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Don’t Worry, We’re Nuts Our founders, Paul Graham and Gary Smith, have been buddies since elementary school and have shared a long-time obsession with all things automotive. They both could correctly identify the make, model and year of most any car at an age when most kids barely knew what a car even was. Both sets of parents were concerned that they may have some sort of idiot savant on their hands.
Since the path of addiction is generally progressive in nature, Paul and Gary’s typical activities during the elementary school years of the 1960s aren’t surprising. Plastic model car kits from Revell and AMT were assembled by the hundreds; some were actually done correctly. The slot car craze was at its peak, and countless hours were wasted racing legendary cars like Cox’s Ford GT40 and Chaparral. Issues of car nut magazines like Car and Driver and Motor Trend were devoured to the last detail.
As the 1970s dawned, the breathless anticipation was finally over; driver’s licenses to operate real cars could finally be acquired. Misbehavior escalates dramatically. Tire smoking antics in the student parking lot. Entire motors disassembled and reassembled for no apparent reason. Mindless cruising for hours on end. Furtive top-speed runs on quiet sections of newly opened interstates. Numerous wins in SCCA Solo II competition. Classes at the legendary Bondurant driving school.
Shortly after finishing school, the dream of a lifetime became a reality. Paul and Gary somehow convinced legendary car guy Brock Yates that they were worthy of an invitation to compete in the mythical Cannonball Run, the outlaw coast-to-coast open road race. In preparation for the event, Paul and Gary were very frustrated by all the shoddy, poor-performing gear they found on the market. After getting back home, no career counseling was needed. They realized their mission in life was to bring better- performing gear to car nuts like themselves who were savvy enough to appreciate the difference.
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