Northwest labor press., August 16, 2019, Page 29, Image 29

NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
...Union racer
From Page 2
release, Garrison says. It’s also
an adrenaline rush.
His racing category is termed
“pure stock” under International
Motor Contest Association
(IMCA) rules. In other words,
except for safety modifications,
it’s a standard Monte Carlo.
At Sunset Speedway in
Banks, races consist of counter-
clockwise turns around a quarter-
mile oval-shaped dirt clay track.
“There’s a lot more to it than
haul ass, turn left; haul ass, turn
left,” Garrison says.
Garrison is part of a team
with husband-and-wife racers
Joey and Mandie Tardio. Sev-
eral fellow union members also
August 16, 2019 | PAGE 29
race in the pure stock division at
Sunset: One team of five Ca-
maro racers consists of Local
701 members Mike Fitzpatrick
and his son Brian, Brian’s wife
and cousin, and IBEW Local
125 member Kyle Sutton. The
team is sponsored by union-sig-
natory Loy Clark Construction,
Mike and Kyle’s employer.
Racing is a social event.
When the flag drops, Garrison
slams the accelerator to the
cheers of co-workers who come
out to see him race, not just fel-
low operating engineers but la-
borers and electricians. So far
Garrison places mostly in the
middle to rear of the pack, but
he’s just getting started.
“It’s all about getting out
there, having fun, and putting on
a show for the fans,” Garrison
said.
Wishing all Union
Members a restful
and hard-earned
Labor Day
Weekend
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
“THOSE WHO PROFESS TO FAVOR FREEDOM AND YET
DEPRECATE AGITATION … WANT CROPS WITHOUT PLOW-
ING UP THE GROUND. THEY WANT RAIN WITHOUT THUN-
DER AND LIGHTNING.”
— FREDERICK DOUGLASS, 1857
Telling organized labor’s story in Oregon
and Southwest Washington since 1900
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