Multitasking. Wearing several hats. Juggling. Call it what you will, a race organizer has to manage several facets that reach well beyond waving green and checkered flags on race day. Sponsors must be lined up. Advertising must be designed and distributed. The course must be surveyed and marked. Permits from various government agencies must be secured. At this year's Terrible's Town 250, Best in the Desert's chieftain Casey Folks managed all the usual organizer's duties and added yet another important ingredient: kids.
Reaching out to the host community of Pahrump, Nevada, Folks worked with school officials to arrange an autograph session for race drivers and teams at Rosemary Clarke Middle School. Racing vehicles were police-escorted to the school to give the youngsters an up-close look at the machinery that would shortly take on the dust, ruts, and rocks of the Terrible's Town 250 course. For the racers, this was a chance to showcase a sport that normally takes a back seat to traditional American stick-and-ball games. Trick Truck driver and race sponsor Ed Herbst put it in a nutshell: "As participants, we love the interaction with the kids, who get to see their favorite drivers and riders and ask questions about the cars, trucks, motorcycles, and quads on display."
After the pre-race festivities ended, Casey waved the green flag for Herbst and 101 other car and truck racers.
The showdown? Yes, racers battled the course and each other. They pitted themselves and their machinery against nearly 250 miles of rough, rocky desert trails. The biggest battle, however, was the one that Casey and his staff waged against deadlines and red tape to make the race happen. Way to juggle, Mr. olks.