The world of Big Money Bracket racing has seen some major upsets in 2023 with cars that many don’t think should win, have won BIG. One of the biggest stories that has had a lot of buzz is Donnie Hagar and his green Vega. Drag Champ recently interviewed him and there were a few points that stood out to me that are not addressed nearly as much as they should be. Everyone wants to know about how the car is set up to be able to run consistently enough, and the biggest factor he talks about has absolutely nothing to do with his car. It had a lot to do with his mindset. 

 

Donnie mentions several times of being present at the event and keeping his focus on the task at hand. In the most basic sense, this is all about mindset! So what does being present mean? This is where we have to look introspectively and understand ourselves a bit. We hear about being present for our kids or families. We hear about being present to feel what’s going on around us. I believe that we as racers can begin to move into this space and it will get better the more that we do this. It’s like a muscle, we need to exercise it to make it stronger. 

 

So, where can we start? The best places to start would be clearing our minds to help avoid distractions while we are getting ready to make a pass and expanding that to our time at the event. It’s hard to perform at our best when we are thinking about things other than the task at hand. Family, money and the loose bolt that may or may not have been tightened can all play into not performing our best. The next logical thing to begin to be aware of is our breathing. Simple breathing exercises can do wonders for getting our minds focused on the task at hand.

 

By controlling what is going on within our minds can allow us to better feel what is going on around us and act more intentionally. Acting and moving with intention will be able to help you make better decisions and can be the first step to turning on more win lights. We can definitely begin to see how our minds are the most important tool that we have at the track.

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