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D . I . COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D ' Aprile
As I sat down to write this column I started to think about how far the sport of drag racing has come in recent years . I remember when you would have to wait weeks , even months , for race results , but now it ’ s almost instant gratification . Thanks to the Internet and live video feeds we can be virtually present at several tracks across the country on an almost weekly basis , with nearly any race result or update at the push of a button .
But is that necessarily a good thing ? Waiting has become a thing of the past in many areas of life . Something called patience has taken a back seat to our instant-everything culture and that has created many problems for those who want it and want it now .
I have heard it said that if you really want to buy something , wait at least a week before making that major purchase , because that way when the time comes you can decide without impulse if you really do indeed still want it . I can admit that I have made mistakes when it comes to making purchases just because I couldn ’ t wait ; and unfortunately , my pure excitement of the purchase wore off when I had to make the payments .
I remember like it was yesterday when I bought my first Pro Mod . I couldn ’ t afford it , but some way and somehow I got together enough financing and borrowing to make it happen . The feeling was amazing as I loaded it into the trailer for the ride home , but that feeling of joy soon became a debt and that debt became a weight for many , many years because I had purchased something I truly could not afford .
So what am I saying you might ask ? Well , what we lack in our society and also in myself at times is discipline , but it ’ s discipline that will keep you from the impulse buys that so easily trap you . All I want you to get out of this column is an awareness that although you can instantly have just about anything at any time , you should start to think before leaping into debt or making wrong decisions that can have a harmful impact on your life .
I have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people in our sport buying anything and everything to have the fastest car on the planet . The problem is that only about 20 to 30 percent of the people who do this can actually afford it at the level in which they ’ re competing . I know firsthand , people who have refinanced their homes in order to buy race engines . So please take it from someone who knows ; the juice is just not worth the squeeze here . Discipline yourself to stay within a budget you can afford , and if you can ’ t afford what you want , don ’ t buy it at that time . Instant success of discipline or instant debt will be the choice you have to make .
Drag racing is a fantastic sport and — with discipline — one that can fit any budget . The problem is that we compare how fast we are to others and make wrong choices to keep up with them , all for the sake of being number one . The trouble is , I know a lot of guys who finished number one and yet lost everything else in the process . If you can balance racing within your lifestyle , then it will be a sport that brings you great returns in many areas of life ; however , when you go crazy spending and getting everything right now without the means to support your habit you will soon get swallowed up in a racing pitfall so many others are trapped in .
Now , I didn ’ t write this to discourage you , but to encourage you toward a life of financial discipline within this wonderful sport we call drag racing . From Jr . Dragster to Top Fuel , the excitement of the sport is alive and well . Likewise , you are blessed to be participating at any level , so stop comparing and start enjoying the sport again . Reprioritize and downsize if you must . Remember , you can upgrade your program instantly , but without balance the instant upgrade may also represent the instant start of your own demise . As always , the choice is yours to make .
Tommy D ’ Aprile tommyd @ dragillustrated . com
November 2016
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