RACINE, Wis.—Accelerating from zero to 260 miles-per-hour in 5.5 seconds, Andy Bohl of Bohl’s Automotive and U-Haul Dealership secures his standing as an adrenaline junky. But, what drives this need for speed?
“The cars are fast, and I love the rush,” Bohl asserted. “The more you do it, the competition is what drives you. You just want to win.”
As it turns out, Bohl does win. In fact, this U-Haul Dealer won the 2013 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) regional championship for the north central region. The icing on the cake for Bohl was when he beat the 10-time national champion on his final round.
“We got out of our cars and asked each other who won,” Bohl laughed. “It was that close. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that I won. He’s really, really good.”
Not funny “ha-ha”
Andy Bohl’s red Top Alcohol Funny Car takes the lead on the track.
Bohl has been drag racing since he first got his license 22 years ago. He started racing Top Alcohol Funny Cars—a type of drag racing car that runs on methanol—10 years ago, and was hooked. You may be thinking, “Why the ‘funny’ name?” The Funny Car name comes from the unique body style of the car that looks … well … funny.
“The Funny Car I drive is supposed to resemble a Mustang, but it really doesn’t look like one at all,” Bohl observed. “They coined the name Funny Car in the 70s because the cars looked so strange.”
Strange is a fitting word to describe Bohl’s lifestyle in the sense that his dedication to the sport is remarkably strong. His “day job” consists of owning and operating an automotive repair shop and U-Haul Dealership formerly managed by his parents, Steven and Melanie Bohl.
“My life is 90 percent work for 10 percent enjoyment,” Bohl declared. “I’ll work all day servicing my customers’ vehicles and then go to the race shop and work there until midnight pretty much every day just to prepare the car. It takes all of my disposable income. I don’t have a home life as good as a lot of my friends because of how much I invest in racing.”
Never lose the lesson
U-Haul Dealer Andy Bohl
Racing is much more than driving a car really fast and crossing the finish line first. After years of racing, Bohl has absorbed many lessons.
“A lot of racing is actually the maintenance on the car,” Bohl explained. “It’s very monotonous. It’s the same tasks over and over again. But, you have to do it. You have to keep an eye on the details because if you neglect something small, you’ll have a big problem.”
Some people might think that being a successful business owner and U-Haul Dealer would be much harder than drag racing, but according to Bohl, that’s not the case.
“Racing is harder than running a business,” Bohl volunteered. “People on my team are passionate about racing. When you lose, people get very upset. I don’t like losing, but I’m comfortable with it. I tell people, ‘Lose the race, but don’t lose the lesson.’ Figure out why you lost and don’t do it again.”
U-Haul Dealerships are a source of additional income for many U-Haul Dealers with diverse interests and talents. What passions would you pursue with a little extra cash? Let us know in the comments below!
