Fri, 20 Sep 2013, 22:18 PM The Second Time Was The Scariest

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2013 NorthEastDragReview.com

Growing up in the Northeastern part of the country I was very fortunate to be able to see some of the top drag racers in the history of the sport. Now I know this will sound like I'm bragging (and maybe I am) but I was also able to announce for most of the top stars from the East and become friends with many of them. As such you often get emotionally involved with them and you have a tendency to celebrate their wins and suffer with them when they lose. Of course, as we all know, as important as drag racing is it certainly isn't a matter of life and death, and that's why I often try to comfort a racer after a particularly tough loss with a few words of wisdom. Things like "it's not the end of the word" or "in the overall realm of life this isn't a big deal." That's when I am usually asked to leave their pit area, after all, to them at that moment it is the end of the world. Racers live to win, and when they don't there isn't much that can make them feel better. But if you talk to Paul Gill he will tell you that as much as racing means to him he knows about the important things in life and that's because he lost his son, Paul, at the young age of twenty-five. "It's devastating and you never get over it," he said. "And when you go through something like that losing a race takes on a whole new perspective."

Paul Gill is a very successful businessman and his company, Moduline Cabinets, is among the most respected in the industry. "I started it twenty-five years ago pretty much as a job shop, you know, just doing stuff for other people, helping them engineer and design their products. Then about fifteen years ago I made my own cabinets for my racing operation and people started seeing them, asking about them and so I started making them for other people. Today the racing cabinets are a big part of our business and we sell cabinets all over the world."

Paul's company is well known across the country just like his name is in the drag racing world and he drives one of the quickest cars in the sport and he says that he has his sister to thank for all of it. "She took me to a race at New England Dragway when I was twelve years old and I fell in love with it. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. There were Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters and I thought it was the neatest thing that I had ever seen, and to be a part of the sport now is far more than I could ever have dreamed of back then." And he is a big part of the sport with one of the few Top Alcohol Funny Cars that have been in the 5.40 range, with ten national event final rounds and another sixteen divisional finals to his credit.

Even though he has built a great reputation in the alky ranks Paul says that his racing career had a very modest beginning. "I had a car and I did some street racing," he admits. Hey, it happened more often than people like to admit. "From there I got a Super Gas car but it really wasn't my cup of tea. I wanted to go fast and I didn't know how to hit the brakes. I'm more of a speed guy" So he did the only logical thing and decided to race in one of the sport's quickest and most challenging classes, Top Alcohol Funny Car. "I went to Frank Hawley's school and earned my license there." Once he had a license all he needed to go racing was a car. "In 1993 I bought the old Larry Miner car that Gary Scelzi ran. I got a lot of help from guys like Steve Boggs, Bob Newberry and Ken Veney and they were all great. And of course I have been blessed with great crew members over the years and I'm especially lucky to have my fianc?, Ronni supporting me." And apparently those Hall of Fame drivers and tuners taught Paul well because it wasn't long before he was on his own. "I'm a quick learner and I really wanted to do my own thing and I think it worked out pretty well." Paul admits to being very mechanical, and even without the benefits of a college degree he says that he was able to figure out how to make his car run. "I like to think I'm a blue collar engineer," he said. "And that's both in my business and racing careers." While Paul was running the business and making his car one of the most competitive in the sport he also experienced the ultimate emotional shock with the loss of his son, Paul. "He had leukemia and he passed away when he was just twenty five years old. Paul and my other son, Matt, were close, I mean they fought like brothers will do, but Matt donated his bone marrow when Paul was sick." As you can imagine it was a devastating loss for Paul. "Like I said, you never get over it."

After his son passed away Paul continued to race and he dedicated every run to his son. "Yeah, I talk to him before every run. It's a ritual with us now and it's something that I have to do." And a new ritual for Paul is to watch Matt get behind the wheel of the family car. "He was on the crew for about a year and then he expressed an interest in driving. When he made his first pass down the track in the alky car it was the first time he had ever been down the drag strip in anything." When asked about his emotions after that first run Matt said candidly, "It was scary, but not as scary as the second time. I mean, the first time I had no idea what to expect, and when I made the second run I did, and I have to admit it was scary." Matt added that it's almost natural to be scared but it's more important to have a respect for the car. "Dad taught me to always respect it. These cars are powerful and a lot of things can happen. Besides, I'm just too dumb not to be scared!"

Paul said that all of his friends wanted him to take baby steps with Matt, you know, put him in a Super Comp car or something like that before stepping up to the big car. "Everyone who knows me knows I don't like to go slow. I have seventeen years of driving these things and I think I can bring him along at a good pace." Matt earned his license about a year ago and he had one of the great Funny Car drivers in the sport sign off on it. "Yeah, we were at Charlotte last year and Robert Hight signed my license. That was really cool." To date Matt only has about two dozen runs under his belt and he says that it is a constant learning process. "Every time you get in the car you learn something. Today (at Epping New Hampshire's Hot Rod Reunion) I had a little glitch on the starting line and I'll learn from that." As for his part Paul says that Matt is a quick study. "I try not to talk too much. He absorbs everything and is a pretty good learner."

Watching his son drive his car keeps Paul very busy and he often has mixed emotions. "I like to watch the performance of the car but I also keep an eye on the safety. That's very important." For his part Matt says that he is enjoying his time behind the wheel. "I've really always wanted to do this, but with the job (he works with his father at the family business) and my family I didn't always have the time. Now we're trying to work it out and I'm really enjoying myself." Paul added that he is enjoying coaching Matt and he looks forward to seeing him race against some of the best in the sport. "It's a great division and there are a lot of good cars here. Of course I enjoyed the times when we travelled west to race some of those guys, too. That was fun." As to whether Matt will ever hit the road Paul simply said, "We'll see how it all works out." But having gone through what he did with the loss of his one son, Paul admits to enjoying the time he has at the track now with Matt. "It's great to be able to do this, but neither of us will ever forget Paul. He was and still is so much a part of our life."

NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 13- NHRA and FOX Sports Announce TV Schedule for NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 12- 75th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"