Young driver hopes for racing future

By ROBERT CAHILL/Correspondent

Andrew “Drew” Shortridge has a need for speed, but at 19, his driver’s license isn’t in jeopardy, and, his dad, Rusty Shortbridge, actually encourages the college sophomore.
In many ways, Drew is a regular guy. The Washington County native is a sophomore at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn. His major is in business management, but he admits he still isn’t sure his degree will end up being in that field. Like most students facing college expenses, he works part time, sometimes at more than one job.
Like most fellows his age, he likes cars. But in other ways, this easygoing young man differs. He has this overpowering urge to go fast and has found a rewarding outlet for his desire.
Drew Shortridge has loved racing since he was young, very young. “I started riding (mini-bikes and motorcycles) when I was about five years old,” Shortridge said. “I began riding competitively at seven years old.”
It’s little wonder Rusty encourages his son. He has his own fondness for cars having worked in the auto business for years. For many years he worked with Chilhowie’s McClure brothers as part of Morgan-McClure. Recently, Rusty Shortridge accepted the position of shop foreman at Marion’s Turkey Pen Inc., an area automobile shop specializing in body work and collision repair.
“He [his Dad] is my crew chief, head mechanic, paint and body man. He pretty much does everything; he’s taught me a lot about racing,” Shortridge answered when asked what role his father played in his racing.
Rusty Shortridge, a modest guy, soft-spoken and easygoing, deflected the praise. “That’s not exactly true. We have a friend, Phil Tuell, who helped us out a lot. He knows the racing business. We both learned from him.” Tuell has relatives who race at Coeburn. According to the Shortridges, Tuell was knowledgeable about issues such as setting up the chassis and handling for the track, which he passed on to them.
“I raced bikes until last year. I raced them for 11 years. I normally ran in the 250 to 450B Division of Motocross. I competed on the national level and did pretty good,” Shortridge said. Asked how good he was, Shortridge grinned modestly and said, “Well, I won some trophies.” (A roomful, according to his dad.)
However, last year, Shortridge’s main competitor, Jacob Nash, crashed and died from his injuries. The loss of his primary competitor gave Shortridge pause for thought. ”I don’t guess you could call him really a good friend, but we had raced each other for four years. He was pretty good. I guess I just kind of got frustrated with the results I was getting. I was not where I wanted and needed to be in my career. Nowadays, if you are not at the stage we were at by the time you are 16, you’re not likely to make it.”
Shortridge decided he needed a break. He decided he had enough of motorcycle racing, at least for a while.
His dad said the decision was entirely Drew’s; he did not want to push his son one way or the other. Then fate played a hand. Drew and Rusty went to Coeburn to watch a Legend Cars race. Though they might say otherwise, it was obvious by the looks on their faces when talking about Legend Cars that both were hooked that night.
According to Rusty, the Legend Cars are built in Charlotte, N.C. “They were Bruton Smith’s idea,” he said. “We talked about it, and I asked Drew if he was interested in racing in the Legend cars and he was. So we sold all his motorcycle stuff and bought a race car.”
“They run 1,250cc Yamaha engines. They are built on a 5/8s scale to resemble the cars of the 1930s and ‘40s,” Drew said. “They run a top speed of about 125 mph. We run mostly at Lonesome Pine Raceway [Coeburn].”
“We were turning 18.3 to 18.5 [seconds per lap] last Saturday night,” Drew said when asked about the speeds. “Their track is 3/8s of a mile long so that translates to a speed of about 82 to 85 mph. It is definitely fun.”
Like any sport there is a rule book full of regulations regarding the construction of the car, its safety requirements and those for the driver. Like most all racing cars, the body is a light shell, built around a sturdy steel cage designed to protect the driver in case of accident. Just as in most motor sports, the Legend Car drivers must wear a certified racing helmet and fire protection suit designed to help shield the driver from head injuries or life-threatening burns.
“This is the cheapest real-car racing besides mini-stock that you can get into. This is definitely a growing sport,” Drew said. “We have 18 more races scheduled at Coeburn, a couple at Newport [Tenn.], there are 24 or 25 altogether. There used to be just a few cars for some races, now there are always at least 14 or 15 for every race over at Coeburn. Sometimes more.”
So how is this former nationally ranked motorcycle racer handling the transition to auto racing? Apparently well. There are 20 cars in the points race, and he is currently running fourth.
“I was running pretty good last Saturday, in third and maybe a chance to do even better, but I got carried away. I let it slide sideways and got my tires heated up and let a couple of fellows slip by me. But, I still managed to finish fourth,” Drew said. “I am definitely having a good time. We are running well for rookies and getting better with almost every race. I still have lots to learn but at least now I feel I am actually racing instead of just riding around the track. But don’t get me wrong, every race is still a learning process for me.”
“And it’s pretty cool,” Drew grinned. “They have had a couple of autograph sessions. They are definitely fun for me. And we have not heard definitely but they may have one at the Bristol track sometime during race week. That would really be fun. There is even a rumor that they may run a short race at Bristol sometime during the week. I’d love that.”
Does the future hold a racing career for Drew?
“I’d like that. I’d really like to move up. Right now we are fourth in points, and I honestly believe, with the races left and the way we are running right now that we could achieve a top-three finish for the year. I think that is a very realistic goal,” Drew said. “And yes, I would very much like to move up in racing, but that depends a lot on how this goes and if we can find anybody to help us out,” referring to potential sponsors.
“One of the best things about this racing is the people. You meet a lot of good people in this sport. People who will help you, people like Phil, just good people,” Rusty said. Drew agreed when asked for any final comments, “It is really fun. The people are great. They have helped us a lot. The fans are great. It’s just a lot of fun.”