The real deal #54
The Real Deal
w/ Tommy D’Aprile
Tommy D'Aprile
Ever read a billboard that said, “Why fix it? Trade it in for the vehicle of your dreams!” Unfortunately, they’re leaving out the part about paying for it for the rest of your life, and that fixing what you have will certainly be cheaper in the long run.
What am I getting at? Well, more than anything, simply that patience, thinking things through, and making the right decisions is always the better option over what could be seen – especially in the new car situation – as a quick fix.
As a drag racer, patience is not one of my strong points. I want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the drag racing community, the aforementioned billboard could be used at every race. “Sure, the car you have is great, but if you just had a little lighter one” or a “little bitter blower” or a “little bigger engine”. The list goes on and on, and to be quite honest, it’s a little nerve-racking to think that most of are buying things we can’t afford to impress people that we don’t even know or like. Most of us know that trying to “keep up with the Jones’” is a one-way street to nowhere, but we’re all stuck living in the eternal prison of never-enough.
More things equal more happiness, right? If that were so, we’d see a never-ending line to buy everything there is to buy. The reality is that it’s only a temporary solution to what I call the “want factor”. We want it, we get it, and it feels good, but only for a short time. Then the credit card or payment statement comes in and you’re miserable all over again.
I’ve raced with some of the best tuners out there and they’ve shown me how much can be done with so little. When the latest and greatest part hits the market, the smart people use patience and let other people buy it up and see how it works first. The truth is that 95-percent of new products aren’t going to revolutionize drag racing, but the “want factor” gets the juices flowing and people buy, buy, and buy. The new carbon injector hat looks great, but the old one ran just as well, right? The ego in the tuner will have you believe it made all the difference, but c’mon, man.
Again, the truth is usually that we wanted it and had to have it, and we’re going to be searching for a way to justify it from here on out. Be honest here, people. We let ourselves be suckered into spending some pretty insane amounts of money on things we don’t really need because we want to be the first one to have “it”. I’ve done it, and I’ve paid the price for my stupidity.
We have been talking about cars and parts, but sadly the same idea here is prevalent in our relationships with people. Want to see a good tuner get fired? Just let the car he’s tuning run bad for a couple races. Even the best tuners struggle, and even the best marriages need work, but our need for results immediately usually ruins what could be great. Our lack of patience and the “want factor” really gets us in trouble. I have seen some great teams with unlimited resources fall away from the sport because the team owners had unrealistic expectations and thought they could buy their way in, and after a while they get frustrated and move on.
Just like the billboard that was talking about trading in your car, some people think the same way about their relationships. It’s sad, but it’s true, nonetheless. I have found that sticking it out in the rough patches may take work, but the gain of success through perseverance is so very rewarding. Our racing society judges us on performance. A performance-based relationship will always fail due to the fact that we are all human, and messing up is in our DNA. The performance view in a relationship can be said like this: I’ll love you IF… Or you can be my tuner IF…
We want guarantees on things that have no guarantee. We buy race parts without warranties, yet want a guarantee on our relationships. Ultimately, it boils down to deciding what is really important to you. Racing is great and certainly a passion of mine, but is it the most important thing in my life?
Listen, what I’m trying to say here is that, please, love racing, but don’t let it control you. Love people, love life, and work to recognize what matters and what doesn’t. Don’t think for a second that a brand new this or a brand new that will solve your problems – in life or on the race track. Upgraded equipment is always a plus, but I’m willing to bet that very few of us are extracting all the performance potential of our hot rods – new, old, fast, slow. Some of the fastest cars in pro-level drag racing today, especially in ADRL Pro Extreme where we race, are older cars with dedicated, smart people working on them.
I think it’s important not only that we set realistic goals for ourselves in whatever situation we may be in, and that we look to make the most of what we have not fall into the trap of patching up the holes in our game (or tune up, for that matter) with material objects. It might be hard to believe, but the grass is never greener on the other side. Matter of fact, it’s just over someone’s septic tank. Laugh, but don’t think that isn’t a true statement. Live your life and be grateful for what you have. Be patient, overlook faults, and don’t expect to build relationships based solely on what is in it for you.
