Racing harmony

The setting wasn’t quite as idealistic as the one Beaver Cleaver and his older brother Wally enjoyed while growing up on Pine Street, Mayfield, USA.

Nor were the homes as picturesque as those in that 1950s weekly TV sitcom — Leave It To Beaver. But for the Robinson family living on Harmony Road in Evergreen some 20 years ago, it was just as kid-friendly and sometimes just as mischievous.

Life was good back then.

And it still is a wonderful place to raise a family.

But those were special times for the Josh Robinson, now 27, and his brother Jason, 29. They also laid the foundation for something special in their lives — auto racing.

“I knew I was going to race forever,” Josh said.

“We’d race peddle bikes all day long (in the summer). We’d race in a tiny left-hand circle.”

The races were usually held in the family’s driveway and pitted the Robinsons against neighbors Jason and Ray Young. It was a friendly rivalry.

Josh said Jason could ride and ride.

“He would go forever,” he said.

Then when weather turned cold, they would race their bikes on the ice at a nearby swamp all winter long.

As they grew older, the Robinsons traded their bikes for a riding lawn mower — “an ugly green one,” Josh said.

But it was more like real racing thanks to the sound of an engine. And it quenched their thirst for speed and competition.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t dream about winning the Daytona 500,” Josh said.

“Or a NASCAR race. I thought about winning the local race.

“I look at a race car no differently than I do a baseball bat or a golf club,” he added.

“It’s just an extension of you — a tool.”

As you can see, auto racing was the sport of choice for the Robinsons, and for many other families living in the immediate vicinity. Evergreen, it seems, was a breeding ground for it.

“I bet I can name 15 families (who raced) within a square mile,” Josh said.

“It’s a little racing hub.”

Dick Robinson, their father, spent the better part of 30 years turning fast laps and winning trophies at the raceway.

“We grew up with it,” Josh said.

“I was nine and he (Jason) was 11. We worked on the rock crew, cleaned up the track after oil spills.”

That was on race night. They earned $20 for that.

“We got a free lunch,” Jason added.

“All the soda we could drink,” said Josh.

The next day, they were back at the track.

“We cleaned up all the trash from under the bleachers,” Josh said.

That earned the two brothers $5.15 per hour.

“Dad basically,” Josh said of who got them the job.

“Not only was he a racer, but a flag man, tech official and a member of the Hall of Fame racing board for the state of Montana.”

Dick told his sons early on to avoid the mechanical part of racing. It proved to be sound advice as Josh and Jason have become experienced, knowledgeable chasis pros, in addition to talented drivers. Dad still helps out on the mechanic end.

“We’re a low budget team,” Jason said.

“We rely on sponsors.”

Their father also gave them another bit of wisdom. This one pertained to racing.

“We’ve always been taught that you don’t have to be a physical driver to pass someone,” Josh said.

“Try to pass clean and race other people like they race you.”

Josh says his style of racing is much different than Jason’s.

“He’s smooth and I’m aggressive and sideways,” he said.

“Patiently aggressive,” Jason said of his style.

“You have to be.

“When you are following behind a car, you just got to be patient. When they slip up, make the wrong move, that’s when you attack. That’s when you make your move.

“You find that weak spot, get your car there and that’s when you make it happen,” he added.

Jason describes his brother as being “heavy footed.”

“That’s his type of style. He’s always been able to control a car like that. When you first go against him, you don’t know what to expect. His car always has a sideways look. His car will have that angle to it in the corners ... it’s a lot harder to pass.”

Both styles seem to work.

Jason has been racing for nine seasons. He started in the fast lane with Limited Sportsman “and it took three years before I ever got a main event win,” he said.

Josh will be starting his sixth season. He started in Hobby Stock, before moving up to Limited Sportsman in 2008. He won his first main event in his second season.

Last year Jason and Josh both won five main events and set fast times in qualifying.

A highlight for the Robinsons came in 2007. All three were racing one night when Jason won the 35-lap main event. Josh finished second and Dick came in fourth.

Out of 12 races that summer, the Robinsons won eight main events — Jason four, Josh three and Dick one.

This season, Jason and Josh hope for similar success in Super Stock.

“Pretty excited,” Jason said.

“There are always new cars out, new competition. It will be fun.”

He says he feels no added pressure having won  the points title a year ago.

“Honestly, less pressure,” he said.

“There is more pressure getting your first one.

“I enjoy racing, the competition side of it. That always makes it easier ... just go out there and drive.”

Josh, in car 47, will not be on the track tonight, but will make his season debut on May 22.

Jason drives car 74.