ORMHOF Inductee Tracy Valenta on Episode 231

To keep up with Tracy Valenta, you’re going to need to step up. At 84, Tracy is still the ultimate salesman. On Episode 231, Tracy shares highlights covering the racing years with the Party Ice team. Tracy was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2016. Tracy is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org.  Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.

4:20 – I bought a ’32 Ford for 50 bucks and was able to rebuild it in Auto Shop 

12:34 – I went to Scott McKenzie and said, “ If I could get Rick Mears to drive for me, would you put together a car for me?”             

17:01 – There are so many fish in the little bay right at the Bay of LA, I’ve never seen so many fish in my life 

20:26 – I bought 1000 seats altogether and sold them at cost just to help Mickey get people interested

29:33 – I felt like I had made it at the Coliseum, Phoenix was big!

Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Transcript

[00:00:01.040] - 

Welcome to Conversations with Big Rich. This is an interview-style podcast. Those interviewed are all involved in the off-road industry. Being involved, like all of my guests are, is a lifestyle, not just a job. I talk to past, present, and future legends, as well as business owners, employees, media, and land use warriors, men and women who have found their way into this exciting and addictive lifestyle we call off-road. We discuss their personal history, struggles, successes, and reboots. We dive into what drives them to stay active and off-road. We all hope to shed some light on how to find a path into this world that we live and love and call off-road.

[00:00:46.130] - 

This episode of Conversations with Big Rich is brought to you by the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. The mission of the Hall of Fame is to educate and inspire present and future generations of the off-road community by celebrating the achievements of those who came before. We invite you to help fulfill the mission of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. Join, partner, or donate today. Legends live at ormhof.org.

[00:01:15.770] - Big Rich Klein

Today's guest on Conversations with Big Rich is a 2016 ORMHOF Inductee, the owner of the historic team Party Ice, which included the likes of drivers like Malcolm Smith, Bud Feldkamp, Rick and Roger Mears, Bobby Fierro, Kitty O'Neill, and even the rock legend Ted Nugent.

[00:01:36.950] - Big Rich Klein

That guest is Tracy Valenta. Hello, Tracy Valenta. It's so great to have you on the podcast this morning, and I'm really looking forward to this conversation. Thank you.

[00:01:50.860] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah. Thank you, Rich. I'm here for you.

[00:01:53.170] - Big Rich Klein

All right. So let's get started. Where were you born and raised?

[00:01:59.210] - Tracy Valenta

I was born in the I went to my Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.

[00:02:03.850] - Big Rich Klein

Born in LA.

[00:02:04.180] - Tracy Valenta

I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.

[00:02:07.950] - Big Rich Klein

All right. San Gabriel Valley. And it was fairly rural at that time?

[00:02:13.430] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah. Yes.

[00:02:15.210] - Big Rich Klein

What was it like growing up there?

[00:02:19.230] - Tracy Valenta

It was great. I lived in Monterey Park in Alhambra. I more or less grew up in Alhambra. It was when we used to be able to drink water out of the hose and play football on the street. We had a ball.

[00:02:34.770] - Big Rich Klein

You had to be home when the overhead lights outside came on, right?

[00:02:41.410] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, that's right.

[00:02:42.930] - Big Rich Klein

I understand that. As a kid, what activities did you enjoy besides football on the street?

[00:02:52.520] - Tracy Valenta

Oh, football, baseball. I was pretty active.

[00:02:58.990] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. Did you have a bicycle, a motorcycle, anything like that as you growing up?

[00:03:05.990] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I used to put bikes together and make them the way I wanted to and paint them and made them look nice and sell them.

[00:03:15.730] - Big Rich Klein

There you go. So you were an entrepreneur early.

[00:03:19.070] - Tracy Valenta

I guess so. And then I did the same thing with cars.

[00:03:23.720] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And what was school like for you? Were you a good student or were you one of those that was always looking out the window wanting to get back outside?

