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(1/11/08) Hello everyone. It has been another busy month for us. I start college on Jan. 14 at Chattanooga State. I will be working on a 4 year degree in accounting. I am nervous about being a 40 year old college freshman, but I know that if I rely on the Lord he will get me through this obstacle just like he has and is getting me through every obstacle in my life.
My doctor has issued my disability rating and the workers comp insurance company has made an offer to settle my case. Ninety five percent total disability sounds like a lot, but the Lord is allowing me to be able to do many things. The offer is enough to sustain my family until I get through school and return to work. Tennessee law puts a cap on the amount that an injured employee gets so it is geared to protect the employer more than the employee. I didn't want to be greedy so if our lawyer thinks it is fair we will accept. The insurance company has been fair to us up until this point, so I believe they are close to a fair offer.
Siskin Rehabilitation Hospital has asked me to do a video presentation for an upcoming “Possibilities Luncheon”, on Feb.13. The Luncheon has over 600 business and professional attendees every year. There featured speaker is news reporter Bob Woodruff, who received a head injury while on assignment in Iraq, but has since recovered and has an amazing story. The video of me will consist of an interview, footage of me doing therapy at Siskin and footage at the race track, getting in and out of the car and making laps. Siskin may also use this in there TV commercials
I want to thank Boyd's Speedway for allowing us use of the speedway for filming, Siskin Hospital, my sponsors Hightower Racing Transmissions, Carolina Trailers, Sonik Race Fuel, and my family and friends. Most of all I thank God and glorify his name for allowing me to live my dream
God Bless
Tim Totherow t39racer

(1/18/08) This has been another busy week. On Monday the 14th I started classes at Chattanooga State where I am a full time student with classes 5 days a week. It has been a long time since I was in school, so it was quite an adjustment. Then Monday night we had the first practice for our church's Upward Basketball League where I am an assistant coach. On Wed the 16th, after classes, I went over to Siskin Hospital to do an interview and video shoot of me doing therapy. On Fri the 18th, after I was finished at Chatt. State, we met at Boyd's Speedway with some of the media relations people from Siskin Hospital, a film crew from WRCB Channel 3 and Russ Ruskin one of the owners of Boyd's Speedway and shot some more video. This time the video shoot was a blast as they filmed me getting in and out of the car and getting to make some laps around the track. Russ and one of his guys went out in their trucks and ran the track in a little, but it didn't take much, because when I went out the track was in great shape and I was able to run laps at almost 100%. This footage and the footage from the interview will be used in a presentation shown at the Siskin Hospital Possibilities Luncheon on Feb 13th at the Chattanooga Convention Center and in Siskin commercials and forums.
I would like to thank Russ Ruskin and Boyd's Speedway for allowing us to use what I consider an awesome race track, my brother Jarvis Totherow, my daughters Shanoa and McKenzie for all their effort in getting the car ready to go and out to the track, my friend Robert Hodge for coming with us to help, everyone at Siskin Hospital, and most importantly I want to thank God for all he does for us.
Thanks and God Bless
Tim Totherow

(3/9/08) It has been a few weeks since my last update, so let me touch on what has been going on. On Feb 2 we went over to Winchester Speedway for an open practice it was our first time on the new clay surface that Darrell Day and crew had put down and man did it make a difference. Winchester is one racy little bull ring now. It has plenty of traction anywhere on the race track, so much so that we broke our standard 3 speed transmission that was in the car, luckily our new Hightower trans is on the way and we won't be breaking it. On Feb 13 we attended the Siskin Hospital Possibilities Luncheon with guest speaker Lee Woodruff, wife of news anchor Bob Woodruff who was injured in Iraq. The video presentation of four former Siskin patients was shown before she spoke including mine and it was a success. With Upward Basketball at church, school at Chattanooga State, a Christian men's retreat that I attended, and other things it has been, as usual, busy around here. We have had time to work on the race car some, since we are replacing the trans we decided to go ahead and pull the engine to freshen it while we were at it. I'm glad we did, we found some bad piston scuffing that allowed the pistons to rock around in the cylinders and even bump the cylinder head on some of them. This means new pistons and some machine work before we put it back together. Also our home track of Boyd's Speedway has changed ownership, the new owners are revamping the place with new concessions, announcers booth, catch fence, walls around the track, and many other improvements. We look forward to a great year of racing and will keep everyone updated on our plans.
Thank and God Bless
Tim Totherow t39racer

