was something he was going to do. “I built a Micro-sprint and went racing at East Lincoln Speedway,” said Allen. “I invited my dad to the first race, but he decided not to come at that time, maybe thinking I was not serious about this racing thing. Then, I invited him again, and about the third race or so he decided to give it a shot. After that, he was hooked, and we have been going at it ever since.”


Tim switched to Dirt Late Models after a very successful run in Micro-Sprints.

After four years, over 30 wins, and a Florida Nationals Micro-sprint Championship, Allen got the opportunity to try his luck in a Dirt Late Model. “In 2002, there was a big Late Model race at East Lincoln Speedway,” said Allen, who was running the Sprint Car at the time. ”A neighbor of mine, Arnold Fuller, and his brother Mike Fuller, had their Late Model there. I had been working on Arnold for a couple of months to let me try the Late Model. Well, here it was twenty minutes before qualifying, and Arnold came up and said, ‘here is your chance, qualify the car for us.’ He didn’t even let me practice!”

The first time behind the wheel of a late model was not necessarily easy. “It took me fifteen minutes to get out of the pits having never experienced the Bert Transmission. I finally get out on the track and ended up qualifying eighth of 22 cars, but that was it. I got back to the pits, and they thanked me. I went back to run my Sprint Car. However, that wasn’t it for me. I had no desire to get back in that Sprint Car after experiencing the Late Model.”

In July 2002, Allen sold his Sprint Car and bought a Late Model and motor from the Fuller brothers that had allowed him to qualify their car. Not long after that, Allen ran his first Late Model race in August 2002 at Carolina Speedway during the Shriners 100, a race he would eventually conquer in 2008. With a limited motor, he qualified twenty-second and finished 8th in the feature.

BUILDING THE SPORT
As if racing himself and holding a career were not enough to occupy his attention, Allen devotes his time to helping others experience the thrill of driving the car and develop the skills needed to be competitive at the North Carolina based Dirt Track Racing School.

The Dirt Track Racing School was started in 2008 to “provide a safe, authentic way for race fans to see what it’s like to drive a dirt car” and “help racers develop their skills and advance their driving careers.” Shawn Parker, the Owner of the Dirt Track Racing School, met Allen through Mark Gibbons, one of the owners of Carolina Speedway.



“When I was looking to buy a Late Model, Mark turned me on to Tim. I purchased one of Tim’s old cars, and Tim and I became friends almost immediately,” explained Parker, who started the Dirt Track Racing School after extended research and a vision of a driving school where people could drive a dirt Late Model, Modified, and Sprint Car all in one location. “He gave me a lot of advice about Dirt Late Models, and agreed to help me as an instructor for the first couple of months.”

“Tim is our go-to guy for private instruction, set-up advice and driver development programs,” said Parker, who himself has a racing background. “He was the lead instructor when H.A. Humpy Wheeler sent his driver development group ‘Humpy’s Heroes’ to the school in August 2009.”

“Tim helps out more than I ever imagined,” Parker continued. “Not only was he the lead instructor for the first four months, but he also got me connected to David Ragan, who eventually sent some of his development drivers to the school to turn laps in a Late Model. Chris Buescher, who just signed a long-term contract with Roush Fenway Racing, came to the school several times in 2008 per David Ragan’s advice. After his second or third visit, Chris was in complete control of a dirt Late Model.”

The efforts Allen devotes to the Dirt Track Racing School works to secure more interest in Dirt racing. “I believe it is very important to secure more interest in the sport,” said Allen. “Right now I think that Dirt Late Model racing is growing rapidly thanks to some of the television deals and some of the NASCAR drivers getting involved. I had one race deal with David Ragan this year for the Shriners 100 and he had a blast. The dirt allows these guys to let their hair down a little and have some fun racing without all the pressure they get while doing their full time job.”



For Allen, the real joy lies in watching others develop skills and experience the thrill he experiences himself on the racetrack. “The part I enjoy most about the school is the private lessons with some of the younger kids,” Allen explained. “It is really neat to watch the kids develop during a day of school. Some of these kids have never seen dirt before and by the end of the day you have some that you would think have been running dirt for years.”

“Most of the kids you get have been running some form of racing and they have the mechanics. All you need to do is show them how to use it. I also enjoy the everyday person that has always dreamed of getting behind one of the cars and seeing their faces when they climb out of it. It’s unexplainable.”

Allen’s attitude on and off the racetrack are also admirable assets that make him an attractive choice as a mentor. “Tim’s professionalism, driving talent, ability to work with people, passion for racing all make him a great fit for the Dirt Track Racing School,” Parker commented. “You couldn’t meet a nicer guy in the pit area, and his work ethic is incredible. On the track he races hard, but smart. In a word, he’s smooth. He takes care of his equipment, and treats people with respect. If Tim gets into you, then you must have really made him mad.” Fellow Dirt Late Model driver and Owner of Dirt Wraps in Hickory, North Carolina, Jimmy Schiltz added, “Tim Allen is proof you can still have class and drive a Dirt Late Model. He is first class all of the way.”