[00:03:33.620] - Tracy Valenta

Well, to be honest with you, I had issues because I'm dyslexic. Back then, they did not know what that was. And they kept saying to my parents, I could do better if I try harder because I'm intelligent, but they just didn't get it.

[00:03:50.520] - Big Rich Klein

Right. I understand that. And so you got through school, though. Did you play sports and stuff then?

[00:03:58.750] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I played C football when I was in high school. Okay.

[00:04:04.250] - Big Rich Klein

And how about any tech courses, like auto shop or anything like that?

[00:04:10.040] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I had all that.

[00:04:11.540] - Big Rich Klein

And what was your favorite class?

[00:04:14.440] - Tracy Valenta

Auto shop. Auto Shop.

[00:04:15.290] - Big Rich Klein

Auto Shop. And what was it about Auto Shop that you really liked?

[00:04:20.730] - Tracy Valenta

I bought a '32 Ford for 50 bucks, and I was able to rebuild it in Auto Shop, so I like that part.

[00:04:28.710] - Big Rich Klein

Nice. 32 Ford. That's awesome.

[00:04:30.800] - Tracy Valenta

That was a roadster. Roadster.

[00:04:32.460] - Big Rich Klein

Nice. And you said from going from building bicycles and selling them, you started doing the same thing with cars. Did that start there in high school?

[00:04:45.180] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:04:47.060] - Big Rich Klein

What were some of the cars that you flipped over?

[00:04:52.290] - Tracy Valenta

I had, I think, three 54 Merceries. I had a 50 Mercury. I had a 47 Mercury. I had a 50 Ford.

[00:05:03.290] - Big Rich Klein

Nice. Did you- And then my roadster. And your roadster. But you kept on that, didn't you? Or did you sell that as well?

[00:05:11.720] - Tracy Valenta

No, I sold it. Okay.

[00:05:15.250] - Big Rich Klein

How old were you when you sold it? Were you still in high school?

[00:05:19.040] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I think I was 17. 17?

[00:05:21.700] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. What was it about the cars that you really liked? Was it the freedom or just the being able to work on them?

[00:05:34.220] - Tracy Valenta

Both. I just enjoyed doing something, accomplishing something.

[00:05:40.280] - Big Rich Klein

Was your dad or any of the male influences as you were growing up? Car people?

[00:05:49.810] - Tracy Valenta

No, just me.

[00:05:51.260] - Big Rich Klein

Just you.

[00:05:52.140] - Tracy Valenta

I was the only child. Okay.

[00:05:55.290] - Big Rich Klein

All right. Was there anybody in the neighborhood that did the same thing that might have that you might have caught some of that from?

[00:06:03.840] - Tracy Valenta

No. Not the same way as I did.

[00:06:07.580] - Big Rich Klein

Did you participate in street racing or drag racing?

[00:06:14.920] - Tracy Valenta

A little bit. I used to go out to the Pomona Farms. With my 54 Mercury, I put T-bird motors in them. The three back then was good. I had three carburetors, and I used beer cans for velocity stacked.

[00:06:39.120] - Big Rich Klein

What brand of beer?

[00:06:42.270] - Tracy Valenta

102. There you go.

[00:06:46.490] - Big Rich Klein

And how did that all translate into jobs or anything like that when you were flipping your own cars? But did you work in the industry well?

[00:07:02.180] - Tracy Valenta

No. My first job was a series of rollback for mail orders, and then I went to work for Offenhauser in a machine shop, and they taught me how to run the mills and the lays. But I wasn't really... I was making automotive parts, but that's about it.

[00:07:27.250] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And At what point did that transition? How long were you at Offenhauser?

[00:07:36.410] - Tracy Valenta

A couple of years. Then I started my own business manufacturing packaged ice when I was about 20.

[00:07:43.680] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. Was that like... Were you the originator of the Party Ice Company, or were you a subsidiary or a franchise?

