If it wasn’t for fishing, Bobby Zaiontz might not have realized he is a racer at heart.
Twenty-two years ago, Zaiontz was living in Columbus and working as a flag man for late model races at Columbus Speedway and all over the Southeast. In between racing weekends, he would go out on his bass boat with his latest purchases and try to make the most of his hobby.
That’s when his life changed.
While working as a flag man at an event, Zaiontz spotted a mini sprint car on the track and was intrigued.
“I told my wife I liked it and she said, ‘Oh no, you have enough hobbies’,” Zaiontz said. “The man was from Mobile, Ala., and I asked him if he wanted to sell his mini sprint, and if he did I could sell him my boat.”
At midnight that night, a trade was completed that turned Zaiontz from fisherman into racer.
“When he left at midnight I had a mini sprint sitting in my shop where the boat was,” Zaiontz said. “I have been racing ever since. It is something I still enjoy.”
Zaiontz, 50, has plenty of reasons to enjoy what he does. Weather permitting, he will show off his love for the sport today and Saturday in the United Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear Outlaw Thunder Tour at the Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus. The “Frostbuster 250” will kick off the 2012 season for the series and the speedway.
Zaiontz will be just one of many champions on hand to compete. Last year, Zaiontz won the USCS 600 Sprint Car Series for winged mini sprints. Zaiontz competed in all of the series races last season and won the national title going away with 3,212 points. His performance included two feature wins and 17 top-five finishes. He also won the USCS 600 Sprint Car Series Mid South Lightning and Southern Lightning regional series Championships to wrap up a sweep.
“It was something I didn’t believe was going to happen, but it did,” Zaiontz said. “I was just fortunate enough to make all of the races. The economy was there hitting me, and I was fortunate everything turned out good and I was able to be consistent and to finish. That is basically all it was.”
Zaiontz’s championship was a far cry from the first time he drove a car in Aug. 31 1991, at Stateline Motorsports Raceway, a 1/8-mile dirt oval for karts near Columbus. He had never driven on dirt and came away a little surprised by what he had to do to keep the car on the track.
“I started on the front row in my first heat race and I forgot to turn and I went off the track,” Zaiontz said. “I didn’t know I was supposed to lay off the gas.”
The disappointment didn’t last long, though, as Zaiontz turned one hobby in for another and soon committed himself to becoming a racer. He quickly discovered his new “hobby” was addictive, even for someone who referred to himself Thursday as just a “steering wheel holder.”
Zaiontz is much more than that. In addition to his “hobby,” Zaiontz works full time as a contractor who builds and remodels houses. Even though his hobby is one he “works his butt off at,” he said he still enjoys it despite a heavy travel schedule that will keep him busy through the last weekend of November.
“If you’re going to do it, do it full time and don’t do it halfway,” Zaiontz said. “I found something I am good at and I stuck with it.”
Not only did Zaiontz never imagine he would have won a national title. some also never thought he wouldn’t make it this far. A self-described “daredevil,” Zaiontz was born in Bessemer, Ala., and moved with his family to Carrollton, Ala., when he was 10. He has lived in Columbus since 1972.
Now in his 21st year of racing, Zaiontz admits racing as much as he does is a grind. He credits Curt Schumacher and Daniel Doty and his wife, Genise, who he met at a race track, for helping to keep him going. He and Genise have been married 22 years.
“She loves it just as much as I do,” Zaiontz said.
Zaiontz also said he wouldn’t be able to compete as much as he does without the help of his sponsors, especially Dick Leike, the owner of Crye-Leike Realty. He also has a sponsor in California and two in Indiana.
Genise Zaiontz doesn’t travel to as many races these days because her work with the sheriff’s department keeps her busy, but that doesn’t stop Bobby from traveling throughout the region. He said he typically will leave for an event Thursday night and get there early to rest a little before competing. He usually gets home Sunday and takes time to wash the two cars he takes to every race to get a head start on the next week’s preparation. On Monday, the maintenance and repair cycle begins until Thursday hits and everything starts over again.
“It is just a process you go over and over and over,” Zaiontz said. “My guys at the shop help me with the cars and help me stay on top of everything so there aren’t any breakdowns and keep with me good equipment that helps me stay consistent. I was real proud to win last year. I didn’t think I would, and we hope to do it again this year.”
Zaiontz isn’t sure how long he will continue to race on a circuit where many of the competitors are much younger. He said it is common to race against competitors as young as 14. He said he will continue to do that as long as he is still having fun. Zaiontz doesn’t see the end coming anytime soon, especially because racing helps keep him young.
“A lot of people grew up and got out of it. That’s what my parents and my wife say,” Zaiontz said. “I have refused to grow up.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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