PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Gulfway Insurers Offers Motorsports Insurance for Racers , by Racers
Mel Eaves fell into a love affair with drag racing in the 1960s . He started as a sportsman racer and worked his way into Super Chevy and Pro Mod racing throughout his 50 years behind the wheel . In 1974 , he began a career as a general insurance agent . Fast forward a decade and Eaves ’ passion married with his work to meet an immediate and crucial need in the motorsports industry .
“ I was a general lines insurance agent back in the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s ,” Eaves storied . “ I went into racing Super Gas , then Super Comp , then Top Sportsman . We take better care of our race cars than we do our street cars ; that ’ s true for every racer . I could not find insurance that was acceptable to me . I went to my carrier and said I would like to write my race car insurance . They approved it . Then I wanted to write friends ’ insurance . The carrier said that ’ d be fine . So we wrote some friends . Friends turned into more friends and then other friends until eventually I sold four of my five offices , eliminated 50 employees , put a lock on my corporate office and we only do race cars , race rigs , race teams around the world .”
Eaves ’ brainchild , Gulfway Insurers , now covers every aspect of off-track motorsports insurance . With decades of experience in specialty insurance and a team that ’ s been together more than 30 years , Gulfway Insurers is peace of mind that a racer ’ s most valuable asset is protected . “ We had rigs underwater in Hurricane Sandy ,” described the former Super Chevy racer . “ We ’ ve
had racers lose race cars because tie-downs came loose in the trailer and it played pinball for a thousand miles . Tornadoes , hurricanes , floods , fire , theft , accidents - any and every loss you can think of is covered . Our coverage is pretty simple . We make it easy . In my agency , if it ’ s covered , it ’ s covered . The only thing we do not cover is going down the race track . Our goal is to get the racer back on track .”
Gulfway Insurers started with friends and expanded by word of mouth . Today , the company has accounts in various forms of motorsports . “ When IndyCar ’ s gone to Brazil , we ’ ve insured
IndyCar teams . They needed 80 million dollars ’ worth of coverage on each airplane . My insurance carrier is very creative ; Travelers understands racers .”
Eaves understands racers better than most . He retired from Pro Mod just two years ago after taking time off for cataract surgery . “ As a former Pro Mod racer , I ’ ve been honored to race with many people . It was really wonderful to be out there with other racers ,” expressed Eaves , who also admits that most racers don ’ t consider insurance until they need it . Despite investing hundreds of thousands into cars , racers balk at insurance . Gulfway Insurers puts racers ’ minds at ease , however , making coverage easy .
“ Insurance coverage is an expense , until you need it . I ’ m surprised more racers don ’ t do it . There ’ s 200,000 drag cars in the United States . A roller can cost over $ 100,000 . Over the last several years , drag racing has gotten technical like Indy- Car or Formula One . It ’ s not uncommon for someone to have $ 350,000 in a drag car . And that investment goes uninsured all too often .
“ We don ’ t beat people up because they ’ ve had a claim . We understand . It ’ s nice when a racer controls the renewal premiums for the racer . Because someone ran into you in a truck stop , we don ’ t penalize you . Because a racer got hit by a tornado , or a hurricane , or an earthquake , we don ’ t penalize that racer for a loss . You ’ re not just a number to my company . We want to protect you . That ’ s our goal .
“ I want to take very good care of the clients I have . The only thing we do is worry about our racers . That ’ s the only thing we do .” -LISA COLLIER DI
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