John Flowers stands by his race car, a bootlegger.
This past weekend, John Flowers did something he's always dreamed of. He raced on Pershing County's quarter-mile oval dirt track located on Seven Troughs Road.
"Last night (Friday) was my first race. I've always wanted to do circle track racing ever since I was young. It never ended up that way. It was expensive and it was easier for me to drag race. I did a lot of drag racing growing up," he said. "I found a local track and spent two days a week racing there."
"It was amazing," Flowers said about his Speedway experience. "It feels fast when you're coming into a corner and you get those tires off the ground."
Flowers uses a wheelchair for mobility due to a spinal cord injury. He operates his car's gas and brake pedals with his hands.
"I became a paraplegic due to a drunk driver. It was 25 years ago. I was 22 years old. He hit me at 100 mph and flipped my car 11 times. I was ejected over 100 feet," he said.
Flowers' friend and fellow-racer John Minor is helping him build a car with adaptations. "John and the guys surprised me. They got a seat donated and other safety equipment," Flowers said. For now, the car is at Minor's tire shop.
John Minor gets ready to race his hobby stock on Saturday at the Lovelock Speedway.
"The storm the last couple of weeks stopped us in our tracks," said Flowers.
Minor also spent the weekend at the Speedway racing his hobby stock. He's been racing for two years and celebrated his birthday on the track with his wife Stephanie by his side.
On Friday there were nine hobby stocks, two bootleggers, two IMCA stock and eight IMCA modified.
Saturday, the car count went up to 13 hobby stock, three bootleggers, three IMCA stock and eight IMCA modified.
The Speedway is midway through its season. Coeur Rochester sponsored both Friday and Saturday night's races.
Other sponsors have included Evenson Law Office and Napa Auto Parts. Still to come are Kruze Road Winery (July 8) and Frontier Days (Aug. 4 and 5). The last races of the year are on Sept. 8.