Drivers recount favorite Halloween memories

By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
November 1, 2001
9:54 AM EST (1454 GMT)

CONCORD, N.C. -- If someone dressed up as the Kool-Aid Man knocks on your door this Halloween, it very well could be NASCAR driver Jeff Burton.

With Halloween comes thoughts of candy, ghost stories, decorating and dressing up for the holiday. But for some drivers on the NASCAR circuit, dressing up is something they do each weekend when they go racing.

When they slip into their fireproof driving suits, to some people it looks like they’re already in costume. Adorned in all kinds of sponsor colors and wild paint jobs on their helmets, they look ready to knock on your door looking for candy.

Jeff Burton as Gene Simmons from KISS?

As children some of these bad boys became Tarzans of the asphalt jungle -- they did indeed take part in dressing up for the holiday. Even today, some of them still take part.

Which drivers once dressed up like a rock ‘n roll star, a scarecrow, a movie character and 70’s hippie? And what would they dress up as today?

“One year I went all out and dressed up as Gene Simmons from KISS,” said Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 99 Ford. “I thought I looked pretty cool. That's probably the best costume I had growing up and the one I remember most."

Even though the 34-year old driver is married with two children, he still likes to dress up and have some fun.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to wear a costume this year,” he said. “I think Halloween is so much fun for the kids and I'm planning on spending it with my daughter, Paige. I enjoy going trick-or-treating with her and seeing her and her friends having fun.

“And I must admit, I do too.

“This year I'm going as the "Hey, Kool-Aid" guy. You know, from the commercial where the kids call him and the Kool-Aid guy comes out from no where.

“It's actually a pretty big costume. It's pretty wide around because it's the big pitcher and everything.”

Ken Schrader still gets into it, too. Being behind the wheel of all kinds of racecars for the last 25 years hasn’t slowed down his fun-loving spirt a bit.

“When Titanic was the most popular movie in the universe, my daughter Dorothy dressed up for Halloween as Rose,” said Schrader, driver of the No. 36 Pontiac. “I accompanied her dressed as Jack.

“This year my wife, Ann, and I are were out in Las Vegas right after the Phoenix race for a big car show. But, we arranged our schedules to be back by Wednesday to spend it with our children, Dorothy and Sheldon.”

One year, when the series was in Rockingham, the devoted father borrowed Rusty Wallace’s helicopter to fly back on a Halloween Saturday night to be with the kids. Seems Schrader isn’t beyond picking up furry creatures, as well.

While racing in Phoenix a few years ago late in October, a stray cat found its way into the Schraders’ hearts.

Both Ken and Kenny (Schrader and Wallace) have had some memorable Halloweens.

“The cat was tooling around some dumpsters and I said that if the cat was still there when the race was finished that it could go home with us,” said Schrader, the 46-year old driver. “The race was done and the cat was still there. So, Goblin, a black cat with fangs no less, flew home with us and has been living the good life ever since.”

While Dale Earnhardt Jr hasn’t adopted any pets, he did adopt a whole decade of style one year. Not bad for a driver who has seemingly adopted decades of fans.

“Last year, I did a Sports Illustrated photo shoot with my 1971 Corvette,” said Earnhardt, driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet. “So, they had me dress up in some funky ‘70s clothes and I got to keep them.

“So, for Halloween I added a scary afro-wig and went out as Dirk Diggler from the movie 'Boogie Nights.' I had an awesome time and the clothes somehow made it on a cross-country flight to Seattle early the next day."

Prior to being a two-time Busch Series champion and a winner in Winston Cup, the third-generation driver was a trick-or-treater himself.

Dale Jr. paid tribute to the decade in which he was born.

"Some of my best and earliest memories of Halloween were of my cousin, Tony Jr. (Eury, car chief of the No. 8 team) and I trick-or-treating together,” Earnhardt said. “We were like 4- or 5-years old. I just remember how much fun we had together and how we are still very close to this day -- more than 20 years later.”

While Dale Jr. was having some fun with his cousin, Kenny Wallace was out irking some of his neighbors.

“One year, this is so bad, we went to this trailer park and stretched cellophane across the street,” he said. “We anchored each side to a trailer and waited for someone to drive by.

“Well, this guy drives right through it and broke his radio antenna right off the car. It was crazy and we just laughed and laughed. That was when I was just 10-years old.”

When the 39-year-old driver wasn’t wreaking havoc in his native St. Louis, Mo. area, he did enjoy dressing up as a scarecrow best.

“The reason it was my favorite costume was because it was so easy,” Wallace said. “All you had to do was get an old shirt, some torn jeans and stuff some straw in it. But, if I was to dress up today I would go out as Batman.

“I was all about the candy anyhow. The best part about Halloween was always getting pillow sacks filled with candy. We’d always see who got the most.”

While Burton is out this Halloween being Kool-Aid man, some of his neighbors may come to the aid of parents who traverse the streets with their kids all night.

“In my neighborhood there is a house that gives 'treats' to the parents who dress up,” Burton said with a smile. “I make sure I stop by there and get my treat.

“Some parents see the treat as a survival kit to the evening.”