Guest Post: Racing is the Best Thing That's Ever Happened to Me

Racing has been a part of my life since I was a few weeks old. My dad started racing about twenty years ago. That is why my brother, my sister, and I were at our local track every weekend when we were growing up. We would pack up our toys, Barbie dolls, and books to keep us occupied throughout the day and get in the car to go to the race track. This became our routine every summer.

When I was about thirteen years old, I got sick of going out to the track every weekend. I wanted to spend time with my friends because I didn't get to race--I was always just watching my dad. Plus, I didn't have any friends at the track when I was young, except for these two guys that we always pitted beside throughout the years. So, I told my parents that I didn't want to go to the track anymore. They said, "Okay," and they let me stay home.

A few years later, I was back at the track for one of the bigger events that they hold at Summit Motorsports Park (Night Under Fire, I believe). I was watching my dad, and all of a sudden everything clicked...and I wanted to get into racing. I can't explain it, really--I just remember wanting to try racing out and see what it was all about. I told my dad, and (as surprised as he may have been about my decision) he agreed to start teaching me how to race.

It all started in my mom's Explorer, and the progress was slow going. There is so much to learn about racing, and it's especially difficult if you don't start in the junior drag racing leagues when you're younger. But I eventually started getting the hang of it.

I remember my first pass down the track. My reaction time was .025. The best light you can get is .000, which means you timed your reaction to the lights perfectly. For me to have a .025 light on my very first pass was amazing.

My first racing "season," which was only about 10 races in the starting class, went really well for it being my first.

I continued to race a street car for the next year or two, and I got increasingly better as time went on.

Kaytie Boyer and her dad's Ford Thunderbird.

Two years ago, I got to race my dad's 1988 Ford Thunderbird. It was much quicker than any street car I had ever raced. I don't know how my dad decided that I was ready to move up to a race car, but I'm glad he did.

This past year was my second official season racing the T-Bird, and it was the best season yet. Despite having to learn some things over again because I changed my procedures (like my routine/how I go about racing on a given race day), I eventually mastered them. Now, I feel more confident in my race car.

I still have a lot more to learn, especially since this is only going to be the third year that I have driven a real race car, but I can't wait to see how it goes. I'm excited to get back into my car and know exactly what to do each round--from knowing how good of a light I cut on the Christmas Tree to knowing how to judge the finish line, and most importantly, to start winning a lot more races.

Drag racing is a great sport, and I am so happy that my dad started racing twenty-some odd years ago. If he hadn't, I may have never come to know this sport that is in my blood (as cheesy as that may sound).

These past few years have been the best. The racing community is like nothing else. It's a big family that will always be there for each other, even beyond the racing season. I have met and become friends with so many great people in this season alone, and I wouldn't give racing up for the world. It's a huge part of who I am.

I can't wait to become a racer that all of the people that I've met can be proud to know and be proud of how I have gotten better. I know it's going to be quite a few more years before that happens, but I'm content to wait and to patiently keep learning so I can become a better racer.

I'm excited for next season! It's going to be the absolute best yet. In the years to come, I hope the seasons keep getting better and better because I know that racing will be a big part of the rest of my life. Racing is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

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Kaytie Boyer is a twenty-year-old, 3-Dimensional Studies student at Bowling Green State University. Her hope is to focus on Ceramics. Kaytie has been racing at her local track, Summit Motorsports Park, for several years.