The passion to drag race is something that never seems to die for some people.
 
Terry Earwood can attest to that fact.
 
Earwood, who last drove in the Super Stock class in 1996, is coming out of retirement to compete at the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis Sept. 2-7.
 
"I'm already thinking about all of my old friends who I'm going to get to see and I driving again is just going to be a hoot," the 61-year-old Earwood said. "There's nothing like being a part of the atmosphere at the U.S. Nationals. It's the biggest drag race in the world."
 
Earwood is going to drive a 1982 Super Stock Camaro for his good friend John Livingston at Indy. Livingston, who is 66 years old, plans to compete at the event in a 1982 Stock Eliminator Camaro. The two Camaros will carry the L&L Auto Sales sponsorship. That's Livingston's business in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The passion to drag race is something that never seems to die for some people.
 
Terry Earwood can attest to that fact.
 
Earwood, who last drove in the Super Stock class in 1996, is coming out of retirement to compete at the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis Sept. 2-7.
 
"I'm already thinking about all of my old friends who I'm going to get to see and I driving again is just going to be a hoot," the 61-year-old Earwood said. "There's nothing like being a part of the atmosphere at the U.S. Nationals. It's the biggest drag race in the world."
 
Earwood is going to drive a 1982 Super Stock Camaro for his good friend John Livingston at Indy. Livingston, who is 66 years old, plans to compete at the event in a 1982 Stock Eliminator Camaro. The two Camaros will carry the L&L Auto Sales sponsorship. That's Livingston's business in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
 
"John called me one day and said he bought a trailer that could haul two cars and he said why don't we fill up the hauler and get you a car," recalled Earwood.
 
Although Earwood did drive a Super Stock Corvette in a handful of races for Livingston in '96, he actually hasn't competed full-time in drag racing since 1977.
 
From 1969-77, Earwood was a dominate Super Stock driver. He initially drove for Bill Tanner, who was based out of Atlanta, and then he joined up with Steve Bagwell, who was headquartered in Woodstock, Ga.
 
Earwood drove for Bagwell's Barnett Automotive-sponsored Super Stock cars for eight years until '77, which is when Earwood chose to retire.
 
"We had the fastest Hemi-powered cars out there," Earwood said. "When I left, we held a bunch of national records."
 
While competing for Bagwell, Earwood won the biggest race of his career -- the 1973 U.S. Nationals Super Stock title. He piloted a 1970 Hemi Barracuda convertible to the crown over Bill Felker in the final round.
 
"Winning that race is something that I will never forget," Earwood said. "Coming back to Indy as a former champion and getting to race here again is something I've been really looking forward to doing."
 
In preparation for Indy, Earwood drove in three races early this season to get some points.
 
"I don't know if they let past champions automatically race at the U.S. Nationals, and I didn't want to take any chances," Earwood said. "Plus, it was pretty fun to drive again. That little 305 Camaro has a quicker launch than I had with my old Hemi cars."
 
Earwood will be back in action Aug. 28-30 when he competes at NHRA North Central Division event at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky.
 
"This race will be a good tuneup for us before we go to Indy," Earwood said.
 
According to Earwood, Indy will not be the last race he drives at for Livingston this season.
 
"We're going to race at the IHRA World Finals (Oct. 22-25) in Rockingham (N.C.) for sure," Earwood said. "We would also like to do one other race, but we will just have to see how it works in John and I's schedule."
 
Competing in the World Finals makes sense, since Terry's brother Steve, owns Rockingham Dragway.
 
When Earwood left drag racing in '77, he didn't slow down at all. He began competing in road racing as well as doing police pursuit driving training in Gainesville, Ga.
 
He competed in the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Series which has since evolved into the KONI Series. Earwood retired from road racing full time in 1997 after collecting 30 wins and one world championships in '96.
 
Earwood, who now lives in Deland, Fla., also has been the chief instructor for the Skip Barber Racing School the past 25 years.
 
"My road racing buddies don't understand why I want to go drag racing again," said Earwood, who was inducted into the NHRA's Southeast Division Hall of Fame in Ocala, Fla., in 1996. "But, if they would sit at the starting line and push the transbrake button and mat it and let the button go and hang on, they would understand."

Advertisement