Most of the cars that race in the Bootlegger Bomber division at Rattlesnake Raceway in Fallon, Nevada, carry the names of various alcoholic spirits. Jeremy Lampley chose his favorite adult beverage — Corona beer.
“We chose Corona before the virus spread,” said Lampley, 32, of Fallon, Nevada. “We numbered the car 19 as a rather dark joke that was suggested by another driver.”
Lampley works as a cook at the Depot Diner in Fallon. Those who frequented the restaurant encouraged him to race. Lampley’s friends help him find a race car, a 1994 Mercury Marquis, which sat in a field in a neighboring town.
“It just needed a tune-up, oil change, airflow sensor, and fuel filter,” Lampley said. “I gutted it out and put in a cage and nerf bars.”
Lampley races with other alcohol-themed cars, including Crown Royal, Coors Light,
After purchasing a fire suit, gloves, shoes, and a neck brace, he was ready for his rookie year as a Bootlegger at the club-run track.
Lampley and the other liquor themed cars—Crown Royal, Coors Light, and 805 Beer. A police car participates, too, driven by Shane Rasmussen.
“He’s driving a police cruiser because he was too young to drink when he started racing,” said Lampley. “The club didn’t want to send the wrong message.”
Lampley’s best finish this year, his rookie season, was a fourth. Last week, he hit the wall, rolled, landed on all fours, and then continued. A flat tire later on ended his night early.
“They said it was just like the Coronavirus was racing — everything was turned upside-down, we rolled with the Covid-19 punches, but, in the end, we landed back on all fours,” Lampley said.
Jeremy Lampley is looking forward to returning to the track with the Corona car.
“I spent two days pounding the dents out,” said Lampley said. “Other than that, the car wasn’t damaged. We’re ready to race again.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
