One of the nicest guys on the NSCA scene is Batavia, NY's Dave Laurer. Dave is the quiet guy who lets his racing do the talking. Where most people follow the Chevy route, Dave is not afraid to be different, his Olds 442 is a fan favorite, especially when it gets into one of those big wheelstands. Now looking to go even faster Dave took some time out to answer our questions and give you all some insight into the “Quiet Guy”

WHEN DID YOU START RACING: 1989

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACECAR: My Olds 442 was my first racecar, it also was my first car. I bought it at sixteen years old and ran it all through school and college. It was a daily driver and a weekend racer. In 1992 we limited its use to racing and driving to the local cruise to meet up with the likes of Patrick Budd, Randy Jewell and Bill Travato. It finally came of the road in 1997 when we started racing EZ Street.

WIERDEST THING EVER IN RACING: That would have to be beating John Force's record! That is, his record for running off the end of the strip at Norwalk Raceway Park. The Olds ran 149 mph at #3800 and as the rules only need a chute at 150 or faster we did not have one. Brake failure and no fluid saw us run off the end of the strip, over the airport runway and almost over the irrigation ditch that marked the start of the farmers field. The front of the car clipped the edge of the ditch and I flew for nose up for eighty feet before coming to rest in the field. We were picking beans out of the car for a year after that event. Just shows you, it is not about mph and it is all about physics. We fitted a chute shortly afterwards.

MOST SATISFYING MOMENT IN RACING: It had to be getting the "Land Barge" into the 8.20 zone. I have done most of the work on the car myself with the help from some friends, so there is a lot of satisfaction in reaching that landmark with a car as heavy and big as the Olds is.

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR CAREER: That is hard top say but my shop teacher Dave McElwain was the guy who gave me the bug. He was a grassroots type of guy similar to myself, who raced a Top Alcohol Dragster on a limited budget. He did most of the work on the car himself and he led me to believe you could race without have gobs of money. I was also influenced by ex Pro Stock racer Dave Smith who ran an Olds Starfire. Smith was not afraid to be different and I realized I did not have to follow the crowd and run a Chevy. Last of all is my wife Shannon. Without her help and encouragement I would still be turning up for cruise nights around Rochester. She has been beside me every inch of the way and I sure appreciate it.

YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE RACECAR: Only ever having had one racecar, it has to be the Olds, but who knows that may change when we hit the track with our ProCharger equipped Mustang.

YOUR BIGGEST RIVAL: I'm not the type of guy to have a rival. I enjoy meeting and beating any player in the class but we are all friends at the end of the day. When we move into Super Street the guy we will want to beat is Glidden but that is because he is THE guy to beat. You have to have something to aim for!

THANKS TO: I have been really lucky by having good help all along the way. My wife Shannon, everyone at ProCar and BTR, ProCharger, Competition Transmissions, Straightline Performance, Oldsmobile Peformance Products, and Nitrous Express for all the help in the past.

WHAT’S IN THE FUTURE: 2005 is going to be a low-key year for me. We are currently building the Mustang for Super Street. It will be powered by a SBF built by myself, with machining by Bill Travato. ProCharger's bad ### reverse blower will sit up front and give us the horsepower we need to be competitive. We know the new chassis will be good enough with the backing I'm getting from ProCar and I'm confident about the powerplant. It will be later in the year or maybe early next year before we had the Mustang deal finished off and in the meantime I'll do some selected races with the Olds. I'm also working on a 482 cube N/A Olds powerplant to put in the 442 so Shannon came climb behind the wheel and have some fun in 2006. I'm really looking forward to the future; it's looking great for Laurer Racing.