A full moon was out, it was Friday the 13th, and the BiGFooT team showed up at Monett, Missouri, to start up the Dub-L 07 sprinter for the first time since a motor rebuild over the past month. By the end of the night, Michael raced to his first victory in any race, by taking the checkered flag first in the "A" Feature. As Michael described it, "the car was a rocket tonight".
Michael drove the Mike Stewart Engines, 2013 ART chassis, Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings, Champion Brands Lubricants, and Ti22 Performance sprinter as if he was on a mission; a mission that he was not going to be denied. Starting on the pole of the "A", Michael jumped to the lead as the green flag waved and led from start to finish. Two restarts that bunched up the field and a car spinning just in front of him were minor challenges for Michael. As the green flag dropped for each restart, Michael would pull away from the field. As second place finisher Shayla Waddell stated "He (Michael) was fast tonight".
Some reflections shared by Michael's dad: As Michael's father, it was a special Father's Day Weekend. It was a dream come true for the entire family/crew. Just over 2 & 1/2 years ago, Michael had not raced any type of car, had not set in a sprinter. The help of so many people brought us to this point. Mike Stewart's help, advice and mentoring is impossible to quantify; you can not find a better man. People such as David Stephenson, Phil Oakes, Alan Lemmons, Phil Davis, Danny James, Rob Forehand, Danny Smith and so many others provided our team with advice and help. Sponsors of our team, Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings, Champion Brands Lubricants, Ti-22 Performance and Goodyear, helped position our team for success. Barry Grabel and John Lemon, and the entire group of OCRS officials are a great group of people to work with. The camaraderie of the OCRS drivers and teams has been an unexpected benefit to our team and to us individually. Michael's mom (Jane) and his uncle (John) provide both off-track and on-track support. The stories and memories of Michael's grandfather (Bill Bookout) provide inspiration for the team. My thanks goes out to all.
- Robert Bookout on Jun 16, 2014
- Article Date: 6/13/2014