NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

SCOTT GEOFFRION

BLAKENEY MOTORSPORTS

“I don't give the racecar the same brain every time.”

Questions and story by Dwight Drum
Photos and Web work by Gary Larsen

Fans may be surprised to see a Ford product competitive in the GM dominated Pro Stock Car class of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, but driver Scott Geoffrion is no surprise. Geoffrion is a steady hands-on competitor, a graduate of the Warren Johnson drag racing school of hard-and-smart work, and a good communicator too. Read on for his comments to Dwight.

"I definitely miss the competition more then anything else. I love to compete and also miss all the great friends I've made over the years. I've been here since I was 10 years old and you get really attached to a lot of people."

"I guess the first time in 1985 when I drove my first super gas car and I did pretty well the first time I was out with it. I thought this could really work. This is a really fun!"

"I try to stay consistent. If I stay consistent you can make mechanical changes on the racecar that can speed things up and change things. I don't give the racecar the same brain every time. It can't respond to me, so I try to do the same thing every time...make the mechanical changes...make it come to me."

"Just a burning desire inside my belly, that's probably why I've got ulcers. I wake up at night and my wife tells me I've been talking about the racecars. I'd never talk about her! (Laughs)"

"I think it's born with you. I have a son who is so competitive in soccer. He's just got such a fire underneath him all the time, as I do for racing. I was always somebody that was out here. Nobody in my family races. I was somebody that was always persistent. I always hung around the races, saw an opportunity over here. Every opportunity seems to kind of go up a ladder as long as you don't burn any bridges along the way. You can always go back down the ladder in order to go back up again. More than anything you're born competitive or you're not. I'm a bull headed tourist!"

"I have another business at home besides racing, a specialty metals business. I wish I was full time at this. I'm going to be at all of the races, but for now I have to make my living inside and outside the sport. That's why we're looking for sponsors to come on board."

"Like today…like showing up here with no runs on a racecar and every run picking up to go faster. I didn't even know if I was going to have a race car for this race, never mind come here and be able to qualify in the top half with something that's unproven. That's pretty special."

"I think the mental side is hugely important. I consider Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Darrell Alderman the best drivers out here. I keep trying to get to that level. They’re consistent, more consistent then anybody out here. Your success comes from being consistent."

I've been saying since last year. We're going to give Ford fans something to be really proud of. Let’s face it, these fans have believed in Ford Blue for a long time. We finally got a good competitive race car, something that's small enough to compete with the GM's and the Dodges, so we're on an equal playing field now. We're just going to go forward."