Rus Lawson's Racing Page

Hi! Welcome to my Web Page

Always steer left!

That's me, Russ Lawson, going around Turn 2. Don't let the primitive nature of this Web Page fool you; I am a much better driver than I am a Web Page Designer.

Here you can find some info about me, my car, my finishes, and the track I run. Also some links, some of them just for fun. Keep coming back as we plan to update (and improve) this site.

"ME" Stuff

That's me, over there. I live in Bossier City, La, and I make money by working for the Postal Service. The picture was taken in front of the multi-hundred thousand dollar machine I drive at work. It's 3 AM and I am actually asleep. What I do for fun is race... dirt track racing, in particular. I keep a wife, two kids, two dogs and a turtle fed, cleaned, and clothed (not the dogs or the turtle nor, as often as possible, the wife) by laboring on the machines that bring you your mail (or my mail anyway). I used to carry the mail until I figured out that was really hard work. So now I spend my days (actually nights) shoving letters in one end of a machine and pulling them out at the other. They tell me there is a point to all of it, but all I know is it sure beats trudging up and down streets all day in 100+ degree weather. For those of you who know about these things, I work as an Automation Clerk on Tour 1 for the Shreveport PDC. For the rest of you, I am just another faceless worker waiting to go "Postal" (actually, we go "postal" everytime someone says that).

The Important Stuff

I am currently racing a 1980 Toyota Celica. It pulls approx 200 HP at 7000 RPM. This car is 3 years old and is still is in very good shape for a dirt track car. My Toyota has some Volkswagon parts in it because they fit pretty close and they are much cheaper than many Toyota parts. Ford Carb, Toyota Supra rear end, Ford springs. I even tried to fit a Ford stepped header on the engine, but there just wasn't enough room, so I am stuck with the good old JC Whitney header.

Last year my goal was to finish in the Top Ten in points. I came in 6th. This year I want Top Three or better. I am now (as of 7-3-98) in 3rd Place, a slight loss as I have been running in 2nd for most of the season, but still on target.

Everbody else wrecked!

I have always felt that I could drive anything as well as, if not better, than anyone else. What driver doesn't? I have proved this to myself many times through the years. For many years I drove an MGB in the local autocrosses. I would win my class and many times set the fastest time of the day. Back in the middle 70's we had a local Corvette club and they would set up a slolam event at one of the local parking lots. It was fun to take my little car out and beat them on their own course.

Like the hubcaps?

My car number, 34, is a number that means very much to me. I chose it because it is the same number that Wendell Scott had on his cars during his Grand National Stock Car racing days. He was the very first black driver to win a stock car event in what is now called the Winston Cup, I liked his style and especially admired the way he overcame all the obstacles that it took for him to win an event, and to continue racing at a time of such racial unrest.

Wendell Scott - Number 34

Racing is a family event for me. My wife attends all the races with me and sometimes races in the Powderpuff races. It 's tough for most of us to balance life and play, especially when the playing can cost more than the rewards.