No end in sight for Cahela
After 16 years, some might say a hobby has turned into an obsession.
Whatever anyone might call it, Keith Cahela, of Sardis, has no intentions of no longer racing. After four track championships, Cahela is driving as hard and as fast as ever before.
The early years
In 1992, Cahela was feeling a little restless and bored and was looking for a hobby that would keep him out of trouble. He decided to try racing.
“I had always been a race fan, and I had always wanted to try it and just see if I would be any good at it. I knew I would enjoy it and have fun,” Cahela said.
He found a rusted-out 1976 Chevrolet Camaro and painted it bright yellow with a big purple No. 1 on the side. He also gave it a racer’s upgrade by putting in a motor he “borrowed” from his father’s 1969 Corvette.
It was a dirt track racer’s tradition to put the name of a country song on the back bumper, so Cahela named his new racecar “Shameless” and headed to Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, where he entered the bomber division.
His pit crew was small but enthusiastic, consisting of his brother, Wade, and fellow dirt track late model driver John Benefield.
Cahela was a little like Cole Trickle from “Days of Thunder” — he only drove the car. His crew wouldn’t allow him to work on it.
“I washed it after each race. I made it look good — that was my job,” Cahela said.
Cahela’s debut race was a little less than memorable.
Wade had vowed that if Keith won his first race, he would “shave my beard and get a curly.” Luckily for Wade and his family, Keith didn’t win.
Midway through the race, he was involved in a wreck. He wasn’t the cause, but it knocked him out of the race.
“I had two flats, but only one spare,” Keith said. His night was over, but with his determination still intact, he returned the following week and managed a respectable fifth-place finish in his second-ever race.
Cahela won the following week in his third race, which was not bad for a rookie. He finished the year with 12 wins and the title of Rookie of the Year at Green Valley Speedway.
In 1993, Cahela got another car and moved up a division to the hobby class at Green Valley. He also started racing at a new dirt track, Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe. Friday nights were spent at Green Valley and Saturday nights at Thunder Mountain.
Cahela was even more successful during his sophomore year on the track, capturing a combined 16 wins.
He won the track championship for the hobby class at Green Valley and came in second for the championship at Thunder Mountain.
“That was a special year,” Cahela recalled. “We were all very happy and proud. That wasn’t just my accomplishment alone. My parents were my biggest fans and supporters, and they loved coming to watch me every week.
“My uncles and cousins came to watch, and some helped on the pit crew. I felt like my whole family was involved, and that was great — it still is today.”
From dirt to asphalt
In 1994, Cahela felt he had accomplished everything he had intended in dirt track racing. He was ready to move onward and upward, with asphalt racing being the next logical step.
Cahela had also started a racing-related business, Boaz Motorsports, which he still owns and operates.
Randy Smith, of Sardis, became part of Cahela’s pit crew. He and his brother, Gerald, had many years of experience with asphalt racing.
Randy had driven in NASCAR’s ARCA series, and he was also a multiple champion at Huntsville Motorspeedway during the 1960s and 1970s. He proved to be a valuable asset to the Boaz Motorsports team and is still Cahela’s crew chief.
Cahela also met two more brothers who were heavily involved in racing, Chris and Brad Oliver, of Crossville.
The Oliver brothers’ cousin, Mike Oliver, had been very successful. With Chris and Brad’s help, Mike won many races and championships.
Mike decided to retire, but Chris and Brad were not ready to quit. They were looking for another driver and team to assist.
The team of Cahela, Smith and Oliver started a very strong racing relationship.
Cahela’s first asphalt late model racecar was a Pontiac. He chose to keep his signature bright yellow color scheme and his No. 1.
He traveled all over the South, from Birmingham and Huntsville to Georgia and Florida. That first asphalt year was difficult, but he knew it would be a learning experience.
Cahela had only two wins in 1994, but that was good considering he had never driven a late model car before. He had never been to many of those tracks, so he had no experiences from which to draw.
Winning a championship
Cahela continued to travel extensively to race for the next few years, until the birth of his son, Sawyer, in 1997. Keith had married his wife, Lisa, in 1995.
In 1997, Cahela wanted to stop traveling so much and stay closer to his family. He wanted to put his efforts and energy into local tracks, and he concentrated on Huntsville Speedway and Birmingham International Raceway.
His commitment and consistency paid off. Throughout the following years, Cahela enjoyed much racing success.
During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Cahela formed a partnership/sponsorship with fellow local driver Chris Whorton. TimberWolf Tobacco was their sponsor.
In 2000, Cahela finished second in the late model division at Huntsville. In 2001, Whorton won the championship and Cahela again finished second.
