Getting married vs. Racing............

[racer-025]

I started racing the other way around. Got married in 1987. I worked like DOG for years to make ends meet. During that time, I had to sell some toys that I had prior to marriage. ie: motorcycle, 1975 Molyslip Civic & M38 jeep and others. Wife spent money like tap water. I divorced her in 1993. Also in 1993 I lost my job, wolf was trying to take the house, and owed $$$ everywhere.

Did I jump off a bridge? No. Decided to go road racing. Five years later, met wife #2. I laid the racing rules down on the table PRIOR to marriage. Now, 10 years after that, the road racing still happens every year. I just bring wife along and camp with RV at the track every race weekend. It works for me...

[gsbaker]

This is too easy. She gives you the bill for 1/2 the wedding, you give her the bill for 1/2 the racing. You only have to buy one diamond, but tire expenses are forever.

[gran racing]

You can also temp her into wanting you to race more by showing her the life insurance policy SCCA has. My wife was all of a sudden too eager to work on my racecar's brakes.

[NutDriverRighty]

I'm loving all of the responses. Some make me laugh, some bring a tear to my eye.
On the good side with Honey, she doesn't look like Carmen Electra, so she's safe from my friends when I go racing and she stays at home. Also, Captain Who and I just spent nearly $4000 on the IT7 car (yeah, I hear it............"Coulda bought another one for less!!"), then I went out and promptly puked the freshly rebuilt engine (sorry, Doug!). Although we split the bills, Honey hasn't blinked at the negative cashflow that we've had with the Rx7 lately. On the good side again, the Carolina Cup Pro Series paid us our winnings for 2006.................$15!!!! Wow, I could almost get a pint of brake fluid with that!! (just kidding, Estus. I do appreciate it. Proves I'm a "professional" since I've gotten paid for doing it).
Thanks for the responses and the food for thought. I look forward to seeing you all trackside very soon...........CMP in 18 days, maybe??

Scott "the doomed one" Franklin, aka Righty
www.NutDriver.org

[CaptainWho]

... puked the freshly rebuilt engine (sorry, Doug!) ... [/b]

Not your fault.

On the good side again, the Carolina Cup Pro Series paid us our winnings for 2006.................$15!!!![/b]

And another $15 in '07 ... I just got the check a couple of weeks ago.

[MMiskoe]

If she's on board w/ it prior to getting married I'd say you're all set. Families that race together stay together.

It does however pose some problems.

Who watches the kids when one of you is driving & the other wants to see the end of the race at midnight?

When she decides to drive, who gets the car?

which becomes you hearing these statements:

"I don't have a problem with owning two racecars, as long as I always get to drive the faster one"

then:

"how come you're not buying XXX for my car, but you're getting it for yours?"

or

"save the money & buy yourself Khumos, but I want the Hoosiers"



And every spring, just tell your new bride "We interrupt this marriage to bring you the racing season".

[R2 Racing]

You can also temp her into wanting you to race more by showing her the life insurance policy SCCA has. My wife was all of a sudden too eager to work on my racecar's brakes.
[/b]

Now that's funny!



My racecar likes me for me. I haven't found a woman who can do the same yet - I know, needle in a haystack, right?! :P

[ddewhurst]

***Families that race together stay together.***

***And every spring, just tell your new bride "We interrupt this marriage to bring you the racing season".***


What am I missing here? Families that race together stay together yet each spring you have a "new bride".

[JamesB]

The quote should be "Every Spring, remember to tell your wife "We interrupt this marriage to bring you the racing season."

[lateapex911]

My racecar likes me for me.... I haven't found a woman who can do the same yet - I know, needle in a haystack, right?! :P [/b]

And a straw colored one at that.............








sorry, couldn't resist such a good set up.....(and while we're going THERE...maybe we shouldn't remind your racecar about how you put it on it's back, eh?? )

[erlrich]

I got divorced in 2001. I bought the racecar in 2002.

Coincidence?

[Doc Bro]

Scott,

Good for you. You picked well. If she truly cares about you and your happiness then racing will never be an issue. Once you convince her to go to the track with you she'll have a blast...like Dave's wife. My wife comes to every race and never even hints at discontent with the bill. She truly supports me and I'm a better man because of her. You must, on the other hand, treat her with respect and assign priority to the things that matter to her, as she's done for you. Andy Bettencourt calls this making a deposit at the bank of good will.

