FORT BENNING, GA - When Rick Gilliland returned to Fort Benning in March - with an eye toward retirement in two years - the staff sergeant said he and his wife, Marcia, wanted to buy a boat. He wound up with a race car instead.
On Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Gilliland capped his rookie season in the Pony Stock division by driving that 1980 Ford Mustang to a second-place finish in the Alabama State Rules Race. John Capps III dominated the 15-lap feature to grab the win, while Patty Ann Howell came home third.
It marked the second straight runner-up finish for Gilliland, who appeared in 10 events this year at the 3/8-mile dirt track. He won a race last month and also garnered a third-place showing and two fourth-place efforts along the way.
There is some money on the circuit but drivers in the speedway's seven divisions face more sacrifice and grind than windfall, he said.
"On a normal Saturday night feature race, there are money prizes for us, but not much," Gilliland said. "It covers the entrance fee and fuel costs ... Unless you're a big NASCAR driver with a lot of sponsors, this race at East Alabama is a hobby for most of the guys. It gets you out of the house and gets the families out there."
The 41-year-old Soldier, who works for the U.S. Army Infantry Center's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, began racing in June and ran about every other weekend. Because of his late start - most drivers opened the campaign in February - Gilliland wasn't part of the Pony Stock points battle this year but said he plans to race a full season in 2010.
Gilliland, of Huntsville, Ala., was assigned to Fort Benning the first time in 2000. He said he lived across the street in Smiths Station from Rodgerick Dykes, who was competing in the Pony Stock division at the time.
"I'd go watch him run at the track. That's how I got interested in it," Gilliland said.
Two years later, he debuted at East Alabama Motor Speedway and ran in two Pony Stock races. But ramping up for an Iraq deployment in 2003 with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team took him away from the sport.
After returning here in March, Gilliland said he went back to the dirt track and "got the fever again." With assistance from Dykes and Terry Braswell, another friend who has an entry in the Modified class, he managed to get back in it.
Braswell and Dykes helped Gilliland find a car and the two lend support when possible. Four years ago, they built the engine he uses now.
"It's a lot of work just to make it out here," Braswell said. "This past week, I spent 40 hours at my job and 80 hours on my race car."
Gilliland said he can relate to the routine.
He gets off work around 4:30 p.m. each day. After resting for about 20 minutes at home, he'll head outside to pop the car's hood. Some nights, Gilliland is still at it past dark, trying to balance a flashlight while making that final adjustment.
"Some of my friends can take their cars to a shop in Smiths Station," he said. "I got a driveway with no cover."
Between practice laps and a qualifying heat Saturday night, Gilliland often labored in the pits as a one-man crew. During the race, he had to negotiate the final three laps after getting splashed with engine oil in the cockpit.
"I couldn't see a thing," he said afterward. "I tried wiping it off my helmet, but that just made it worse."
Keeping the car on the track is the key to success at East Alabama, he said. Some drivers occasionally get too high on the banked clay oval and drift over the track's edge.
"It is a rush, I won't lie," Gilliland said. "I do get hyped up about getting in there. It's a tense moment, because you're always concentrating, especially on this dirt track."
The 31st Annual Alabama State Championships are scheduled to begin Thursday and continue through Sept. 27. Gilliland doesn't plan to enter, however.
In December, he said he'd start looking for some sponsors to help him out next year.
"Racing is not cheap. It costs a whole lot to actually get into it," he said. "And as you move up in the divisions, it gets more expensive."
Gilliland estimates his Ford Mustang is worth about $7,500. But Dykes, who runs in Late Model - the top series at East Alabama - owns a car valued at $40,000.
The speedway does not offer a military discount but there are special promotions and appreciation nights for service members during race season, officials said. For ticket information, visit www.eamsdirt.com.
"It would be nice to see some stands fill up with military guys from Fort Benning," Gilliland said. "And it's family-oriented out here. Every now and then, they have monster trucks and demolition derby, too."
A 20-year Army veteran, Gilliland said he hopes to retire in March 2011 and move to Clearwater, Fla. He's already heard about a dirt track in the area.
"I would have to make some modifications to the car and engine. But there is the possibility of continuing to run," he said. "I'd like to move up to the Hobby stock or Bomber series (and) try those two out before I get out of it someday."
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