DESPITE THE COST, CAR OWNER BOB RIAL IS ADDICTED TO RACING

Although the drivers are often the most recognized figures at a race track, the men and women behind the scenes are also important members of the racing fraternity. This includes car owners, and Bob Rial of Franklin is well-known at Tri-City Speedway. Rial, 44, and his wife, Tami, own the Engles Family Moving & Trucking Bicknell No. 68 of Rocky Grove veteran Tim Engles. "I've never driven a race car," notes Rial. "I just never had the courage to race and I was concerned that I would tear up equipment. Plain and simple, I respect a good driver."

At the age of 18, Rial began his stint as a car owner in the 1970s with former racer Mark Weaver of Franklin. They captured several feature wins and track championships at Tri-City in the semi late model division. "Mark and I were a good team," remembers Rial. "He and I were together for a few years, then I got married and decided to get out of race car ownership."

After assisting a few teams for several seasons, in 1988, Rial built a modified and put Randy Bemis behind the wheel. They competed at Sportsman's and Lernerville Speedways for two seasons before Rick Hall slipped into the cockpit. Hall competed with Rial for one season at those tracks and Marion Center Speedway. In 1991, Engles took the reins of Rial's car and has controlled the horsepower ever since. "Tim is a good driver," beams Rial, who is an overhead crane operator at Joy Manufacturing. "We are close to having a breakthrough season like Brian Swartzlander this year and Tommy Kristyak two years ago. We just can't seem to catch any breaks."

A lot of Rial's knowledge about race cars was gleaned from Reno dirt track legend Les Myers. During his time with Myers, Rial learned about the fabrication of sheet metal bodies for DIRT Modifieds. Now, Rial fabricates bodies for many of the area's top DIRT modified teams and drivers. "Fabrication keeps me occupied in the winter because I just hibernate in my garage," says Rial, whose pit crew includes Gary Funk, Jeff Newton and Dave Meals. "It helps offset my racing budget a bit and it saves other teams money compared to the cost charged by the manufacturers."

And it is the cost of racing that drives some race car owners to the brink. On average, a complete, rolling DIRT Modified chassis from a manufacturer like Troyer, Olsen, Bicknell or Teo will cost $16,500. Then, a team might spend $25,000 to $30,000 for a top flight motor. When asked about cutting costs, Rial comments that it is a double-edged sword. "To cut costs, you have to add more rules. Then, politics and claims of favoritism become involved in rules interpretations. That can ruin a division. More important, however, is the fact that everyone wants to win. And if a guy wins with something new, everyone in the pits wants to catch him and they'll spend the money to do it. Then, the next new invention comes along and more money will be spent."

Rial emphasizes that the cost of motors is the most troublesome. "If you crash your car, you might spend a few hundred dollars to fix the chassis, parts or body to get it back on the track. If you ruin an expensive motor, though, your back pocket takes a big hit. Some teams can't recover from such a loss."

With all this expense, one has to wonder why Rial and other race car owners continue to be involved. "This hobby is stressful," Rial says with a laugh. "Sometimes I wonder why we spend this kind of money given the return. Still, it's an addiction and it will never go away. I enjoy racing with all my heart."