(6/3/08) I only thought getting backinto a race car after my injury was hard. Going back to school full time as a 40 year old freshman was tougher. With that and family life I have had time to keep the site updated. Now school is out, the race car is almost ready, and I want to go RACING.
We have had a good off-season.
I got a new firesuit from Wesco Performance. It is a custom tailored RJS and is(you guessed it)John Deere Green. It has some really cool features. The legs are zippered on the side all the way up to my knee. This will allow me to put my leg braces under my firesuit. There are handles sewn right onto the knee so I can use my hands to position my legs once i get into the car.
We got our new Hightower T-10 with dog ring shift collars, which will allow me to actually shift without using the hand operated clutch.
My brother Jarvis at JT One Racing Engines built me a new motor with my old heads and cam. The old motor had cast pistons and big rings, the new one has forged pistons and metric rings. He says it will be 40 horsepower more than I had. We also put a better oil pan and intake with the package.
I got a Hans device coming and I plan to use it. We are going to upgrade the interior safety stuff some.
We are looking forward to a very good year.

6/20/08- Hello everyone Friday 6/20 was our first start this year. Having not been in the car since a practice at Winchester Speedway in Feb. we showed up at the new and much improved Boyd's Speedway for our first start of the year with an all new driveline in the car. The JT-1 engine ran great and the Hightower Racing Transmissions drive line performed beyond our expectations. With the new graphics from Jason and Liz of Jet Graphics the car looked as good as it ran. I elected to start in the rear of the feature being we only had a handful of hot laps and no heat race, but at the end of the night I drove the T39 all the way to a 2nd place finish. This was my first time on the totally new racing surface at Boyd's and it is impressive. I ran the bottom groove and was able to work my way to the front. I might have been able to get by race winner Lee Hogan in the 14, but we ran out of laps. The win for Lee makes 4 in a row and we hope to stop his winning streak in our next race at Boyd's on July 11th. As always, I give all the praise and Glory to God for allowing us to do something we love. Our next race will be our return to Spring City Raceway in Spring City Tn. on June 28. Spring City is the place I drove a racecar the very first time back in 1986. Wish us luck.
Thank You and God Bless
Tim Totherow t39racer

6/28/08- Our return to spring City Raceway didn't turn out as good as our first race at Boyd's last week. We ran a few hot laps before the left rear axle broke. The car was working really well and we only needed to make a minor adjustment and change the gear ratio to be ready. The broken axle ended our night. With most of the tracks in our area taking the 4th of July off we won't race again until July 11th at our home track of Boyd's Speedway. So come on out and enjoy a great night of racing. Glory to God Thanks Tim Totherow

9/19/08. With a couple of weeks not racing we returned to Boyd’s ready for action and did we ever get it! Boyd’s elected to not run heat races for our division due to time constraints and everyone started the feature by the position they drew for the heat race. This wasn’t the smartest choice the track could have made as a couple of slower (non-driver) cars started up front causing mayhem as the faster cars tried to work their way around them. After being involved in 3 of those wrecks , tearing the front bumper off and knocking the power steering belt off, we manhandled the T39 to a 5th place finish. It was a rough and disappointing night of racing that got us, though I don’t know how, another top 5 finish. We are off next week so this will give Mike and the crew time to repair the car and we will give it another shot our next time out.

Thanks and God Bless

Tim Totherow

9/26/08. We had a lot more to repair then we realized was needed from our last race. During our week off we straightened and repaired the right front frame, fabricated all new bumper mounts and bumper, changed the upper ball joint and tie rod on the left front, and straightened out the fenders and remounted them in preparation for next week’s race. With our schedules and lack of a shop to work out of it was a blessing we have a week off to get the car ready. We’ll see you at Boyd’s on 10/3/08.

God Bless

Tim T.

10/3/08. After the week off we returned to Boyd’s Speedway for another great night of racing. We started 5th in the 2nd heat and worked our way to the front. I took the lead from new comer Bryan McDaniel in the 59 only to get the car out of shape losing the spot. We recovered and finished a close second to Bryan. Come feature time we started 4th, but I lost a couple spots on the start. We worked the T39 back to third and started trying to get by 2nd place Bobby Phillips in the 148. We raced side-by-side for 7 or 8 laps and we were racing each other so hard that Lee Hogan in the 14 got past us both with just a few laps remaining. At the checkered it was the 88, 14, the 148 beating us by a car length for 3rd, we finished 4th, and the 59 rounded out the top 5. We plan on making another trip to Spring City Speedway tomorrow night to see if we fair better than our first trip this year.

