Special Section
IT’S A TYPICAL HOT SUMMER DAY IN HARRELLS, NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE JOHN STRICKLAND OWNS AND OPERATES S&S BACKHOE SER-
VICES, A GRADING, EXCAVATING AND CONCRETE CONTRACTING BUSINESS. HE’S IN THE MIDDLE OF AIRING UP A TIRE SO HE CAN GO MOVE AN
EXCAVATOR TO A JOBSITE. IT’S AN ORDINARY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR STRICKLAND, THE POINTS LEADER IN PENSKE/PRS PRO BOOST
PRESENTED BY WS CONSTRUCTION AFTER THE FIRST HALF OF WHAT IS NOW A SIX-RACE SEASON FOR THE PDRA. ¶ “I DO WHATEVER NEEDS
TO BE DONE,” SAYS STRICKLAND. “SOME DAYS I’M RUNNING A TRUCK AND A LOWBOY, SOME DAYS I’M IN THE OFFICE, AND SOME DAYS I’M
HELPING THE GUYS OR RUNNING A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OR MEETING ON A JOB – WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO TO KEEP THE BALL BOUNCING.”
By the time Thursdays or Fridays roll
around, Strickland has to leave his
construction work to focus on one
of his three racing endeavors under
the GALOT Motorsports umbrella.
One weekend, he’ll head to the
Midwest to campaign one of the
team’s Super Stock Open pulling tractors.
The next weekend he might be
working an event with his wife Dana
at GALOT Motorsports Park in
Benson, North Carolina. And on more
than a handful of weekends a year,
Strickland can be found racing his
GALOT Motorsports ’69 Camaro in
Pro Boost and Pro Modified events.
It’s a hectic schedule, and it takes a
lot of people in the right places to
ensure everything runs smoothly.
“I’ve got some really good help,”
Strickland says of the employees at
his business. “The guys I have here, all
of them have been with us a long time
and everybody steps up to the plate
when I’m out of place, which is good.
“It’s all about the people,” he continues.
“It don’t matter what you do,
it’s all about the people that you’ve
got helping you. You’re no better
than the people you work with.”
That same philosophy applies within
the GALOT Motorsports racing operations,
from the Steve Petty-led Proline
Racing Engines group that maintains
Strickland’s car and teammate Kevin
Rivenbark’s similar ’69 Camaro to
Brent Payne’s GMS Hi-Performance
Machining firm that heads up GALOT’s
tractor pulling efforts.
“As far as the racing goes, we have
really good folks there too as far as
keeping the cars going and the maintenance
we need to do,” Strickland
says. “That helps me out a lot to
where I’m not directly involved in the
day-to-day operations of getting the
cars going, or the tractors. I just kind
of show up and do what I can do to
help at the track and drive. I’ve got a
really good deal.”
Strickland is sure to point out that
his wife is also a key player in the
group of people he relies on to go
racing at such a high level.
“She’s been mighty good all these
years about supporting me and
letting me be gone and being one
of my biggest fans,” Strickland says.
“I’m so thankful for her supporting
40 PDRA660.com