Gohn's Dream Comes With A Price

It’s not too often that a young man packs everything he owns into his truck and heads 20 hours north to start a new career without something set in stone.

That’s exactly what 24-year-old Bryn Gohn did last year as he uprooted himself from his sunny Malibar, Florida home, packed up his race trailer with his race car, parts, tires and a suitcase and an air mattress and set sail for Pennsylvania.

Gohn did this because he is Chasing his Dream of being a full-time sprint car driver and figured there was no better place to try and accomplish the feat by moving to Central Pennsylvania, the hotbed for 410 Sprint car racing in the world.

But it wasn’t all foreign to Gohn as he has family in the Red Lion area and many friends that he’s gotten to know in racing via his step-father Kenny Adams. But what was scary for him was the unknowing of what would happen, especially in a time when the world seems to be going in rewind instead of fast-forward.

From staying with his aunt, to staying in a motel he described as “scary” to spending over a month in a Quality Inn, to staying in an old chicken coop (aka mancave) before securing a job and finding an apartment, Gohn and his best friend/mechanic Dusty Crump, it’s been quite a journey so far for Gohn, whose father Daryl was fatally injured in a sprint car crash at Williams Grove Speedway in 1988.

“We had some interesting places where we stayed including the old chicken coop behind the home of Ken Kauffman,” Gohn said. “It was the last place we stayed before getting our apartment and he had put carpet, a TV and window AC unit and called it his “mancave.” So we owe him a big thanks because it was a month of free place to sleep and shower. We stayed with my Aunt Karen two different times as well. I also have to thank Troy and Tammy Godfrey for immediately giving me a friendship and a place to work on and keep my race car.”

The racing season didn’t go quite as Gohn was hoping for either. He wanted to race the URC tour as well as some 358 and 410 races. But thanks to his uncle Glenn and Chubby from CnB Mushroom, he was able to compete in a fair amount of 360 sprint car events in 2009.

“We thought once we got up here, because of family connections between Kenny and my dad, we figured eventually we’d get some sponsors and thought this was gonna be the greatest thing in the world,” he added. “Of course, you gotta have that kind of mindset and a positive outlook to make the kind of move we did. It was a little bit of a letdown that nothing came of it yet but you gotta be realistic and understand that it doesn’t happen overnight. There were several times that I missed how it used to be, racing all over the country, my family, my friends, the beach but every time I get depressed about it, I think about what I’m going after and cheer up thinking about the future.”

Some pretty strong words and a definite positive attitude for someone who was basically at rock bottom and had depleted what small savings account he had.

Gohn, a six-time feature winner and the 2005 USCS Sprint Series Rookie of the Year, is hoping 2010 will be a better year and would like nothing more to be able to jump in a 410 Sprint car and be competitive in his dad’s memorial race at Lincoln Speedway later this summer. After all, it will be the 22nd annual Gohn Memorial and that is the same number his dad raced when he owned his own sprint car back during his racing career.

Gohn, who has since acquired a job as a CNC machinist is welcoming any opportunity for a possible ride or sponsorship for the new racing season. He has assembled a crew (Crump, Nick Aldinger, Glenn Gohn, Jr., Chuck Dell and Brett Worrel) and is more than eager to go racing.

But he needs help to continue chasing his dream.

“This is my deal now and I think people still think that Kenny funds it,” he stated. “This is my dream and I will keep after it. I moved up here for a reason and I am not going to look back on it now.”

Bryn Gohn’s dream is to someday be one of the greatest sprint car drivers ever. But right now, he knows it will take baby steps to make that dream come true. But with his true determination, positive outlook and sheer passion for the sport, someway, that dream will come true.

For more information or to help out, please visit www.bryngohn.com.

BANQUET NOTES
Port Royal Speedway honored its 2009 champions last Saturday night at its annual banquet.

Todd Shaffer (Sprints), Scott Haus (late models) and Terry Naugle (pro stock) were track champs last year. Special awards in the sprints went to Mike Erdley (Sportsmanship) while the Rookie of the year went to Michael Heckman, Brian Ehrenzeller and TJ Winegardner. Late model awards went to Eric Zembower(Sportsmanship) and Garrett Gray and Jeff Johnson were Rookie of the Years.

Port Royal also announced it would join Williams Grove, Lincoln, Knoxville, the World of Outlaws and many other tracks as a Goodyear Tire track in 2010.

The season opener is set for Sunday, March 14.

The York County Racing Club held its banquet last weekend with Dave Despain, of SPEED’s Wind Tunnel serving as special guest.

Denny Bonebrake was inducted into the Hall of Fame as Present Driver with Carl Billet, Sr. getting the Present Car Owner induction and Speed Dawg’s Chris Figdore making it as the Present Miscellanous. Inducted as Past categories were Gus Linder, Bud Lawrence and Bill Brunner.

Greg Hodnett was awarded the Kevin Gobrecht Memorial Special Achievement award while Lee Stauffer won the Ed Stauffer Memorial Crew Chief of the Year award.

PIT STOPS
Dirt Trackin at the York Expo Center is scheduled for this weekend with doors opening Friday at 4pm and closing Sunday at 4pm. The show runs all weekend with many local race cars expected to be on display…

Next weekend will be the Motorsports 2010 show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. That show is set for Friday, January 22 through January 24th…