The BuilderAs I called my friend Greg, I eagerly awaited hearing his view on cars. While I was well acquainted with car culture, I knew no one who was more devoted and involved with cars than Greg. He had gone to school with me, and while I focused on academics, he focused on cars. From my experiences shared with him and the stories I had heard, I knew Greg was heavily involved with racing and I couldn’t have been more pleased when the first thing he told me was how he had just come inside from working on his engine. After some catching up and small talk I informed him of what the subject matter of the interview was and we proceeded.
He began, by telling my about how his older brother built racecars growing up. His brother was his role model and to the best of my knowledge, Greg had modeled his life after his. I asked him how he’s involved in car culture, and he gave me a extensive list comprising of painting, selling, scavenging, showing-off, and building cars. He seemed most proud of his building and racing ability though. I prodded into his building ability and described how he had just recently bought a new motor for his car for $20 and how he was in the process of repairing it and tuning it up to racing specifications. He also described how most of time now was spent between his job, working on his car, and helping alter his friend’s cars. In high school, some people knew Greg and his friend group as the uncool delinquent troublemakers, who would always drift and burnout when leaving the high school parking lot, but I knew them as car enthusiasts lost in their passion due in part to a sub-par school system. I then asked him about the races. He enthusiastically told me, he goes nearly every day now and how they give him happiness. He proceed to explain how he has not raced recently because his car is not complete and unsafe to race. I then asked how he felt about the safety and hazardous nature of these races brought up in a lot of the anti-racing literature. He replied by saying it depends on who shows up to the event. He said how he has been to hundreds of races and meets and never witnessed an accident. His view was there are two groups of enthusiasts; those who are experienced, friendly, and abide by the meet’s regulations and those who were immature, always trying to stir up trouble, and race, much like the hoons covered in the literature. He then went on to explain how it was a positive outlet in his life, and was significantly safer than some of alternatives such as “dealing drugs, gangbanging, and shooting people.” Additionally, most of all his current friends were met through cars, and how his car group is another family to him. |
He did acknowledge the dangers of racing, and when I asked him how he is willing to risk his and his car’s life through racing, he became defensive. He was quick to reiterate how he takes safety seriously and never races unless he 100% confident in his cars ability. “A car can break on you anytime, so if you take care of it there’s just as much of a risk when pushing it than when you are just driving around town.” He also explained how he gets an “adrenaline rush” when he races and how there’s no feeling that can compare to when he gets in the drivers seat. He spoke of this rush almost as if he were addicted to it, and how he always needed to get a fix. He explained how this was his passion, and how people just do not understand it. The type of “drivers who always drive with two hands and obey the laws 24-7,” are always quick to criticize people’s cars for being too low, too loud, too fast, or dangerous. It is these modifications that help people expression themselves and show how they are different to the norm, and proud of it. He compared the rebellious nature of young car culture to the sports of skateboarding and bmx where people who do not fit in to the traditional groups go to make friends and be accepted. He concluded by saying that people should always follow their passion. No matter how much opposition may mount against them, people should find the right role models and people to help them follow their passion and they will never regret it. |