WILMAUMA, Fla. — It’s not exactly the Indianapolis 500, but the thrill is just as exhilarating for the drivers involved.
There is a brand-new veteran’s organization in Wimauma, where vets can race each other at speeds of more than 50 mph.
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Jonathon Sharkey said being a member of the U.S. Army was the biggest rush of his life, until he started racing.
“It just psyches you up, you are like, ‘wow,’ you feel rejuvenated, you feel like I can take on the world, you feel invincible, nothing is going to stop me,” said Sharkey.
“If you ever watched TV back in the day with Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison and Richard Petty and going, ‘I wish I could do something similar,’ well here it is,” said Sharkey.
Sharkey met with the Ambassador Racing School to create a Veterans Racing League. No experience necessary, just the drive to try something new.
“I’m a big Formula 1 fan, and I was a NASCAR fan, Indi 500 fan, and here I am,” said veteran William Cox.
Cox said going 50 mph around an oval can give you a whole new outlook on life.
“It cuts the decades off, not the years, the decades, when I get out of the car after racing my heart is pounding, I feel young, I’m ready to roll, its great,” said Cox.
He said vets need these kinds of outlets.
It’s always nice to cross the finish line with your fellow comrades. Win or lose, everyone takes a victory lap.
“There are a lot of veterans in the area, a lot of retired veterans, and we don’t know each other, so the value is to get us together, to meet each other, and nothing like competing,” said Cox.
For more information on this league and upcoming races, click here.
