Beaver Springs Dragway – We’ve seen it before. The familiar black Willys with Mike Etchberger behind the wheel. The big burnouts. The famous launch that is so hard ALL the wheels occasionally leave the ground. Once again, the fans were on the edge of their seats, anxious to see what kind of wheelstand was in store this time. But…this time was different. And different for a very good reason.

On this day, Etchberger graciously yielded his seat so that young Eric Gilbert could make his first pass down a drag strip. The intensity on Eric’s face was unmistakable as he was excitedly getting into the safety gear and strapping himself into the car. The nervousness was showing, but that’s to be expected the first time, especially when the first time is at the wheel of a known wheelstander. As big as his grin was prior to the run, it was definitely bigger, and stronger afterward. It would be likely his face muscles were strained from smiling so big for so long. As he got out, he was excitedly telling everyone in their pit area, “I’ve never driven that car before, other than into the garage. I’ve never gone down a drag strip before.”

The excitement was apparent, so I asked him how it felt. He answered like a seasoned veteran, trying to remain calm. “For my first run it felt pretty dang good.” I wanted to get the full story, so I asked him to walk me through his run, from start to finish. “When I was sitting back there getting ready for my burnout, I was pretty nervous, I didn’t know what to expect. I had some good guidance, I’ve got a great coach [Etchberger]. So I pulled up. I didn’t know it was time to do my burnout till he told me to whack it, so I whacked it! It felt pretty good, I tried not to keep it pinned to the red line too bad and then I lifted. It felt pretty alright. It was time to stage, then I didn’t know what to expect again. So I started inching up. The next time I’ll know to inch up slower because I had to back it up and do it again. My staging was good. I was pretty slow off the line because I saw that third yellow hit and then I hit it. I really should’ve been hitting it as soon as I saw that second yellow go because I would’ve been off by the time the third hit, my reaction time would’ve been better. Other than that I thought I hit my shifts pretty good maybe I was doing them a bit late. 1^St, 2^nd, and 3^rd felt great. I lifted a little bit early, I didn’t want to go too crazy, but I know now for a second run what my limit is and what to expect and I’m looking to improve those numbers.” Of course, I had to ask what those numbers were. “A .26 reaction time and a 13.21 et. Not terrible for a first run! All I can do now is go up. I’ve got a taste for it now! All I want is more!”

As happy as he was, this was also the highlight of the weekend for everyone who got to see this first pass and the excitement it created. I’m sure it’s something Eric will remember for the rest of his life. I asked Mike Etchberger what he thought of the young man’s first pass using his car. He replied, “I’m very proud of the boy. He done good. He didn’t wreck the car. Did everything almost perfectly. I feel he has potential to do well in the future.” Eric, who overheard all this, was quick to add, “I’m glad I didn’t do perfectly, now I have room to improve!” Sounds like another drag racer has entered the fold, just the way it should be! A salute to Eric for making that first run and hats off to Mike Etchberger for providing him a first-class opportunity!