In The Spotlight – Steve Violette
THOMPSON, CT — “I started really young. I was a NASCAR fan and at 10 years old I went to the 1977 Daytona 500 and I’ve been hooked ever since.” That is how the 2012 Thompson Speedway Monster Mini Stock Rookie of the year, Steve Violette, describes his early years in racing. The 46 year old Grasso Technical School auto body instructor is enthusiastic in describing his experiences in racing and how he has been able to incorporate many of his students into both his racing efforts and those of others.
“I was young and did not have a driver’s license. There wasn’t much Karting in the area so I started riding dirt bikes in a sand pit. My Mom wanted me to learn how to ride more safely and so, at 11 years old, she wanted me to sign up for a motocross school only to find out that the first race was the next weekend. I was nervous and excited but had a great time. I raced motocross through 1983 and then went off to college. After graduating, I started to pursue motocross again. I was 23 and decided to run a full season and won the 1992 New England Amateur Championship (NESC) in the 250cc class.”
Life is full of twists and turns. In 1993 Steve became a father and the birth of his son led him to thoughts of possible injury in the motocross field. “We were doing some pretty wild things on those bikes. We were doing national races and racing in Florida in the winter and had reached the professional level,” he said. “But, I decided to work on my career at Grasso Tech teaching auto body. A lot of students were racers and they were established in racing and as a way for me to increase student motivation in my program at school, they put me in touch with people who understood the rules and requirements so that I could then incorporate building race cars into my curriculum,” he noted.
“I purchased a car, brought it to school and we did body work and paint to start. My Crew Chief, Glenn Estes, would deliberately leave a few things undone on the car and so the students began to work on fabrication, suspension etc.” We would bring the car to the track where the students would receive recognition on the Public Address system and they took a lot of pride in it.”
In 2010, Violette accepted a ride in a Mini Stock owned by John Curry. At the end of the season, he had finished 8th in track points and won Rookie of the Year. By year’s end, Steve had purchased his own Mini Stock but took the next season off to continue his education. But, all this time, Violette had had a huge fascination with the Thompson Speedway. “I was amazed at the names that had run there. Richard Petty and so many others had raced there that I wanted to go to Thompson to just get the feel of it.” So, in 2012 he brought his Mini Stock to the “Big T.”
“We did two practices and I was holding my own but I was still not convinced,” he said. However, he gained confidence and scored a top 10 finish in his first outing and a top 5 the very next week. “I am one who gives 100% and if I can’t do 100% I don’t want to do it. A few weeks into the season we took a look at the points and found that we were third in the standings,” he said with some amazement. Then came his first Thompson win on July 29th. “The professionalism of the Thompson track personnel, how well it was organized made me feel like I was racing at an organization that put on a good show and I was proud to be there,” he said.
When asked about his 2013 plans, Violette noted that sometimes life gets in the way and we need to take a little break. “My interest lies in the Late Model division. We are examining that but, I must be able to give it 100%. I want to go in the direction of a Late Model and would love to do it at Thompson. I’ll run a limited schedule this year with the Mini Stock. But, I’m getting a bit older and if I am going to do anything in racing I want it to be in a Late Model.
Violette is quick to express his pride and thanks to many of his students and their families who played a role in his racing. Some of his students have gone on to become successful racers or crew members themselves. Tyler Chadwick, Ray Christian III, Jeff Smith, Chris Ivory, Doug Curry are former students of Violette that have proven themselves as drivers. He mentions Pat Yuhas, a Cousin of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ron Yuhas, who works on the Yuhas crew and Dylan Cody who works with the Monahan racing stable as just two of many of his former students who work on race teams.
An indication of his wide interest in racing, Violette says he is very excited about the changes planned at Thompson in the next year. “I am thinking about building a dedicated road course car. I also have a Pro Street Nova that I plan to bring to the Summer Nationals at Thompson. I just want to keep the students involved in any way I can,” he concluded.
Steve Violette is a dedicated driver, mentor, teacher, friend, family man and the 2012 Thompson Speedway Monster Mini Stock Rookie of the year. Watch for this driver who has given so much of himself to the students he teaches to eventually move to the Late Model division. When he does, don’t be surprised if another Rookie of the Year honor bears the name of Steve Violette.