Amazing story of drag racer Floyd Lippencott

[deathsled]

Talk about a family fallout for being a drag racer!
https://www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/2020/4/27/21235185/floyd-lippencott-jr-drag-racer-secret-identity-bob-muravez

[S7MS427]

Pretty amazing story.  But also very sad in the end.  Guess we all make our own prisons.  We can walk out of them if we choose to because we hold the key to the lock if we have the courage to do so.  But first we need to get out of our own way.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

It must have been terrible to grow up with a father who didn't encourage you to explore and grow or worse yet planned your life for you.
My dad quit racing midgets after a friend of his was killed when he rolled their car. He was out and unhurt but got hit by another car. Such was racing pre war. But he was supportive of my wanting to race. When I was 5 he bought me a 1/4 midget (my mom was not happy but let me play with my new toy). We ran that until I got too big for it. He didn't mind my "run what ya brung" at SoCal tracks like OCIR and Irwindale (even though since I was a broke high school kid he was buying most of the parts I broke). He figured I couldn't get too hurt in a 95mph street car. After I sold my Cessna 182 he confided in me that he was always worried when I flew because so many little planes crashed. Not a word while I owned it though.

[427heaven]

I remember seeing the FREIGHT TRAIN stored in a little shop down the street from my house, as a kid I couldnt understand why family members do what they do. The shop owner told my dad who ran with that group, they were hiding BOBS car from his family... Now I know!

[deathsled]

I remember seeing the FREIGHT TRAIN stored in a little shop down the street from my house, as a kid I couldnt understand why family members do what they do. The shop owner told my dad who ran with that group, they were hiding BOBS car from his family... Now I know!

Wow!  Super small world!  The family dynamics were tragic.  But I think it is good that he pursued what he wanted despite said dynamics and further proved he excelled at. 

[FL SAAC]

Great story thanks for posting

[deathsled]

You're welcome. The article was too good not to share.

[camp upshur]

Stood in The Freight Train's pit many times at Irwindale (along w The Odd Couple - it's nemesis).
Enjoyed the sights and sounds. Who'd a thought there was all this family drama?

Quite a hit job on the Dad, heck he might have had a different version?? poor guys

[deathsled]

The father absolutely cannot be heard to complain.  He enabled his son and set him down this path when he bought him a 1953 Corvette when his son was only sixteen years of age.  That set the chain of causation in motion toward a drag racing career.  The father enabled his son and then complains?  Where is the accountability?