And one more thing, if she ever stops loving you or complains about your racing...just feed her some poison mushrooms before your license expires!!! :P

R

[R2 Racing]

And a straw colored one at that.............
sorry, couldn't resist such a good set up.....(and while we're going THERE...maybe we shouldn't remind your racecar about how you put it on it's back, eh?? )
[/b]

Thank you, Jake. I wouldn't allow a setup like that to go without being knocked down.

Yes, it's quite aware of last years troubles. But even after all of that, it broke the track record at Mid Ohio the next time out, and then followed that up with the fastest race lap at the ARRC. Yup, she's a keeper!

[RacerBill]

Scott: Not to fear, either it'll work out or not.

I was into racing before my first marriage. Gave up the racing, but that didn't keep her satisfied. Got back into racing, but wife #2 didn't like it. But the marriage did not work out for other reasons.

But being the eternal optomist, here comes wife #3. Never been near a race track. But she agreed to see what it was like. OK, the first time I took her to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we got to drive around at 60 to 80 MPH in our street cars for a couple of hours. But boy was she perceptive. At the annual USAC banquet she met Jeff Gordon (still too young to drink the wine on the tables) and said "That boy's going to go far".

15 years later, she is enjoying racing more now when we go to race than she did when we worked as officials. Racing has given her an endless list of presents for Christmas, birthdays, Father's Day, Saturdays (or any other day of the week when a new dodad is needed).

My best advice is balance. Make sure that your life as a family is balanced. Next, communicate.

Take care, and best wishes!

[tom_sprecher]

I quess things have changed since '88 because when I got married my father-in-law paid the tab and it was 5 figures back then. Of course we were both getting married for the first time and I didn't care how big it was as long as there was an open bar for me and my friends. I gotta admit 300 people was too much, but they're catholic so waddyagonnado?

After over 18 years of marriage I may have some good advice, but I donno. First, and foremost is communication since without it, unless you're both mind readers, how are you supposed to know?

Second, be cool with the finances and don't spend more than you make.

Third, if either of you think you're going to change the other, think again, or stop the whole thing now before it gets out of hand. For some reason women marry men thinking they are going to change and men marry women thinking they're not.

And last, no screwing around.

Do these things and it should work.

[Russ Myers]

My wife hated racing, hated the people at the tracks, and hated the fact that racing took any time at all away from her. She really hated awards banquets, especially when I would win something. She would do everything to ruin the evening or weekend. I won the 1992 NCAC championship in spite of her. Thank God she is now re-married and living clear across the country. I told her before marriage that I was a racer, I would be a racer while we were married, and, if it happened, I would be a racer long after she was gone. I still keep my National License VERY current. Oh, by the way before M, she was all for me pursuing my hobby.

Russ


The one thing that decreases a woman's sex drive?




Wedding Cake.

[NutDriverRighty]

OK, ok, ok (snickering to self)...................I've got a good cross-section of opinions on whether I should do it or not. I'm doing it on 2/10. NOW for the REALLY tough question. Should I share this thread with my soon-to-be, or should I keep the fun to myself?
Again, thanks for all of the support. If any of you are around East Flat Rock, NC (yes, it's a real place), please drop me a line. I don't drink, but I can be the designated driver!
Look forward to seeing you all soon.

Scott "Righty" Franklin
www.NutDriver.org
IT7 and SPU

[CaptainWho]

East Flat Rock, NC (yes, it's a real place)[/b]

And shares it's abbreviation with one of the greatest drivers ever.

[MMiskoe]

Better have her read it all now. Otherwise something will slip and she'll start asking where the comment came from, pretty soon you're in too deep to anything except come clean. Plus, if she can't laugh at this stuff now.....

What was it a few posts back were saying? Something about communication?

[RSTPerformance]

I would show my girlfriend, but well she is the only one in "the family" who seems to hate "IT.com or whatever that stupid site is"...

Raymond "at least she likes the racing when its good and bad" Blethen

hummm come to think of it... Since she started coming around to races I have either finished 1st, 2nd or broke... I wonder what she would do if I just finished mid pack with everything in working order???

PSS: Hun and huns relatives, if you happen to read this, no matter what you all say, yes I am addicted, to racing and IT.com, but also you, luv ya!!! :-*