Happy Father's Day!

ONE RACE, TWO GRIOT'S, ENDLESS SHARED MEMORIES

This year marks 50 years of the Long Beach Grand Prix, a race that has always meant a lot to my dad. He was 15 when the first one ran, and through his teens, he'd bring his Nikon down to shoot the Formula 1 races from '76-'83, when it was the U.S. Grand Prix West. He captured legends battling on that gnarly, slippery street circuit—some of his best shots still hang in our garage.

My dad always dreamed of racing in Formula 1. In the early '80s, he was an instructor at the Jim Russell Racing School, making a real effort to get there. But marriage, kids, and building this business put those dreams on hold. Fast forward to now—he's semi-retired, still obsessed with racing, and luckily for me, he owns a few spare race cars. I learned to drive in those cars, and with his gentle push, I caught the bug. We've always shared a love for racing and the skill to wheel old Formula 1 cars. Turns out, if you own a vintage car from a racing period, and there's a historic event that values its legacy, you might just get invited. A clean record helps. So, imagine the full-circle moment: my dad, now 65, racing a Formula 1 car he watched as a teen, on the same Long Beach circuit.

I always knew my dad was a race car driver and my hero, but I never expected to race alongside him. We had an unforgettable weekend. No walls hit, and we won't say who was faster. If you share a passion with your dad, do something with him this Father's Day. It doesn't have to be vintage racing—just know the company keeping your car clean is run by two real gearheads who understand the bond between father and child.

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