Dennis Schalm:  

g up with here at home in the old car. After the local track closed, I worked with a customer of mine who raced Figure "8" at a track south of Detroit. Won the championship in 1987. Started traveling the ARCA series, around the eastern 2/3 of the country with another customer of mine. We sometimes raced the day before the NASCAR Cup cars, and other times we were the headliners. Worked on the car, and also became the spotter. After the owner decided to not race full-time in the series, I got a job as an inspector for the series. Worked my way up to being one of the flagmen, got on the accident investigation team. Pretty much tried to become one of the "go to guys". In that situation, there was a lot of pressure being partially responsible for the safety of not only the drivers, but through helping to keep control of the events at hand, you were protecting your fellow officials, the crews, and the fans. And at 180 mph, things can go to heck in a hurry. In that situation no one ever knows how many injuries (or worse), you've helped prevent, but God let's you know if you've missed something. Because of my involvement in ARCA, I was also a part-time NASCAR inspector. Let me tell you, big money just sucks all of the fun out of racing. I had my heart attack on the flagstand, at a race in Springfield, IL. It was about 15 laps after we restarted the race because of a driver who passed away from a heart attack in his car while he was racing! How's that for a coincidence? In my situation I really wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I just knew it was big. After sitting for a while the pain eased up some. Now I had to face a 10 hour ride home, with the last hour and a half driving by myself. It was 3 a.m. when my wife and I walked into the hospital. But not before I finished my cigarette (right down to the filter), because I was pretty sure it was going to be my last. And it was. Haven't touched one since. Two angioplasties with two stents, and five days in ICU, helps a lot when you are trying to quit . . . although I wouldn't recommend that technique to anyone. Two more stents since then, a detached retina that has messed up my vision in my right eye, two cataract surgeries, a bad back, two bad knees, pains in my left shoulder, very little feeling in the outer side of my left hand, and if that's not enough, I get exercise induced asthma, complete with the shortness of breath if I bend over and get up a few times. And of course the "minor" things I might be forgetting . . . sheeesh! Barb is an amazing person. I don't know of anyone else who could have handled all of this. Nov. 2015 Update . . . Was inducted into the WBVS-Mt. Clemens Race Track Hall of Fame. I accepted it in honor of my father, and everyone who stepped up and gave me a helping hand in racing because I didn't have dad to fall back on. Believe it or not, my mom was already an inductee. She, along with a number of other women, was for honored blazing the trail in the 60's for Women's Racing that allowed for a comeback for women racing from the late 70's until the track's closing. Twelve years after putting down the paint brushes, a friend and past customer, approached me to do one more lettering job. He had found an old race car that looked almost as a twin to one of his dad's race cars from the 60's. After four years of work he finally had it ready to letter. His father was my "racing hero" growing up. I became pretty close to his family. After my dad passed he "hired" me to run errands for him when school was out for the summer. Picking up parts, or tires for his race car. Anything he needed that he couldn't do while he was at work. He really didn't need a "professional go-fer", but years later I finally realized he was doing it to help a young friend out who's dad wasn't alive to. I panicked thinking about lettering this tribute car to his father, who had passed away around '83 or '84, but I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else doing it. And worse yet, probably doing it with computer cut decals. I got the brushes out. It took three times longer than it would have in the 80's or 90's, but I did it. And with only a few tiny "mistakes" no one else would even notice. So, unless I restore one of my last two race cars that I still have, the brushes can now officially rest. It has come full circle, and I went out on my terms, which I never thought I would have the chance to do. I've got some unfinished business in other parts of my life. This experience though, gives me hope for taking care of those.