Are you retired, or do you ever want to retire?
HH: Well, I got pretty sick this year. I had a hernia operation, and I think we had a severe reaction to the anesthesia, and I got into a deep depression. I was like a zombie. I mean, if there’d have been a switch to turn the light out, I’d have turned it out. Then I got on the right medicine, stuff that I’m still taking. I have good days, and I have bad days. I’m getting better. I’ve changed my perspective a little bit. Things that were important aren’t so important anymore. I’m bowling again, having fun doing that, and if it isn’t fun to mow the lawn, I’m not going to mow the lawn. I’m just not going to fight this like I did.
I was working seven days a week for seven years. In fact, for most of this year, I haven’t been in the shop at all, and then for the last few weeks, I’ve been coming in again, kind of getting regular again. Yeah, I enjoy it. I’d go stir-crazy sitting around the house. I suppose I’ll have the shop forever. How long I’ll do it like this, I don’t know. My daughter Julie keeps me doing this.
So, this is still fun, finding little bits of horsepower and winning an event like this?
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HH: The biggest thing for me is working in the shop, and I get more out of the shop than I do actual racing, you know what I mean? Surprisingly, they gave me a new driver’s license this year. When you get over 55, you have to do an EKG. Well, I failed the EKG; it came back abnormal. So they sent me to a cardiologist. They did an EKG, and they said it was normal. So I go back to my primary doctor and I say, “Hey, this guy says it’s normal!” So they faxed the EKG over to him, and it’s the same thing he saw. So they did another test. It ranked normal. That was acceptable, so they renewed my license. I’d like to drive a (race) car again, but not right at this point.
Is that what you’re building the Dart for?
HH: No, no, not really. I got a son there that works with me in the shop, and my grandson is in law school now, and he drives my Belvedere; we’re working on it again. He’ll probably be driving the Dart. Him or Chris, or somebody. And I’ll drive something sometime too. Not full time.
Who is West Coast Hemis?
HH: Uh, you’re looking at it. Yeah. I don’t know who came up with that name.
Julie Jordan (Holton’s daughter): It was those East Coast guys. They said, “Oh, here come those West Coast Hemi guys.” So we decided to run with it.
It works, it works. If you could do anything right now, if you could have an unlimited budget, is there some direction you’d go?
HH: Pro Stock, you bet.
With a modern Hemi?
HH: Yeah. I’d love to get involved with Pro Stock. That’d be my dream.
Has anyone approached you about that?
HH: No. I’m too old. Jeg Coughlin drove my car at Indy. He won the race at Indy in 2004. We won the race in 2003 and 2004 and was runner-up in 2005. We fooled around with Jeg for a bit, but it’d take a heck of a budget. I’d just love to get involved (with a Pro Stock car). Not to drive one, I wouldn’t want to drive one. I’d love to be able to work on the engines.
To learn the technology of the new Hemi.