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It all began in a little block garage in the Huntington, WV, area. Edgar "Chopper" Perry, was a car and engine builder in the 1950's. He got his nickname from drilling holes into an A Model Ford to lighten it up. While he wasn't a full time driver, he was a car owner who could put most anyone behind the wheel of his car and have a winner. Racing with Chopper was a family affair. He would load up his wife and kids every Friday and Saturday and off they'd go in search of a race on dirt. His children fondly remember his tradition of stopping by the side of the road following a race to have bologna sandwiches. Chopper called this hobo-ing. Eddie (Bomber Ed), Chopper's 4th son (6th child), began racing go carts in the mid 1970's, and began racing cars in the late 70's. His first car was a hobby stock (bomber by today's name). He moved up to modifieds in the mid 1990's. Racin Jason began his career by driving the bomber a few times. He began racing his dad's modified about 7 years ago and has remained in the seat, with dad, Bomber Ed, serving as crew chief.
The family suffered a loss when Chopper passed away after a long illness 9 years ago. Bomber Ed's wife (and Jason's mother), Pam, also passed away 8 years ago, following a short illness.
The new generation of hobo-ing began when Debbie Mullins joined the team as crew chief in charge of the grill.. Also known as QueenOfThePits, a name her non racing friends gave her, Debbie is also responsible for video taping Jason's races and running errands necessary to keep the car going. Along the way, there have been other changes to the team and make up of the family. Jason has a son, Blaze. At two years old, Blaze already has racing on his mind, his favorite place to be when visiting at "Papaw's" is in the garage, working on the race car! Bomber Ed's daughter, Amanda, her husband Chris, and children, Destiny and Gage can often be found at the track with the rest of the crew. Debbie's son, Adam, recently began designing and printing shirts for the race team.
With the addition of the grandchildren, Bomber Ed says, let the racing continue....... |
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