[00:08:00.390] - Tracy Valenta

No, actually, there was two other people that were doing it. Then the way I got into it is my dad, I used to work there part-time, too, for my dad, but they sold ice machines, my dad and my uncle. And so they had all these machines running and testing, and so I take the ice to the liquor store and sell Then I went to an auction and bought a couple of my own ice machines, really cheap. I put them in my garage. Then my dad had a big 5,000-pound ICE machine in the White Memorial Hospital, and they had to cut it in four pieces to get it up. Then I contacted the manufacturer, and they had a rep right in my area, and we really became best friends, and he helped me to put it back together.

[00:09:09.390] - Big Rich Klein

Very nice. So your dad was working in the industry, too, but just selling the machines, or was he producing ice?

[00:09:16.470] - Tracy Valenta

No, they were selling ice machines to liquor stores, markets, poultry stores.

[00:09:21.140] - Big Rich Klein

So people could bag their own?

[00:09:23.320] - Tracy Valenta

No. Yeah, or for display. Okay. In the cabin, it's fish cabinets, and the poultry cabinets. All right. And then they would sell them to restaurants, and quite a bit was, probably mostly went into restaurants.

[00:09:42.330] - Big Rich Klein

And there was no conflict of you doing the same thing as your dad was doing?

[00:09:48.440] - Tracy Valenta

No, it was completely the opposite. Because you were selling the ICE? They weren't selling the ICE. They were selling the machines.

[00:09:55.240] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. So you started Party Ice. How did you come up with that name?

[00:09:59.920] - Tracy Valenta

It just felt like a fit.

[00:10:03.710] - Big Rich Klein

It did really well.

[00:10:05.040] - Tracy Valenta

I had Tracy's ICE delivery when I first started, and then I designed my own ice bags, and that's when I went with Tracy's Party Ice.

[00:10:19.150] - Big Rich Klein

Very good. How long were you in the ice business?

[00:10:26.380] - Tracy Valenta

Twenty-five years.

[00:10:29.560] - Big Rich Klein

Wow. Okay. And so I know that you're pretty famous for your party ICE team or Team Party Ice, where you raced and you sponsored racers and you developed more of a team concept than what others were doing back then. How did that all come about? How did you come up with the team concept?

[00:10:59.060] - Tracy Valenta

Well, To start from the beginning, I went to Baja. There was 12 of us, and one of them had a Dume Buggy. Then I got to drive it, and then I thought, Well, this is what I want to do. I got a Dume Buggy, and my friends were going out to climb us. I got the chassis. Then I started putting it together and I said, You know what? I always wanted to go racing. I never made to the sand dunes. I built a two-seater, started racing like at Borrego and Saddleback. I crashed it at Saddleback and I thought, Shit, how am I going to build another one? Because I had money in that one. Then I tell my friends, I want to build another one. Then I wasn't quite sure. Then I don't know if you remember Jaymar with Marm Shaw?

[00:11:58.400] - Big Rich Klein

Okay.

[00:11:59.670] - Tracy Valenta

He Anyway, he was famous for the steering brakes. He knew Rick Mears real well, and he said, You know what? If you got a break to drive for you, you could probably get some sponsors. That's how that came about.

[00:12:16.860] - Big Rich Klein

So you just went and talked to Rick Mears and said, Hey, you want to drive for me?

[00:12:22.430] - Tracy Valenta

Pretty much, yeah. Marf set it up for me just as a friend.

[00:12:29.810] - Big Rich Klein

Nice. And what was that conversation like with Rick Mears?

[00:12:34.320] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, he was all for it. Well, and then I went to... Before I even did that, I went to Scott McKenzie. And at that time, he was just working on a shop, working on Malcolm's and Bud's car. He had left Sandmaster Modern Motors, and he was just in a little shop. I went and talked to him and I said, If I could get Rick Mears to drive me, would you be interested in putting a car together for me? He agreed, so that's how that went. Then I eventually became part of his with Scott at McKinsey Automotive.

