Page 152 - OVATION Magazine (Issue 1)

and we find stuff all the time,” he says. “There’s a group of us . . . purists, who actually want all the right parts with the right cars.”
Still, for a man who likes to compete, it was only a matter of time.A few years ago, Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evern- ham called Borchetta to come over to the track.They spent the day together, check- ing things out, doing what car aficiona- dos do.When they were done, Borchetta remembers Evernham telling him,“You really can drive.You should come and do this with me.”
And so his fire for racing was rekin- dled. Mostly driving a 1972 and 1969 Corvette in the SRVA series, Borchet- ta is doing about eight races per year, including the Indy. Press him harder for specifics, and he reveals,“Last week, we finished second at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car track—and yes, I won the National Championship in Austin last year.”
He’s humble about it, but he also
has a strong awareness that there’s always another race, another risk, another check- ered flag ahead. Don’t dwell too much on what you’ve done because the next race could be the one.“Racing is such a great relief to get away from the music business for a weekend,” he says. “You have to be completely focused with the racing.You can’t have any distractions—any little distraction. Literally, all the politics, the charts—not now!”
For now, at least, that focus is exactly what Borchetta needs.“I love what I do with the music, but I’m better with the racing,” he says.“Yes, I could certainly get killed, and you know it every time you get in.You’re prepared to crash, but look at Dale Earnhardt: He was a real racer. That’s all he cared about.‘Are we racing or what?!’We all hope to live somewhat to that standard, that ‘Do you want to race?’That’s why we’re here.”
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