Eddy Conlin, Half A Century Of Racing

For nearly half a century, Eddy Conlin, Williston, has been involved in racing in the MonDak region. From drag-racing in his 20s in Glendive, to racing with his son in the sport-mod division in Williston, Eddy has more racing under his belt than some have behind a wheel at all. After blowing a drive shaft in a drag race, local racing legend Bob Moody told Eddy "he was crazy" and should try dirt-track racing instead. Eddy informed him he'd "never own a mud bucket"; a few years later, in 1983, he found himself buying one from a friend and Moody by his side. Together, they hit the dirty circuit in Eddy's first car, that Moody helped him to build, and then acquaint with the track. In his first race, he took second behind Moody in Minot, and Moody was so excited for Eddy, he didn't even seem to realize, or care, that he himself had won first. At 83, Bob Moody still races, though he has now had a change of pace and has returned to drag racing at events in Minot, ND, Malta, MT, and Sturgis, SD. In the 90s when the Williston Basin Speedway was moved and rebuilt in its current location, Eddy put his skills as owner-operator of Conlin Welding to use and constructed the front straightaway in front of the main grandstand. He also constructed the flag stand, and his brother, Dan, now deceased, helped Terry Gaudreau and others to bring in dirt and build the track. Eddy has served on the board and still helps wherever he can at the Speedway. Every bit of labor at the Speedway is done by volunteers, from rock picking, to ripping, watering, blading, and packing the speedway, to cleaning the grandstands and buildings. Eddy can often be found maintaining or repairing the equipment necessary to keep the track well-groomed. Eddy's wife, Jackie, and sons, Tanner and Evan, were active not only in the Williston Basin Speedway events, but in motocross and hockey. Jackie grew up on motorcycles and made sure the boys did too. She even raced competitively in the Powder Puff, and open divisions, sometimes against Eddy. Both boys competed in motocross as well, Evan until he broke his foot. Evan currently resides in Arizona and has a successful corporate career with Fedex. Tanner is an electrician for Kraken Resources, and along with his wife, Jessa, son Ryder and daughter Navy, reside in Buford, ND. Tanner can be found on the dirt track alongside Eddy most weekends during season. Eddy jokes he wins more than he does these days, partly because he enjoys his annual fall trip to Deadwood, SD, for car shows, auctions, and live bands. This means missing the Williston Basin Speedway Champions Night, but he's happy to cheer Tanner on from South Dakota, thanks to DarnTV's streaming of the event. For 13 years, Eddy didn't miss a race in Williston and Minot, and they found themselves on a track 30-40 nights every summer, chasing championships. He has won more than he cares to count, and Tanner has been close and even runner-up previously. Originally, Eddy ran the number 4 on his car but switched to Tanner's motocross number of 47 after he retired his dirt bike. He currently owns three cars, which he happily shares with Tanner. A love of cars, and making them tick, has always driven his racing career, not a need for speed. After four, Fa decades, he finds he no longer gets nervous to race but still is enthusiastic about digging into a vehicle to improve its performance. All his cars are older by race standards, a 2009, 2012, and 2013, but Eddy finds with some cutting and tweaking, he can make them plenty competitive. Mark Neu is a long-time racing rival and friend of Eddy's, and he's proud to have W.L. Neu Construction, Fairview, as a sponsor for over 20 years. When Mark raced, they often found themselves in 1st and 2nd place. He's also sponsored by SK & S Oilfield Services and stresses how important sponsors are to racers, and how grateful he is to them for helping keep competitors in cars and on the road. There isn't a name on the track Eddy isn't familiar with, and he is as much a historian for racing in the region as a racer. He has watched current top names come up through the slingshots as youths and has seen the track and its trends transform over the last 40 years. With no plans of leaving the area, or stopping racing, Eddy will no doubt continue to add to his incredible well of racing history in our region. Good luck to him and Tanner at their fall races and be sure to join the excitement at the Williston Basin Speedway for their final races this fall, Sept. 19-20.