Flying A Motorsports has been involved with professional eighth-mile drag racing for nearly a decade and has been the “Official Hauler of the PDRA” since the series’ inception. Flying A’s owner, Alan Cape, originally started in the sport nearly 30 years ago, selling toterhomes, motorhomes, trailers and more.
“We’ve been in business since 1988,” Cape storied. “Back in that timeframe not everybody was doing this. We were right next door to Jerry Haas, Tim McAmis, Jeffers, Bickel, so we had good traffic coming by and got to connect with a lot of racers. We were the big players back then.”
But life has a way of altering your path and Cape changed his course from focusing on racers who traveled the country to local business. “I ended up with five children, and when you have five children you end up in all sorts of things focused on them. I quit going to as many events and settled into a rhythm of selling locally without chasing the guys that travel a lot. And I was okay with that.”
About the time professional eighth-mile racing gained its legs, tragedy struck the Cape family. “Then one of my children, my youngest, got killed in an accident. It just blew everything up for my family. I needed a renewed focus. That’s when I started doing the races again. It got me away eight or ten times in a season. It was a reprieve from all the well-meaning people telling you they’re sorry.”
Cape realized he had missed the sport more than he thought and has been a constant fixture since then, providing racers, series, manufacturers and more with high-quality haulers. His business has grown exponentially, a good reflection of the personable and trustworthy way he operates his business.
“I had forgotten what it was like,” Cape told. “It revived my spirit and my passion. If you had told me 10 years ago we’d be where we’re at now, I would have told you you’re nuts.”
Flying A Motorsports will have a representative at every PDRA race this season, as they have in years past. Flying A can also be found online at flyingamotorsports.com or visit their Facebook page, or call them at 800-222-4004.
This story was originally published on March 31, 2017.