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Q Motorsports buys their race motors from a local engine builder, Pletcher's Racing. Glover supervises the assembly and testing of the race motor prior to mounting it into the race truck. Pletcher's race shop has a "Dyno' machine, which basically pretends to be a race truck and runs the motor to full capacity, testing RPMs, horsepower, and other statistical data which is reviewed by Glover with the builders. This is the time to make necessary adjustments to the motor to ensure a top notch competitive race vehicle will be delivered.

The transmission is provided by ATI Transmission, and is a fully automatic transmission. All these items are mounted including suspension, springs, fuel and brake lines, switches, gages, racing seat, safety harness, and all the other items needed to make complete the race truck.

The Chevy Truck body is the final item. It is painted in team colors and the final fitting occurs. Race tires and wheels are dictated by PARTS rules and must be Hoosier 53 Race Slicks. The truck is then sent to the graphics paint shop. Q Motorsports has a paint company sponsor SIKKENS who supply their paint in return for displaying their name on the trucks and being marketed by the racing team. In fact, his team is proud to have "Q Yellow" as a special formula for their race team formulated by SIKKENS.

A local graphics painter, Herbie Cope of Pinellas Park, designs the race team's vehicle painting and graphics. The team's sponsors are all included on the race truck, including Attorney McCue's law firm, Q Auto and Injury Attorneys. Another sponsor Adaptive Micro Systems, provides the team with a marketing item called Beta Bright message board and Dependable Drive Shaft provides the Custom made drive shafts.. Herbie uses modern technology to design the graphics including computer software programs. The final product emerges from the painting and graphics studio as a beautiful PARTS Pro Race Truck. A very proud builder, James Glover, beams with pride at the result of his hard work.

Are we ready to race? Not according to Glover. The team will spend a test day at a local race track. Sunshine Speedway in St. Petersburg can be rented by the team to take "hot laps" and determine if the truck will be race ready on March 20th. The truck is required to weigh 2800 pounds at the beginning of a race. The racing machine, when finished, will weigh less, in order to that lead weight can be strategically located on the race truck. Where the lead is attached is an important decision by Glover as it affects the handling of the race truck. Other adjustments are made that will make the race truck fast and competitive in the race: springs and shock height, percentage of weight on each side of the truck, and the appropriate rear end gear is selected. These adjustments vary from track to track. The team must know the track’s distance and degrees of banking before decisions can be made on the appropriate set up. 

Now the team is ready for the season premiere at the Lanier National Speedway. Glover is like a proud parent as he stands by his beautiful race truck. Not only is he a talented race truck builder, but he also drives the PARTS Pro Truck #70. During the 1998 season Glover finished 13th in points out of 82 competitors. Teammate Attorney McCue, driver of the #71 Chevy Truck, finished 26th in points. Both are fierce competitors on the track. McCue has an impressive race resume including the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring plus ten years of competitive racing in the SCCA.

Glover also has a long history of serious racing. Glover has been constructing race cars and trucks for 10 years. His very first project was a Street Stock race car built and raced at Sunshine Speedway. James learned this trade by working with other talented race car fabricators. Over the last year he has built six race trucks. The cost of putting together one race truck for the PARTS Pro Truck Series? $15,000 for parts!

A third race truck is being added to the team this year, John Shuffler in the #72 Chevy. This is Shuffler's inaugural year in this racing series. He is employed as a Business Development Specialist at Mutual Wholesale Distributors in Lakeland.

So when does Glover get to vacation? The PARTS race schedule takes the race team to a number of cities throughout the SE USA, and Glover enjoys visiting these towns. Sometimes after a race he may take a few days off. Racing is the center of his life and something he loves to do.

                                  -Barbara Boynton McCue

                                     [edited by Jack Smith]

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