Both drivers have had a life long interest in NASCAR racing. Jackson, who's been in the Air Force for 16 years, had always been a fan and first got involved with racing while stationed in Hawaii in 1983. "I worked on a pit crew there for about one and a half seasons," said Jackson, a San Antonio native. "I came back to San Antonio in '94 and started working on the safety crew at the San Antonio Speedway." The next year, he worked as a "spot-ter" at the track, reporting accidents to race officials. "They can't see the whole track from the tower," said Jackson. In 1996, Jackson began working
on a pit crew with his current part-ner, Greg Rohmer. Last year, Jackson put himself in the driver's seat of a 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle and finished the season fifth in points for his class. Lyskowski, whose father, Will-iam, raced for eight years, also began in the pit. In 1990, he began working as a part of the pit crew for River City Racing. Since then, the team has grown from four members to twelve and now races seven cars. Among these cars is Lyskowski's 1975 Monte Carlo. The teamwork involved in the sport is important to both Jackson and Lyskowski. "It's time consuming to get the
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Tech. Sgt. Larry Jackson waits on "pit road" for a practice run to check out the performance and handling of his car.
Tanother car tries to pass. Keep cool, it was an incidental "bump." Stay focused, in control and "off the wall." That's what Saturday nights are like for Tech. Sgt. Larry Jackson, a Communications-Computer Systems Technician at Air Intelligence Agency headquarters. From April through September, he races stock cars at the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing speedway in San Anto-nio, Texas. Last year, he and Senior Airman Steve Lyskowski, a Communications-Computer Systems Specialist with the 690th Intelligence Support Squadron at Kelly Air Force Base, finished their rookie seasons as drivers in NASCAR's "Charger" class. There are four classes in NASCAR racing according to Jackson. Cars in the "Thunder" class have little modi-fication, while those in the "Charger" class can have the engines "beefed-up" and racing slicks for tires. Cars in the "Super Street Stock" class can have more modifications to the mo-tor and suspension, and cars in the "Late Model" class are "not stock at all," said Jackson. Drivers in each class compete for prize money and points are assigned to each driver depending on where they place in races.
by Doug Karas HQ AIA/ PA Kelly Air Force Base, Texas
features features features features features
Photo courtesy of Tech. Sgt. Larry Jackson
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cars ready for the race each week," explained Lyskowski, who finished
the season eighth in points. "About half way through the sea-son
you can get 'racer burnout' and you think, 'I could be fishing. ' That's
where the team comes in." "It's just the fact of being around
friends," said Jackson. "I haven't won any races yet, but my partner has.
It's satisfying to be part of the team." This sense of fellowship isn't con-fined
within the teams. "If another team needs a part and
we have a spare, we'll let them bor-row it for a race," added Lyskowski,
who has been in the Air Force close to eight years.
Along with the support of other teammates, both drivers also depend
on their wives for support. "I've spent some time 'on the
wall' and my wife says I scare her sometimes," explained Lyskowski.
"So if I have an accident, the first thing I do is get out of the car and
wave. I show her I'm okay." Jackson is no stranger to the wall,
either. "On my first lap in my first race
I hit the wall at 90 mph," remembers Jackson.
"I walked away, but it tore away the right side of car and bent the
suspension. My wife worries, but she supports me."
Jackson points out, though, that safety is a prime concern at the track.
All drivers wear fire suits and hel-mets and each car is given safety
inspection before coming on the track. "There's always an ambulance, a
fire crew and tow trucks at every race," he added.
Staying off the wall isn't the only challenge the drivers face, according
to Lyskowski. "In the summer time, the heat in
the car can reach 140 degrees," he said.
"Also, there's only one rear view mirror in the car and the helmet lim-its
your peripheral vision," he con-tinued. "You have to listen to know
if another car is coming alongside you." Another challenge they face is maintaining the cars. According to Jackson, the prize money does little but pay for fuel, at $4 dollars a gal-lon, and entry fees at $15 a race. "You get about two weeks out of a tire and then you need to replace them," he continued. "That's about $100 a piece." For this reason, sponsorship of teams is important even at this level of racing. "Most of the sponsorship is taken in trade," said Lyskowski. "We're sponsored by a salvage yard that gives us auto body parts we need for free." Despite the challenges, Lyskowski said he loves "the thrill of the compe-tition and the adrenaline rush." He also enjoys meeting race fans after the event. "It's great to know that there are people other than my wife out there rooting for me," he said. Although Jackson and Lyskowski spend their time on the track trying to reach speeds of over 100 mph, they point out that racing has taught them patience. "You can't win a race in the first lap," said Jackson. Lyskowski will need every bit of the patience he's learned as he pre-pares to move into the next racing class. He is starting work on a 1981 Monte Carlo which he will race in the Super Street Stock class. For his part, Jackson plans to race for only one or two more years and then get his son, L. J., involved in "quarter-midget racing." "I'll miss the excitement of NASCAR, but I'll be excited for L. J.," Jackson said. Jackson will certainly be able to understand his son's excitement about cars and youth racing. When he was a boy Jackson played with "Hot Wheels" toy cars. "Some people might say that I still do," he said. "The size of the toy just got bigger."
Senior Airman Steve Lyskowski regains control of his car after spinning out.
Photos courstesy of Senior Airman Steve Lyskowski 2