Racing, military go hand-in-hand for Boyatts

  • Published
  • By Dean Siemon
  • Northwest Guardian
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Rusty Boyatt enjoys watching his son, John, drive. He owns Boyatt's Racing and its No. 10 Chevrolet Impala SS U.S. Air Force tribute car, which John races next during Championship Night Sept. 12 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe. The race is an event on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series' Super Late Model 100 circuit.

Boyatt's connection with the military traces to his birth at Madigan Army Medical Center on JBLM's Army predecessor Fort Lewis in 1953. He was raised by his father who was stationed at McChord Air Force Base. He discovered drag racing at age 16 after going to races at the Puyallup Raceway Park.

He continued racing off and on for several years, even while serving in the Army with the 3rd Air Cavalry and 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis from 1971-1973. He even used a $10,000 reenlistment signing bonus in 1972 to buy a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, which he took to drag races while still serving in the Army - a car he still has in a storage facility and drives once in a while.

"It had 22,000 miles on it and right now it has 98,000 miles - all I ever did in it for 20 years was drag race," Rusty said.

Boyatt also raced actively while stationed at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany, and Fort Knox, Ky., before leaving the service in 1977 as a specialist. He was even part of a group that worked with the post commander in Germany to build a quarter-mile oval race track.

After the Army, Rusty used his GI bill benefits to enroll in engineering school and became a maintenance technician after a year and a half. While furthering his career in industrial engineering and maintenance, he noticed his son showing a similar fascination to racing at a young age.

"When I came home, every screwdriver was stuck in one of the holes of a motor (I was working on)," Rusty said of his then 2-year-old toddler.

Eventually, John worked his way up to driving fiberglass late model cars, which are closer to stock cars seen on the NASCAR circuit. This season, the Boyatt Racing team was given one of five cars that pay tribute to the different branches of the Armed Forces - Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines.

Rusty's father passed away last month, so representing the Air Force and part of the Armed Forces on the Evergreen Speedway means that much more to him and his son.

"It's not just thanking (the military) for what they've done for me, it's thanking them for what they do for all of us," Rusty said. "I feel very fortunate that we can continue to (race). To be able to couple that with honoring the service that the military guys and gals do, there's no words for it."

John credits his military upbringing for keeping him out of trouble, never giving up on anything he started and the success of his 14-year racing career. It's the same upbringing that John provides for his children, despite never having served in the military like his father, grandfather and father-in-law.

His appreciation for the military service members is why the two men work with organizers at Evergreen Speedway to provide free admission to active duty and retired military to give them a chance to create lasting memories with their families.

"We want to give (service members) an environment for mom or dad to take their families out for an evening at the race track," John said. "That is what it is really all about."