Bob TaylorFactory Stock No. 33                                         Photo courtesy of JAF Racing Photo


Floyd Wright, Elmo Guy, Ernie WrightTom Taylor, Owner/Jerry Baumgartner, Driver            Photo courtesy of  Bob Taylor  
 July 15, 1966      This 1946 Ford Coupe won three consecutive championships
 
Bob Taylor
Bob Taylor is the antithesis of the old saying, “nice guys finish last.” The first impression one gets from meeting Taylor is that this is a nice guy, but he finishes first! Bob is the defending 2003 Factory Stock Division champion. He is obviously a “people person,” working for the past 10 years as an outside sales representative for AmeriChem Engineering Services. As Bob says, “I enjoy working with people; I like to have people around me.” His competitors at Manzanita Speedway know this to be a fact; Taylor has the largest fan following of any of the drivers.
Taylor was born on January 6, 1959, in Highland, Illinois, a typical, small, all-American town of about 2500. His father, Tom Taylor, who hailed from Kentucky, was the town auctioneer. His mother is the former Shirley Butcher. Bob’s parents were easy-going people, and gave Bob free rein, within certain boundaries, in which to grow up. He liked the small town life.
Tom and Shirley were stock car racing people; Tom raced in Bellville, Illinois and St. Charles, Missouri. Shirley raced in Powder Puff Derbies at every opportunity, but learned her lesson when she flipped five times going down a straightaway at full speed. Tom raced only occasionally, as his preference was to build race cars. During one stretch in the 1960’s, Tom’s car won three consecutive championships. As a result of his parents’ love of racing, Bob grew up at the race track and developed his own passion for the sport.
In 1978, at the ripe old age of 17, Bob arrived in Phoenix with his father following the breakup of his parents’ marriage. His first job in Phoenix, at a gas station located at Cave Creek and Sweetwater, was fortuitous. One day he pumped gas for a cute 16 year old named Jackie Henning. A few years later, on June 24, 1988, Bob married her. Being a committed race car fan, Jackie was not surprised that they were married in the afternoon, and Bob raced that night at Manzanita, winning the main event. Bob chuckled as he told the story and said, “Jackie was my inspiration that night, but I was too tired for the honeymoon.” He added, “Jackie will always be my favorite wife, but I do have a second one, car number 33, but I only race her 30 minutes a week.”
Bob’s first stock car race occurred in 1983 at age 24. He raced a 1967 Dodge Coronet in a figure 8 race at the Maricopa County fairgrounds. He said, “I was scared, nervous, and totally pumped up.” That same year he ran his first oval race in Casa Grande, later going to Canyon Raceway where he finished the season in the top 10. His green car, number 13, was supported by his “beer crew” of Bob Smith and Ron Shawons.
Taylor has always been committed to winning. The key to winning, according to Bob, is having a good car, a good setup, always be looking ahead on the track to avoid trouble, and maintaining your patience. As Bob said, “You have to remember you can’t win on the first lap. You’ve got to finish the race.” Bob loves the competition of the Factory Stock Division, racing against standout drivers like Larry Price, Kent Staley, Anthony Madrid, and Ron Funk. “The more race cars competing against one another, the better I like it,” says Taylor.
On July 26, 1991, Taylor came face to face with the reality of stock car racing, the one thing that every driver knows deep in their gut, the ever lingering possibility of a horrific crash. It is events like the one that occurred on this date that really drive the ongoing evolution of the safety rules that govern stock car racing. Bob was running strong when near the end of the race, he pulled into the pits with a mechanical problem, then reentered the race with two laps to go. Almost immediately after driving onto the track, a car in front of Taylor lost his gas tank which was almost full of racing fuel. Taylor hit the gas tank head on, and as he rolled his car over it, it exploded underneath his car, just like an Iraqi IED (improvised explosive device) but without the shrapnel, creating a gigantic fire ball that completely engulfed Taylor and his car.

Taylor’s video of the crash shows that from the time he hit the gas tank until he was out of the car was a period of 15 seconds. “The only thing that saved me was that I didn’t panic. But I was totally engulfed in flames.” The video shows a huge, spectacular ball of fire surrounding the car, and then a small fire ball diving out of the driver’s window. When it was all over, the car was in charred ruins, and Taylor was in shock. Bob was wearing shorts covered by a fire proof suit and no gloves. As a result, he spent 15 days in the hospital burn unit, receiving skin grafts on both hands and legs, and missed three months of work. Today, fire proof gloves are required equipment, and Bob wears long pants under his fire proof racing suit. Fuel cells have replaced gas tanks.
The crash claimed more than Taylor’s car, it also sapped his desire to race. But in 1996, he felt that he needed to prove to himself that he could still drive competitively. After talking it over with Jackie, who told him that “I’m with you 100 percent whether you race or not,” Bob strapped himself into a stock car for the first time in five years. He said, “I was really nervous, but once I was on the track, it was all behind me.”
Bob Taylor’s racing career has been filled with success as evidenced by the 140 or so trophies that are threatening to move him out of his house. “As a matter of fact,” said Bob, “We are looking for a larger home.”   But in spite of Bob’s numerous wins, it wasn’t until 2003 that he won his first championship. If he doesn’t win again this year or in 2005, it may be his last. His 15 year old daughter, Amber, has served notice that she is ready to get behind the wheel, and Bob is fully committed to supporting her in the effort.
“Stock car racing is a family sport,” echoes both Bob and Jackie. “Our family is always at the track on Friday nights. Our daughters, Crystal, Lisa, and Amber are big fans. Our son, Paul Bales, helps keep the car going. Our one year old grandson, Jaime Gonzales, is the beginning of the next generation of fans. We all look forward to it because every weekend is a family reunion for us. During the off-season, we are all sitting around asking each other, ‘what are we going to do tonight?’” Bob’s mother, Shirley, is his biggest fan. She attends every race and has done so since 1983. In a motherly gesture to keep her son safe on the track, Shirley buys Bob a new racing suit every year. “But she’s not the only one,” says Bob, “I have 17 sponsors, and it is their help that keeps me up front.”
When asked about what makes him feel good about his sport, Taylor responded, “I drive aggressively but clean. I have a reputation for clean driving, and I’m proud of it. Too many drivers are impatient; some think they always need more motor. Actually, you have to know what your car is going to do when you go into a corner. I always know where my car is going to stick; and I try to drive with my head, not my foot. I see racing as entertainment, and I like being part of the show.”

When you, the fan, decide to come to Manzanita Speedway for a night of entertainment and excitement, and you want to see Bob Taylor, be sure and watch the cars in front of the field; that’s where Taylor will be. But if you wait too long, you may be watching Amber Taylor in car number 33; dad will be heading up the pit crew.