When Bob Randall was 64, he started spending his Social Security checks on the race car he’d always dreamed of driving.
Now 66, Randall socked almost $20,000 into his ride: a souped-up 1971 Chevy Vega with the number 33.
He spent every spare moment under the hood and did every bit of work himself or with the help of his two sons. He painted and sanded, rebuilt the engine and replaced the suspension system and kept immaculate calculations on temperature, tires and speed.
And that was when he wasn’t working full time as the energy manager for Stafford County schools. He was on the go so much he lost 40 pounds.
“I have to be able to crawl into the window,” Randall said, explaining his need to slim down. “It takes a minute and a half getting in and three-tenths of a second getting out.”
Fast cars and family outings to NASCAR events have always been a part of the Hartwood man’s life. He has paid to do laps at Richmond International Raceway when he wasn’t watching races. For Christmas a few years ago, his wife, Nancy, sent him to race-car driving school in North Carolina.
Decades before Randall got behind the wheel of a vintage model, his father raced modified cars in upstate New York.
Randall made a promise before he started driving around an oval track at almost 90 mph. He told his wife he’d chase his dream for two years only. Then, if he didn’t find a sponsor to cover tires that are $600 a set or high-octane fuel that’s $8.50 a gallon, he and Nancy would focus on visiting all 50 states and spending time with their five grandchildren.
Randall’s two years of racing ended on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend with a bang.
It was his fifth race of the season, and Randall had moved up through the ranks of the Southern Vintage Modified Racing Association. He had a shot at winning the championship.
Lacks, 67, has been racing for 13 years and is the only driver older than Randall. He said Randall is 100 percent better than he was last year, but that bad luck plagued him on the last race.
“I don’t think I could have gone through what he did Friday night and Saturday morning, but he hung in there and run the race,” Lacks said. “He’s just a great guy, putting his all into it.”
After that, he’ll start repairing the car so he can sell it or race again if he finds a sponsor.
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