It’s an understatement to say Dave Terry is revved up for the summer racing season.
“This year’s goal would be to win a championship,” Terry said.
It’s a matter of having the right car, the right attitude, the skill and a team behind you. In other words, it’s full speed ahead for this driver.
The 2012 Rookie of the Year, Terry was also the Most Improved Driver in the Ontario Stock Car Association of Asphalt Racing (OSCAAR), no small feat for his first year in the modified tour division.
“It was a good accomplishment because I didn’t really have any set goals for the season,” he said.
“It was just for fun … but as the season went on we started to get more competitive. We came in second a couple of times, got closer to winning. It was a big confidence boost for the season. We finished third overall in points.”
The “we” Terry refers to includes a pit crew made up of family and close friends, like his brother Mike, cousin Chris Terry, friends Dwayne and Justin Wilson, Jeff Mills, and last but not least, his father Pete, known as the crew chief.
“The crew is in the pit, but dad is on the radio, standing on top of the bleachers, talking in my ear, telling me what’s going on,” Terry said, of the communication system that allows drivers and spotters to talk.
“He’s good for advice and spotting for me, because there are a lot blind spots on my car.”
One could say racing is in Dave Terry’s blood. Pete knows his way around a race track, having competed in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
But it is Pete’s influence in the shop, building cars from the ground up, that has taught Dave the ropes.
“I like cars and he caught on to the same thing,” said Pete, who calls his son a quick learner.
Dave’s driving number 14 is a significant nod to his father’s influence on his racing career.
“My number for everything was always one. My dad raced as number four. We just put them together,” Dave explained.
At 27, Dave can’t remember a time he didn’t love cars or want to race. He started young, racing go-karts with the Waterloo Regional Kart Club, before moving on to mini-stock, a four-cylinder stock car class of racing.
“It’s very hard to keep kids out of trouble, but both Dave and Mike got into racing early on,” Pete said.
Dave recalls he has spent countless hours in the shop working with his father.
“We’re always out here in the shop building stuff,” Dave said, pointing to the 1939 International pick-up truck that father and son transformed from an old farm truck to an award-winning hot rod over five years. That was just one of the projects they tackled as a team.
Dave’s current race car, owned by Pete, was bought in Connecticut before the start of last season. The NASCAR modified car was built for American standards and had to be modified for Canadian racing rules. Dave says the pair “completely rebuilt it.”
“We decided this was something we could not only build and design in the shop, but take out and compete at the same time,” he said.
The car has a Toyota Camry body, a Troyer chassis and a General Motors sealed crate engine.
“It makes about 355 horsepower,” Dave said. “It keeps a level playing field. You can’t change anything on the outside.”
But the upkeep on the car is never ending, so it’s a good thing Dave and Pete enjoy it.
“It’s like having a second job. There is always something to do,” said Dave. “There is no such thing as having a perfect race car.”
Before each race, the team takes the car out on a practice run wherever they are racing next, to prepare car and driver.
“Every track is different for the set up of the car,” said Dave. “We change gears, springs, different tire sizes …”
He adds, “Building the car is fun. You get dirty, but you’re working towards something. When you do good there is a great sense of accomplishment to it.”
Spencer Lewis has had a birds-eye view of Dave’s career, from the announcer booth at Sunset Speedway in Innisfil, and as a journalist reporting for Inside Track Motorsport News.
“I’ve followed Dave since his days racing four-cylinder cars. I’ve known him since the beginning,” Lewis said, adding he respects Dave’s work ethic.
“He really does a lot of work on his car. The maintenance program they have to go through is intense. It takes a lot of work, a lot of dedication and a lot of money.”
Helping out is a host of sponsors, many of whom are from Wellington County: Ken Keeler Electric, Stewarts Farm Equipment, Snow Brothers Contracting, W. Brennan Haulage, Dominion Mini Storage, Mann Machines and Hydraulics, and Terry Farms (owned by Pete’s father).
“We have sponsors from around town and it’s great that businesses from around here support us,” Dave said, acknowledging his sport is more than an expensive hobby.
The main sponsor is Wasteco, where Pete has been an employee for 22 years.
“Wasteco has always sponsored me and I represent them at every race,” Dave said.
“Wasteco is a very big part of what we’re doing,” added Pete. “They have a very active racing background in the company and they love that Dave’s out there racing around their area in southern Ontario.”
