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 Volume 7, Issue 10, November 2008

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Mike Harman – Racing is What I Do

By Mark Dau

The Tailgater Publisher

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When racing is in your blood, it isn’t just something you do, it’s what makes you breath.  It is life itself.  And for Mike Harman, racing is what it means to be alive.

Originally from Alabama, Mike lives in North Carolina and has been racing for 35 years. He knew at an early age that he wanted to race.  “My dad raced some,” says Mike.  “I have pictures of me wearing his helmet at three years old.  I’ve always loved cars, speed and competition.”

Mike is a veteran racer with both ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide experience.  He started in late model cars racing short tracks where he won four championships.  In 1995 he stepped up to bigger cars and began racing in Nationwide and ARCA races.  Mike has gone back and forth between the series since then, having 100 starts in both of them.

 

The Crash

 

Mike might be best known for something he had no control over.  He survived what some say is the worst crash in NASCAR history when an unlocked emergency gate in a wall gave way on a Bristol practice run.  An exposed lip of concrete knifed through his car, severing oil lines, tearing into the roll cage, and flaying its skin.  It literally cut his car in half.  Incredibly, Mike walked away from the accident after sliding along the track as his car was hammered by another driver, tearing off his steering wheel and leaving a streak of paint on the driver's compartment.

 

“I knew when the front end went away that I was going into the wall,” says Mike.  “I braced myself but I didn't hit as hard as I thought I would.  When I opened my eyes, I saw the wall and didn't realize the car had turned.  I knew when I quit spinning that it was over. When I opened my eyes all I saw was sky and the

roll cage.  I knew how lucky and blessed I was to get out of the car. It was bad being in it, but when I see it on tape, it scares me more than being in it.  I didn’t know it was a bad until I saw the video.”   You can see the Bristol crash on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJJZBBgje8

 

Being a true competitor Mike got back into the car that afternoon.  “I was back in our other car before they got that car fixed. It really didn't bother me, it's what I do.”

 

Track Record

 

Mike is a veteran of the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR All Pro Series, Southern All Stars and late models.  He has 86 Busch Series career starts from 1996 to 2004, finishing eighth in NASCAR All Pro points in 1997 with eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Mike has a career best eighth-place finish in the ARCA RE/MAX Series driver points in 2005.  His best career ARCA RE/MAX Series finish was at Daytona in 2000 where he finished fourth.  As far as qualifying runs, his career best was third at Flat Rock Speedway, also in 2000.

 

Possibly his most colorful year was 1990 when he won three championships: the Southern All Star Series and two track titles at Birmingham and the Heart of Dixie Speedway in Alabama. He has 19 career Southern All Star wins and 19 Southern All Star poles.  He also has over 300 career wins in late model competition.

 

Team Leader

 

Mike manages the race team during the week, preparing the car and ensuring that it is in the best possible shape for the next race.  But the best part of the week is simply driving the car.  “Racing wasn’t

cool when I started,” says Mike.  “It was really thought of as ‘red-neck.’  Now there are a lot of racers out here who drive a car for lots of reasons, not just to drive a car.  For me, driving the car is my favorite thing in the world!”

 

Favorite Tracks

 

Some of Mike’s favorite tracks include Talladega and Daytona. When asked which series he enjoys racing the most, Mike quickly picked the Southern All Stars. “I have a tremendous amount of success in that series,” says Mike.  “Nineteen poles, 19 wins, a championship and a couple of runner-ups. I really like the rules in that series.”

 

One story that Mike likes to tell is the time after a collision in Montgomery, Alabama, where he vaulted the wall and came to rest against a tree, beside a local resident barbecuing in his back yard.  Fortunately he was uninjured and lived to race another day.  Just a month later, he was racing again.  After another collision, he vaulted the same wall, hit the same tree, and, sure enough, was amused to find the same man barbecuing in his back yard once again!

 

Catering

 

Mike’s team did not go hungry during the trip to Pocono.  They hired exclusively for the day Tassone’s Catering from near-by Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, to provide the tailgating menu.  Don Tassone’s crew provided a slow-cooked barbecued pork as well as hamburgers and hot dogs.  They added a nice touch with fresh

strawberries and cantaloupe which went down very easily on the hot day.  We feature some of Don’s slow barbecuing tips in this month’s Tip of the Month section.

 

Family


When you get right down to it, after all the preparing and racing is done, Mike Harman is a family man.  “My family didn’t want me to race, but they all support me now,” says Mike.  “You do miss family functions, but it’s a job.  My family is number one and racing is right there with them.”

 

 
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