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This months showcase driver for the Superstock Class is Tim Clark, 2007 Twin Cities Superstock Champ!
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Let me start off by stating a lot of people in North Vernon knows Tim Clark by his success in racing throughout the years. He is highly respected on and off the track. Tim is a humble guy, who's every other sentence is a joke. You can't help but smile at Tim when he is talking. He is a very likable guy, who can turn any boring conversation into an interesting with his on the spot 'one liners'. Although, I've been told if you make him mad, he can hold his own and go up against the best of them, for a little guy. But usually he is a laid back, very pleasant, and a big-hearted guy. I had this interview scheduled for awhile, and when Greg, my husband,
stated, "Hey,Tim's home, we'll run over so you can get your interview
done". I told Greg to call him to ensure he was going to be around
for awhile. Greg picked up the cell and called him, "Hey, gonna
be around awhile?", I heard him ask, "Yea, the wifey wants
to do that interview for her site if you are around long enough.",
then silence "So, you sure you don't mind doing this?", I asked. I was answered by a hearty laugh, "I'll be around like a doughnut", he chuckled. I smiled, yep, this is Tim, always cracking jokes and making people laugh. I packed my stuff, and took my laptop to show him the placeholder I created for him. Greg told me Tim doesn't even own a cell phone, so I wasn't sure he had even seen the sight. |
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We walked in to the garage, and met a 'busy' Tim Clark, who was sanding
away on his latest find, a 1969 Camaro. "Come on in!", he
yelled. There sat Tim's 'baby', the red, fiery, slick looking #1 Superstock, overpowering the garage, all shiny and new with a fresh graphics job. After I got my stuff together, and shared an overall summary of what "Dirt Scoops was", we started the interview. I had my pad and pen, and looked for a place to write, we ended standing by the back of his racecar where Tim seemed right at home. "So, Tim", I quizzed, it was hard trying to be all business when you are friends, "Tell me about your family". After a pause, he spoke, "Well, there is Debbie, my wife, and four kids!", holding up fingers to represent the number. Then he went on to share their names: "Well there is, Christy, who is, ummm," a pause, "21, and Timmy, who is 16. Then there is Shelby who is 14 and Maria who is 26". He answered. "Grandbabies?", I asked next. "Yea, yea, two, Evah, 1, and Chloe, 3", he said with the biggest smile ever on his face. "And grandpa doesn't spoil them, does he?", I asked. "Na, not me!", he answered sheepishly. "What got you interested in racing?", I asked.
Tim went on to tell me he was around 25 years old when he started racing. When I asked how many track championships he had won, he got this
blank look on his face, "You know," he told me matter of
factly, " I "What????", I exclaimed, "You don't know?", then I heard my husband Greg crack up in the background and Tim chimed in with him. "No, not really.", he laughed. Then he started thinking out loud trying to count some of the championships he had won. "Well, there is Twin Cities last year, I won in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1999, several more at Twin Cities, and several at Brownstown. I won in Superstock and in a purestock one year and a bomber one year, just don't know the total." Let's just say this guy has won a whole pot load of track championships!
When I asked how many features, he laughed out loud again. "A
lot, right?", I laughed. AND he has quite a few trophies to show I asked him what win did he remember the most and why. "He touched his hat, and resituated it on his head. "Hmmm,", silence again. "Probably my first track championship." "At first I just wanted to win a trophy dash, then I won six in row, that was cool," he chuckled. "I would get lucky every once in awhile when I was racing close with someone who broke", he laughed. "We would get a good laugh, especially if it was someone who was a rival". Then he took off to the side of his garage, bringing out this really dusty scrapbook full of clippings, pictures, and information from when he first started racing. He opened it up and started going through pages, one by one. There was win after win, including trophy dash wins, feature wins,heat wins, pictures of track championships and one picture of a magazine spread one year.
"I take it all in, use what I can, then throw out the rest" He does, however, give a lot of credit to his crew, help and sponsors for being successful in racing. Then, he got quiet for a minute, and quietly announced, "Mark, my brother". If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be racing. Some background on Mark Clark, his brother. He was robbed of life
at a young age in a car accident. He was an awesome race car driver
and had numerous championships and wins under his belt too. Twin Cities
now has a yearly race dedicated to this special young man, "The
Mark Clark Memorial", so his memory will live on in racing. Tim then specifically started naming off names, Joe, Randy, Mike Fields, Troy, and all who help him on his car. (sponsors will be listed later). When asked what advice he would pass on to a rookie driver, he replied,
"Drive a good clean race, keep the car in one piece. You
Quote:
"Drive a good clean race, keep the car in one piece. You His plans for 2008 is to race his superstock at Vernon. "It
is closer for me and works well with my job, and I didn't want to
split I am sure he will be one to look out for to grab another track championship
at Twin Cities in 2008. He hasn't had any major wrecks over the year, but then laughed and said he didn't want to 'jinx' himself by bragging about it! He told me he wasn't one to brag, just keeps his head down, race well, race clean, and not give himself that bad karma by bragging on himself. Tim's sponsors, who he credits: Right Auto (Then he grinned devilishly and added, "Kurt Phelps", he and Greg both started laughing uncontrollably. This is an inside joke he has going with the owner of Right Auto. Greg said, "Put it in!", and Tim laughed, "Yea". Guess what Tim, I did. So, Kurt, if you read this, I was prodded to add that statement.
Ron's Auto Service
Tim has Southern Indiana Dirt Scoops Sticker displayed on his 2008 Superstock! Thanks Tim!
Thanks Tim for the interview and good luck in 2008! |
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