FAMILY IS THE KEY
Dirt racing is a family oriented sport, and in Allen’s case it’s no different. It may have taken awhile for Allen to prove that he was serious about racing, but now his father is a pivotal fixture in the success of the race team. “My father is the key guy to this whole deal,” he said. “If it wasn’t for him, this would not be possible. With my father being a retired machinist and me working on an aircraft, our maintenance program on these cars are done to precision. There is very seldom a race we fall out of with a mechanical problem.”

The hours of labor that Allen, his father and the crew put into maintaining the machine has resulted in consistent finishes. Allen has made his mark in the Carolina Clash series, with one win coming in 2008, and three more in 2009 at Fayetteville Speedway in Fayetteville, NC, Friendship Speedway in Elkin, NC, and Lancaster Speedway in Lancaster, SC. He was also crowned the 2007 and 2008 Late Model track Champion at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, North Carolina, the track where Allen pinpointed his biggest career win.



“My biggest win was probably the Shrine 100 at Carolina Speedway in 2008. Just to get your name on that shirt is an honor,” said Allen, but not without adding that every win for the team is monumental. “It’s great just to see the joy and excitement on my crew’s and the kid’s faces. The kids really make it a trip. Mine are already fighting on what they are going to spend the money on, not realizing that is all goes back into the race car.”

The concept is something both of his daughters, Brenn and Brea, are sure to pick up on. When not racing the Late Model or spending time at the Dirt Track Racing School, Allen supports the development of his own daughters racing careers. Both youngsters recently began racing Bandeleros, which are powered by a go-kart engine. “I am currently helping my girls compete in some Bandelero events,” said Allen. “My oldest daughter, Brenn, who is ten years old, was sponsored by NASCAR in the 2009 diversity program.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
While all forms of dirt racing are demanding, it can sometimes be a challenge for a driver with limited resources to compete competitively on a regular basis when stacked next to the teams with seemingly unlimited support. Allen shows no intimidation to this fact, and even welcomes it.


Tim helps build the sport through Shawn Parker's Dirt Track Racing School.

“It is very satisfying when someone like me lines up against some of the well heeled teams and I run in front of them. It is nearly impossible to run one of those major series without sponsorship. We are planning on running the Carolina Clash next year and contending for the points championship. The Clash is a very stout series with some drivers that have proven themselves to be strong contenders against some of the best in the country,” said Allen, who finished fifth in Carolina Clash standings in 2009.

“I would love to make it a full time job, but if not, I’m more than happy doing what I do now,” he said. “I would like to pick up some sponsorship where I could compete more with the major series (Lucas Late Model Dirt Series or the World of Outlaws) to test my skills against some of the teams with big sponsors behind them when they are nearby without having to worry about blowing my whole budget on tires. When I have had the chance to run against some of these guys, I have held my own. I feel very confident that if I partner with a good sponsor, I would be able to put the car up front week in and week out.”

“I guess the thing that keeps me coming back every week is competition, I thrive on it! I truly understand why some professional athletes have a problem retiring. I wish everyone who desires could experience the feeling of competing in one of these cars.”

Retiring is a word Allen can erase from his vocabulary for now. Aligned with his love of competition, a feat which he consistently finds himself amongst the top of the rundown each week, Allen’s understanding of reality and knowledge have him on the right track to a lengthy career. “My father and I run the deal like a business and I have always said that when the racing account goes dry we are done,” explained Allen. “We have come close several times, but then we would pick up a win or two in the Clash and that would carry us on a few more weeks. Then when I am not running the Clash on Friday’s, I’m running my Limited Late Model at Carolina Speedway to make gas and tire money to compete in the series.”



Even on a tight budget, Allen and the team ensure they are competitive through hard work. “I do have to say with the help I have in the shop and the track we operate like a fine tuned machine. The guys and girls that make it possible for me are my father, Barry Lerch, Bob Houck, Scott Puckett, Chris Wiley, Cody Tanquary, Marvin White, and Denny Puckett. I would also like to thank John Lacross (Led Engines), Pro-Tint, and Dale (Whino). The two people I want to thank the most are the good Lord and my wife, Lisa. She is not a big race fan, but she has put up with a lot and has never tried to come down on my dream. My two girls are on the road with me most of the time, and them being there makes it easier to be away from home at times.”

By standard definition, Allen may not have the most notable on track statistics of other drivers in the country today. Instead, his character, hard work, sportsmanship, and overall positive impact on the interest and growth of dirt racing that easily qualifies Tim Allen as one of the sport’s top personalities and most unforgettable drivers to date.

[C.Wenzel46]

Good article!!!

[klaws1]

Proud to be friends with a man like Tim! Way to go man!!

[craig]

And he is HOT too!