[00:13:15.670] - Big Rich Klein

Okay, that I didn't know.

[00:13:18.030] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:13:19.130] - Big Rich Klein

I didn't find that in the research.

[00:13:21.410] - Tracy Valenta

Awesome.

[00:13:23.850] - Big Rich Klein

And approximately what time frame was that? I know you started racing yourself in around '72?

[00:13:31.170] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I was pretty much right around that era. Okay. '71, '72.

[00:13:38.650] - Big Rich Klein

And when you got that team together and started, did you Was Baja on your mind, or was it just the local races?

[00:13:52.300] - Tracy Valenta

Well, everything was always on my mind. I always try to look further up than probably most people, maybe because I'm dyslexic. A lot of people started wanting to help me because I had Rick and they were excited because they could see a winning team. Then Once I had Rick and Roger, then Mickey Thompson introduced me to Bob Hannah, and so I put him in a car. Then Bob Hannah introduced me to Marty Tripes, I put him in a car. Then Mickey Thompson also introduced me to Ted Eugene.

[00:14:41.120] - Big Rich Klein

Nice.

[00:14:42.270] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:14:44.310] - Big Rich Klein

Marty ended up becoming one of your best friends, correct?

[00:14:48.260] - Tracy Valenta

Absolutely. I'm the godfather to his daughter. We're still best friends. Nice.

[00:14:55.220] - Big Rich Klein

Very good. What were those early days of racing like with those guys?

[00:14:59.620] - Tracy Valenta

It was great. They were all excited. I think Malcolm Smith, he took things safety more seriously than anybody else did. He was always concerned about safety.

[00:15:19.750] - Big Rich Klein

Well, that's a good thing, though.

[00:15:22.090] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah. He's no dummy. Right. They were always It was really good to get along with. I never had a problem with any of the drivers.

[00:15:36.080] - Big Rich Klein

I'm going to put you on the spot here. Who do you think was the best of those drivers?

[00:15:44.790] - Tracy Valenta

Well, Rick was. Marty might have the most natural talent, and even Mickey told me that. But Rick, obviously, was the best driver.

[00:15:58.660] - Big Rich Klein

Right.

[00:15:59.820] - Tracy Valenta

Bobby Sherrill was really good in the desert.

[00:16:06.240] - Big Rich Klein

What about somebody like Katie O'Neill?

[00:16:10.260] - Tracy Valenta

Well, she was more of a co-driving.

[00:16:12.990] - Big Rich Klein

Okay.

[00:16:15.470] - Tracy Valenta

She just liked the sport, and she was really fun to work with, too.

[00:16:22.710] - Big Rich Klein

Any good stories from Baja?

[00:16:31.930] - Tracy Valenta

None of it I can just remember enjoying everything. My favorite place when I was racing was Bay of Los Angeles. There was nobody there. There was no generators. There was only Mama and Papa dias. You would eat with them. They'd eat three times a day, and you.

[00:16:58.110] - Big Rich Klein

It's very scenic there as well. Absolutely gorgeous.

[00:17:01.890] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, so many fish in that little bay right there. It's incredible. I was fortunate enough. There was some people that had a glass boat that they brought in. And they took us in the glass boat. I never seen so many fish in my life. Every fish you could even think of.

[00:17:21.550] - Big Rich Klein

Wow.

[00:17:21.920] - Tracy Valenta

It's amazing. I never forgot it. I never will.

[00:17:26.960] - Big Rich Klein

Did you pick up the sport of fishing? Did you try to go after those?

[00:17:32.480] - Tracy Valenta

I like to fish, but just in my spare time. Right.

[00:17:39.530] - Big Rich Klein

And the racing with these guys and How was it with that team built up? You were able to pretty much garner sponsors pretty easily because of the driver lineup you had?

[00:17:57.500] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, it helped a lot. I was able to get you involved in Bedriser.

[00:18:04.650] - Big Rich Klein

Right.

