Ryan Ostry
Bugle Reporter
@RyanOstry_BR18
rostry@buglenewspapers.com
For those that think that racing cars competitively is only for NASCAR drivers, think again.
Eleven-year-old Super Cup racer Michael Mucha is living proof that racing can be for all ages — and it can be done at a high level.
Last Thursday at the Bolingbrook Fountaindale Library, Mucha and his family presented what Super Cup racing is, while demonstrating safety and how to get started for future drivers.
Mucha fell in love with getting behind the wheel at the age of nine, but racing is not the only talent he possesses.
Baseball, swimming, Taekwondo, tennis, drawing, fishing and model building are a few more of the activities in the adroit 11-year olds repertoire.
Randy Mucha (left) describes the fire safety suit to those in attendance at the Bolingbrook Fountaindale Library. (Photo by Ryan Ostry)
As for racing, Mucha said that even know there is a lot of competition, he likes the aspect of meeting his contemporaries and just having a good time.
“I like meeting new friends and just having a fun time when I’m racing,” Mucha said. “Sometimes I am happy, sometimes I get angry, but it’s usually a good time out there.”
In Mucha’s first season racing in 2016, he started hot right off the gate by winning Rookie of the Year followed by a fifth place overall finish in 2017 and a third place overall finish in 2018.
Randy Mucha, Michael’s dad, said that while he does enjoy helping out his son while on the track, it’s not all fun and games.
“It’s very nerve-racking as his spotter and as his parent,” Mucha said. “What I always fall back to is the knowledge and the experience from past wrecks, that it is safe and he will be okay.”
Racing is something that Randy has been able to mentor Michael about, as he was a former racer, doing open track days.
“I never competed at the level that Michael is competing at now,” Randy said. “I didn’t compete for trophies and I didn’t compete for points.”
A major emphasis that the Mucha family wanted to stress for those in attendance Thursday afternoon was safety.
The cars can get up to 100 miles per hour, but most races have drivers going between 50-80.
Included in the protective gear for drivers are full roll cage and body for protection similar to Sprint Cup cars and a five point harness, helmet, head and neck restraint (HANS), full firesuit, shoes and gloves.
“I wish that Michael actually had a little more sense of fear then he actually does,” Randy said. “He knows however that the safety equipment does in fact wok, and he’s really only come away with a shoulder soreness after all of the races he has participated in.”
With all of the ups and downs within the sport of racing, the Mucha family suffered a much more permanent loss after a October fire burned down half of their house.
“The fire Was on October 11 and it burned down the garage, took down the race car, took my personal car, took our racing trailer and took all of our tools, equipment and spare parts,” Randy said. “It then went on to spread to our house and took some of our house.
“Everything was just stuff, which can be replaced. We are glad that everyone made it out ok, and one of our friends gave us the silver lining of this by saying maybe the car burned down because Michael was not supposed to ride it again, maybe something really bad could of happened and this fire prevented that, so that helped out a lot.”
Michael will continue to race regardless of the damage and loss his family suffered from the fire, with the help and support of his family being behind him 100 percent.