Factory Stock No. 23
Photo courtesy of Larry Upton
Chris McCurdy
The first thing you notice when you meet Chris McCurdy is a big smile. The smile is genuine, too. As Chris says, “I like to have fun. If something is not fun, why do it?” But beneath the happy face lies a focused, intense, competitive race car driver who goes to the track for one reason: to win!
McCurdy was born in Tempe, Arizona on September 16, 1967, the offspring of a storybook romance between a young U. S. soldier stationed in France during the mid-1960’s, and a lovely, young, mysterious French woman. Chris’s father, Gerald (Jerry) McCurdy, completed his tour of duty and convinced the French woman, Genie Guery, to return to Arizona with him. Chris doesn’t know whether the relationship ignited because of the uniform or the mystery of a French woman, but it clicked.
While Chris was growing up in Mesa in the late 1960’s and the 1970’s, his father was working at Mesa Muffler, finally buying the business in 1989, which he still owns. Jerry’s connection to the auto industry naturally led him to stock car racing and, in 1972, he built a Claimer Division car to race at Manzanita Speedway. Jerry became a serious race car competitor in 1977, serving as president of the Stock Car Racing Association (SCRA) in the late 1970’s. His career ended on April 21, 1979, when he was burned in a fiery crash during the Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway.
The briefest encounter with Chris McCurdy instantly reveals his high energy personality. When he talks his hands punctuate the air to emphasize every point he makes. Early in life this energy expressed itself as he hung around his father as he built race cars. By age 11 Chris always had an odd job of some sort including newspaper boy, pin boy at a bowling alley, painting houses, and working in his father’s muffler shop. At age 15, he partnered with a friend, Jim Eckley, and bought his first stock car, a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. The boys raced it for three months at the old Firebird dirt track, which Chris financed by working at a bowling alley. When asked how he felt on that first night of racing, McCurdy said, “I was shaking, sweating, and my mind was in overdrive.” During the three months of racing, Chris had a third place finish in a feature race, his best finish until he won a feature in 2003. The McCurdy-Eckley partnership collapsed in a season-ending crash. As an adult, Chris worked for his father for eight years at Mesa Muffler. Finally, in 1997, he went out on his own, mirroring his father’s business by opening Scottsdale Muffler. Chris attributes his business success to his father’s demand for high standards.
Chris’s life changed dramatically on December 11, 1993; he met Sheila Bontreger at a Christmas party at his brother’s house. In Chris’s words, “I thought Sheila was out of this world. I still remember the clothes she was wearing that night. I was a little shy but I think my actions indicated to her that I was interested.” Sheila described the encounter by saying, “He followed me around like a drooling puppy!” They were married on August 6, 1994, and are raising four children together. When asked how the relationship is today, Chris replied, “I’m still in love.” Then he added with a laugh, “And sometimes Sheila is!”
When McCurdy was 17 years old in 1984, he bought a 1970 Dodge Dart as a street car, which he soon broke with his teenage shenanigans. What else could he do but turn it into a stock race car? But as bad luck would have it, Chris wrecked the car during “hot” laps prior to the start of his first race in the car. His dad had a ready quip when Chris limped back into the pits, “Son, they don’t pay anything to win hot laps.”
By the next weekend, Chris had the car running again. Anxious to show off for his mother, and being fully aware of her reluctance after seeing her husband injured during the Western World Championships, he implored her to come and watch him race. She agreed, and then watched in horror as Chris rolled the car during the first race. Genie McCurdy swore that she would never attend another race. It was just too much to endure. The next week Chris pleaded with his mother to come again and watch him race by telling her, “Mom, you have seen the worst. What are the chances of something like that happening two weekends in a row?” It did! Genie did not attend another race for over 10 years. Jerry McCurdy’s attitude was the opposite of Genie’s. He didn’t flinch when Chris rolled the car. Buddy Murphy, Firebird’s promoter, said, “Jerry, aren’t you even going to check on him?” Jerry’s response, “No, he’s OK. I built that roll cage.”