[00:18:05.740] - Tracy Valenta

And traveling. That all helped.

[00:18:12.450] - Big Rich Klein

And the Was it the team concept was it just... Was it every man for himself with inside the team, or was there a lot of teamwork going on, even while everybody was racing each other on the track or on course?

[00:18:30.670] - Tracy Valenta

You mean with competitors?

[00:18:32.490] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah. With your team, within your team.

[00:18:36.300] - Tracy Valenta

Oh, within my team? Yeah. Everybody got along. We worked as a team.

[00:18:42.850] - Big Rich Klein

Were you surprised that others didn't put together a team concept like you had started? Or did that start happening after you did that?

[00:18:55.770] - Tracy Valenta

I didn't even think about it. I just did it the way I wanted to do it.

[00:19:03.250] - Big Rich Klein

And what was your what was your mind thought behind that a team concept?

[00:19:11.300] - Tracy Valenta

I just went with the flow. I just When things come up, I'd take advantage of it. Okay. I think a modern motor came the closest to copy in this.

[00:19:22.400] - Big Rich Klein

Modern motor, okay. Did you continue racing yourself or you were just team manager/owner?

[00:19:31.990] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah. Once I had all the cars, I wasn't driving anymore because I had five cars, and sometimes I was up in Montreal, a couple of cars, and racing a couple of cars down in Baja at the same time.

[00:19:49.160] - Big Rich Klein

Wow. And so you did... You hit just about every racing off road, correct?

[00:19:56.200] - Tracy Valenta

Yes.

[00:19:57.410] - Big Rich Klein

So you did short course. Did you guys do any rally racing?

[00:20:02.910] - Tracy Valenta

No rally. Stadium racing. Stadium?

[00:20:07.060] - Big Rich Klein

What was it like in those stadium races? Because that was before I got into the racing and, you know going to races and stuff. The pictures looked pretty incredible. What was it like being within, say, the LA Coliseum?

[00:20:26.790] - Tracy Valenta

It was exciting. What we did that nobody else had ever done this. I was so excited about it. I bought a 1,000 seats altogether, and we sold them at our cost just to help Mickey get the people interested. I did that on my own.

[00:20:55.800] - Big Rich Klein

Wow, that's a heck of a promotion right there.

[00:20:59.320] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah. I got a great picture at the front of the Mint Hotel when they used to have contingency in front of there, giving Mickey the check for the seats. And all my drivers were in the picture, too. Now I come in the bed and Glenhairs, Bobby Sherrill. They were all there, all my desert racers.

[00:21:26.070] - Big Rich Klein

And you still have that picture?

[00:21:28.390] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:21:28.790] - Big Rich Klein

That's pretty cool.

[00:21:30.220] - Tracy Valenta

Somewhere.

[00:21:31.230] - Big Rich Klein

Somewhere.

[00:21:32.730] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:21:35.790] - Big Rich Klein

What was it about the team, do you think? A lot of times when you get a bunch of people together that are all A-type personalities, which most every racer is because you have to be to go for the win, what was it like trying to to keep everybody cohesive and together?

[00:22:06.770] - Tracy Valenta

It was never an issue because probably I'm not a personality. I was more calm and reasonable, and that's the way I dealt with everybody.

[00:22:25.080] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. That makes sense.

[00:22:28.360] - Tracy Valenta

I didn't feel like we had to go out to win, but I wanted to have the right equipment so we could.

[00:22:38.990] - Big Rich Klein

And you would field multiple cars in the same class, or did you Did you always run in different classes?

[00:22:47.680] - Tracy Valenta

No, I was running in the same class.

[00:22:50.930] - Big Rich Klein

Interesting.

[00:22:52.380] - Tracy Valenta

I did have a Class II car that was in Class II, but I had, I think had four Class I cars.

[00:23:02.710] - Big Rich Klein

That could have been pretty interesting. Was there ever a time where you swept the podium?

