Interview with Todd McCollum of Team 510 Racing
Todd McCollum and Team 510 Racing have been customers of my web design business for over three years. Although Todd and I have still yet to meet in person, I have learned a few things about the racing world---especially as it applies to him and his team---via our emails, phone calls, and instant message conversations.
I even learned a few new things about his world via this interview.
STEVE: You once raced karts. Why the move to Legends, as opposed to any other type of race car?
TODD: We wanted to get into a division that was affordable and competitive. Due to all the rules that the Legends division has you don't have to be worried about being beat by a guy who spends more money. Plus we like how they represent the cars that Ralph Earnhardt, Al Tasnady, and many more drove in the beginning of racing.
STEVE: What's the story behind the car number M1?
TODD: When I first got into racing my father raced and his number was ten and my brother Paul was number
zero. Once I got behind the wheel, my father stepped out and i decided to be number one. This way we both had a portion of our
father's number. When I first got into Legends, we decided to add an M to the number so if we went to a track we wouldn't run into
the problem of there being another number one car. Also the M is the first letter of our last name, that is also why Paul's
number is now m0.STEVE: Just last season, you changed your team name from New Jersey Posse to Team 510 Racing.
TODD: We decided that there needed to be a more professional approach with the team name and New Jersey Posse just wasn't doing that for us anymore. Also, when Drew joined the team it wouldn't have been true because Drew is from Pennsylvania. The 510 we found on a police website claiming it had something to do with racing vehicles on the street, plus the three cars that come out of our garage are numbers 5, 1, and 0.
STEVE: What advantages do you and the other 510 drivers enjoy by being apart of a team?
TODD: Basically the team is just a bunch of friends helping each other out. There is no
| "...we like how they represent the cars that Ralph Earnhardt, Al Tasnady, and many more drove in the beginning of racing." |
STEVE: Where are you attempting to take Team 510?
TODD: There isn't any major goals with our team, we just want to do well and be noticed for our hard work along with our good sportsmanship. We try to act as a professional race team even though we are not. Basically, the whole team was started to help each other out and the website idea was just to get our information out there as well to provide a good advertising tool for our sponsors.
STEVE: What aspects of your driving have improved or matured from early in your career?
TODD: I would say that after leaving karting and getting into Legends cars my driving has improved greatly. When I raced karts, I would just mash the pedal and go. With a kart you can make it work even if it's not working but with a Legends car you can't just force things. If it isn't going your way well then it just isn't your night so I guess you could say my driving has matured with making rational decisions out on the track. Sometimes finishing 6th is better than making a crazy move for 5th and chance damaging the car, then you come home with nothing but broken parts. My awareness of other drivers and knowledge of how the cars are handing have improved greatly as well. I'm still learning with the dirt racing through, I know I am at the point where I can take a Legends car on asphalt and know exactly what I need to change before I get off the track. With dirt now I am still learning so I tend to discuss things with the team and make a change from there.
STEVE: I see a number of drivers who have to park their cars because they cannot drum up sufficient sponsorship to finance their efforts. How has Team 510 managed to acquire and maintain enough sponsorship support to keep going?
TODD: The sponsorships we do have don't really run our team, they just help out. Each of our sponsors does something to help out but the majority of funds come from our own pockets. Recently we have been investing into certain tools, materials and other things to help us save money in the long run. You spend a little now which will save a lot in the end. We also try to spend our funds in the right places instead of throwing it away on stuff that we do not need. We will always be able to keep our racing going but we also know when to take time off if funds are tight. Racing will be there in a week, month, and even a year if we have to take time off.
STEVE: In addition to regular web sites, I'm seeing many individual drivers, and even teams, make their presence known on community sites such as MySpace.
TODD: Drew is the only one who has his own personal MySpace page just for racing. My brother
| "Sometimes finishing 6th is better than making a crazy move for 5th and chance damaging the car, then you come home with nothing but broken parts." |
STEVE: Traveling is one aspect of racing that some drivers enjoy more than others.
TODD: Traveling doesn't bother us. Some people hate to travel. A lot of people like to either stay at a local track or they just don't want to travel period. We enjoy traveling. In my opinion a real racer will go anywhere to race no matter the distance. Over time anyone can become good at one track and start to win but running consistent and winning at multiple tracks is even harder. When you can travel from track to track and run in the top five almost all the time then you are doing something right. The more tracks you can run the better you will become as a driver. So in my mind traveling is a good thing, the only thing that is bad about traveling is the weather and rain.
STEVE: If you could have music playing inside your car while you race, what songs would you choose?
TODD: Haha, the music I listen to most of the time would not be good in a race car. It would get me so hyped up that I would probably start bouncing people out of the way like I was in a mosh pit at a Killswitch Engage concert. I would say if anything, some type of music that would calm me down so I drive with a clear mind. Sometimes I need that hyperactive drive because I have been beat a few times from being too patient.
