Lyle Monroe gave me permission to share his post to LDRider/IBDone.
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In the 2019 IBR Epilog, John made reference to my rally number and my Dad. It was taken from short conversation David E.B. Smith and I had while he was scoring me at the end of IBR. Currently working on my IBR write up, working on the outline anyway, but wanted to expand a little about the number.
Shortly after Lisa Landry stood up and completed her house keeping announcements, she said, for this IBR Rally Numbers were assigned based on current IBA number. Thinking, wonder if there is a chance I could get 37; wow that could be cool.
Growing up Dad always had a race car. Some of my first memories as small kid are around the bomber Dad drove running the number 9. Found out years later that was for the day I was born, 9 Dec. That number was on all the cars until we had to move for Dad’s work. This would be the only time there wasn’t a race car in the garage, or the yard. But this was only to last two years.
We then moved back to Illinois, back in to the same house even, and it didn’t take long before there was a new to us race car in the garage. Unfortunately the number 9 was not available for use at the local track, so Dad had to change to another number. The decision was made to use Dad’s age as his new number, so number 37 was now ours.
Several cars in several classes were to have that number. From the Bomber class, a Silver Crown car, Midgets, Sprints, but mostly late models. Oh, the cars Dad built. A 1969 Camaro SS, 1971 Mustang Mach 1, and a few late model 69 – 71 Chevelles. Then he moved on to the all store bought chassis Late Models.
As my brothers and I grew older we didn’t spend as much time in the garage, but Dad could always be found there when he wasn’t at work. I joined the Army in 1975, my youngest brother, Mike in 1979, and our racing was over for a while. During our military adventures my middle brother, Bob, began racing his own car and of course Dad was there to offer advice and assistance. And as if policy dictated it had to run the number 37.
In the mid 90’s my brother and I both retired from the military and moved back home for a while. Later I moved to Nashville, but my younger brother stayed in Illinois.
While my brother and I were out of the house Dad was working on one of our old cars for the High School Shop Teacher to drive. The auto shop students would come over and help Dad in the garage for class time credit. Around this time Dad and my brother bought a new chassis for a Modified. Modified’s had become the in between class that the local track had taken to running. We, as a lot of others, had been priced out of the Late Model class. All of them had engines that cost more then what we could budget to run the full year.
After Dad retired the first thing he did every morning was walk out to the garage to open the doors. A garage that by then consisted of 8 bays, 3 race cars, and a frame jig used to build a new chassis. More often than not he could be found spending most of the day sitting at his desk in the corner reading race car setup guides, or tinkering on what he was still physically capable of doing on the cars.
My brother Mike was racing and putting in more money than he really should have been, (don’t tell his wife), but it was no longer enough to keep his and the School car running. Talked with Dad about running a second car for me to drive, but Dad thought I should repair and start with the old school car. So, that winter we prepared the two cars for the first spring practice.
That required a drive from Nashville, TN, to Jerseyville, IL EVERY Friday evening after work or early Saturday morning. During the race season, especially the year they ran on Sunday Night, I would drive directly to work from the track. But dad, being Dad, would take the car home and beat out all the dents and cut out and replace the broken pieces I had successfully destroyed that night and have it ready for me again the next weekend.
My Dad, Mike, and I did this for several years before Dad was no longer able to go with us to the track, but even then he made sure everything was ready when I would arrive on Friday night.
That was the last year Mike and I raced. Dad was diagnosed with cancer and the prognosis was not good. Even with that he could be found in the garage any day that his illness would allow.
Dad died a month before the 17 IBR, I had a difficult time with that ride and was just happy to end up a finisher.
All of this is going through my mind as Lisa Landry calls, Lyle Monroe, number 37.
Hey Dad, for 2019 IBR we are number 37…
Lyle Monroe, Jr.
2019 IBR Rider #37
IBA #525