Given the expensive nature of racing, the Terrys appreciate the support and they want to do their sponsors proud.
“All we’re doing is putting the best car out there that we can,” Pete said.
The community support is every bit as important as the family support and Pete insists racing is “definitely a family deal.”
Just ask Pete’s wife, Darlene, also an avid racing fan, who admits watching her son whip around a race track has some tense moments.
“I can’t stand in the stands and watch. I have to get up and pace,” Darlene said.
She finds solace in the fact the car has been designed with safety in every detail.
“The car is very safe,” Pete said.
Dave agrees. “When you are strapped in, you have all the safety equipment in the world,” he said, noting even the seat has been custom built to fit his body. “Knowing you have the best safety equipment helps you drive with confidence.”
Darlene admits her faith in the car isn’t the issue, as much as the damage to the car if something goes wrong.
“I know how much time goes into building the car, and it has to be done before the next race (often just a matter of days),” she said, adding, “It’s a lot of work and a lot of money.”
With a summer racing schedule that includes 16 races, the Terry clan will make stops in Peterborough, Flamboro, Varney, Sauble Beach, Innisfil and London. The travel is part of the fun.
“You get the chance to travel around and meet great people,” Dave said. “When you go to the track you meet a lot of the people you know.”
Pete says the sense of community and Sportsmanship at the track is a big draw to the sport.
“We do it for the fun and that’s all it is,” Pete said. “If we’re not having fun at the track, we’re not going.”
Pete and Darlene acknowledge the competition is fierce, but they choose to keep the emphasis on the enjoyment of the sport – not just winning or losing. While Dave would agree, saying he enjoys the camaraderie with the other drivers, his youthful energy for the sport is defined by a serious need for speed.
“It’s extremely competitive and it’s extremely difficult to win,” Dave said. “I’m racing some of the best racers in Ontario, and some are the young guys coming up too.”
Lewis and Pete both believe it is Dave’s calm demeanor that produces a confidence behind the wheel.
“He is so cool and collected. It shows in his driving,” said Lewis. “It’s really hard to throw Davey off his game.”
Pete agrees. “Dave has very smooth driving, which is very important for consistency and the ability to stay out of trouble.”
Pete credits Dave’s ability to “stay positive” and his overall personality for making him a strong competitor, adding that allows his son to avoid incidents on the track, bettering his chances to obtain a good position.
Lewis believes those who know Dave would appreciate his alter ego behind the wheel.
“When you actually see him drive, he’s really different. It’s aesthetically pleasing,” Lewis said of Dave’s driving style. “He is entertaining to watch.”
Lewis says the young driver is “aggressive, but easy on equipment,” meaning he drives smart.
“He’s just not afraid to press the issue … He’s not afraid to make a gutsy move to get to a position,” Lewis said.
Racing takes focus and determination and Dave has both in spades.
“You have to be strong both mentally and physically,” Dave explains, noting, “You have to be pretty mentally strong to drive into a corner and not chicken out.”
It takes a toll on the body, too.
“The G-force that is put on your body … you have to be ready to withstand that for long periods of time,” he said.
Added to that is the heat a racer endures in their protective gear.
“Staying hydrated is extremely important,” Dave said. Darlene has a water bottle at the ready for each pit stop.
“When you are driving at night, you can see the sparks and melted rubber from the tires fly through the car,” Dave said, laughing. It’s just another distraction he has to avoid.
Behind the wheel, Dave describes what it is like to be in the zone of the race.
“It is kind of like tunnel vision toward the track and the other drivers. Your mind is completely blank to anything else,” he said.
It has to be, he explains, saying there is no room for your mind to wander off at all.
“You are so focused on what you’re doing and what’s going on around you. You are driving next to guys less than an inch away from you,” Dave said. “On the really big tracks we get up to around 110 miles an hour into the corner.”
“You are on the edge of control,” Dave says, with a smile that makes it clear he’d have it no other way.
Lewis believes the success of 2012 will launch the driver ahead. “[Dave] will build on that success. This will be a big season for him.”
With the first race of 2013 complete, Dave is off to a good start.
“I finished first and second in my qualifying heats and fourth in the feature,” said Dave, whose next race is June 29 in Innisfil.
“Davey, with his unique style, really cemented himself as an elite level, up-and-comer,” said Lewis. “If I had to point to a guy who is going to have a breakout season, it’s him, no doubt.”
