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Like many kids his age, Chris Unruh started racing go-karts at about 12. Also like many of them, he moved on to dirt track racing. But unlike most of them who made that transition, it took him nearly 20 years to do so.
The 33-year-old Galva resident kicked around with karts for a couple of years, but didn’t get into dirt track racing until 2011. It was worth the wait, as he finished fifth in season points in the Mod Lite Division at Salina Speedway. Additionally, he was honored recently as both the Sportsman of the Year and the Rookie of the Year in that division.
“I was surprised to see myself that high up in points,” Unruh said. “There are a lot of guys who finished below me who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.”
Growing up, the desire to race was always there, but life seemed to get in his way. Unruh has worked in the family business, Auto House Towing & Recovery, since he was a teenager.
“Our business comes first; obviously we have to worry about that. That’s why I got out of go-kart racing years ago,” Unruh said.
As an adult, marriage and family kept racing on the back burner. Otherwise, he probably would have returned to the track a long time ago.
But he didn’t just wake up one day and go racing again. Rather, racing came to him.
When Salina Speedway came calling on Auto House in the fall of 2010, hoping it would sponsor one of the Speedway’s divisions for the upcoming season, Unruh realized the time was right.
“I finally decided … I’m at this point in my life if I didn’t do it now, I probably wouldn’t ever do it,” Unruh said. “It was a passion I had wanted to do for a very, very long time. We just decided to go ahead and git ‘er done and see what happens.”
Unruh bought a mod lite racecar (a 5/8ths-scale version of a modified racecar) from Brandon Gray of Salina and went from there.
As with most dirt track racers, the entire family got involved, starting with Unruh’s kids – Corbin, 8; McKaleb, 7; and Cammi Jo, 3.
Their presence is with Unruh every time he rolls out on the track, starting with his car number. Corbin is a big fan of NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., who runs No. 88, so dad decided to run 88c.
Like many kids his age, Chris Unruh started racing go-karts at about 12. Also like many of them, he moved on to dirt track racing. But unlike most of them who made that transition, it took him nearly 20 years to do so.
The 33-year-old Galva resident kicked around with karts for a couple of years, but didn’t get into dirt track racing until 2011. It was worth the wait, as he finished fifth in season points in the Mod Lite Division at Salina Speedway. Additionally, he was honored recently as both the Sportsman of the Year and the Rookie of the Year in that division.
“I was surprised to see myself that high up in points,” Unruh said. “There are a lot of guys who finished below me who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.”
Growing up, the desire to race was always there, but life seemed to get in his way. Unruh has worked in the family business, Auto House Towing & Recovery, since he was a teenager.
“Our business comes first; obviously we have to worry about that. That’s why I got out of go-kart racing years ago,” Unruh said.
As an adult, marriage and family kept racing on the back burner. Otherwise, he probably would have returned to the track a long time ago.
But he didn’t just wake up one day and go racing again. Rather, racing came to him.
When Salina Speedway came calling on Auto House in the fall of 2010, hoping it would sponsor one of the Speedway’s divisions for the upcoming season, Unruh realized the time was right.
“I finally decided … I’m at this point in my life if I didn’t do it now, I probably wouldn’t ever do it,” Unruh said. “It was a passion I had wanted to do for a very, very long time. We just decided to go ahead and git ‘er done and see what happens.”
Unruh bought a mod lite racecar (a 5/8ths-scale version of a modified racecar) from Brandon Gray of Salina and went from there.
As with most dirt track racers, the entire family got involved, starting with Unruh’s kids – Corbin, 8; McKaleb, 7; and Cammi Jo, 3.
Their presence is with Unruh every time he rolls out on the track, starting with his car number. Corbin is a big fan of NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., who runs No. 88, so dad decided to run 88c.
The name of each child is on the side of the car, along with a graphic reminder of their interest: a Kansas City Chiefs logo for Corbin, along with caricatures of Super Mario for McKaleb and Pink Panther for Cammi.
Chris’ mom, Sharon Unruh, is probably his biggest fan. Galen Unruh crews for his son, as does Eric Blomquist and Sherry Bowers of United Country Mid West eServices. United Country and Auto House are sponsors of the 88c.
With a learning curve that started at the bottom, Chris Unruh took an aggressive – but cautious – approach to racing. In the end, that approach was successful. It helped him keep away from on-track situations where he could have done something foolish to take himself – or someone else – out of the race.
“I race hard, but clean, out there. I think that probably had something to do with why I did as well as I did in the points,” Unruh said. “I think that probably also has something to do with why I was able to win the sportsman award.”
In 2011, Unruh finished in the top 10 in all but two of his 18 races. That included four top 5-finishes, with a best of second. He entered the last race of the season third in points but an early-race crash relegated him to fifth in the final tally, one point out of a three-way tie for third.
In addition to Unruh, there will be a couple of other drivers in the Auto House racing stable this season. Brother-in-law Micah Wenger, of Salina, will field a second mod lite car. And Unruh’s 16-year-old brother, Eric, will climb into a front-wheel drive racecar.
Racing’s extended family environment is one thing that keeps Chris involved.
“Our business is very family oriented so I’m use to a family-oriented environment workwise,” he said. “Most of them (drivers) are your average blue-collar worker with a normal 8-to-5 job, with a family and other obligations to worry about.
“You don’t do it (race) for the money; you do it because you enjoy it. The extended family, the atmosphere you’re surrounded with – that’s why you do it.”
