Fri, 7 Oct 2011, 08:28 AM Now That's Dedication

By Bob Frey

Terry McGee was honored during driver introductions for the VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions which he qualified for this year in the Sportsman division. Photo copyright 2011 Kevin Pepera

There have been a lot of racers who have made names for themselves over the years by doing special things at certain races. Some gain attention for setting records, like Matt Hagan did at the recent Charlotte race. Others achieve notoriety by winning the same event over and over, like Frank Manzo has done by winning Maple Grove a dozen times. Still others become famous for being part of a historic moment, like Ashley Force was when she beat her dad to become the first female to win in a fuel Funny Car. And in this, the 60th year of NHRA, and as they celebrate their anniversary, there is one racer who is quietly making a mark for himself in the history books. He's not well known, at least not outside of his home track or his home division, and he probably won't make the Hall of Fame, but this one racer has done something that nobody else has done. His name is Terry McGee and he recently competed in the Division3 Summit Racing E/T Finals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, and this wasn't the first time that he has been at the Summit Finals. It was, in fact, the thirty-fifth time that he has been there, and since the E/T Finals are thirty-five years old, that means that Terry has been to all of them. Now that's quite a record.

It hasn't been the best of times for Terry over the past few years, but he says that his drag racing has kept him going. "My dad passed away a few years ago and that came after my mother died at a very early age. Dad had run a muffler shop for as long as I can remember and I had been working there for over thirty years." When his dad passed away the shop status was in limbo since there wasn't a legal will in place. "My brother kind of took over, looked at all the finances and decided to shut the shop down. It wasn't my decision but there was nothing I could do." After losing the only real job that he ever had, Terry has found it hard to make ends meet. "I have had to sell some of my cars, cars that I've had for a long while. When you're my age and you're out looking for work these days it's not easy to find a job." He's been working at various jobs for a while and just barely getting by. "It's been rough, but I'll get through it," he said.

McGee at the ET Finals in 2009. Photo copyright 2011 Chris Simmons, BME Photography

Terry began racing a long time ago and he's done all of his racing with his favorite brand of car. "I love the Mopars," he said. "There's just something about them that attracts me." When asked to put a number to exactly how many of these cars he has had over the years, Terry couldn't come up with a number. "I do know that I began racing at Pacemakers Raceway back in 1969." And not surprisingly that was with a Mopar. "Yeah, it was a really nice 1968 Dodge Dart GTS with a 340 cubic inch engine. It was very quick and ran in the mid 13-second range." And since his father's shop was called Snider's Muffler shop, it was no surprise that the car had a good exhaust system. "We had several floors in the shop and we used to do a lot of work on the first two floors and then work on the race cars on the third floor. Plus that's where we kept a lot of the parts." Since that humble beginning Terry has gone on to become one of the most prolific racers in the country, especially in his home area, Division 3. "I drove my first car from my home in Ohio to Bowling Green for the bracket finals. It was about a seven hour ride, but the car drove well on the street and was tough to beat on the track." Terry still has that car and it occupies a special place in his heart. "There's just something about that one," he said. "It's still in great shape and it's always been one of my favorites." From there he competed at every Division 3 bracket finals and he won the Sportsman championship in 2002, and this year he made it thirty-five consecutive trips to the event when he entered a 1965 Plymouth. "It's a car that runs with the Westgate Motors name on the side," he said. "It's been a Stock Eliminator class car but I ran it in the bracket races at both National Trails and Pacemakers this year." He credits his success this year, which included a pair of top two finishes at the Ohio tracks, to his engine builder, Dave Turner. "He does such a great job and I couldn't have done it without him this year. That engine had over 800 runs on it." In his earlier years Terry relied on the engine skills of Bill Allard. "He passed away a few years ago but he did a lot of my engines. I used to help the guys with their exhaust systems and they helped with my engines. We had a blast."

McGee at this year's ET Finals. Photo copyright 2011 Kevin Pepera

While Terry has done a lot in his racing career, including that incredible string of races at the bracket finals, he isn't the only one in his family who has had success on the track. "My wife, Deanna, is very good. She won the bracket finals in Street Eliminator in 1988 and again in 1996 and was runner-up in 1983." And it should come as no surprise that she did it in a Mopar. "She had a 1974 Duster that ran very well. We both like the Mopars and they have been good to us over the years." With a track record like Deanna and Terry have it's easy to see why they love their Mopar cars.

With all the things that have gone on in his life recently it's easy to see why Terry may not be the most optimistic man in the world, but he still enjoys drag racing. "It's kept me going and I know things will get better." And when they do you can expect to see Terry at the Division 3 bracket finals again next year as he keeps one of the most impressive streaks in drag racing going. "I'd like to win it at least one more time." If he does, you know it will be in a Mopar. Of course his biggest challenge may not be from someone from another track, it could be from someone in his own house, his wife, Deanna.