Mac Thrasher

DOB: 9-30-41 BirthTown: Midland, Maryland
Home Town: Midland, Maryland

Mac Thrasher used to spend his summers zooming down the track on his Top Fuel bike. Now Mac Thrasher spends his summers building highways so others can go down the road. We caught up to Mac in Gainesville before summer, and shared a few moments with this legendary rider and his friendly dogs. Mac tells us the older dog used to sit inside the motor home and get excited whenever he cranked up his Top Fuel Harley outside. Join us in quiet parking area as I (Dwight) ask about moments from the past with the 89 National Pro Gas champ, and the man who set the world Top Fuel Record in 91…a 7.38.

Do you have a nickname?

"Mac."

Who are your Heroes?

"Elmer Trett was amazing. Jim McClure. Ray Price."

What are (or have been) your scariest moments?

"I had a bunch of them. I almost hit the wall in Rockingham once, but I dived to the left and got out of the throttle. I barely missed the wall."

Did you work out?

"No. Working on the bike was enough. I'm a highway engineer. I had no sponsors. I engineered during the day, then worked at a motorcycle shop for no pay, so I could use the machines."

Do you have a special diet?

"No. Not really…Gator Aide and T-bone steaks. I'd barbecue with others at the track. I miss the camaraderie of racing. When I wasn't at the track, I'd eat fruits and salads."

What mental routine prepared you for each run?

"Yeah. I had a ritual, a lucky pair of sox to wear, and I would pat my little dog when I was getting my leathers on."

Did you have time for a hobby?

"Racing was my hobby."

Many motorcyclists ride to unravel, what did you do to unwind?

"Chase women. (Mac says he hasn't stopped unwinding.)"

What personal quality (one trait) would you want to be admired for?

"Being honest, being a good old boy."

What's most important? 1.Fame 2.Money 3.Thrill/fun 4.Winning

"Thrill and the fun."

Are you happy?

"Oh yeah."

What could make you happier?

"More thrills and fun, and good health."

If you could change one thing about motorcycle drag racing, what would it be?

"What hinders motorcycle racing is the image that motorcycles have had in the past. I'd like to make the sport bigger…big corporate sponsors. Sponsorship would help the sport become more popular. There is nothing more thrilling than nitro-methane. I'd like to see the sport understood."

When driving a car, do you always wear a seatbelt? 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. If yes, really?

"Yes."

What does 200 miles an hour on a motorcycle feel like?

"Thrilling. It happens so fast, you can't think about it. If it's straight and smooth, it's hard to tell the difference between 150 and 190 mph. Getting stopped is the hardest part."

Where did you find the most peace in your life?

"Competition. It takes away every day worries."

Do you have a full-time occupation?

"Highway Engineer. I took up trap shooting when I quit racing. I was the state champ."

You're a skilled racer…What one factor separates you from the fast traffic on smooth public highways?

" None I guess. The track and the street are apples and oranges…Totally different."

What got you started in Motorcycle drag racing?

"In the late sixties and early seventies I lived by a dirt drag strip. One day a flagman cheated so his buddy would win…so I decided I was going to race on asphalt tracks."

Additional Comments?

"I'd like to say hello to all my friends and fans over the years, and that I'm alive and well."

Talking to Mac Thrasher about old times was as smooth as his best run down the track. It's so easy to relax with Mac and his friendly dogs. Mac may be preparing to get to work on those Maryland roads under his care, but all the while I (Dwight) chatted with him he was as calm as miles and miles of smooth road. Gary felt the same tranquility, and decided he wanted to give Mac his special word, a word that would match Mac's speedy trail down many a track. Always I chose the final word, but this time I agreed…Mac Thrasher is…

TIMELESS