As always to God be the Glory

Tim Totherow

10/11/08. Our 3rd trip to Spring City this year started out great. We had a good car and won our heat race in convincing fashion over an always fast Chad Collins in the 08. The feature, however, had a different outcome. Winner of the first heat Chuck Helig in the 444 seemed to intentionally run in to the left rear wheel in turn one when we beat him on the start. This spun us around in front of the field, bending the left axle upon contact and the front was hit by some of the other racers trying to avoid us. We were able to continue and had a complete re-start; the track promoter stopped me on the front straight and asked me not to retaliate that he would take care of it. OF COURSE HE DIDN’T. On the second attempt we beat the 444 again on the start, but he slowed up causing the caution to come out again. I knew he was trying to get the track to implement the single file start rule which states that after two failed attempts at a start the cars will be lined up single file. With the bent axle our car became loose off the corner and short of hitting or spinning the 444 out(like he did to us) I wasn’t able to get by him and finished 2nd. I don’t race that way and feel better about running second than if I had crashed him for the win. As racers there will always be incidents between competitors, but not wrecking someone is the best way to race and will earn you more respect from the fans and other racers alike.

                    We were fortunate that the axle was all that was damaged on the car. Next week we will attempt the 2nd Annual Nash Brick Brickdirt Super Street Nationals at Clary’s Speedway in Brinklyville North Carolina for the crowning of the National Super Street Champion. Cars from several states will be attending this event and just making the race is an accomplishment.

                    This season and our attempt at the Nationals could not have been possible if it were not for the help of several people. Johnny Hightower of Hightower Transmissions, Carolina Trailers, Carolina Driveline, my brother and car owner Mike, brother and engine builder Jarvis of JT-ONE Racing Engines, Jet Graphix, my family and friends and most importantly the good Lord and I thank them all for what they have done.

                                    Thank You and May the Lord Bless You

                                                     Tim Totherow T39racer

(2/1/09) The 2009 racing season is almost here. This will be the first time in the 2 seasons that we have returned to racing that we are ready at the beginning of the season. It feels kind of odd to have the car ready this early, but it's a good feeling. Since my last update in October of last year we competed in the 2nd annual BrickDirt Super Street Nationals on October 17-19 2008 at Clary's Speedway in Brinklyville North Carolina. What an awesome weekend to compete with the best Super Street cars from the eastern states and Ohio valley areas. With 42 cars on hand trying for 20 starting spots it was a nerve racking weekend. For us to drive some 11 hours and not make the show would have been tough, but with a great car given to me by my brothers Mike and Jarvis we made it. I didn't qualify very well and stated pretty far back in the 2nd of 4 heat races. With only the top 3 transferring from the heats we raced our way to 4th spot, but missed the transfer by about a half a car length. That put us on the pole for the 2nd of 3 b-mains and as good as the car was running our confidence was high that we would get 1 of the 2 transfer spots. In the b-main I got the lead on the start and lead every lap holding off some hard charging racers on several restarts to earn a 15th starting spot in the BrickDirt Nationals. Our game plan for the feature was to ride early, save the car, and race at the end. It was a good plan as I slid back to 18th or 19th at first then started working our way toward the front. We made it as far as 10th when overheating issues sidelined us for a 16th place finish. We couldn't be disappointed with our finish as just making the race with a car that was a little under classed by some of the Super Street cars that came was an accomplishment in itself. With our finish and the "Longest Tow Award" it was a successful weekend for the T39 Racing Team and we have already made plans to return and better our finish in the 3rd annual BrickDirt Nationals in 2009. You can read some of the e newspaper articles about us and the Nationals on the "news' and "media" pages here on the website. And as I always remind myself that none of this would be possible without the good Lord, a great family, and our sponsors(check them out on the sponsor’s page).
Thanks and God Bless
Tim Totherow

Feb. 15 2009 Winterfest on Saturday the 14th turned out to be good day for the T39, but we have yet to get that first win at Winchester. Our heat race had the potential to be a good one as I started on the pole, but spun myself out while leading. We restarted 9th and we were able to make it back to 5th in the short heat race. 5th is where we would end up in the feature as well. We missed the setup a little and I couldn't get off the corner like I wanted to, but still had a good finish and a GREAT time. We look forward to giving Winchester another couple tries before the season is over with the Hightower Transmission, Carolina Trailers, JT-ONE race engines camaro. Next up is the 12th annual Bama Bash at Green Valley Speedway, see you there.
May God Bless
Tim Totherow T39

