Tadd Holliman

It's been awhile since I blogged anything; okay, it's been a REALLY long time since I have actually. With everything else going on in my life I just don't seem to find the time to do it often enough. I swear that I will try to do better.

This blog is for all of those who don't have a subscription to Flat Out magazine. As most of you know, I write for the magazine off and on (more off than on, rather like my blog). Since you can only get Flat Out through a subscription there are a lot of people who never get to see the magazine.

Well, recently I had the great pleasure to do an article on someone I consider to be a good friend. Tadd is a local sprint car driver who goes out every Saturday during the racing season at Eagle Raceway and does something that he loves. Racing isn't his life, it's his passion; and it's that passion that I wrote about. For people to not get a chance to read about Tadd would be a tragedy; because he is one of the good ones, on and off of the track.

Here is the article, which appeared in the June 2010 issue of Flat Out magazine. Now, go out and buy a subscription so I can get a raise and you won't miss any of my contributions.

"An All-American football player, a soccer coach, a basketball coach and a sprint car driver walk into the pits at Eagle Raceway". No, this isn't one of 'those' jokes; it happens every Saturday night during the racing season. And the football player, the coaches and sprint car driver are really just one person; Tadd Holliman.

"I grew up racing the street of Hamburg, Iowa in a lot of different cars. Mostly it was Dad's '79 Bronco for snowy street racing, but I even tried my mom's Corvette. But that was only when she was out of town, and then only until one rain slickened street sent my buddy Al and I over the curb and spinning out until we came to a stop 2 feet from a house. We slowly drove it home and I never got behind the wheel of it again because if it didn't kill me, Dad sure as hell would have if I wrecked it".

"I wanted to move my racing to the track as soon as I graduated High School, but Mom put the stops to that. So, my next step was attending McPherson College in Kansas where I played free safety on the football team." Tadd's education came as the result of a full-ride football scholarship. Obviously the school's faith in him was well-placed as he garnered many honors in his years on the team, culminated by being named All-American in his senior year. In fact, he still retains the NAIA record for the most return yardage.

Having graduated with his teaching degree, Tadd was free to pursue his next competitive challenge; racing. "I always knew I wanted to be a racer, but I thought it might be in Late Models since that was what dad was racing when I was younger, and he was kicking ass". By the time he was ready to actually strap in however, Tadd's father Terry had moved back to sprint cars. "So, I decided that it was my time to get a sprinter".

Tadd's first sprinter was his own #19 which he purchased from Jeff Griffis and Brent Morris. "That was Grandpa Sam's number when he had Dad and uncle Dan driving for him. I'm actually a third-generation racer. Grandpa drove some and my Grandma even drove in powder puff races at the old Hamburg Speedway". He ran his own car for the first few years, mostly at Eagle Raceway and I-80 Speedway in addition to running with the NSCA. Then, in 1997 his father suffered badly burned legs after an engine expired in his racer and car owner Eldon Rhoten asked Tadd to take over the #23 until Terry could heal.

When Terry was ready to return to driving, a second team car, the #23R was added to the team; and that has been Tadd's ride ever since. Two A Feature wins, countless heat race wins and the 1995 Most Improved award at Eagle are a few of the highlights of Tadd's career thus far. However, when asked what his best night at the track was, Tadd simply replied "Any time I can beat my Dad".

It was unneccesary to ask what his worst night was. That came on July 29th, 2009. Tadd was flying full speed down the back stretch at Eagle, when an incident in front of him caused another sprinter to come to a halt at the bottom of turns three and four. The 23R barreled head-long into the stalled racer, leaving Tadd with 6 broken ribs, a bruised lung, a badly broken arm and a concussion. During his recovery and throughout his therapy Tadd swore that he would be recovered in time for this year's Chili Bowl. And true to his word, he was there in his mother-in-law's midget. "I like to say that she fired Dad and hired me for the ride. After a dismal Chili Bowl this year, including blowing a motor in practice, the team has decided to update the midget program and is currently looking at many options".

It's obvious that Tadd loves racing the moment that you speak to him. I inquired as to what was special to him about racing, and he replied "Adrenalin. Competition! I've been in sports my whole life, so mostly the competition". That spirit saw him through what was arguably the lowest point in his life, and brought him back to his current sports challenge; piloting a sprint car.

Tadd's wife of 9 years, Darla, will be in the stands cheering him on this season at Eagle. She'll be accompanied by their two daughters, as well as Tadd's step-son and step-daughter. They'll be joined by a throng of fans, cheering on the 23R sprinter with it's redesigned paint scheme. And that is Tadd's latest victory; the fact that he is back racing in front of the fans and the ones who love him.