In 2002, Cahela finally won his first asphalt late model division championship at Huntsville.
Following the 2002 season, Timberwolf decided to pull out of local racing sponsorships in order to fund more national sponsorships.
Disappointment and tragedy
The years following Cahela’s first championship were filled with disappointment and heartbreaking tragedy.
During the spring of 2003, Keith’s father, Edward Cahela, was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer.
“That was hard. I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “He had always been so strong and healthy. I couldn’t imagine my daddy ever being sick.”
Watching his father’s health deteriorate was extremely hard on Keith and his mother, Jeraldean. On May 3, 2005, Keith’s beloved father succumbed to cancer after battling bravely for two years.
“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. I still can’t believe he’s gone sometimes. He was my greatest supporter, my biggest fan. I always knew he loved me unconditionally. I still miss him to this day, but I know he’s in a much better place.”
Other members of Cahela’s crew lost loved ones. Chris and Brad Oliver lost both their mother and father within months of each other. Junior Oliver died in September of 1995, and Betty Oliver died in January of 1996.
Cahela’s crew chief, Randy Smith, lost his wife, Sarah, in 2006. She was also a victim of cancer.
Those were devastating losses, but racing seemed to be the one saving grace for each of them.
“I’m glad I had racing as an outlet for my grief. It has helped me a lot,” Cahela said. “I think it has helped Randy as well, having something else to focus on and keep himself busy.”
Cahela’s racing career was also suffering during those years. He confessed, “I began to think maybe it was time for me to hang my helmet up for good. I saw all these really young drivers winning, and our team was beginning to struggle.”
But at the end of 2006, after the loss of Sarah, Randy completely broke down the racecar and found a minor fault — the axle was bent one-eighth of an inch — that was causing all the big problems.
It was validating for Cahela to realize it was the car, not the driver, that needed adjusting.
After the racecar was completely repaired, Keith faced the 2007 season with renewed determination and excitement.
Coming back with a vengeance
Cahela made his comeback with a vengeance. He finished the 2007 season at Huntsville Speedway with five wins and took second place seven times. His worst finish was fifth place in a season that saw him clinch the late model division championship.
The victories were bittersweet for the Sardis driver, who said, “I was hoping I could’ve won another championship for my father while he was still with us, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
“Even though he wasn’t here physically, I know that he saw me get that second championship. Now we’ll have something to talk about when I see him again.”
Through the years, people have often asked Cahela if he was going to try and make it in NASCAR.
He’s answered by simply saying, “I’m too old and too broke. There’s no way an individual person could compete with million dollar sponsorship money.”
Cahela also acknowledges that racing is a young man’s sport today.
“When I first got started, a man needed to be at least middle-aged to be successful. Times have changed. You’re considered an old man now by the time you’re 30. These corporate sponsors want their drivers to be younger and younger in order to have many years of success with them.”
Cahela said it would be more of a sacrifice than he is willing to make now in order to compete on that grand of a scale.
“I want to watch my son grow up and be there for him like my father was there for me.”
Cahela is excited about the 2008 season, but he said he will probably not be driving as much or traveling as much in order to spend more time with his family.
Sounding a little disappointed, Cahela said, “The reason I have stayed in this for so long was I was waiting to see if my son was going to show an interest in racing, and I would retire and just help him.
“So far, Sawyer hasn’t seemed to be interested in ever driving, and that’s OK. I know he’s his own person, and I’m fine with that.”
Mentoring a protege
Even though his son probably won’t be racing, Cahela has found a natural protege in Chris Oliver’s 16-year-old son, Chase.
Cahela has watched Chase through the years, and he said he is showing definite signs of a promising career.
“Chase has a lot of talent, and I’ve enjoyed watching him and helping him. He has a bright future ahead of him.”
Cahela and his mother, Jeraldean, own one of the most successful tax offices in the area, Boaz Tax Service.
“I love what I do for a living, and it has helped me to be able to do things for fun that I enjoy, like racing. I’ve been very blessed, and I’m very grateful.”
Cahela has made a lot of friends in racing through the years, and some of those friends have become his tax clients.
“I really like feeling like I’ve helped someone out,” he said. “It’s important to enjoy what you do.”
Whether it’s in business or fun, Keith Cahela always seems to enjoy himself. He is always upbeat and optimistic.
“2007 was probably the last championship I’ll win because I want to slow down and watch my son doing the things that are important to him, like baseball, basketball and football,” Cahela said.
Whatever 2008 brings for Cahela, it will be exciting to watch.
Keith Cahela