The story of Dynodonnymac

When I was in elementary school, I lived over a gas station, and I would go down to the station and help out, pumping gas and working with the guys in the service bay. They would give me a couple of dollars a week, and I loved the atmosphere. At about the same time, my grandma had acquired a broken-down old Renault that she kept in her backyard. She told me if I could get it running, I could drive it. I was about seven years old then, but I figured out how to get it running, and I used to drive it around the yard.

I always had a knack for figuring out how things worked, like old phones, radios, and mechanical things. I wanted to be either a mechanical or electrical engineer, and I have always been fascinated by math and science. I was close to my uncle and his best friend when I was a teenager, Bill Shoemaker. Bill worked at an engine shop called Butler & Wright, and I went to work with Bill the summer before I started high school. They called me a hot tank jockey, which just means cleaning parts. That’s how I got my start, and I have Bill to thank for it. He was a true mentor to me.

I planned to work part-time at the engine shop through high school and then go to college and get my engineering degree. I never earned the degree, but I learned the trade of automotive machining and engine building. Instead, I went from Butler & Wright to work with Bill at his shop, Shoemaker Machine Service, which I bought from him in 1985. I kept the name until I sold it a few years later.

Bill and I started working on racing engines during this time when we met a guy named Frank White who came in asking if we could build him a street stock motor for the dirt track at the old Ascot Raceway. Frank was a talented driver and had great success at Ascot. I joined his team that year and became his crew chief. That was the beginning of my evolution as a leader in racing.

I met some very talented and influential people at Ascot, including Gary Sigman, who built race car chassis. I built a motor for Gary before Ascot closed down. It was a great little Chevy motor, and instead of charging him for it, I asked if I could drive the car. I drove the last Hobby Stock race of the season—the only race I ever drove—and won. That small Chevy motor I built won a lot of races.

I worked for Gary in his shop and was also his engine builder and crew chief. We raced successfully together at Saugus Speedway for several years. In 1991 Gary won the Sportsman division, and I was honored to receive the Mechanic of the Year award.

I joined the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series when it had its first season in 1995. After spending some time traveling with Jimmy Smith and the Ultra Wheels team, I realized that as much as I loved racing, I loved my family more, and I went home. I was incredibly fortunate to wrangle an interview with Hall of Famer Ron Shaver, owner of Shaver Specialties in Torrance. I wanted to be involved with racing but didn’t want to travel anymore. I told Ron I was an engine builder, and he said, “that’s great, but I need a dyno guy.” That was what I was waiting for. Since then, I have made tens of thousands of pulls on our dynos, and I am tremendously proud of the work we have done and continue to do. Working for the country’s premier Sprint car engine builder is an honor. I will talk more in an upcoming blog post about my evolution from NASCAR to World of Outlaws, so stick around.