[00:23:09.130] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, we did in Phoenix. It was called the Fire Bird Off-Road Championships. We took one, two, three with Bob Hannah, Roger Mears, and Brian Harbor.

[00:23:29.220] - Big Rich Klein

Very good Very nice. How was it? Was it easy getting sponsors back then with that a lineup?

[00:23:39.700] - Tracy Valenta

Not really. We tried hard. They just fell in place, but we sent a lot of stuff, but it didn't get too many takers. One thing I never could to figure out is why Penzoil didn't want to sponsor us, but we stuck with Bavalan. But they sponsored Rick in the Indy car.

[00:24:12.520] - Big Rich Klein

Right. Did you ever go to Indy with Rick?

[00:24:18.930] - Tracy Valenta

No, but I went to a couple of places where he was making an appearance. He invited me.

[00:24:28.450] - Big Rich Klein

What was How long have you been married? You are married, correct?

[00:24:36.990] - Tracy Valenta

No. I had a lady friend for a long time, and she passed away four years ago.

[00:24:44.270] - Big Rich Klein

I'm sorry.

[00:24:46.320] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, it's life.

[00:24:48.050] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah, it is. That is. What was it like when you got inducted to the Hall of Fame? What was that night like for you? Exciting.

[00:24:59.670] - Tracy Valenta

It was exciting. I had so many friends that turned out I was amazed.

[00:25:07.680] - Big Rich Klein

It's quite the show. Have you been able to attend any of the galas since you were inducted?

[00:25:14.840] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I think I attended all but one. Okay.

[00:25:20.490] - Big Rich Klein

And we're back this year to just before SEMA, the Sunday before SEMA.

[00:25:27.260] - Tracy Valenta

Right. I'm not Not sure if I'll be able to attend right now. My age is catching up to me. For some reason, I'm still able to sell travel trailers and fifth wheels, but it's catching up to me, too. I'm going to try to make it till November when I turn 85, and then I might have to call it quits. Right.

[00:25:53.460] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. And after Party Ice as a business and a racing team, you became a car salesman, is that correct?

[00:26:06.060] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I did that. I also moved to Canada for seven years. I got married up there. I met a girl when I was racing up there. We got married. I sold RVs up there. That's where I learned how to sell trailers and fifth wheels of motorhomes. Okay.

[00:26:29.560] - Big Rich Klein

And what What part of Canada were you in?

[00:26:32.240] - Tracy Valenta

Northern Quebec. Oh, wow. Way up there. It was called Notre Dame du Nord. It's in the Tumesky, Maine, area.

[00:26:44.470] - Big Rich Klein

Interesting. Then after Canada, you came back down and continued selling RVs?

[00:26:52.430] - Tracy Valenta

Well, I got a job selling RVs because it was a small company, and they didn't have any benefits or anything. I decided to give... I had a friend that was working at Ford, and I got a job with Ford selling cars. Then I moved to My manager went to Lexus, and I went with him.

[00:27:19.920] - Big Rich Klein

I noticed that you just got a new car.

[00:27:24.660] - Tracy Valenta

Is that correct? Yeah. How did you know that?

[00:27:29.640] - Big Rich Klein

That's my job is to do a little research.

[00:27:34.930] - Tracy Valenta

Okay. I had a Tacoma since 2013. I bought it brand new, but it's getting a little hard for me to get in and out of, and the vision isn't quite as good as in the Highlander. I just feel like it's time for me to step down from a pickup into an SUV.

[00:27:58.690] - Big Rich Klein

You got the Lexus, Which is the- Well, I got a Highlander. Okay.

[00:28:03.640] - Tracy Valenta

All right. I bought it from the Lexus dealership down here, but it's just that they had the best price around for what I was looking for.

[00:28:11.710] - Big Rich Klein

Okay, great. Excellent. And you're continuing to work selling RVs now, or are you still- Yes. Okay.

[00:28:22.980] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I'm working on an RV ready in Lake Elsinore.

