My Racing Roots By JT Morrison

My Racing Roots
By JT Morrison

I got hooked on dirt track racing at an early age. Back in the late 80’s, when I was a young kid, I remember going to the races with my mom and mad and other members of my family to watch my Uncles Jeff Wickham, Earl Simpson, and Cousin Earle Simpson race at our local tracks Midway Speedway, Muskingum County Speedway, Coshocton Speedway and R&R Speedway. I remember us going as much as we could and the more we went and the older I got, I started to gain more knowledge about what was actually going on, like the different classes of cars, how they raced and knowing all the different drivers and having my favorites to root for. Besides my family that we went to watch race, I had my favorites that I would always cheer for including Jack Walker, Jeff Abrams, Jeff Boyd and Aaron Scott were my favorite racers. Now, being from the same hometown may have had an influence on why I pulled for these guys but the encounters I had with these drivers and how they treated me as a kid is something I will never forget and that continued as I got older. My obsession for the sport grew more into my teen years as all I wanted to do was go to the races. Before I was old enough to drive myself, I was always bugging my Dad to take me to the races every weekend. We went quite a bit. There would be many Saturdays that I would have a baseball, football or a track meet that if time permitted we would jump in the car afterwards and head to the racetrack. I never really had the desire to want to actually race myself; I was happy just being a fan. I did however help my Uncle Jeff out a couple years pit crewing on a Late Model which was pretty cool and it let me see the whole other side of racing.

We didn’t have the internet and social media back then but most of you will remember the old Mid American Auto Racing News paper. I thought that was the greatest thing ever and I immediately subscribed and waited in anticipation for it to arrive in the mail each week. That newspaper helped me learn about all the different series, tracks, and drivers and kept me updated on all the racing news that I needed. When I turned 16 and had the freedom to hit the road I would travel to more racetracks around the Ohio Valley area that I’ve never been to before. My dad would still go with me from time to time but only if we stayed local. I would use my MAARN paper to see where the races were and hit the road and go with my girlfriend or my buddy riding shotgun. Well into my adult years it’s pretty much been the same except no more Mid American (haha). It’s all about the technology these days but I still got the passion for the sport and I go to as many races as I can each year. I met a lot of my friends at the racetrack including my now best friend Kyle Jones who operates www.OVDTR.com. I began helping him with OVDTR a couple years ago being a videographer/reporter. It’s been quite a change from just being a spectator to having a media role. It has been a lot of fun though bringing some media attention to dirt track racing. The feedback we receive from the fans, drivers and tracks has made doing it enjoyable. It’s like a hobby to us and we do it all out of pocket and are just happy to be part of and contribute to the sport we all love. I am thankful I was introduced to dirt track racing at a young age. I am glad I took such an interest in it. It became a bonding with family and hanging with my buddies event. Without it I would have never met some of my best friends and made lasting relationships. I love dirt track racing and will continue to love it until the day I die!