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Lloyd Brooks has spent 6 years behind the wheel of his Pure Stock racecar. Currently he has three feature wins in 2009 and is on top of the points. Lloyd wasn't always into racing; "My dad was actually the one that got me into racing. I was the kid who said why would you want to watch racing it's just a bunch of guys going around in circles. Well after he took me to a couple races and then I raced an enduro and made it three laps in my first race, then I started to like it. At first it was all for him but now I do it for me." Lloyd's dad passed away from cancer when he was building his car. "My wife just let me go for three months after he died. She said go buy that car and do what you want. My dad and I were tight and he died before he was able to see me race. That's always in the back of my mind. I always sit there and every time I go out on that race track I pat the right side pad and say get in buddy, keep me safe, let's go for a ride. Every time because I know he's up there riding and I know he's loving it and that's my motivation."

Lloyd wasn't able to have the help from his dad but he continued to build his car. The first year was a major learning period for Lloyd and the person he follows most is his buddy Travis Hall. "Travis is the one that made me fast. I remember at practice one night, I did even know who Travis was at this point; he was a class above me in Factory Stock. I was parked next to him and I just started and didn't know how to setup tires. I decided to ask Travis if he knew how to setup tires and if he could show me. Well I couldn't even get my car off the trailer, it was stuck, and they had to help me get it off and then showed me how. The next year Travis didn't race and I remember going to a banquet and Travis told me he was going to be my crew chief. He said he was going to help me win races and that we were going to start with a heat race. Well I think we ended up with a feature race first and it was special because he had never won a feature before. It was a love for both of us and I'm not kidding when I say we worked on that car four months straight every night. At first he had another driver in mind but that driver wouldn't listen to what he had to say. He took me under his wing and he's twelve years younger than me but I look up to Travis. He knows everything about everything, a jack of all trades master of known and we're like peas and carrots now."

Lloyd is an outstanding guy to know and as a veteran of our country, serving as an Army Ranger, I have a lot of respect for him. He's always has a smile on his face when you walk by his pits and takes the time to talk even though he is busy working on the car. Next time you are out at the Kalamazoo Speedway, even if you're not in the pits, stop by and say hello to Lloyd. His black No. 22 is parked right next to the fence in the pits outside of the track. Thanks Lloyd for the time you served our country, thanks for the laughs, and thanks for showing what short track racing is all about.

Lloyd wanted to thank his wife Kathleen, and his daughter Sydney who just turned 9 and his son Lloyd V who is 11. Thanks also goes out to his sponsor S&T Lawn Service, "They've been with me since the day I started and have stuck with me."