Marks eighth in racing debut

Rick Marks earned an eighth-place finish in his auto racing debut.

Marks raced in the Cruiser division at the Perris Auto Speedway March 10. The Cruisers are a two-driver class in which one driver controls the steering wheel and the other driver has the gas pedal, and Marks operated the gas pedal while Scott Urquhart steered.

“It was fun and exciting,” Marks said of his racing debut. “It’s a thrill.”

Marks has lived in Fallbrook for 20 years. He met Kevin Martin, who now drives a Cruiser, at church, and he joined Martin’s crew for 2007. “I understood he was into racing and just wound up helping him with his car,” Marks said.

Brooktown Racing currently has three cars. Martin drives with his wife, Debbie. Jim Ramsey normally drives with Dennis Allen, although Allen also drives a Formula V car and was in Fontana for the weekend so Dave Hill drove with Ramsey for the March 10 race. Urquhart drove with Ramsey in his only previous race of 2007, but Urquhart was in need of a co-driver March 10 and turned to the Brooktown Racing pits.

“I figured that I’d help Kevin out, and next thing I was over there with Scott. They all seem to be a pretty tight group,” Marks said.

The Martins finished sixth in the March 10 main event while Ramsey and Hill placed seventh. Ten cars, including the three Brooktown Racing entries, began the Cruiser race.

“First time around that track was pretty exciting,” Marks said. “Whole lot different view than it is from the stands.”

Marks was satisfied with his finish in his first race. “It was well worth the effort and the work,” he said.

Marks will drive with Urquhart or any other Brooktown Racing driver in need of an alternate during 2007. “I’ll just be a fill-in for now, wherever they need me,” he said.

He borrowed a racing suit for his first race. “I’ll probably wind up investing in one – one or two. Depends on how it all plays out,” he said.

Marks is 43. His son, William, is 20. Rick Marks is planning to build a Street Stock for his son to race at Perris in 2008. “His adaptability is better than mine at the moment,” Rick Marks said.

The racing may also provide a sponsorship outlet for Marks’ business, Quality Repaint. Marks has owned Quality Repaint for 20 years, and sponsoring his own racecars may allow him to expand his business to painting cars as well as homes.

Marks believes that additional seat time will be necessary for him to feel more comfortable in a racecar. “But you never know,” he said.

What he does know is that he wants to race in the future. “I had a great time, plan to continue it,” he said.