By Greg James  [email protected]

West Valley City, Utah - Dreams sometimes come slow, race car drivers imagine checkered flags as they cross the finish line. Despite a difficult road Beau Hutchison has found a path that he hopes leads him to a promised career in a sport he loves.

“My ultimate goal is to make it all the way to the top. If I could make a living driving a race car I would be there,” Hutchinson said.

The 25 year-old West Valley resident has traveled a rough road to get to where he is, but he wants to keep progressing.

Hutchison currently leads the points in the Intermountain Super Stock Series a traveling series that races on dirt tracks in Delta, Rock Springs, Idaho Falls and Vernal. He is also the track points leader at Rock Springs and Delta.

“It has been an awesome season. We just built a new car over the winter. It was a big old process and took about six months. We built it from the ground up. We went out our first race and won which was awesome. Since then we have been doing some fine tuning and working some bugs out. We have run in the top five every night so far. It does not matter where we go. We just need to fine tune a little more and get a couple more wins,” Hutchison said.

Originally his car was a 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix. Hutchison and his father Scott stripped it down to a bare chassis, built a roll cage and installed a Ford nine-inch rear end and race 350 cubic inch engine.

Millard County Raceway in Delta, Utah is Hutchison’s home track. His main sponsor, Garlan “Red” Hale, (the owner of Hunter Machine in West Valley) told him from the beginning he was interested in building the racing class at the small Delta race track. He asked Hutchison to race in every race held at the track.

“I was ok with that. Red was willing to build me a motor. He has built and helped me with motors from day one. I will race wherever he asks me to,” Hutchison said.

On July 8 and 9 he ran back to back nights in Delta; where he finished second and third in the main events. He started 11 and 12 each night and had to fight his way through traffic.

“After the race on Saturday night (July 8) I could not get my arms above my head to take my helmet off. My whole body felt like a spaghetti noodle. Anyone that thinks racers are not athletes should try it. I was never more exhausted. That day it was over 108 degrees,” Hutchison said.

Hutchison describes chewing gum to keep moisture in his mouth and keeping a water bottle stuffed into his seat belt to cool off and for some refreshment.

He started racing go-karts in Lindon, Utah when he was seven years old. After the track closed he moved to BlackRock raceway in Tooele. He won a track championship in the junior rotax division before moving to St. George to try his hand on the oval.

Roger Taylor, a family friend, financed an opportunity for him to race first in the Bandoleros class at Las Vegas’s Bullring, after three quarters of a season and four or five wins Taylor decided it was time to move him up to the Legends class. Soon after funding dried up and Hutchison and his father Scott decided to move to Salisbury, NC to pursue a career in racing.

“I got hooked up with a market manager, $10,000 and two years later he had not helped me with anything. There was a lot of sweat and work into that. It was disappointing not to ever drive a race car back there. We decided it was best to come back home. I had support and experience here,” Hutchison said.

Returning to Utah, Hutchison was looking for a job and was told Hunter Machine was hiring. He went to speak to Hale; who told him they did not really have applications, but if he would go home and write down everything he knew and come back tomorrow they would talk. Hutchison did and was offered a job dismantling motors.

“Four years later I have worked my way up to assembling motors. I would not be where I am without Red Hale and my Mom at Tulip Tree Floral. Red hooked me up with my first car and has helped me keep going,” Hutchison said.

To stay competitive he can spend 10 to 15,000 dollars a year. Every week they go completely through the car checking bolts and its mechanics. The oil gets changed every eight races, and he moves and checks the tires. Hutchison says it makes him a better driver to know how the car works.

“I love watching him drive. Everyone says I am biased because I am his Dad, but I have been around this for a long time. I know he has the talent and is a good racer,” Scott Hutchison said.

The 2016 will wrap up on Aug.27 at Millard County Raceway with its championship weekend. Hutchison hopes to receive a trophy for his hard work.    λ