The "New" Car

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Mark Strpko and Randy have just brought the car home. The date is May 18, 2009. The engine is "broke" and we will spend the next several months rebuilding and getting it race ready.

Mark is owner and Chairman of the Board of B(arn)Y(ard) Engineering. He also is a sprint car owner/driver. Super nice guy and a GREAT engine builder.

I immediately start peeling the vinyl flames from the machine.






We go to test and tune day, it runs, and runs good, in fact. You can see that the top of Rand's helmet is just above the roll cage. Not good. But, it's a good day and the set-up not bad, we learn alot and Rand sets a little seat time.



Michael and Ben (with Tommy behind) inspect the car. We're a diverse group and do not discriminate against Trevor and his rubber ducky helmet.






It is race day, and we're building and installing a "halo" which will add heighth to the roll cage. While Rand isn't tall by any means, the chassis is built for someone shorter. Randy is feeling stress for all involved. Time is passing and he suggests to Mark that it'll be fine without it. Mark does not listen, but continues to supervise the building and installing of the halo.

Dave Ockerman and Ben Curtis help in the pits and assist Randy with his gear, belts, head sock, helmet, then push him into the line-up to be pushed off for hotlaps.

The First Car

It wasn't pretty, but it was a start.


Mike must have been thinking, "Dude, what IS this?"








Having bartered for the car there's no out-of-pocket money gone, and what happens next is pretty amazing.

Randy has stripped it down to the bare chassis. But we are in the middle of building a house, and it sits for a while. Little by little he rebuilds it. It is a very old car, and components that will fit it are sometimes hard to come by, but find them he does.



Eventually, we have permission to push it off at a track. We are there alone with just the guys who have come to help.

I am very happy for him, and he is like a little boy on Christmas morning, maybe to the tenth power.

He wants me to drive it, and I want to, so I am dressed in a borrowed fire suit.







It coughs and sputters, isn't running exactly right, but it runs. It needs more work on the engine, but the first race isn't far away.









Waiting in line for the pit gate to open.


Didn't know if we'd ever see this day, but see it we have.










The push-off.











More work.

Alas, the car is never quite right. The chassis is old and of such an old style that parts we need for it to handle properly are not easily available.




Randy's work situation changes and again, there is not time to do the necessary work.

The car is sold, but we're not done...

The Middle Years

Sheri has started playing softball and taking dance lessons, then Mike started speed skating, then Bobbie is dancing and playing softball, then all three are speed skating. There's more softball, baseball, football. There is not time, or money, for racing.

We have three kids in three different schools all playing three sports. Sheri leaves for college, and Gramma moves in with us. Mike is playing drums in band, and in "A band"! They rehearse at our house. Randy's mom is diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Still no time, or money, for racing.

We have three kids in college in three different states, Montana, Iowa and California. Still no time, or money, for racing.

We have weddings, and grandchildren. Still...no time, or money, for racing.

The kids were involved in so many different things it would be silly to attempt to document, or represent them all here.  Suffice it to say our lives were rich and full, and busy.

This is Mikey at 5 years old, and Bobbie is 7.

The girls both dance for many years.

Here's an unusual use of the boat racing trailer. We built a float in our garage for the Bicentennial Parade in Kentwood, July 4, 1976. Look how cute they were. Sewed the costumes, made hundreds and hundreds of tissue flowers. Homecoming floats gave me the experience to do this. LOL

Sheri attended Montana State University in Bozeman, and played volleyball.

Bobbie play volleyball at the University of Northern Iowa.

...and Mike played volleyball in the Olympic Festival and then at Pierce College in California.

1991, 1993, and 1999 gave us weddings, and 1995, 1997, 1999, 1999, and 2001 brought us grandchildren. God's greatest gifts.

L to R: Madison, Tommy, Ben, Allison, and Lancing

Kids are established, but, we're so much older, I ask, "Honey, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure," is his reply.

It's a Family Affair

Randy and our oldest daughter, Sheri. Hangin' in the pits between heats. Family, sun, water. What could be better?

I think this is on the Saginaw River in Bay City. There was the occassional barge which created HUGE swells in the river. Think skiing on an avalance.

"When is it your turn, Daddy?"

"Pretty soon, honey, pretty soon."

He's Flying

He's flying and loving every minute of it. We discover it's rare when everything comes together perfectly and at the right time.

We're Out of the Army!

We've made it back home after three years in the Army. We get ourselves settled into a new house in Middleville, have another baby...and buy a racing boat. We camped, and raced, and loved it.

We've re-connected (I don't remember how) with Mike Bugai, and he helps Rand in the pits coming to as many races as his schedule permits. Mike is also racing dirt bikes. We all have full schedules.

The "B" class of stock outboards is notorious for their extremely loud engines. They are not loved by the neighbors of any race events, but they sure sound fast. They are. Mike's cousin, John, is bitten by the bug and joins in.

Boat racing is a family affair, and we enjoy the water, sun and camping opportunities, but with our growing family it is getting difficult to find room for it in our budget.

Above, Mike helps Randy in the "pits".

Boat Racing

Randy's step-father, Bill Mick, had a stock outboard racing boat. As a family they travelled to races, which were mostly in the SW Michigan area. There was one special race which was held in northern Michigan at Topinabee. That race is still a part of the boat racing schedule.

When Randy was 13, they had the boat in the water at his grandparents cottage at Gun Lake. Randy was driving it when he was suddenly thrown from the boat. While the boat continued running, He attempted to get back into it, but was cut by the propeller. He was seriously injurred and was rushed to the hospital by long time family friend, Paul Slobey. He recovered with no lingering affects from the injury.

Much later, during the summer between our junior and senior year we attended the races at Topinabee. Several friends were racing, and the son of a family friend was one of them. There was a boat and trailer for sale. During that winter he bought the equipment and the summer after graduation he raced it. Ray Toppen helped him in the pits occassionally, and we had a blast.

That fall he enlisted in the Army. We were married December 28, 1964. He hadn't completed basic training, but they gave them 2 weeks furlough over the holidays. We were married during that furlough, but before I joined him in Germany I had sold both the Mustang and the racing boat. At least for a while there wouldn't be any racing of any kind. When we were in Germany, we listened to Armed Forces Radio, and every year the Indianapolis 500 was broadcast. Listening to that race was as close as we got to any racing...for a while...