There are a lot of old track shoes in Carl Lewis' closet, a couple of flat basketballs at Larry Bird's house, and Eddie Van Halen probably owns a few used-up guitar picks. And there's probably someone out there who'd buy all that stuff if those guys ever threw a garage sale.
Compared to racers, however, runners, basketball players and guitarists make no trash. Racers burn through parts like they're kindling, use up cars in a weekend of racing and can always come up with some reason for bolting on a fresh set of tires. But a racer with a sentimental streak can't just throw all that stuff away.
Sitting in my garage right now are dozens of old intakes ready to bolt on to some Integra somewhere. I've got the whole front end of my Integra from the first time it ran 10s. And another whole front end from when it first ran 9s. And yet another from when it ran 8s. It's all just sitting there, fully intact and ready to race. It's all of no use to me now, but I can't seem to give it up.
I could put it all up on eBay, I guess, and sell it for a few sheckels. Or maybe I could advertise it all in the back pages of National Dragster and sell it to other racers. Heck, I could donate to the Salvation Army and let them put it up for sale at the thrift store. But then it wouldn't be my stuff anymore.
I look at it all sometimes and realize the story of my racing life is in those parts. Every header I have I remember bolting on and the hopes I had for better times as I torqued the bolts. There are spark plug wires whose routing I obsessed over for hours just laying around, never to carry current again. At one time, every piece of junk in there was the center of my life. How can I get rid of this stuff?
Like every racer I keep my trophies. I've got like 15 or 20 lining a windowsill and my two Wallys are in my office where I can see them. I also have a lot of the magazine articles written about me mounted on wood and stuck to walls around the shop and office. After all, what's the point of pursuing glory if all you're going to do after you get it is put it some place where no one can see it? But plaques and trophies are meant to be kept, unlike the piles of useless crap filling my house, garage and life.
Except for some caps, World Racing doesn't really sell souvenirs. We give away posters, but we don't have a big NASCAR-style trailer following us around hawking Christian Rado bobblehead dolls. But souvenirs are part of the business and I'm sure we'll eventually be selling people stuff they want to buy with pictures of our car on them. Want a World Racing coffee mug? Sooner or later we'll sell you one.
Some souvenirs I can't wait to see. It would be cool to go into a model shop and see kits of my racecar for sale. And a Christian Rado Hot Wheels? Tres cool. But I can't imagine myself sitting on QVC trying to get people to buy "limited edition" crap I'd be ashamed to own myself. I'm not saying it won't happen. I doubt Dale Earnhardt ever imagined it either, but he did it, and if it does happen it will mean our sport is really healthy. I just can't imagine what it would be like.
But for the moment my biggest souvenir is sitting in my garage quickly rusting away. It is, of course, my Integra and it's already so far gone it could never race again. It's not for sale and won't ever be. I'm not sure what I'm going to end up doing with it, but I know it's mine forever.
Maybe I should put some of these old lug nuts up on eBay?