When two Harding students entered the White County Autocross race, they did not expect the outcome to have such an impact on the community, win or lose. Junior Jackson Acuff and sophomore Royce Day, from Charlotte, North Carolina, decided on a whim to enter in the White County Fair.
Acuff and Day, alongside three of their friends, junior Zane Fowler, junior Max McCreary and senior Brandon Gomez, compiled $500 to buy a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier with no windshield and grass growing out of the floorboards from a wrecker service two weeks before racing. The two had never raced before and claimed that they are not even good at “Mario Kart.”
“We went into this thing not thinking we would win at all and then we did. It was just wild,” Day said.
The two were coached during the race by Acuff’s father from the sidelines, while Day rode as a passenger to help guide Acuff through the other racers. The other three cheered with disbelief from the pit while Harding students supported from the stands.
“We spray painted all three of our clubs names on the car to represent each of us — Gamma Sigma Phi, Theta and Knights — and tons of people from each of our clubs came out to support us, both in the autocross race and in the Demolition Derby,” Day said.
Initially, Acuff said he and Day’s participation in the race was not well-received by participants from Searcy. He added, however, that their success allowed them to connect with the other racers.
“They also showed respect afterwards by coming and congratulating us. I think it bridged a gap between Harding students and people who live in and are from Searcy,” Acuff said.
After winning a trophy $500 prize money, which paid for their car, Fowler drove the race-winning Chevy in the Demolition Derby the next night. Despite being eliminated soon after starting, Fowler said he still enjoyed the experience. The men met a mechanic after the Demolition Derby who encouraged them to enter another race in McCrory, Arkansas, on Sept. 29, and agreed to help fix their car after the damage of the derby.
“The greatest lesson I learned from this experience is that you can literally do anything if you are passionate enough about it and if you work hard enough for it,” Day. “You have to do things to make your life more fun and more adventurous.”
