Sat, 13 Feb 2010, 11:06 AM I've Got The Best Job In The World

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Norm Grimes

Other than Drew Brees, who is probably in Disney World right now, how many people do you know who say that they have the best job in the world? I know that I have said that for a long time and I really mean it. I have the best seat in the house to watch a sport that I love and I get to share that enthusiasm and love with fans all over the world. I know that sounds a little presumptuous on my part, but with the internet I really do share with folks all over the world. I even got an e-mail from Russia last year while I was announcing at the Las Vegas race. It's amazing. Anyway, I really do have the best job in the world, or at least I think I do. I spoke with a man the other day who opened the conversation by saying that he had the best job. Well, I guess from his standpoint, he does. And since I certainly can't do what he does, and I truly hope he doesn't try to do what I do, in our own little way we can each lay claim to having the best job. The man's name is Norm Grimes.

Rick Santos

Over the past few years Norm has been as much a part of the drag racing scene as almost anyone. And while his name may not be that familiar to the casual followers of the sport, the hard core fans know him as one of the great engine builders and tuners in the country. His specialty is blown, alcohol, hemi engines, and when you look at what he has done with Jim Whiteley over the past few seasons, and you see what he did with Rick Santos for a number of years before that, it's easy to see that Norm really is very good at what he does. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. When I called Norm to talk to him I asked about his "day job," and that's when he said that he had the best job in the world. "I get to play with motors and build stuff," is how he described it. "And I love every minute of it." When he's not making a winner or a champion out of one of the cars he tunes at the drag strip, Norm, who operates GSM Enterprises, builds engines for a variety of vehicles, a very wide variety. "We do a lot of work on nostalgia cars and what we call hot rods," he said. "Custom motors for clients in all sizes and shapes imaginable." Then he tossed in a little tidbit about one of his latest endeavors. "Oh yeah, we're doing an engine right now that we hope will break the land speed record for wheel-driven vehicles." Well isn't everyone? The car, which is owned by Charles Nearburg, a businessman from Texas, should be ready in time for the record assault at Bonneville later this year. In order to break the record they will have to go over 409 miles per hour, a record that has stood for almost two decades. "Al Teague has the mark and we're going to give it a shot this year," Norm said.

Jim Whiteley

Norm has been involved with car engines in one way, shape or form since he was just a kid. In recent years he has been the crew chief on Jim Whiteley's Top Alcohol Dragster, and a quick look at the record will show that Jim has been right in the thick of the title chase for each of the last two years. "We're running well, but like always, we'd like to do better," Norm said. He then added that working for and with Jim is a real treat for a crew chief. "I couldn't ask for a better man to work with. Whatever you need, he'll give it to you, and he doesn't try to second-guess what we're doing." With a crew chief like Norm and a record like his, I wouldn't second-guess either. "You won't find a lot of guys, especially car owners, who are willing to let go and let the crew chief make the decisions and do what he wants, but Jim does. We have really good people on the team and they work very well together. It's just a really nice situation."

Norm Grimes

Besides stints with David Wells, Morgan Lucas and even Jerry Toliver in the fuel Funny Car ranks, Norm's greatest success came as tuner for Rick Santos, a five-time Lucas Oil World Champion. The team, which was owned by Jack O'Bannon at the time, was one of the best Top Alcohol Dragsters in history and they won those championships in consecutive years, from 1997 through 2001. When I asked Norm to give me an evaluation of Rick, who is generally considered one of the best drivers in the class, he paused a moment and then said, "What can I say about Rick? He built the car, he drove the car, he did the clutch on the car. If you gave him a tool there wasn't anything he couldn't do on the car. He was just a very special person." Just to give you an idea of how good the team was in those championship years, consider this. The team went 154-23 at national events in those five years. In 1999 they posted a staggering 38-3 won-loss record at the national events and in 2000 they were 32-3. And with all of the pressure to do well, and with a very good race car, Rick lost a grand total of three rounds on holeshots in that five year period. Not bad, is it? Norm also had rave reviews for Rick's father, George. "He is the best machinist I have ever seen. If we have something special that needs to be done on one of the engines were building, I send it to George. The man is unbelievable." Before teaming up with Whiteley Norm also spent time back with Jack O'Bannon and his son, Sean, and their alcohol dragster. Like all of the other cars that he has been involved with, Norm took the team to a second finish in the points in 2006.

Grimes is second from the left in the Santos' team championship.

While the Santos team did well in their championship years, and while Jim Whiteley is starting out with the same kind of impressive won-loss numbers, they have another thing in common. Both teams have fought against the nitro-burning dragsters, cars that seem to have a performance advantage, and while it would be easy for Norm to complain about it, he doesn't. "We just want to do our thing and run our car," he said. He pointed out that, although the fuel cars can run quicker than the blown cars, they don't always perform up to par and they are subject to some wild variations on the times they turn. "Look at the '96 World Finals. Keith Stark was number one at 5.44 and we were number three at 5.61. He ran a best in eliminations of 5.38 and our best was 5.55 and yet we won the race. This is the combination we chose to run and we'll make it work." He then added that, although "We may not always be successful, we always do have a goal." For most of his career Norm has been reaching those goals. "I have to say that none of the things that I have accomplished could have been possible without the help of some special people. John Layfield works at GSM and he has been with me for twenty years. He was a big part of the Santos program and, today, he monitors every part that has any importance on Jim's car. I can't say enough about his work ethic and dedication." Norm also mentioned another important member of the team, Alan Russell. "Alan and I have worked together since the beginning of our careers and he's been a great asset to me and every team that I've been involved with. John and Alan have to get a lot of credit for what we've accomplished as a team."

Whiteley and crew celebrate '09 Winternationals win.

As the 2010 season begins most people would probably say that Bill Reichert, the reigning and four-time Lucas Oil World Champion, is the favorite again this year to win the championship. But for Norm and Jim and the rest of the team, they plan to come out swinging at Pomona. "I don't know who will be there and it really doesn't matter. We'll do our thing and see what happens." The team comes equipped with two cars for the year including a new one built by Chip Nielsen. "He builds a great car and it works for us. Jim has assembled an excellent team and I think we'll do well this year." And while the jury may still be out on whether Jim will eventually put up numbers like Rick did, he hasn't done too badly in his first three full seasons of racing. He has posted a very impressive 54-19 mark and has been to ten final rounds in his first twenty-nine races. If he keeps this pace up, Drew Brees may be spending the weekend in Disney World, but Jim and Norm could be spending their weekend in the winner's circle.