NHRA News: Dixon pays the price to keep his family close by (5/5/2004)

Dixon pays the price to keep his family close by

Contributed by Ted Yerzk
5/5/2004

"My daughter took her first steps last summer. Had they been at home, I would have missed that."
– Larry Dixon

In today's NHRA, multi-million corporate sponsors, private jets, and plush hotels are becoming as commonplace as in any form of motorsports. The days of being an owner/driver, competing regionally at small match race events, driving your hauler from race-to-race with your family, and sleeping in the rig at the racetrack are nearly gone.

That is unless you're Top Fuel racer Larry Dixon, who spends infinitely more time behind the wheel of his 40-foot Featherlite Vogue Motorhome than his Miller Lite dragster. By his own choice, Dixon can usually be found crisscrossing the country with his wife Allison and their two children Donovan (3) and Alanna (19 months) by his side. For Dixon, the constant buzz of Sponge Bob and Scooby Doo DVDs has become as much a part of his life as the cackle of nitromethane.

"I got married to spend the rest of my life with my wife and kids, not to leave them at home and say, 'See ya in a few weeks,' " said Dixon, the reigning two-time NHRA champion. "If I have the opportunity of spending time with them, that's what I want to do."

Quality time with his kids is irreplacable, says Dixon.
Racers Edge Photography

The sport of drag racing is about getting from point A to point B in the quickest amount of time, something the 37-year-old Indianapolis resident has done with great efficiency. Since taking over for legend Don "the Snake" Prudhomme in 1995, the 33-time national event winner has amassed a stunning .675 winning percentage behind the wheel of his Miller Lite rail.

Although the stat keepers don't keep the numbers, Dixon most likely has the edge in road miles among his peers as well, as he travels from coast to coast and border to border each season.

After growing up in the hot bed of drag racing near Los Angeles, the second-generation driver from Van Nuys, Calif., left the fun and sun of So Cal and relocated just outside of Indianapolis in 1999. Citing a need to be near the team's race shop and wanting to more time at home with his family, prompted Dixon to drop his Southern California lifestyle for a new life in the racing capital of the world.

"I was always around the car the first seven or eight years of being involved in drag racing," said Dixon, the 1995 NHRA Rookie of the Year. "I wasn't a part of the crew any longer, but I still enjoyed being around the racecar. For me to be near the dragster, if I lived in California, meant being away from home.

"The last year I lived in California, I was home just 90 days. The first year I moved to Indianapolis, I was home 190 days. Living in Indy gives me 100 more days at home, which is great for me and my family.

Dixon and family relax in their rolling living room.
Racers Edge Photography

"Ali and I were planning on starting a family and I thought about getting a motorhome and driving back-and-forth to the races, instead of flying. That way, I could have my family with me and still be at home a good majority of the time. It was a combination of all of those things that led to us making the move to Indy."

After Donovan was born in November of 2000, the Dixons bought a motorhome and have been a road warriors ever since, racking up highway miles rather than frequent flyer miles.

"I'm the cheapest help," Dixon said. "I traded airline tickets for a motorhome. Why fly your family to the races and pay someone to drive your motorhome? That's an extra cost."

Dixon, who plans on driving to 18 of the 23 events during the 2004 NHRA campaign, doesn't even mind the grind of three consecutive race weekends, with the exception of the grueling Western Swing of races in Denver, Seattle, and Sonoma, Calif.

"The three-race swings on the East Coast aren't bad," Dixon said. "Indy is on the way to all the races, so you can stop at home late Sunday night or on Monday and take care of things like laundry and paying bills before you head out on the road again. On the Western Swing, we're gone for three weeks solid. It really gets tough after the race in Sonoma when you have to drive from Infineon Raceway to Indy. That's almost 2,500 miles."

Dixon's Miller Lite rail has carried him to the last two NHRA titles, which his family got to enjoy with him.
Racers Edge Photography

Dixon juggles many different hats playing the role of husband, father, and superstar racecar driver. Keeping a smile on his children's faces can be as difficult as the state-to-state trek is tedious. However, the modern luxuries like flat screen televisions, DVD players, and satellite TV can help pass the time. Both Donovan and Alanna have grown accustom to the contemporary electronic wonders.

"Ali's car at home has little TV screens in the headrests," Dixon said. "It's pretty funny when we're on the road and rent a car, the kids ask why there aren't TV screens in the seats? Having the DVD's and videos in the motorhome is a big help. You try and take care of your family the best you can."

Arguably Dixon's most important factor in his choice of lifestyle is to be around his children and watch them grow, something he wouldn't be able to do if they remained at home in Indianapolis while he is on the road winning races.

"My daughter took her first steps Saturday night at Brainerd last summer," Dixon said. "Had they been at home, I would have missed that. But, because of the motorhome, I was there. That was really cool to see."

Any diehard NHRA fan knows the exasperation of fighting traffic following a long day at the racetrack. With the motorhome, Dixon can walk from the Miller Lite pit area to his home without the frustration of combating thousands of vehicles trying to leave the track.

"After dealing with all the traffic at certain races, I know why all the Nextel Cup drivers have motor coaches," Dixon said. "All of their races have major traffic jams and at some races our crew guys have to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. to beat the traffic, while I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. on race mornings and get to sleep a little longer. Anyone that has kids knows you have to take advantage of extra sleep when you can.

"You have to remember also that our pit area isn't a playground. It's where we go to work and the cars are loud. So, instead of being cooped up in a hotel room away from the track, the kids can go to the motorhome and hang out and play or take a nap. They can do their own thing as far as getting up in the morning and I can roll in after the race day is over. It's really like being at home with the motorhome at the track."

Donovan shares in dad's celebrations.
Racers Edge Photography

Drag racing has grown from a hobbyist activity into the second most popular from of motorsports in the United States, and one fact that hasn't changed in NHRA's 53-year existence is that pure, raw horsepower and performance is the attraction for any racer of spectator. Dixon's Dick LaHaie-tuned rail produces somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 horsepower, accelerates from zero to 100 mph in less than one second and covers the 1,320-foot drag strip in 4.5 seconds at 330 mph. His 33,000-pound motorhome, meanwhile, cruises the highways of America at a top speed of 75 mph.

In a perfect race season, a drag racer would register 46 miles total if they completed all four qualifying attempts and advanced to the final round at each of the 23 stops on the POWERade circuit. Dixon annually logs more than 30,000 miles behind the wheel of his blue and silver house-on-wheels.

An increase in the cost of nitromethane was a highly-debated issue in the early stages of the 2004 NHRA season, while skyrocketing gasoline prices continue to make headlines across the country. The Miller Lite dragster will burn 18 gallons of nitromethane on each quarter-mile pass down the drag strip, whereas Dixon's Featherlite houses a 150-gallon gas tank.

"When I first bought the motorhome three years ago, diesel fuel was about $1.30 a gallon in the Midwest," Dixon said. "Now, it's up to $1.80 a gallon and on the West Coast it's even more. When you go to the pump and fill it up, it certainly makes a difference. You don't notice it if you're only putting 10 gallons in your car."

Like drag racing, when the occasional first-round defeat can put a damper on an otherwise successful race weekend, life on the roads of America aren't always enjoyable and glorious. However, the Dixons are fortunate to have one thing when tough times occur – each other. And that love and support from his family are sure to keep Dixon in a dragster for years to come.

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