Racing alongside his son and grandson is a huge joy for Dale Sherman.
Well, for the most part.
“It’s fine until the kids beat me,” Dale said with a laugh.
“Pretty fun for the kids though,” Dale’s grandson, Hayden Sherman, added.
The Sherman family includes three generations of drivers, and they all compete in the Anderson Automotive Hobby Stocks division at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, a NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts track in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Dale’s son, and Hayden’s dad, Jason, also competes in the class. Last year, Hayden finished second in the final points standings. Jason finished third.
Dale began racing at Hawkeye Downs more than five decades ago after initially going to the track with a friend.
“My best friend raced there back when I was in high school, he was a couple years older than me, so then I just went with him when he started,” Dale said. “I started racing then, that was 51 years ago.”
Dale raced just once last year because he had a knee replacement surgery, but he plans to compete in every race this season.
Jason got into racing simply because he enjoyed going to the track and watching his dad.
“Growing up, watching my dad race and going to the racetrack the whole time growing up, eventually I got to a point where I was able to get my own car and go out later on in life. And then it just kind of drew dad back in,” he said.
Hayden, a sophomore in high school, followed in his family’s footsteps and began racing last year.
“Watching it my whole life, it made me want to try it,” he said. “And I’ve always grown up with cars and liking cars, so thought I’d go out too, if I could.”
“With my son, Hayden, coming to the track with me, watching me race and helping me out, it was just like back when I was going with my dad,” Jason said. “And now Hayden’s to the point where he’s old enough and can get his own car and now he’s out there… The hardest part was convincing his mom to let him go out and race.”
The trio all work on the cars together in the garage during the week leading up to the races, and they admit they aren’t that competitive with each other … until they are.
“It’s not that competitive until somebody makes a mistake and then you get to pass them,” Dale said. “Then, it’s on.”
The first time they all raced together was last June. They finished first, second and third in the heat race. After battling with each other in the feature, Hayden came away with not only the family win, but also the overall victory. It was his first win at Hawkeye Downs.
“That was pretty exciting,” Hayden said. “Honestly, I was lost for words. When the announcer was talking to me after the race, I couldn’t say anything. He asked so many questions and I couldn’t answer any of them. I couldn’t talk. I was so excited.”
Ultimately, even though they were defeated, the elder Shermans were happy to see the youngest generation find success.
“On the one hand, it’s great,” Dale said. “On the other hand, he’s beaten me, so…”
“We can be competitive. Our cars are all pretty even, so actually it’s just a lot of fun,” Jason said. “I’m just there to have fun, and it’s fun having my dad and my kid both there at the same time. I couldn’t be happier, no matter what the outcome. No matter who wins, no matter who finishes ahead of who, as long as everybody had a good race and everybody had fun, it’s a joy. If somebody had troubles during the race or their car broke down or whatever, everybody gets to participate in the fun and everybody gets to participate in the work if something doesn’t go right.”
Hawkeye Downs will kick off the season on Saturday with NASCAR Opening Night.
This week, the Shermans are focusing on getting the cars ready for the season. They’re de-winterizing, changing the fluids, getting the setups right, and replacing any broken parts from last year.
When asked what he’s most looking forward to this season, Dale said simply, “To finish the race.”
They all have different goals when they hit the track. Hayden said he’s just looking forward to seeing what every other driver has done with their cars.
Jason just wants to keep having fun and spending time together.
“I’m looking forward to just getting the season started,” Jason said. “There’s always a lot of unknowns until you get out there on the track, not knowing what the car is going to do. So, I’m just anxious to see how it does and to get it right.
“As long as everybody’s still having a good time doing it. As far as working on the car during the week, getting it ready for the race, everybody has fun during the race, we get to load it on the trailer and take it all home in one piece and everybody has a good night, that’s all that matters.”
For all three Shermans, racing is about more than what happens on the track. It’s about the opportunity to be together while they’re there.
“If there wasn’t any family, it wouldn’t be much fun going,” Hayden said.