Drivers focus on the rush of racing

It's not about the money.

As winner of a four-wheeler race at the Monster Truck Winternationals held at the Show Me Center on Friday, Billy Clayton won $300.

But with his four-wheelers valued at $25,000, the jackpot isn't why the 38-year-old Sikeston, Mo., man races.

"For the rush," he said.

Four-wheelers, monster trucks and funny cars entertained monster crowds at the Show Me Center Friday and Saturday night.

"Tickets sales were blown away," said Brad Gentry, Show Me Center marketing director. Both nights were sold out, he said, with nearly 4,400 attending each show and the center putting out extra chairs to meet the overflow.

Clayton has been racing four-wheelers since he was 15. His three children, ages 19, 11 and 7, also race and know how to fix the bikes as well. On the Show Me Center track, Clayton and daughter Bethany can reach speeds of about 30 miles an hour, but some tracks allow them to travel as fast as 100 mph. They compete together; 16 is the minimum age to compete in the pro category.

Bethany loves the sport. Her father recalled when she phoned him from her high school prom to say, "Dad, I'd rather be racing."

Rose Yeager drag races in a funny car called "Total Insanity" for the same reason as the Claytons. Showtime, she said, is a "wild rush."

Added to that, she's been fascinated with auto mechanics since high school. By day, she is a secretary in tracking, acting much like a probation officer for people who break the law by driving without insurance, plates, and so on. But about two years ago she met Ric Arnold, one of the producers of this year's Winternationals at the Show Me Center. Also known as "Hammer," Arnold performs in the funny car event with Yeager.

"He said he'd like to see me behind the wheel of one his funny cars. So I tried it," said Yeager, also known as "Wrench."

Arnold's car, "Bedazzled," and her car perform hitched together, popping wheelies, blowing smoke and spinning smoking tires. The custom-made vehicles were created by Arnold and are valued at about $70,000 each.

The two will go back home to Camdenton, Mo., and give Total Insanity a new paint job.

"Usually we just take apart the engine and go over it, but it got hit Saturday night," Yeager said. "It broke my heart when it got hit."

While Yeager is just relatively new to racing, Clayton said this is his last year for it. He plans to promote the racing careers of his children and concentrate more on his racing shop in Sikeston.

But that might offer a second-hand rush.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133