Chris Escobar said he’s taking a break after winning his 16th True Street race in Atlanta on April 10. He said what started as a hobby has turned into a job. “From here, I’m trying to have more fun with the car,” he said.
Escobar’s attitude is understandable after his last trip to Atlanta. He went through major mechanic work trying to get the new Darton Sleeved motor, built by Kris Starnes, in his car. After much fabricating and other tweaking he took his car to Orlando Speedworld and ended up ripping out the transmission to install another converter. After leaving Orlando, he had a double blow-out on his trailer. With help from friends and his father, he eventually made it to Atlanta and the winner’s circle.
Now he says, “I will probably do more local racing and stop traveling up north as much as in the past. I have a few bugs to work out of the new combination. Once the car is back in perfect shape, I will start racing more, no major engineering work ahead, just fine tuning what I have.” By local racing, Escobar said he meant the Atmore Dragway.
As far as local work, Escobar said he means taking his car around town and going to car shows. The NMRA races he said start in Bradenton, then go to Atlanta, then on to Maryland, Ohio, and Chicago. “The other part of this is I'm a one-man band. Most people that do all this stuff have a team of people that works with them, helps them. Really, a lot of people own shops and they take their two to three employees with them on this trip, and they're all good mechanics and know what's going on. I do this from Pensacola, to Michigan, to home with only me. I make sure the truck, trailer, generator, and the car is ready and then I have to drive, then I have to race, and fix it.”
The distance to these races also increases costs. He said one trip north could cost $850 in diesel alone “let alone entry fees, race fuel, and the generator.” He said he saves lodging costs by staying in the trailer. “It’s four days worth of driving. I could be working and making money. It takes me seven days to do that trip.”
On top of the cost and distance, Escobar said the self-imposed pressure had become too much for now. “I set a certain standard for myself and when I'm racing, it's serious business. I get into this mode where I worry for months leading up to the race. I'm preparing, thinking about this.” Escobar said he used to wake up at 3 and 4 a.m. dreaming about the car and sorting through ideas. “It's really taxing… It's a lot of work, not that it's not fun but it's a boat load of work and worry for me, so I'm just trying to switch gears and get back to the fun that this began as… I've got my dream car and now I need to try to enjoy it and realize that I've got it and have fun with it instead of it being a lot of work.”
The Atmore Dragway is an eighth mile track instead of the quarter mile he usually races, but Escobar said its convenience is the major draw for him. He’ll spend much less in travel and not be stuck sleeping in his trailer.
Though Escobar’s readiness to leave the track behind was evident, he said this phase has come and gone before. “I often go through ups and downs, get burned out. This is just my mode right now. I put a lot of work, time, and effort in my car. This year I want to somewhat relax a little bit, gather myself, and next year I might get fired up and run the circuit again.”
Keep up with the Santa Rosa Press Gazette for when Escobar makes any local appearances or hits the Atmore track.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The rode hard champ