Hero

KNOXVILLE, Iowa ----
Baseball legend Leo Durocher coined one of the most famous terns used in every major sport around the world even to this day -- "Nice guys finish last!" That tag doesn't apply to Pat Rachels of Knoxville, Iowa. "He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet." mentions Knoxville Raceway official and IMCA Late Model driver Dave Schrader. "Everyone that knows Pat likes him and not just people associated with racing. I've seen Pat run a lot of races and win a lot of races. I've never seen him try to win a race in one lap. You won't ever see him trying to run over someone on the track, that's just the kind of person he is. People like to be around him."
     From fall through springtime, Rachels is a 22 year-old senior mechanical engineering student at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. When the month of May rolls around however, he's racing on some of Southeast Iowa's finest dirt tracks. Rachels has won the track championship in the Stock Car division at Eldon Raceway the past two seasons and has experienced success in his eight years of racing.
     Pat got his start in racing in 2000 at Benton County Speedway in Vinton. "I started when I was 14. They had an open Hobby Stock class and I raced the last four races of the season and then all of 2001." Staying in that division, he started racing weekly at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa and earned "Rookie of the Year" honors in his first season there. 2003 brought more success with his first feature win and the "Sportsmanship" award. 2004 was his last season in Hobby Stocks, ending an outstanding year with wins in the "Stock Car Shootout" and "Michael Peterson Memorial."
     Eventually, Rachels made the jump to the Stock Car division. "I started school in 2004, so my plan was just to stay in the Hobbies, and race part-time during the summer months when I was home. After I got to school my dad (Terry) decided to run the car in a few races to close out the year and totaled it at a special one night at Knoxville," he added. "We had discussed moving up to the Stock Cars, but really didn't have any reason to move up at that time. Obviously, we didn't have a car, so we went ahead and build one in 2005 and I've been running Stock Cars ever since."
     Last season was another year of consistency for Pat. Competing in 40 races, he garnered five feature wins, 20 top-fives and 36 top 10's racing at Oskaloosa, Bloomfield Raceway and Saturday nights at Eldon. In addition to his championship at Eldon, he finished fifth in points at Bloomfield and 10th at Oskaloosa. "That was just running the three months when I was home. I only missed one race at Bloomfield and Elson because of early rainouts. We may have missed three or four at Osky," he indicated. "We went and ran the two-day special at Cresco (Great American Stock Car Shootout) in July. The first night we didn't even quality for the feature, but came back the second night, raced up through the back of the pack to get seventh. Cresco is a track we had never been to before and we had a good time racing against guys like Tom Schmitt (USRA national champion) and some of those drivers up North," he exclaimed.
     Pat still favors the tracks he runs at on a weekly basis. "I really like Oskaloosa because it's tough to win there with the high level of drivers competing there weekly. Eldon has obviously treated me well the past few years. You go down there, turn it sideways and stand on it. It's a fairly narrow track and you really have to set people up and think about what you're doing to finish well there. The track has always fit my driving style well. It's a big 1/2-mile that's a fast and fun track to race on. I have to say that I like racing on all three tracks, though. Whatever track I'm racing on that night is my favorite," He laughed.
     So what is the key to Rachels' consistency? "We don't chase points so much, as I pride myself on being smooth and not getting into other drivers. My theory has always been if I have to move them to pass them, I really didn't earn that position, you know?
That thinking has always helped me with getting good finishes. Being heads-up, watching what's going on around you and knowing who you're up against has always been my keys to finishing races consistently," he mentioned.
     Schrader mentioned that Rachels is a natural when he gets behind the wheel. "One night at Bloomfield, I let him drive my Late Model for a few laps and you would've thought that he had been driving it for years" Schrader added "You know how some people get out there and just have a feel for a race car. Pat's just a great driver."
     Another reason for Rachels' success is that he's learned a lot about the set-up of his car over the past few years. "We scale the car at least once a week. We're making changes to it, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't," he added. "Racing at the three tracks that we do, you have to learn to adjust to the different track configurations and conditions."
     This year's racing schedule may be a little different for Rachels. "I'm not sure how much I'll be racing this summer. I'm trying to get an engineering internship right now through Clemson. I've got my resume sent out and I'd like to get on with one of the bigger race teams down here. Dad is going to run the Stock Car some until I get home. When and if I get back, I'd like to hit some of the specials again and still be competitive on a limited schedule."
     As far as long-range plans, Pat wants to stay involved in racing in one form or another. "I'd like to move up and be in a position to race for someone else who's paying the bills. Ideally I'd like to race in NASCAR, which is certainly an ambitious goal. My back-up plan is to be a crew chief for a NASCAR team."
     Rachels' sponsors include Long John Silvers and Scharkey Frame, both of Ottumwa, A&W of Newton, Pro Street Staff of Freemont and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville. Pat's father Terry is the crew chief/owner and his mother Mary Drake is the "Pit Boss."