Feb 22 2009 Well our trip to the Bama Bash sure didn't turn out like we hoped, but as the saying goes "that’s racin". Friday night started out pretty good as the Mike Totherow owned Carolina Trailers, Hightower Racing Transmissions, JT-One race engines T39 was hooked up. We were running great in our heat race against some fast Super Street cars until the rear end gear stripped out on us. I initially thought the transmission had broke, so I tried it in a couple of different gears and accidently put it in reverse and did break the almost indestructible Hightower transmission (man I felt stupid for that bonehead mistake). We still managed to finish 6th and got the final transfer spot for the 3rd heat. This meant that we had a guaranteed 18th starting spot for the $2000 to win feature on Saturday, but more importantly we would not have to race in through the consi. We would not have been able to do that with a tore up race car. We loaded up and headed to Tennessee, got up Saturday morning, replaced the rear gear and Transmission, and headed back to Green Valley. We started out taking it easy in the feature just to miss any wrecks because we started so far back. We raced up to 12th when the engine started overheating; we came in during a caution and put water in it. We restarted last and advanced back to 12th or 14th again, but with so many cautions it didn't make it to the end even though I ran it about half throttle for several laps hoping it would make it to the end. With a handful of laps left the oil and water temperatures got so hot that I pulled in to try not damage the engine any more. We ended up 21st and that may not have been a good finish, but we had a great time and look forward to next year's Bama Bash. I want to say a special thank you to Brad, Joe, and Rhonda Cross for helping us out and a congrats on their 3rd place finish in the pure pony event. The biggest thanks goes to God for allowing me to do what I love to glorify His name.

See you at the races
Tim Totherow T39

4/25/09 This week has been a busy week for the t39 team and not the best week by far. We worked all week and long hours to get the car ready to race Friday night at Boyd's Speedway only to have the tow vehicle break down on us on the way to the track. After not making it Friday night we decided to head out for Winchester Speedway to race in Super Stock on Saturday night. The tow truck ran perfect, but that can't be said for the race car. Overheating and electrical issues would make for a long night at the Winchester Tennessee race track netting us an 8th place finish in the heat and a 7th place finish in the feature. We raced our way up to 3rd at one point in the race only to be plagued with problems in what was shaping up to be a good run for the T39. It was still a great night, anytime that the good Lord allows you to do what you enjoy and glorify His name while doing it is a great night and this week, even though a tough one, has been an awesome week. This coming Friday we'll be back at Boyd's Speedway to begin our first ever attempt at winning a points championship. It would be a great title to add to our 2009 Boyd's Speedway Fan Favorite Award and like to thank God for what He has done for me and all the friends and fans who voted for us. A big thanks to Hightower Racing Transmissions, Carolina Trailers, J T-One Racing Engines, Jet Graphix, and Carolina Driveline for all the help, we couldn't do it without them.
                See ya at the races
                     may God bless
                       Tim Totherow

(7/27/09). Well, since we haven't updated the site in 3 months I thought that my 42nd birthday would be a good time.
    Our season has been an up and down year so far with engine and driveline failures occuring multiple times. The engine failures have been caused by an overheating issue that we can't seem to fix. We have changed everything in the cooling system to repair the problem and hopefully after the replacement of head gaskets this week along with all the other components we will have this issue repaired and get ourselves back in the winner's circle. We have had a strong car this year, but driver error and DNF's have kept us out of the top spot. I have realized that possibly we have these ups and downs to test our faith and show others that even though things don't turn out like we hope that we can still have a good time and glorify the Lord.
                            Thanks and God bless
                                  Tim

(8/27/09) Since our last update we have had some interesting things going on. the biggest is the fact that Tim has been sick with another infection. He had to spend 30 days on a very strong anti-biotic that had some rough side effects, which included headaches, nausea, and fatigue. With car owner Mike Totherow out of town with his job there hasn't been any racing going on out of team T39. With the team not racing we have taken a big drop in the points standings at Boyd's Speedway and realize that a good finish in the points is not likely. With Tim finishing this round of antibiotics and Mike returning from Oklahoma the team has turned their efforts into preparing for the Mid- America Street Stock Nationals in Batesville Arkansas on September 17-19. We plan on giving daily updates while in Batesville, either on here or on MRM Racing Forums. We ask you to keep us in your prayers and check on our progress.
Thank You, Shanda Totherow

Sept. 5 Hello everyone, after several weeks of not racing is was good to get back in the race car this week at Cleveland Speedway. Cleveland's B-hobby division has a rule not allowing a unibody leaf spring car to race in that class, so when we got there we were moved up into the A-hobby division by the track and raced with a lot faster and lighter cars than our camaro is built for. Our game plan was to just stay out of the way and finish the race. I thought we would be much slower than the cars we were racing against, but that was not the case. Most were faster than us just not that much faster. We were giving up around 600 pounds compared to the much lighter A-hobbies and we are on stock style suspension, so I was surprised that we could even keep up. We raced hard, stayed out of trouble and even passed a few cars for a 5th place finish, a totally unexpected outcome. Sometimes it is better to race smarter not harder. I have to say that the good Lord was watching out for us tonight and I thank Him for it. Next week we return to Boyd's to race in our division and look foward to more fun.
Thanks and God Bless
Tim