Jeff Strickland chases fractions of sections, not fame

Jeff Strickland has spent most of his life chasing fractions of a second, but he has never chased fame.

“I’m not a glory seeker,” Strickland said. “I just try to go do my job and let the results take care of themselves.”

That attitude has followed the Red Bay racer throughout a career shaped as much by family as by trophies won.

It also framed a season that ended with Strickland winning both the Stock Eliminator and Top Dragster championships in National Hot Rod Association’s Division Two, a double that put him at the center of the division’s awards banquet in January.

Those wins added to a résumé that already includes multiple division titles, but Strickland said the tally of wins is not what’s important because racing often comes down to small margins and small decisions, even in good seasons.

Strickland grew up surrounded by racing because of his father, Don Strickland, who built his own program from scratch.

“I was always in his shadow,” Strickland said. “I’ve always wanted to be with my dad, so he taught me how to race.”

He started young and stayed close to home even when other paths opened, including passing up a full baseball scholarship to go to work with his father.

Strickland said he calls his father several times a day during race weekends, and he talks with both parents every afternoon when he gets home from work.

“I’m 50, and my parents are 74 and 70,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of friends my age that do not have their parents, so I’m very fortunate to have them.”

He said he still relies on his father’s experience, even after decades of racing.

“I’ll never know what he knows about cars,” Strickland said.

Don, nearing 75, started racing when he was about 15.

“I’m proud of him. He’s done good,” Don said of his son. “I liked winning. I just always enjoyed working on cars. It’s all I’ve ever done. I started racing at the Fulton drag strips, the same place he did.”

Don said people often credit him with his son’s success, but he sees it differently.

“Everybody always says I taught him good,” he said. “But I say you can’t teach talent.”

On the road, Strickland leans on a small, close crew, including longtime crew chief Larry Young. Young said he has been around racing since he was 19. He handles everything from checking tires to driving the trailer that hauls the cars.

“It’s fun,” Young said. “You get to meet a lot of people, do a lot of traveling and see the world. You make a lot of friends and eat good. We like to arrive a day early and play golf. We have a lot of fun and it’s exciting.”

The group travels together and works together, following a schedule that takes them across the Southeast and beyond.

Strickland does not spend much time thinking about lists or rankings. Instead, he believes performance is the gauge that really counts.

Away from the track, his life looks quieter.

Strickland runs a sign, sticker and promotional business in Red Bay that ships work across the country, handling everything from vehicle graphics to banners and school projects.

He got into the business almost by accident after a local shop closed, and he needed a place to get his own lettering done.

For a time, he said he worked days on mechanical jobs, nights on signs and weekends at the track.

Now, his sign business and racing are the focus of his work.

Strickland also owns a few rental properties. He said he tries to keep rents affordable and look out for people who need a break.

At home, he lives with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

“I live a pretty simple life,” he said.

At the track, the mood stays just as grounded. One of his crew members is known for cooking during race weekends, and that helped inspire a saying that has stuck with the team.

“Who’s living better than us?” Strickland asked. “And the answer is the same — nobody.”

For Strickland, success still comes back to the same places it started: family, work and letting the results speak for themselves.