Mike Longton had to do it, the lure too enticing and the adventure too tempting. And the possibilities, well, they just seemed so real.
So he took his shot.
Two years ago he uprooted his young life, answered a calling and chased a dream on the other side of the country. It was a bold move even for a young driver eager to show his promising skills in the heartland of auto racing, North Carolina, where many of NASCAR's big names got their start and still reside.
But Longton is back home now, working for a hop ranch in Moxee, and glad for it. The dream he chased turned out to be a frustrating tease for an outsider with limited resources, but at least there are no what-ifs.
"I learned how the business works at that level and now that I've been there, I've got no interest in going back," he said. "Part of me feels like it was a waste of time, but it's not like I didn't try. Now, I'm just glad to be home and racing with my friends."
And racing well.
In a spiffy machine purchased just as Longton rolled back into town, the 27-year-old placed fourth in the season-opening Apple Cup, has won two straight Late Model races at Yakima Speedway and is the points leader in the track's top class heading into tonight's event.
Such success isn't a surprise considering Longton started racing Late Models when he was 19, but the timing of it has provided a soothing remedy for the disappointment of his recent journey to Tobacco Road.
Just over two years ago, having run all the top circuits in the Northwest, Longton decided to trade Yakima for Charlotte and do whatever it took to get his foot in the door of big-time racing.
Meet people, get connected, make an opportunity -- that was the plan. His uncle drove a hauler for a Busch racing team, and he did begin making the necessary connections.
But he soon learned what gets you behind a wheel isn't solely talent, it's money.
"It got so frustrating because it's all about money 100 times over," he said. "I felt like I had put myself in the right place, got to meet the right people and had a real chance to get into something. But at the end of the day money is what talks."
Despite having no NASCAR Sprint Cup presence here, the Northwest has managed to produce some top-tier talent like Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw) and Greg Biffle (Vancouver, Wash.). Even though they rose from different racing backgrounds, Kahne and Biffle had the good fortune of being well-financed at the right time, allowing for an ascension through NASCAR's competitive levels.
Longton tried to go to the source, moving to Denver, N.C., which is 30 miles north of Charlotte and near historic Hickory Motor Speedway. With nearly 60 years of short-track racing, Hickory bills itself as the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars."
Such close proximity was a thrill for Longton initially, but soon the frustration began to grow. He was eager to race on the Southeast's venerable tracks, not work in the pits there. And the cost of leasing a Late Model machine on your own for one event was in the $5,000-6,000 range.
"If you get a job for a team working on a car and think that will be your shot to drive, it never happens," he said. "What made it even tougher is I could think of 20 guys around (the Northwest) that could outdrive anybody I saw back there.
"Being there and not racing, that really wore on me. I did learn how the business works and I did what I could. I guess after the second winter passed, I'd had enough."
Longton got lined up with a job back here and hit the road in March, not taking even a moment to look in the rear-view mirror. But his mind was still on racing, and while he was still en route Longton's dad called with news of a car for sale.
The MJ2 Racing team -- with Naches' Jeff Jefferson and Portland's Jim Warn as drivers -- was elevating from regional circuits to the NASCAR Grand National West Series and it purchased six Busch Series cars from Kevin Harvick to make the move. That made the team's Chuck Carruthers-built machines from the 2007 campaign obsolete and they were put up for sale.
"The price was right, and considering who built it we knew we needed to get it," said Longton, who bought Warn's car while Jefferson's went to a Canadian driver. "It had exactly what we wanted -- all we did was put my seat in it."
Just days after the purchase, Longton started the Apple Cup on the front row and finished fourth. Welcome home, Mike.
"It's an awesome car, and it couldn't have worked out better," he said. "We planned on spending half the year building a Late Model car, but this way I got to start racing right when I got back."
With his two Late Model victories last month at the Speedway, Longton has opened a 25-point lead heading into tonight's race. Between 2000 and 2005, he finished among the top four in the Late Model division four times but torpedoed his chances by attending the potentially lucrative Montana 200 when there was a race here.
He plans to do the same on July 19.
"We'd like to run all the races here but Montana is $12,000 to win," he said. "I might have won three (LM titles) by now if it wasn't for having those races on the same weekend. Maybe we could get away with missing one race, but who knows? We'd definitely would like to win it."
Whatever happens, the joy is back in Longton's racing life. Back home taking checkered flags on his home track -- there's nothing sweeter.
"Last year I think I only ran three races and that's tough because it's something I love to do," he said. "It's great to be back."
* Sports reporter Scott Spruill can be reached at sspruill@yakimaherald.com or 577-7686.
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