Fri, 2 May 2003, 12:31 PM Mr. Versatility….Mike Trumble!

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2003 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Trumble in Winner's Circle

The O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park saw some spectacular racing, especially in the sportsman classes. In fact, when you looked at the winners, it resembled a drag racing hall of fame for the sportsman racers. Bob Newberry, Kevin Helms, Peter Biondo and Tommy Phillips were among the winners, and so was one of the most versatile drivers in the history of the sport, Mike Trumble. Mike, a 37 year old businessman / driver, won the Competition Eliminator title in Houston, adding that to a long list of accomplishments that includes wins in Super Stock and Stock Eliminator as well as a couple of tours of duty behind the wheel of a Pro Stock car. Now how many people can say that they have done all of that in drag racing, and done them all very well?

Like a lot of today’s racers, Mike Trumble got involved because his dad was in the sport. “Dad used to be partners with Harvey Emmons,” Mike said. “They raced together for a number of years back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.” Dad then took a break from racing and didn’t return until Mike got involved in the early 1980’s. They’ve been together racing and winning ever since. Today, as the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals gets underway in Atlanta, Mike is trying to qualify his new C/SMA Pontiac Sunfire, the same car that he drove to the win in Houston. “Of all the classes that I’ve raced in, I really love Comp,” Mike said. “There are no breakouts and everyone has a good chance to win.” Everyone, that is, except the opponents who lineup against Mike. This year it will be even tougher to beat Mr. Trumble since he’s racing an all new Pontiac Sunfire. “We didn’t even take delivery of the car until Thursday of the Houston race,” Mike said. “We never even made a test run in it and we end up winning the race.” Mike credits a lot of the success of the new car to the folks at East Texas Race Cars who built it, and to the engine people at Naiser Race Cars who worked on the small block engine.” “When they talk about great chassis builders, they have to include Dick Custer and his shop at East Texas Race Cars. They’re unbelievable.” In addition to Mike’s car, ETRC has also built rides for Roger Brogdon, Doug Stewart and Greg Williams, among others, and they all run very well.

When a driver has raced and won in most of the sportsman classes, and when he’s been to “the show,” that is, he’s raced in the professional classes, you would think that he would have that burning desire to return to the professional ranks, but not Mike. When I asked him where he would race if money and work weren’t a factor he said “Comp Eliminator. I love Comp.” When pressed as to why not Pro Stock, Mike echoed the sentiments of a lot of racers who say that it’s a real life style change to race in the pro ranks. “If you want to be competitive in Pro Stock, it takes so much time and money and I’m not sure that it would be right for our family.” The family, which runs an automobile paint and body shop, Pasadena Recon in Pasadena, Texas, along with Trumble Auto Sales, is about to get bigger, too, when Mike and his wife, Angela, have their first baby later this summer.  “I’ve done the Pro Stock thing and it is so competitive and you have to give it your complete attention or you’re not going to be competitive. I don’t want to race that way.”

Trumble launches with the wheels in the air.

Mike Trumble won his first race back in 1984 at the age of 18 when he won the old Sportsnationals. Since then he has added wins in Super Stock and Comp as well as a couple of Sportsman All Star titles, and this year he has his sights set on a national championship. “Hey, David (Rampy) already has two national event wins and a runner-up, so he’s the guy to beat right now. But I intend to give it my best shot.” Mike, who has finished as high as number two in the points, is off to a pretty good start himself, after all, when you’re one-for-one, you really can’t do much better than that, can you? “We’ll run a lot of the national events and this weekend is a big one for us, although in Comp, there are so many good cars and drivers that it’s always tough to win.” In an effort to improve his chances, Mike and his dad will swap out their current small block motor for a bigger 400 cubic inch one once the weather gets warmer. “It’s an easier combination in the hot weather and you need every advantage you can get,” Mike said.  

One look at the car and you can tell that Mike is serious about his racing operation. The new Sunfire has a beautiful paint job that was designed and applied by Robbie Hutchinson of “Total Chaos” in Texas, while the East Texas Race Car Chassis holds a 357 cubic inch, Chevrolet small-block splayed valve motor. “I have to give a lot of credit to the folks at NRC (Naiser Race Cars), because they did a great job on the motor. This is a really good car.” With a motor that’s revving up to about 10,000 rpms, you have to be confident in your engine builder, and Mike says that the guys at NRC “just do everything perfectly. They just don’t make mistakes.” And, judging from his career, Mike doesn’t make many either.

There are a lot of families involved in drag racing, but very few are as involved in the racing and the business like Mike and his family. “Dad, my mom, my wife, my brother-in-law, they’re all involved in the business and it works out well for everyone.” And it works out well enough for Mike and his dad to be able to come to the races, and this year they plan on attending almost a dozen national events as well as the full compliment of Division 4 races. “I just love racing, I love it,” Mike said with a big smile. “I wish I could do it every day.”  Imagine, if he raced every day, before he retired Mike just might win a race in every class. From what he’s shown in the past I don’t think that anyone would doubt that he could be a winner in any class, after all, Mike Trumble has already proven that he is one of the most versatile drivers in the sport.