![]() That’s all I needed to hear so I told him to load the car up and bring it home,” Mike says.Īfter the Dart made it home, Mike began the process of making the car his own. My son looked at it and called to inform me it was all there but it needed work. I sent my son out with a trailer and pocket full of cash to get it. I talked to the owner a few times and decided to put a deposit down on it sight unseen. I was just looking for something to race and this car came up on Craigslist in South Dakota. “I did a Google search for a Hemi Dart because that was one of my dad’s favorite cars. That decision set a whole new series of events in motion that would eventually lead to Mike picking up his current 1968 Nostalgia Super Stock Dart. Mike’s son agreed, but just like his father and grandfather, he wanted to race something, so he informed his dad he would need a car to exercise his competitive itch. Eventually, his son turned pro and was racing a lot, but he was also getting hurt, so Mike urged him to stop racing dirt bikes. After about a year of racing the car, Mike just couldn’t do it anymore because it wasn’t the same without his dad.Ībout this time Mike’s son decided to begin his own racing adventure in the world of motocross. Mike had spent nearly everything he had to purchase a car to race in the class along with a Pro Stock Hemi engine. At the time, Mike was racing in Competition Eliminator because that’s what his dad always wanted to do. Mike went on to race with his father for many years, however, Bob passed away in 2004, and that left him at a crossroads with his racing. The car was totally torn down to a bare chassis and was prepared for drag racing duties with a new engine, full roll cage, and other parts. So, the Cuda was replaced with a 1970 Dodge Challenger and the pair got to work on the new-to-them Mopar. Mike’s dad was totally onboard with him racing and even had an idea: sell the ‘Cuda and buy something they could turn into a racecar. When Mike found out his dad was at the track he was expecting some form of punishment for lying, but the exact opposite happened much to his surprise. The next weekend after he asked me he showed up to the track without saying anything and watched me race from the stands,” Mike says. Eventually, he asked me if I was going to the track and I told him no, of course. I started racing at the track and my dad found out that I was sneaking off so I could race my 1970 440 six pack Cuda at the drag strip. We finally lined up one day and raced, I was hooked after that…and yes, I beat him. “I had a friend that was constantly hounding me when I was 16 to race him. Mike’s parents barnstormed across the state of Ohio racing as much as they could, but soon their growing family needed attention and it was time to take a break from the track.Īnd while you can take the racer away from the track, but you can’t remove the racing from their soul, and that was clearly passed on to Mike. ![]() How does drag racing fit into all of this for Mike? Well, that can also be traced back to not only his father, but his mother, as well. You couldn’t go to a Chevy dealership and get a car that had pizzazz, but you could go to a Dodge dealer and get a car with so many different options,” Mike explains. ![]() The colors of the cars, the body lines, and the themes they had for the vehicles got my attention, they just had personalities that I liked. When I was growing up nobody was out there really pounding on them because the parts were just too expensive versus a Chevy or Ford. “What is it that I like about the Mopar brand? Well, the Mopars are the odd man out in racing. So, it shouldn’t be any surprise that he’s running a stunning HEMI-powered 1968 Dart in the NMCA’s Nostalgia Super Stock class. To Mike, Chevy and Ford just never offered any cars that really grabbed his interest. His dad always owned Mopar performance vehicles, so Mike really didn’t see the need to stray far from what his family had always known. Mike’s exposure to classic Mopar muscle came from his father, Bob, who worked for Chrysler back in the 1960s and 70s. The Mopar brand has been the automotive focus for the entire Schaefer family for decades and that focus isn’t going to change anytime soon, if you ask Mike. Mike Schaefer isn’t one of those people, especially when it comes to the kind of car he enjoys….it’s Mopar or no car for him, 365 days a year. Having plenty of variety in life is what really makes some individuals happy - they strive to find and try new things nearly every day.
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