All
you have to do is
take one look at
Shayne Lawson and
you'll know that
he had to play sports
in high school.
And it won't take
you too long after
you first meet him
to realize that
football
was his sport of
choice. "I played
in high school," he
said while working
on the alcohol funny
car that he drives
in Dallas. "I played
offensive and defensive
line." His team,
Coweta High School
in Oklahoma, made
it to the state semi-finals
and finished with
a 10-3 record in
his senior year. "I
had some offers to
play college ball
but I decided that
I would like to try
this (drag racing)
instead. I've always
wanted to drive." Not
only is he getting
a chance to drive
but he will also
be part of a team
that has a very bright
future, especially
after signing a three
year deal with Tigerflow
to sponsor the car. "Tigerflow
is a company that
develops water systems
for high rise buildings.
Monroe Guest is the
vice-president and
we hit it off pretty
well with him and
now we recently signed
a long term agreement
to represent the
company." The signing
was announced at
a huge car chow and
pep rally that Tigerflow
held at their Dallas
office right before
the start of the
O'Reilly Fallnationals
at the Texas Motorplex. "It
was so cool to have
the employees come
by and look at the
car and ask questions
about it. We are
so excited about
representing them
on the track," Shayne
said.
Guest,
McWilliams
and
Kelly
Lawson
Shayne
Lawson
is one
of the
many
new
drivers
in the
sportsman
and
pro ranks
who
began
his
career
in the
Jr.
Dragster
program. "I
started
it at
the very
beginning
of the
class
and we
did pretty
well," he
said. "When
I got
too old
to stay
in the
junior
ranks
I stepped
up to
a Super
Comp
car and
I thought
that
I would
eventually
drive
a Top
Alcohol
Dragster." But,
as the
twenty-six
year
old would
soon
discover,
even
the best
plans
can take
an unexpected,
and pleasant
detour. "I
knew
Brandon
Lewis
and he
told
me that
Brad
McWilliams
was looking
for some
help
with
his car
last
year
and so
I called
him and
we got
together." Shayne's
first
exposure
to the
world
of alky
funny
cars
came
last
year
at the
Brainerd
race
where
he joined
Brad's
crew.
At the
time
Marty
Nothstein
was driving
and Shayne
started
working
on the
clutch,
but by
the end
of the
season
he knew
that
bigger
things
were
in store
for him
and Brad. "At
the end
of the
year
when
Marty
and Brad
parted
ways
I told
Brad
that
I would
like
to drive,
and then
in the
off season
my dad
and I
started
pursuing
sponsors
and we
were
lucky
enough
to meet
Monroe." Luck
may have
played
a small
part
in the
sponsorship
but as
everyone
in the
sport
knows,
opportunities
like
this
don't
just
happen
by accident. "When
I told
Brad
that
I wanted
to drive
I knew
that
my chances
would
improve
if I
could
get some
financial
help.
So I
went
out,
got some
leads,
made
some
contacts
and then
my dad
helped
me with
the proposals
and we
went
out and
pitched
ourselves
to the
folks
at Tigerflow." Monroe
Guest
was so
impressed
with
the presentation
that
he signed
the team
to a
three
year
deal. "This
year
was pretty
much
designed
to be
a learning
curve
but then
we have
a three
year
deal
beginning
with
2008." Over
the period
of that
deal
Shayne
hopes
to be
able
to compete
at all
of the
divisional
races
in his
home
division
as well
as traveling
to several
national
events.
When
I asked
Shayne
if he
enjoyed
tuning
and working
on the
car as
much
as he
did driving,
he thought
for a
moment
and then
said," Yeah,
I liked
working
on it,
but
I always
knew
I wanted
to drive.
I enjoy
them
both,
but
driving
is a
lot
of fun."
When
talking
with
Shayne
one
thing
stood
out,
and
that
was the
fact
that
he knew
that
the
transition
from
crew
member
to driver
would
be a
real,
slow,
careful
process. "I
had always
driven
dragsters,
from
the junior
cars
to the
Super
Comp
class
and I
never
envisioned
myself
driving
a funny
car.
It really
is completely
different
from
anything
I've
driven
before." And
despite
the fact
that
he is
a big,
tall,
strapping
young
man,
he admits
to being
a little
startled
the first
time
he got
behind
the wheel
of the
car. "I
have
to tell
you that
the first
time
I hit
the throttle
in the
car I
thought
to myself,
'What
have
you gotten
yourself
into?'
And then
I settled
down
and realized
that
if I
wanted
to drive
I would
have
to take
it slowly." Shayne's
learning
process
began
at the
end of
last
year
and continued
through
the early
part
of 2007.
The team
went
to Noble,
Oklahoma,
and then
to Tulsa,
Memphis
and Dallas
before
he was
able
to complete
the licensing
process. "Little
things
kept
happening
and
I have
to admit
that
I made
some
mistakes.
The
end result
was
I didn't
complete
my two
full
passes
until
the
divisional
race
in Dallas
earlier
this
year."
While
Shayne
realizes
that
you
need
to take
this
learning
curve
slowly,
he admits
to being
very
fortunate
to have
a couple
of pretty
good
mentors. "I've
been
picking
Jackie
Stidham's
brain
pretty
regularly," he
said. "And
Roger
Bateman
has also
been
a big
help." Being
from
Division
4, and
remembering
the fact
that
the car
he is
racing
used
to belong
to the
Division
4 champ,
Stidham,
it's
easy
to see
the Jackie-Shayne
connection,
but the
Roger
Bateman
deal
is a
little
harder
to figure
out,
especially
when
you consider
the fact
that
Roger
is from
Calgary,
Canada. "We
pitted
next
to Roger
in Brainerd
last
year
and I
was able
to spend
some
time
with
him,
and then
his team
was at
Memphis
when
we were
there
for the
divisional
race
and we
talked
again." Shayne
says
that
he learns
something
every
time
he talks
to one
of these
drivers. "If
you
have
to learn
you
might
as well
learn
from
the
best,
and
both
Jackie
and
Roger
have
had
great
careers
and
I'm glad
that
they
are
willing
to share
some
of their
experiences
with
me."
Shayne
appears
to be
off
to a
great
start
in his
funny
car
career,
even
if he
didn't
set
the world
on fire
in this,
his
rookie
season
as a
driver,
and
when
he's
not racing
he holds
down
a full
time
job
as a
heavy
equipment
operator. "I
guess
you could
say that
I drive
two miles
per hour
during
the week
so I
can drive
two hundred
miles
per hour
on the
weekend.
I know
that
I'm very
fortunate
to have
the support
of my
dad,
Kelly,
and the
opportunity
to work
with
Brad
McWilliams
and his
team.
Brad
has been
very
patient
and he's
been
a great
teacher.
We went
out and
got all
the good
parts
that
we need
to race
with,
and now
I just
have
to continue
to learn
and do
my job." In
addition
to the
support
of his
dad and
car owner,
Shayne
also
has the
support
of the
folks
at Tigerflow. "He's
just
a great
young
man," said
Monroe
Guest. "Shayne,
his dad
and Brad
have
put together
a good
program
and I'm
glad
that
we can
be part
of it.
We're
looking
forward
to a
long
and mutually
beneficial
relationship." Armed
with
a good
car
owner,
lots
of parts
and
a determination
to be
the
best
that
he can,
Shayne
Lawson
is looking
forward
to the
next
three
years,
and
as he
grows
and
matures,
the
rest
of the
teams
in the
alky
funny
car
class
better
beware
of the
tiger.
Or the
Tigerflow
car.
