One of the more noticeable street stock drivers at Ransomville the last few years has been the No 5S of North Tonawanda’s Mike Short.  Short is always on the charge and despite the fact that he has only been driving for parts of three years he has taken to the dirt very well.   

 

The thirty year-old bachelor’s interest in racing developed during his early years when his father used to take him to the big R.  He graduated from race fan to pit crew member and then into fabrication.  His pit crew experience began with veteran asphalt driver Bill Mislin in 2000 and evolved into actually building cars. “He taught me how to weld, fabricate, and construct them,” Mike noted.

 

Despite learning to build cars, the dream was always to drive them, and in 2003 he made his dirt racing debut at Ransomville in a self-owned street stock.  He had previously dabbled briefly on the pavement, but the experience was forgettable, and he really preferred the dirt. He tasted success immediately, competing in nine races and winning Rookie of the Year.  His first checkered flag came in his second race of 2004, and it was memorable.  “We led every lap and won by half a lap,” remembers Short.  Since then he has recorded two more official wins.   

 

He likes racing at Ransomville in the street stock division, observing, “There’s thirty some cars there every week and nobody dominates.”  Though Ransomville provides for  two features most weeks in the division, with around fifteen cars in each one, Mike likes to run with a big field of cars.
 

Following the initial success in his RE chassis Monte Carlo, with a K-S Machine power plant, things went downhill last season.  Mike explained, “I had a new car being built that was supposed to debut last year.  We didn’t have it done until there were five races left in the season, so we were running the old car with an old motor.  We ran the new car at the end of the year, so it’s really brand new.”  Despite running the older equipment, Mike was able to record a ninth place finish in the points, maintaining his record of being in the top ten in points each year he has raced. 

 

The current car is a 2006 RE chassis Monte Carlo, with a K-S motor. Importantly,  Mike takes pride in the appearance of his racer, taking first place at the World of  Wheels Car Show at the Buffalo Convention Center earlier this year while representing Ransomville Speedway.  Mike quipped, “They don’t understand why you build such a nice car to go dirt racing.  It’s meant to get wrinkled, so we’ll make it nice now.”   

 

No race team at any level can be successful without a loyal crew and Mike is blessed with a great group, which includes Shane Wendel and his brother Andy, along with Bill and Lori Mislin.

 

Sponsorship is, of course, a key component as well.  Mike counts Rear End Specialists, Brenon’s Landscaping, Tonawanda Bowling Center, and CJ Construction as supporters of his efforts.  “Our goal is to get more sponsorship,” Mike added.

 

Mike has an ambitious schedule planned for 2006, noting,  “We’re going to run a full schedule in the street stock at Ransomville and a partial schedule in an ROC modified.  Bill has two cars, and he’s letting me run the backup for helping him build the others.”  He’s also going to run a partial street stock schedule at Humberstone where he has competed a couple of times before.

 

Fat Kid Motorsports will celebrate the start of the 2006 season with his 5^th annual benefit party slated for Sunday, May 21^st. Being held at the Tonawanda Bowling Center, the benefit tickets are just $20 and includes beer, pop, food, and raffles. A 50/50 will also be available.

 

If things go according to plan, Mike is planning on moving up to a sportsman next season.  “We’ll fool around with the asphalt modified,” he offered, “but I don’t want to leave the dirt. I like it (the result) being a lot more driver than a lot more car.”  I’m sure there are plenty of fans and drivers who would agree with that philosophy.  In these days of more and more technology, it would be nice to see the driver still determining the winner, not just the fastest car.

 

Mike Short has been a factor in the street stock division since his career began, and he now seems poised to make his most important statement yet when he takes to the high banks of the Big R this season.  Keep an eye on the snazzy looking No. 5S.