National Dragster: On The Run with Micci Walter

with driver of the Jenkins Motor Parts E/SA Stocker

When your life is handed back to you, you wonder, "What would I do differently?" Well, in December of 2002, after nearly losing my life to a pharmaceutical mistake, a new reality hits home. I came home from the hospital, and the gentleman who bought my race car was ready to take possession. My husband Mike had built me one heck of a great race car. I won several divisionals and class at Indy. The only regret I had was not racing it in Pomona. So we're down to one Stocker now, and we share the seat; of course, I have to tighten the belts a little!

We experienced a year of total mishaps in 2003. Our Stocker looked like a Super Cornp car when it left the line. It would leave and then fall on its face, then launch again! Our season was lost. Mike flogged the car at our local tracks four or five nights a week until the snow shut him down. For Christmas, he gave me a wonderful present: a trip out West. He first presented me two round-trip tickets from our homestate of Ohio to Phoenix. Okay, I like Phoenix ... but then there was a map from MapQuest from Paris, Ohio, to Pomona, and then came entry lists for Pomona and Phoenix with my name as driver! He said that even though it wasn't with my car, I'd get to race "our car." What a guy!

We left Paris in February and hit a terrible ice storm in Pecos, Texas. The highway was closed and, of course, we were on it, creeping along at 5 to 10 mph! We got to Tucson and broke two transmissions in testing, and then Pomona was rained out and rescheduled for a week later! Merry Christmas, honey! Is there a return line?

We decided that I'd stay and race and Mike would still fly home because he had an important project at work: enter cell-phone crew chief. Bill Nelson, who was delegated as my bodyguard and overseer of keeping me in line, did a great job (a little bribery helped). I'd call Mike before every run and tell him the weather conditions and every detail he'd need to know. Then, as I would pull up to the tower, I'd hit speed dial, and with the phone on the seat, he was there with me every round! I went four rounds and really had a great time. I thank all of our friends for always making sure I lacked for nothing.

Then it was off to Phoenix to get in line - and sleeping in the parking lot of the casino. But no worries; i smelled too bad for anyone to bother me. I have to thank Mark Faul and Tom Turner for keeping me company at a local establishment with lots of cold refreshments (where is Bill?). Mike flies in, and, wow, my first final-round appearance at a national event! This is good!

Now it's decision time: Who drives? Our plan was that Mike would race our regular season (six nationals and eight divisionals), and I would compete in a few National Opens to keep my grade points up. Change-up! Micci races for points and Mike - what a husband - will hit the Opens. We're off to the Indy divisional and bring home a win! Life is good! Then Mike races at the National Open in Madison and the oil-pump pick-up falls off right before the first round. We do a quick fix and it's off to the National Open in Hagerstown, Md. Mike brings home a win! Chicago and Topeka give me two second-rounders. On the way home from Topeka, the '91 Ford with 275,000 miles said "enough." The tip of an exhaust valve broke off, and we limped home from Indianapolis at 45 mph. She was a real trooper all of those years; from her current residence on a used-car lot, she'll make someone else happy. Enter new truck. Yes, we finally did it! This is what power feels like. No more Flint stone floor panels - and cup holders, too! Many cars have been offered to us so that we both can race - thank you all - but Mike wants to concentrate on one car and do the best we can as a team. The second half of our season is here, and I've never had so much fun. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! Never again will I say, "I wish I would have ..." or "I'm bored." When you have a best friend who's your teammate, cell-phone crew chief, mechanic, teacher, and all-around wonderful husband, how can you ever go wrong? Live every day as if it's your last. You'll never regret it believe me, I know.