FREDDIE QUERY IS MY HERO

By Gerald Hodges

The Racing Reporter

NOTE: This story was written a couple years ago, but Freddie Query is still involved in short track racing.

   Freddie Query of Mooresville, North Carolina is my hero. He’s a cat that has lots of money, a pretty wife, wonderful family, and fast racecars. But really what stands out about him is—he’s living his dream--and loving it.

   When he first started racing, he was just an average racer, but he loved going fast. Pretty soon, he began racing anything, anyplace, anytime. There’s a story about him that says he once raced for half a Popsicle.

   By most big league NASCAR standards, Freddie doesn’t cut the mustard because he has never won a Winston Cup race. He’s never even tried to start one.

   This past weekend Freddie and his No. 31 team drove from Mooresville to Mobile, Alabama by way of Pensacola, Florida. He won the late model feature at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, and then finished second in a 150-lap Kia Series race at Mobile International Speedway.

   He didn’t win a lot of money, around $4,000, I’d guess.

   But like I said, Freddie is living his dream. When you’re loving what you do, money don’t mean everything.

   I first met Freddie in 1994 at Nashville Speedway during one of the Bob Harmon promoted All-American 400s. At the time, Freddie told me he was having a problem. It seems like his regular job was getting in the way of his hobby, which was racing.

   “I started racing in the mid-70s kind of a hobby racing on dirt around the house in Kannapolis (NC),” he said. “We raced at Concord Speedway, Metroliner Speedway in Charlotte and a couple tracks in South Carolina.

   “I got to winning a bunch of races, but I was teaching school and coaching football at the same time. It got to where I was missing too many races because of my coaching job.”

    After 14 years he quit coaching, but still kept teaching school until he could kick his racing habit into high gear.

   Pretty soon, he said good-bye to the North Carolina School System and headed for the racetracks. It wasn’t long before he began winning lots of races and championships.

   “I don’t regret quitting the school system at all,” he said. “Racing has been good at times, and when it’s not, I help other people and work as a racing consultant, and whatever it takes to make a living.”

   In addition to consulting, he was the manager for Hank Parker Jr’s. Busch Series team in 2000.

   In addition to driving for other teams, he has his own cars that he races on a regular basis throughout the southeast.

   When asked what advice he would give to a young driver trying to move up, he replied;

“The problem with racing these days is it’s more marketing than it is racing. You’ve got to have the skills, but you’ve also got to have the right opportunities and breaks.

   “But more than that, you’ve got to have the right people behind you, and you’ve got to figure out a way to have enough money to do it. So I would advise a kid to get all the education he can, learn as much as he can about working with people, and find some money.”

   Freddie is an example of someone who set his mind to do something and did it.

   He’s a doer.

   In addition to doing what he loves, he has taken care of his wife, Elaine, and from the looks of them, he has done a pretty fair job of raising two daughters and one son.

   Freddie Query is one of the people you meet who has saved the best of his life for last. Listening to him talk about his ideas, racing and outlook towards life is one of the most pleasant memories I have of anyone.

   I still get goose bumps thinking about a man quitting his secure job to chase racing. But who knows what would have happened if he had quit teaching earlier?

   Freddie is middle age now and his health is still good. He still has a pretty wife, fine children, wonderful grandchildren, and a fast racecar.

   Now do you see why he is my hero?