In spite of some close calls, Chris has never suffered an injury in racing although he has rolled three times; the last one was his Claimer in 2003. When asked how it feels to roll a car, he said, “Believe it or not, when your eyes are closed, you still know when you’re upside down.” Chris’s most frightening experience was when a transmission line broke and fire shot into the cockpit. As he was diving out the window he was thinking of his dad’s fiery crash back in 1979.
McCurdy raced stock cars off and on until 1991. At that point he focused on building race cars professionally. But in 1999, his friend and mentor, Bill Smith, died. Somehow, without Bill, things were not the same; Chris sold all his racing equipment and quit the business. But, as the old saying goes, time heals all wounds; in Chris’s case, it was helped along by the encouragement of Ricky Thornton, a long-time friend. Thornton convinced Chris to enter the Bomber Enduro in November, 2002. Chris McCurdy was back!
Chris raced in the Claimer Division in 2003, and did well, winning one main event. He made the decision in 2004 to move up to the competitive Factory Stock Division at Manzanita Speedway and compete for the season championship. To double his pleasure, Chris also entered the season championship race at Canyon Speedway. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to do this again for a full season,” says McCurdy. “It has been a strain on the entire family, financially and otherwise. We have not had time for a vacation, fishing, or camping trips. It has been especially hard on my girls because they are not interested in hanging out at the track. But if I am going to have a shot at a championship, I have to enter every single race.” Chris’s future in racing is also limited by the desires of Chris, Jr. who, at age 12, wants to race modified midgets next year, and Sheila, his wife, one of the dominant drivers in the Bomber Division, who may want her place in the spotlight next year.
The first thing you notice when you meet Chris McCurdy is a big smile. The smile is genuine, too. As Chris says, “I like to have fun. If something is not fun, why do it?” But beneath the happy face lies a focused, intense, competitive race car driver who goes to the track for one reason: to win!
McCurdy was born in Tempe, Arizona on September 16, 1967, the offspring of a storybook romance between a young U. S. soldier stationed in France during the mid-1960’s, and a lovely, young, mysterious French woman. Chris’s father, Gerald (Jerry) McCurdy, completed his tour of duty and convinced the French woman, Genie Guery, to return to Arizona with him. Chris doesn’t know whether the relationship ignited because of the uniform or the mystery of a French woman, but it clicked.
While Chris was growing up in Mesa in the late 1960’s and the 1970’s, his father was working at Mesa Muffler, finally buying the business in 1989, which he still owns. Jerry’s connection to the auto industry naturally led him to stock car racing and, in 1972, he built a Claimer Division car to race at Manzanita Speedway. Jerry became a serious race car competitor in 1977, serving as president of the Stock Car Racing Association (SCRA) in the late 1970’s. His career ended on April 21, 1979, when he was burned in a fiery crash during the Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway.
The briefest encounter with Chris McCurdy instantly reveals his high energy personality. When he talks his hands punctuate the air to emphasize every point he makes. Early in life this energy expressed itself as he hung around his father as he built race cars. By age 11 Chris always had an odd job of some sort including newspaper boy, pin boy at a bowling alley, painting houses, and working in his father’s muffler shop. At age 15, he partnered with a friend, Jim Eckley, and bought his first stock car, a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. The boys raced it for three months at the old Firebird dirt track, which Chris financed by working at a bowling alley. When asked how he felt on that first night of racing, McCurdy said, “I was shaking, sweating, and my mind was in overdrive.” During the three months of racing, Chris had a third place finish in a feature race, his best finish until he won a feature in 2003. The McCurdy-Eckley partnership collapsed in a season-ending crash. As an adult, Chris worked for his father for eight years at Mesa Muffler. Finally, in 1997, he went out on his own, mirroring his father’s business by opening Scottsdale Muffler. Chris attributes his business success to his father’s demand for high standards.
