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Grice Rekindles Racing Flame, Looks for Breakthrough Modifieds Victory

By Chuck Corder

Scooter Grice was in a real bind.

He was desperate to get up to Five Flags Speedway to put in some practice laps in his Modified that was boasting a new engine.

But the dually truck Grice uses to transport his Modified was having fuel pump problems.

So he did what any sensible racer would do. The 36 year old fired up that new engine, put it on some four-lane pavement and sped down to America’s Favorite Home Track.

Don’t try that at home, kids. Luckily, Grice lives about a football field away from the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

Still, that doesn’t mean he didn’t receive some strange glares on his short, strange trip.

“I’m sure the lady in the station wagon was wondering why a red racecar was going down Pine Forest Road,� Grice said. “We did what we had to do and got what we needed to get done.�

He hopes to get plenty done Friday night as the Modifieds battle for 50 laps for a winner’s prize of $1,500.

The Mods will be joined by Motorcycles, Sportsmen and Bombers when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday.

Admission to the grandstands is as follows: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors; $12 Military/Students (12-17); $5 Children (6-11); Under 6 is Free. Passes to get into the pits are $25.

After struggling to find enough time in his hectic schedule to consistently race for the last 20 years, Grice turned over a new leaf this season and dedicated himself to a sport that trails only his burning white hot passion for football as his favorite pastime.

“I remember when I played football, I played to win,� he said. “I had that approach early on when I started racing at 13. But more often, it cost me more wins than ever won me. I got complacent.�

Grice’s rebirth has taken him to places far beyond his wildest imagination — both figuratively and literally.

Thanks to fourth and runner-up finishes in the season’s first two races, Grice sits just four points behind Donnie Hamrac for the series lead.

Grice jump-started his season back in February by competing for the first time at both New Smyrna and Daytona during Speedweeks.

“I was stepping out of my comfort zone,� he said. “We ran (well), I enjoyed it and we all went home. I always had confidence in my abilities to carry out the act of driving a racecar. But, I have a confidence level now that I never had before.�

Grice parlayed that into a strong showing at the season opener back on April 13, another 50 lapper that boasted a significant payday.

He finished just off the podium because of poor tire management late in the race — a fact he readily admits — but Grice held his head high, believing his was the car to beat.

“I definitely had the fastest car. I just wasted it,� Grice said. “It’s not what we wanted, but we had fun. A couple of times I saved it, and I don’t know how I got it back.

“My grandfather, Foots Kimmons, was a dirt track champion and started me when I was 5 years old. We used to race around the junk yard. I learned car control from him. You gotta learn how to slide.�

Now Scooter Grice hopes to impart his racing knowledge on his son, 19-year-old Thumper Grice.

The younger Grice, who quarterbacked at Tate High School, is hoping to make his racing debut as early as Friday.

“Now he’s putting on a racing helmet instead of a football helmet to carry on the tradition,� the elder Grice said.

Thumper Grice definitely has some giant shoes to fill when it comes to his father.

It’s clear Scooter Grice fears rest. With a full-time gig as a Gulf Power maintenance technician, a part-time football coach and a co-owner with wife Shelby of a local salon, Grice rarely seeks time to sit down.

But on Friday, this modern-day Renaissance man will take his seat inside the No. 71 Modified with hopes that his renaissance year adds another chapter.

“I have to keep the fun factor on the forefront. That’s the first and foremost thing I want to do,� Grice said. “I want to race with people I can trust. It’s a poker game, a chess match out there. You’re a slave to the decision you make. It’s all strategy. That’s what makes it fun.�

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