[00:28:26.660] - Big Rich Klein

Nice. And what are After November, you turn 85, you're looking at retiring at that point?

[00:28:38.160] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, if I feel like I can keep going on, but I think it's going to be a stretch for me to make it to 85 right now. I'm starting to have quite a few issues. One of them is in my back. It's starting to really hurt.

[00:28:55.620] - Big Rich Klein

Right. And that back, when your core like that starts to hurt, it's pretty difficult to manage. Right.

[00:29:05.720] - Tracy Valenta

It's arthritis, so there's not much they can do.

[00:29:09.310] - Big Rich Klein

Very true. Very true. So then with the racing and everything that you've done, is there one race that may stand out that you remember as a team that you just thought you'd just totally made it at that point?

[00:29:33.060] - Tracy Valenta

Well, definitely the Coliseum. Phoenix was big for me because we took off first, second, third. Right. Those were probably my two best memories. One in the Mexicali 250 riding with Bobby Farrell was something I'll never forget.

[00:29:59.860] - Big Rich Klein

Why is that? What was so memorable?

[00:30:05.830] - Tracy Valenta

Just a lot of things. One thing when we were racing, it was cold, but I forget what we were… He wanted to do something while he was driving. Oh, he wanted me to take the covers off of the headlights. I stood up, I stepped on the gas line. So I kept telling him to slow down. He said, He can't. I'm on the throttle. Back then, we used a wire to control the throttle, and that's where You were stepping on the wire. Right. Then after the wait, he was just crazy. We finished the race, and then we had to go to Impound downtown. And I thought he was going to kill us because he went through the traffic just like a crazy man. But we got there. And that was Bobby. Bobby was different.

[00:31:14.670] - Big Rich Klein

Sounds like an experience.

[00:31:17.320] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, he's a great racer and a great friend.

[00:31:21.480] - Big Rich Klein

So when you brought Rick Mears in as the team, your first race, what was that like with Rick? Or that first season?

[00:31:32.040] - Tracy Valenta

Just as good as it could be. He was really great to work with and fun to be around and just a gentleman.

[00:31:46.580] - Big Rich Klein

A real wheelman, too, right?

[00:31:49.190] - Tracy Valenta

Right.

[00:31:51.900] - Big Rich Klein

Did you feel like he could drive just about anything?

[00:31:56.140] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:31:59.720] - Big Rich Klein

When When with Malcolm, Malcolm is one of those guys that on any Sunday is when I was introduced to Malcolm with that movie, and that was pretty incredible. Was he still riding bikes when he was with Party Ice as well?

[00:32:27.890] - Tracy Valenta

I think he was getting out of him. He was a great desert racer. He used to tell me when he'd go too fast, he'd throw up.

[00:32:42.380] - Big Rich Klein

Really?

[00:32:45.730] - Tracy Valenta

Then Bobby Sherrill told me that he spun him around a few times. I went to a book signing for Malcolm, and I was talking to him, and I I asked him, I said, Is it true that Bobby spun you around? He said, Yeah, he did it a couple of times to me. I thought that was funny.

[00:33:11.140] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah, that is very interesting. What was Ted Nugent like? I mean, everybody calls him Uncle Ted now. So was he pretty outlandish as a rock star and everything back then?

[00:33:26.830] - Tracy Valenta

Oh, big time.

[00:33:29.720] - Big Rich Klein

And as a driver?

[00:33:33.400] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, he had to learn. He picked it up a little bit, but he wasn't in the same caliber as the other drivers, but he was fun to work with, and he took it serious, and he applied himself 100 %. He could have been as good if he had more experience at it.

[00:33:56.340] - Big Rich Klein

Right. But being a rock star took up a lot of his time.

[00:33:59.670] - Tracy Valenta

Right. I went out to his house in Michigan, and he was real congenial, and He never did drugs or alcohol. He was very straight.

