Once you drive a nitro-burning car and step away – there is still a monster inside, lurking and waiting for the opportunity to be unleashed. All it took for Mitch King was a birthday celebration and a fire-breaking, nitro-burning fuel altered to get the beast growling again.
King returned to the drag strip on Thursday behind the wheel of Terry Haddock’s Top Fuel dragster on the eve of the Funny Car Chaos event at the Texas Motorplex to renew his competition license.
For King, this was more than a procedure to keep his driving credentials current.
“I’ve just been away too long, and my wife threw me a birthday party and we wanted to crank the altered up and then, you know how one thing leads to another and what nitro can do to you,” King said.
On Thursday, King made some solid runs with strong early incremental numbers.
“Felt pretty good,” King said. “I wasn’t that nervous and it was kind of just like old home. I’ve driven so many different things, and you know, I wanted to renew my license in both the altered and the dragster.”
King doesn’t have a timetable for the events he will run but does have plans.
“I still have a dragster, but it’s not together,” King explained. “I might run the altered and my son’s a little bit interested in learning how to drive the altered, which has kind of got me a little bit motivated. We’ll see where the addiction leads us.”
The only apprehension about a full-scale return has been King’s candy store’s success located in the heart of Galveston, Texas.
King’s store, La King’s Confectionery and Ice Cream Parlour is a throwback to the 1920’s when folks came out to enjoy a treat and visit.
King has been immersed in the business since Covid regulations closed the operation for two months. He admits there have been some weeks where 15-hour days have been the norm.
“We were closed for two months, and then I mean obviously it changed the way we do business,” King said. “We had to get rid of the sit-down eating and more take it and go. But, well, we learned a few things, and summer was down. We were closed all of April and May, but since summer was over, it’s been about par even with the last few years, which has been pretty good.
“Spring break was unbelievable just this last month. And I mean it just ended a week ago. So if that’s any indication of what the summer will do after everybody gets a vaccination. And I mean, it’ll be interesting to see what happens here when summer gets rolling full force.”
What remains to be seen is if King will actually have time to race.
“We’ll see, but it will be fun when it happens,” King said.
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