I Got Married On The Track!

by Tina Boyd

You saw it right, I did get married on the track, but let me start at the beginning,..

I was raised by my dad, so naturally we went to the local dirt track every week; but my dad's best friends were drivers of the olden day's, at least to me it was olden.

I grew up thinking that Joe Lee Johnson, the owner of Cleveland Speedway, was my uncle and his son Ronnie Johnson (maybe you've heard of him?) was my cousin. My dad and Joe Lee went arrowhead hunting every Sunday and of course I went because it meant that I could sit in Ronnie' race car and pretend I was at Daytona.  (By the way Joe Lee won the very first NASCAR race, the Charlotte 500! Honest, check it out)

As I grew up, I never lost my love of racing. I had red clay in my veins or maybe it's 20/50 oil and if there's no dust in my coffee, it just don't taste right!

Three years ago this coming June, I was at one of our local tracks helping a friend with his car. My friend's roll cage broke at the joint on the drivers door bar connecting to the bar that goes down to the floor, so I was using the ole' standby duct tape - we hillbillies in the south never go racing without it!

I figured, heck,  it will get him in the feature until we can weld it the next day. Next thing I knew this  guy came walking up and asked about borrowing some tools. I couldn't remember which tool to be exact, I was too busy looking at him). Well,  he got the tool he needed and we just stood there looking at each other.  (I was now trying to figure out how to UN-tape my thumb) I mumbled something about needing to get to the stands so I could watch the Street Stock feature, and off I went.

I know a lot of people love Limited Late Models, but my favorite is still the Street Stocks... oh sorry!, Anyway,  my favorite car in this class was a '77 Monty Carlo, black with white, I had been watching it since the season began. This car was awesome  -- so big and heavy, it always seemed to get around that 1/4 mile track so fast.

At the drop of the green flag, my car was in 6th, by 4 laps he was in 2nd.  I was standing and cheering,  until the car spun on turn 2, and you know how it goes, "it was the other guy's fault".  The race resumed and by the checkered flag, the #85 crossed 2nd after coming from back after the caution (yes it was 85's fault).

I was a happy camper, and went to the pits to congratulate the driver as most of us do down here. When the driver got out of the car and took off his helmet, I was in shock!! There he was the very same guy that came over to borrow the tools! I shook his hand stuttering "way to go after that caution", and he said "My name is Steve Boyd, but call me "Wrongway" he added: "I really didn't need any tools".

Three months later, on September the 29th, at the same track, during intermission, "Monty"(we started calling the 85 car that) was brought out on the track to the flag, then came the Bridegroom car carrying Steve, the bridesmaid car, the ring barer car, and finally the bride's car, all angled towards the flag, Steve and I were married on top, yes standing on the roof, of the car that brought us together.

"Monty" is gone now, but Steve has his carb and intake on his race car, 89'Caprice,and I have "Monty's" belt harness on my car 87' Honda Civic.

Three years ago I went to the races, and you know what....we both came home winners.

Tina Boyd
"Boyd Team Racing"