Drag Illustrated Issue 120, April 2017 | Page 81

PHOTO : IAN TOCHER
PARTY IN THE PITS

TOP SECRET RECIPES

CAMP STANLEY ’ S “ WORLD ’ S BEST ULTIMATE MARGARITAS ”
1 . Start with a double shot of good tequila . Stanley recommends Patrón Añejo , of course . 2 . Add a double shot of Grand Marnier liqueur . 3 . Add a splash of Patrón Citronge triple sec 4 . Add a splash of “ good ol ’ reliable orange juice .”
5 . Quarter a “ real lime from the grocery store ”, then split that in half , squeeze one wedge and drop it into the mix . 6 . Add a third of a cup of Baja Bob ’ s Triple
Citrus Sugar-Free Margarita Mix . 7 . Pour everything into a shaker with ice , shake it up really well , and then pour into another big glass over ice . Camp says : “ Then just sit back and watch ‘ em run .”
SCOTTY G . GUADAGNO ’ S “ RECIPE FOR A GOOD TIME ”
1 . Go to the liquor store . 2 . Buy a case of Captain Morgan . 3 . Open bottle , drink booze . Scotty G . says : “ You get a discount when you buy ‘ em by the case !”
DINA PARISE ’ S “ NITRO PINEAPPLE ”
1 . Cut fresh pineapple into chunks . 2 . Soak the pineapple in vodka , let it sit for a week . 3 . To serve , pour vodka over ice and top with the infused pineapple . Dina says : “ It ’ s like eating the worm at the bottom of the tequila , only better !”
MARK MICKE ’ S “ BRAIN FREEZE – THE PRO MOD OF DRINKS ”
1 . Start with six ( 6 ) Minute Maid frozen lemonade cups . 2 . Add 2 gallons of water . 3 . Add a fifth of rum . 4 . Add a fifth of gin . 5 . Add a fifth of vodka . 6 . Add a fifth of blue Curaçao . 7 . Add a handle of tequila . Mark says : “ Use the cheap shit , because once they ’ re hammered one they won ’ t even care .”
JASON “ POOCH ” RUECKERT ’ S “ BOOOOOOOOSCH ”
1 . Crack a Busch Light . 2 . Stay away from Mark Micke ’ s Brain Freeze . Pooch says : “ Get one of those foam fists to hold your beer .”
MARK “ WOODY ” WOODRUFF ’ S “ CALL IT A DAY ”
1 . Open a Bud Light or Bud Select . 2 . Done . Woody says : “ That ’ s it . Just crack a Bud and call it a day .”
SCOTT PALMER ’ S “ CHEAP DATE ”
1 . Grab a Long Island iced tea or a Keystone Light Scott says : “ Just not at the same time !”
TOMMY DELAGO ’ S “ EASY JACK AND COKE ”
1 . Grab a red cup , fill it to the top with ice . 2 . Fill it 2 / 3 full of Jack Daniel ’ s 3 . Add about an inch or an inch and a half of Coke . Tommy says : “ Stir it with your finger , twice . That ’ s the important part .”
April 2017 forgotten to do something . Andrew just pushed our pit car up against the door and let it sit there for a while ,” Parise reminisced of the hilarious punishment .
Recently , her good friend and starter at Virginia Motorsports Park , Jeff Bowling , passed away . Rather than focus on the heartache , Parise remembered the good times they shared together . “ We were hanging out at VMP , and my husband had on brand-new shoes , brand-new pants , and a brand-new shirt . Jeff took him for a ride on a four-wheeler … it had rained a few days back and they went out and got stuck literally up to their chests in the mud . Andrew came back and I was like ‘ Are you kidding ?! You can strip outside but you ’ re not coming in this motor home like that !’ and strip he did , all the way down to his tighty-whities !”
Meanwhile , back in Margaritaville , Mark Micke serves up some pretty legit margaritas of his own . Owner of famed M & M Transmissions and driver of Jason Carter ’ s 3-second , twin-turbo ’ 78 Malibu , Micke ’ s locked in a few championships and carries that same caliber of quality when it comes to having a good time .
Truth be told , racing ’ s become more of a business for Micke over the years , so enjoying his rare moments of downtime is more important than ever . “ It ’ s not as fun as it used to be , because we have sponsors we need to deliver for and customers we need to keep happy , but I wouldn ’ t trade it for anything ,” noted Micke . “ Now , my paycheck revolves around racing , so at the end of the day , I really need a drink .”
A few years back , Micke purchased a margarita machine . When he mixes up his favorite “ Brain Freeze ” concoction , the party really gets going . “ We were at South Georgia Motorsports Park , and Pooch [ Jason Rueckert ] got so drunk that he fell down on the starting line – and it wasn ’ t because he was stuck to the track ! They were giving some kind of award and he was just hugging and kissing everyone . He even gave a speech and had no clue what he was saying ,” laughed Micke , quick to call out his friend for having too much of a good time .
Pooch remembers that day ( well , at least a little of it ) all too well and now stays away from Micke ’ s mayhem . “ Those things will fucking destroy you ,”
O CAPTAIN “ Scotty G ” Guadagno takes the “ race hard , play hard ” mantra to a new level . His trailer is stocked with not only the best parts to compete in Outlaw Drag Radial , but also multiple liquor cabinets - especially one for his beloved Captain Morgan rum .
he confessed about the diabolical drinks . “ There was something about Donald [ Long ] having a little kid dressed up in a duck costume and supposedly I traumatized the kid . I don ’ t know what I did , but it must not have been that horrible because I didn ’ t go to jail .”
When he ’ s not making bad decisions that lead to great stories later , Pooch is busy balancing his job as the big man on campus for VP Racing Fuels or driving his sweet Cutlass . “ I ’ ve tried to become more of a serious racer and not just the party guy , but it doesn ’ t always seem to work in my favor ,” he joked . “ Being around the cars and trying to get stuff done with a hangover is freakin ’ horrible . That ’ s the hard part , trying to be responsible and still race but to have fun .” The key , he ’ s found , is easy – just be responsibly irresponsible .
When it comes to rain delays , though , anything is fair game . Pooch usually has a handle of Captain Morgan in the cabinet along with a quart of moonshine and a cooler completely dedicated to Busch Light specially reserved for just such an occasion . A few years back , Pooch was at US 141 Motorsports Park for a grudge race , and it got rained out on Friday . “ We started drinking . A guy from Kentucky brought some blackberry moonshine , and , well , I don ’ t remember that night ,” he confessed . His girlfriend , Kyla Lachat , tried to get him to go to bed , but he just wouldn ’ t . “ I woke up in the front seat of my pick-up with no shoes on and mud up to my knees . I ’ ll never drink that moonshine ever again .”
While Pooch is out loving on anyone who happens to get too close , Mark “ Woody ” Woodruff is more of a low-key partier who laughs a lot and likes to keep things mellow . Driving his infamous , big block-powered and twin-turbo Radial vs the World ’ 10 Corvette , Woody wants to have a little fun while he ’ s out setting records and winning races . “ The drive to be the best is what pushes us , but we ’ ve developed a great friendship with a lot of the people we race with , and it ’ s basically become a traveling-circus-type thing – it ’ s all just one big family at the races ,” said Woody .
In his pits , a huge 70 ” flat screen television is mounted to the side of his trailer and is constantly streaming anything from UFC fights to other rac-
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