In the recent Presidential elections, one man was thrust into the
limelight as the embodiment of the American middle class working man,
dedicated and hard-working business owner, tax-payer, and family man –
“Joe the plumber.” And regardless of the election’s results, Joe’s
brief fifteen seconds of fame changed a lot of perceptions and grounded
political idealism in day-to-day reality because people could relate to
him. In drag racing, one man has come to represent the hard-working,
dedicated, competitive drag racer, but his rise to the top is much more
than a flash-in-the-pan claim to stardom. It's more a series of years
and years of five-second runs that put bootstrapping Terry Haddock on
the top as the last man standing in IHRA nitro Funny Car.
Terry is the consummate drag racer. He makes the tuning decisions on
the car, drives the transporter, and can even be seen putting together
sandwiches for his all-volunteer crew. Affable and happy, he can be
found at the track with grease under his nails and a clutch-dust tan.
He’s not polished and quaffed, but is a sponsor’s dream because he
understands what it takes to be successful and connects with fans and
weekend racers. The journeyman from Jersey, transplanted to Seattle, is
driven by his competitive spirit and a desire to give back whenever he
can.