Wed, 2 Jun 2010, 09:12 PM Taking Stock

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Gilley defeated Jody Lang to win in his first Stock national event.

Larry Gilley pulled off a remarkable feat when he drove his classic Dodge Dart to victory in his first Stock Eliminator outing at the FRAM Autolite Nationals in Sonoma last season. It was so remarkable, in fact, that he could scarcely believe it himself and attempted to label the accomplishment "a fluke." His theory was debunked, however, when he glided the shiny black Mopar to another win just a few events later, at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas.

To be fair, when Hilmar, Calif., resident Gilley showed up at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway for that first national event, he was a newcomer to the Stock category but already possessed 10 years worth of bracket racing experience, and his familiarity with the dragstrip surely contributed to the seemingly easy early success. The transition from grassroots bracket racing to Lucas Oil Series competition isn't always so simple, though. Gilley seems to have something special.

Gilley hoisting his first national event Wally.

For fans sitting in the grandstands, that something special is evident the moment he pulls forward from the staging lanes; his uncommon '69 Dart is a real eye-catcher. Before Gilley took ownership of it, the car belonged to his father, Bill, who raced the drag strip back in the 1960s with a different car and bought the Dart to build as a bracket car not too long ago. Partially into the project, Bill had second thoughts.

"He called me one day and said, 'I'm bringing that Dart out to you if you want it,' " Gilley recalled. "I told him I'd take it, and it sat in my shop for about a year or so. Then my friend John Gray built a Stocker and started racing, and I was kind of jealous, so I thought, you know what? I'm going to see what I can do with this Dart."

Gilley got to work in January of 2009 and spent every spare minute into putting the car together, logging 50 hours or so a week in the evenings and on his days off from his regular job in the utilities department with the city of Turlock.

Gilley in his E/SA '69 Dart.

John Gray and a few others pitched in on the build, but Gilley assembled most of the car himself. Local friend and fellow Mopar racer Steve Wann led him in the right direction in terms of the 340-cid engine, and Gilley built it, utilizing a trait that he picked up from his dad, who owned an auto repair shop during Gilley's youth. Gilley also builds engines for a few folks in his area.

"The engines are the part I like doing the most," said Gilley, who has a small shop near his Northern California home. "I enjoy it just about as much as driving, but I couldn't be the kind of guy who builds a car then watches somebody else get to drive it. That's the relaxing time; after you do all the work during the week and get to the track, it's time to relax and concentrate on driving. The hard work is done."

Last summer, in his Sonoma debut, Gilley found the zone and bettered Northwest doorslammer ace Jody Lang with a .001 light in the final and an 11.55 on his 11.48 dial to Lang's .017 reaction and 12.82 (12.73). With his first victory behind him, Gilley went to his next two national events - the fall Las Vegas race and the 50th anniversary Winternationals in Pomona - and picked up a couple more round wins, accumulating a few divisional rounds in between.

Gilley beat Mick Alley to win again at the Las Vegas national event earlier this season.

This past spring, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gilley used supreme starting line skill to notch wins in six rounds en route to his second final. A few of the battles were easy, but there were a couple close ones, including a very narrow win in the opening round over Jim Durham and a heads-up E/SA match with longtime racer Gregg Luneack that should have been cake but almost ended in disaster for Gilley, who was triple-zero at the Tree. Luck and expertise were on his side in sin city, though, and Gilley scored his second Full Throttle Series win with a money-round triumph over Mick Alley. As in Sonoma, Gilley recorded a deadly .001 launch and then went 11.39 on his 11.37 dial to best Alley's .022 and 10.44 (10.42).

"I didn't have any expectations of winning that soon and then doing it again," said Gilley. "I know guys who have been doing this for a long, long time and have never won a national event. All of that bracket racing I did really helped me. There are a lot of good drivers here in Northern California who I bracket race on a weekly basis, and they just make you better. The more you race, the better you get."

Gilley at the 50th Anniversary Winternationals.

Gilley's bracket racing days produced more than plain old A to B experience. He was runner-up at the 2003 Summit Series ET Finals in Tucson and won several big-money bracket races, including the Nightfire Nationals in Boise, Idaho, at the New family's Firebird Raceway. Gilley was also chosen as an Allstar one year at Firebird and has a collection of plaques and trophies to show for his previous accomplishments.

The self-proclaimed Mopar guy still hauls out his '68 Barracuda to compete in bracket races, but his main focus these days is racing NHRA's Division 7 and hitting local national events, and like most racers, his goal is to finish well in the points and maybe even have a shot at a championship someday.

"I started out just figuring I would see what I could do," said Gilley, who cut his teeth on go-karts, motorcycles, and anything else with wheels. "I've done well enough to make a little money to keep going to the races, and that's a bonus."

Celebrating in the Las Vegas winner's circle.

Could the key to Gilley's achievements lie somewhere in that statement?

"Sometimes, when you know you have to win to keep going, that makes you try a little harder," he said. "I call it 'playing scared.' You know you have to do well, or you're not going to get to do it anymore. I was always fascinated with cars and making them go fast. This is what I've always wanted to do."

Gilley receives support from wife Debbie, John Gray, Randy Bursell, Dave Varner, and Charlie Smith. He also acknowledged the early aid of Sacramento Raceway competitor Ron Nichols, who helped him learn the ropes, and Mark Terrell, who was a critical and regular contributor to his program when he first began racing.