[00:34:21.810] - Big Rich Klein

Right. Now, I understand that about him nowadays. He's come out and done some off-roading in Texas at a friend's off road park, and they really enjoyed the times that he's come out there to wheel with them and to hunt.

[00:34:41.660] - Tracy Valenta

Right. Yeah. At his ranch, I think he had 400 acres up in Flint, Michigan, and he had little treehouses all over, so he could hunt the deer from there. But he only would eat what he killed. He didn't eat any other meat. He just ate what he would kill.

[00:35:06.620] - Big Rich Klein

He didn't kill for pleasure. He killed for the meat.

[00:35:10.600] - Tracy Valenta

Right. Right.

[00:35:14.760] - Big Rich Klein

And When you retire and you're no longer selling, are you going to just take it easy or are you going to travel? What are some of the things you want to do?

[00:35:28.520] - Tracy Valenta

Probably both. I like photography, too, so I might get out and take more pictures. Very good. My son moved up to Anderson. Just right now. He's in the process of getting settled in up there, he just bought a house a couple of months ago. Then I've got other friends that live in St. George, so I can visit all those people up there.

[00:35:59.440] - Big Rich Klein

Very Very nice area in St. George. My son is up in that area in Hurrican. Yeah.

[00:36:04.530] - Tracy Valenta

I even just found out Mark Stahl lives up there, too. So if I go visit him.

[00:36:10.820] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah, I just interviewed Mark Stahl a couple of weeks ago.

[00:36:13.570] - Tracy Valenta

Oh, did you? He's a good guy.

[00:36:15.280] - Big Rich Klein

Very good guy. Yeah. In fact, he has now contacted my son because my son does a big event up there in that area at the Hurricane Sand Dunes. And so he's going to be participating in that event Come this late September, early October.

[00:36:34.770] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah.

[00:36:37.770] - Big Rich Klein

Well, is there anything that you would say to... Or what would you say to somebody that says, Tracy, I want to get into racing. How should I go about it?

[00:36:56.730] - Tracy Valenta

Well, it depends on what they would like to do, what racing they want to do, how much money they have. It's not cheap anymore. I built my first car for $3,000.

[00:37:09.550] - Big Rich Klein

You can't even buy a set of wheels for that.

[00:37:12.790] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, even when I'm retired, the motors were running 10 grand. Now, the shocks are running like 15 and 20,000. It takes a lot of money unless you want to get into a Class XI car or something. It's not easy to get into unless you have the money.

[00:37:32.690] - Big Rich Klein

Yeah. Like they say, how to make a million dollars in off-road racing.

[00:37:39.010] - Tracy Valenta

Start with two or three. Right, exactly.

[00:37:46.430] - Big Rich Klein

Well, Tracy, I want to say thank you so much for spending the time this morning and talking with me and sharing your life and your racing history and some of the stories that you have about the guys racing with I want to say it was very pleasurable for me to have this conversation with you. I really hope I get a chance to see you at Ormhoff if you are able to make it this year.

[00:38:12.210] - Tracy Valenta

Okay, I'll give it a shot if I can.

[00:38:15.010] - Big Rich Klein

All righty. You have a great rest of your day and take care of that back. All right?

[00:38:21.180] - Tracy Valenta

Yeah, I enjoyed talking with you, too. Thank you, Rick.

[00:38:23.420] - Big Rich Klein

Okay. Bye-bye now.

[00:38:25.200] - Tracy Valenta

Bye-bye.

[00:38:26.550] - Big Rich Klein

Well, that's another episode of Conversations with Big Rich. I'd I'd like to thank you all for listening. If you could do us a favor and leave us a review on any podcast service that you happen to be listening on, or send us an email or a text message or a Facebook message, and let me know any ideas that you have or if there's anybody that you have that you think would be a great guest, please forward the contact information to me so that we can try to get them on. And always remember, live life to the fullest. Enjoying life is a must. Follow your and live life with all the gusto you can. Thank you.