MANNFORD — Joe Moss has now won mechanics races in both of his sons’ cars, which is a lovely family accomplishment and an absolutely catastrophic development for anyone hoping Dad might shut up about where they place in the standings each week.
After all, this Dad is most often found in the pits, swapping motors, tuning suspensions, changing out tires. But that’s not all Joe does.
The Mannford dad won the spring mechanics race at Tulsa’s Port City Raceway earlier this year in son Ruston’s car. Then, recently, he climbed into his other son JT’s No. 51M and won again.
Two sons. Two cars. Two mechanic’s races. Two wins.
Thanksgiving dinner now has a minimum qualifying lap time. Miss it and you’re at the kiddie table.
At Port City, mechanics races allow the folks who ordinarily wrench on the cars to climb inside and demonstrate whether their extensive collection of driving criticism survives first contact with an actual racetrack.
Every racing operation has somebody who can diagnose a missed opportunity from behind a tire wall. Put that somebody behind the wheel, however, and suddenly the corner arrives considerably faster, unexpectedly stickier and a lot rougher than it did during the lecture.
Joe Moss is making a compelling case for keeping his lecture schedule intact.
His recent appearance in the 51M included a recorded qualifying lap of 11.664 seconds and ended with Port City naming him the fall mechanics-race winner. Add this one to the spring victory in Ruston’s machine, he’s pretty much got diplomatic immunity to give any advice and criticism he wants in the family pit area.
Disagree with Dad about the car? Please submit your objection in writing, accompanied by a first place trophy.
To be fair, the boys are no slouches behind the wheel of their own cars, in the A-Class Micro division points race, Ruston’s sitting eighth among dozens of competing drivers.
JT’s currently in sixth place in the non-wing micro division — driving a car that apparently has the personality of a boar raccoon in a pillowcase.
JT was able to extract one concession from his father after the race.
Joe said, “JT always told me how worn out he was after a race in that car — I thought, whatever. But you know what? That car’s a handful. It’s fast, but it’s a handful.”
That “whatever” deserves its own place in the family archives.
It is the universal parental response to an offspring explaining that something is more difficult than it looks. Then Dad tries it, discovers the child has kind of a point and must decide how much of that revelation to publicly acknowledge.
To Joe’s credit, he gave it some credence.
To JT’s chagrin, Dad acknowledged it after winning his second mechanics race of the season.
Yes, son, you were correct about the physical demands of driving that car. Also, please get busy and load that car your father just won in.
Joe’s commentary does give us a useful glimpse of what the result alone cannot: Driving JT’s car required a bit of work. Joe’s assessment was clear. The machine had speed, but making it go where you wanted faster than everybody else was a wrestling match.
He came away with both a victory and a new appreciation for the complaints coming from the driver’s seat. Naturally, the victory will be mentioned first.
Last year, Moss had already established himself as a contender in Port City’s mechanics competition. In the track’s 2025 event, he started on the pole and finished second to Steven Hefley in a 15-lap feature. He also led his qualifying group that night with an 11.321-second lap.
Now he has followed that runner-up finish with wins in two different family cars.
He doesn’t have his own ride. Moss has whichever son’s car is available and just enough driving talent to become thoroughly insufferable.
Ruston surrendered his car for the spring demonstration. JT supplied his for the fall edition. Dad supplied the talent.
Both sons can take some satisfaction in knowing their father has proved their equipment can win. Both must also live with the fact that he is unlikely to let that information slip quietly into obscurity even though they sit at eighth and sixth place in their own classes.
And JT, at least, finally has an admission worth saving.
The car is tiring. The car is fast. The car is a handful.
Unfortunately, so is the father.