“It’s pretty much been a way of life for me, growing up,” said Drag Boat Racer Tyler Salsman, who was born with racing in his blood.
“Oh, he was raised at it, he’s been here since he was two years old. Yeah, he’s been here all his life,” said his dad Barry Salsman.
Barry has raced for 25 years, and is now the President of the Kentucky Drag Boat Association (KDBA) — a passion he’s shared with his son since the day he was born.
“He used to coach me quite a bit. I learned a lot from him to get as good as I am now,” Tyler said.
And as Tyler found out, there was a lot to learn when he started as a 16-year-old.
“I raced for two years before I ever even made it out of the first round, and I think the first race I got out of the first round I won,” said Tyler. “But, I wasn’t very good when I started. It hasn’t always been easy.”
So when you got the taste of that win, how did that change things?
“Oh, then I got on a roll after that, and I’d win 2-3 races in a row,” said Tyler.
Tyler’s added up the wins in his 12-year career, and no one is more proud than his father.
“Oh, it tickles me to death, it really does. I’d rather see him win than myself,” Barry said.
The last time Tyler raced at Lucas Oil Speedway — he won, and he and his dad hope he’ll win again this weekend.
Do you expect to win this weekend?
“I won’t say I expect, because that might jinx me, but I hope. We stand a pretty good chance,” Tyler said.
Eliminations begin Sunday at 9:00 am.