Chris’s life changed dramatically on December 11, 1993; he met Sheila Bontreger at a Christmas party at his brother’s house. In Chris’s words, “I thought Sheila was out of this world. I still remember the clothes she was wearing that night. I was a little shy but I think my actions indicated to her that I was interested.” Sheila described the encounter by saying, “He followed me around like a drooling puppy!” They were married on August 6, 1994, and are raising four children together. When asked how the relationship is today, Chris replied, “I’m still in love.” Then he added with a laugh, “And sometimes Sheila is!”
When McCurdy was 17 years old in 1984, he bought a 1970 Dodge Dart as a street car, which he soon broke with his teenage shenanigans. What else could he do but turn it into a stock race car? But as bad luck would have it, Chris wrecked the car during “hot” laps prior to the start of his first race in the car. His dad had a ready quip when Chris limped back into the pits, “Son, they don’t pay anything to win hot laps.”
By the next weekend, Chris had the car running again. Anxious to show off for his mother, and being fully aware of her reluctance after seeing her husband injured during the Western World Championships, he implored her to come and watch him race. She agreed, and then watched in horror as Chris rolled the car during the first race. Genie McCurdy swore that she would never attend another race. It was just too much to endure. The next week Chris pleaded with his mother to come again and watch him race by telling her, “Mom, you have seen the worst. What are the chances of something like that happening two weekends in a row?” It did! Genie did not attend another race for over 10 years. Jerry McCurdy’s attitude was the opposite of Genie’s. He didn’t flinch when Chris rolled the car. Buddy Murphy, Firebird’s promoter, said, “Jerry, aren’t you even going to check on him?” Jerry’s response, “No, he’s OK. I built that roll cage.”
In spite of some close calls, Chris has never suffered an injury in racing although he has rolled three times; the last one was his Claimer in 2003. When asked how it feels to roll a car, he said, “Believe it or not, when your eyes are closed, you still know when you’re upside down.” Chris’s most frightening experience was when a transmission line broke and fire shot into the cockpit. As he was diving out the window he was thinking of his dad’s fiery crash back in 1979.
McCurdy raced stock cars off and on until 1991. At that point he focused on building race cars professionally. But in 1999, his friend and mentor, Bill Smith, died. Somehow, without Bill, things were not the same; Chris sold all his racing equipment and quit the business. But, as the old saying goes, time heals all wounds; in Chris’s case, it was helped along by the encouragement of Ricky Thornton, a long-time friend. Thornton convinced Chris to enter the Bomber Enduro in November, 2002. Chris McCurdy was back!
Chris raced in the Claimer Division in 2003, and did well, winning one main event. He made the decision in 2004 to move up to the competitive Factory Stock Division at Manzanita Speedway and compete for the season championship. To double his pleasure, Chris also entered the season championship race at Canyon Speedway. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to do this again for a full season,” says McCurdy. “It has been a strain on the entire family, financially and otherwise. We have not had time for a vacation, fishing, or camping trips. It has been especially hard on my girls because they are not interested in hanging out at the track. But if I am going to have a shot at a championship, I have to enter every single race.” Chris’s future in racing is also limited by the desires of Chris, Jr. who, at age 12, wants to race modified midgets next year, and Sheila, his wife, one of the dominant drivers in the Bomber Division, who may want her place in the spotlight next year.
When asked why he races in the face of
all these challenges, he said simply, “I love it! The adrenaline rush
of racing has always been a part of my life. I just have so much fun!”
Chris also expressed respect for the competition in the Factory Stock
Division. “It motivates me to try harder.”
McCurdy is noted for his hard-nosed,
intense, competitive driving style
which, at times, has resulted in penalties and fines. Chris laughs
about this, and says, “I guess I am a hardheaded guy, and sometimes I
get frustrated easily; but I really like to help people. I like people.
Part of my reputation comes from my desire to win; to do that you have
to be aggressive…and patient. Sometimes aggressive wins out.”
Bottom line: Chris McCurdy is the kind
of guy that most people would
like to know. He has an easy laugh, a ready smile, and he really will
help you when you’re in need. Just don’t run to close to him on the
track. His only regret is that he never got to race against his father;
even today, he races to make his dad proud.