A passion for the underdog

I went to Aberdeen, S.D., last weekend to watch a Minnesota State Moorhead football game at Northern State. On the drive there I was thinking that a majority of my previous trips to the Hub City have been for racing, aside from a few MSUM softball trips where I had to stat the games.

I had a lot of windshield time and it got me thinking about what I truly like about racing, or what keeps me motivated to keep blogging.

The obvious things come up – the competition on the track, the friendships, just the atmosphere in general. But one thing popped into my head and stuck: I have a passion for the underdog.

I worked in MSUM athletics for 10 years, and even though I haven’t worked there since 2022 I remain a supporter of Dragon football. This is in part because the football coach is one of my best friends and I like the way the program is run in terms of integrity and character. But it’s also in part that MSUM, in a conference with 14 football teams, is an underdog in its league: it doesn’t have the scholarship or financial resources that several schools in its conference do, the coaches and players work hard to make the most of what they have to work with.

I thought about how that applies to my passion for racing. I think the “underdogs” are the backbone of racing, and one of the reasons I like blogging.

The definition of an underdog I suppose is different for some folks, but in terms of racing, here would be some qualities I would find in an underdog:

--a racing team that is a budget team that does not have a bottomless bank account.

--a one-person racing team where the driver does all his or her own work on the car, spends most of their own money on the racing operation, comes to the track alone.

--a driver who attempts to be competitive with an older chassis and doesn’t need to have the newest equipment.

--a driver who doesn’t attempt to win at all costs and appreciates the chance to be on the track.

That’s not the only criteria, but you get the picture.  Let’s be clear: I have nothing against people who want to spend a fortune on their racing team, even the ones who seem totally insane with what they invest in a racing operation – that is their choice. But they also have advantages in terms of quality of equipment and overall resources that many others do not. Nor do I have any problem with drivers who win a lot; most of them have proven to be talented behind the wheel and earn those victories.

But the sport, to be honest, is built on the underdog. That is part of the appeal to fans – can the low-budget racer compete with the high-buck outfit?

Racing was built on the 40-year-old driver who has a few sponsors who works on his/her car 30 hours a week besides a full-time job, who spends most of their own money (or works a second job) just to keep racing one or two nights a week.

And I think those drivers appreciate the success they have more.

One driver that popped into my head was Jeff Odden, who won his first career feature in the IMCA Mods at Glyndon in 2023. Odden is a long-time Fargo-area racer, not a big-buck operation, and after two decades of trying, grabbed his first win. He was congratulated by many fellow drivers after winning. I remember that night well.

This was his quote after winning the first feature: "Since I won’t be racing much longer, I can now end my career on a high note. I have never put the importance of winning that most racers do. I love to do it and be there more than a trophy. But it does feel damn good.”

Odden truly appreciated that win. You can't help but be happy for a driver in that case.

Another example I think of is John Halvorson of Warren, who has raced in several classes but has been in the Wissota Street Stocks for several years. He builds his own cars, isn't the biggest spender in his class, but always seems to find his way to the top five at River Cities. From what I have seen over the years he's is a clean racer.

Larry Samuelson, pictured above, is another guy. He is usually the first guy in the pits at I-94. He also went several years without a win before winning a Gen X feature at Glyndon a few years ago. When he won at I-94 in May 2024 for the first time, he got a huge amount of congrats from many of the track staff. He loves being at the track, doesn't let winning or losing determine if he has fun.

There are several Jeff Oddens, John Halvorsons and Larry Samuelsons at the track every week, but I worry they are becoming less and less. They may not have the big-time haulers, the fanciest wraps, the most expensive motors some others do. But they plug away each week and are always there. Many of the racers I grew up watching in my home area were the underdog-types. I like pulling for them.

That’s who I have a passion for. God bless those drivers.