LM: Robbie Pyle season preview
Robbie Pyle to Balance Sign Business and Racing in 2005 for WalTom ASA Veteran Looking Forward to Enjoyable Year Ahead CHICAGO, IL (March 16, 2005) -- As the motorsports season draws closer, Robbie Pyle's main focus is actually not on a racecar ...
Robbie Pyle to Balance Sign Business and Racing in 2005 for WalTom
ASA Veteran Looking Forward to Enjoyable Year Ahead
CHICAGO, IL (March 16, 2005) -- As the motorsports season draws closer, Robbie Pyle's main focus is actually not on a racecar for the first time in years. He's still heavily involved with WalTom Racing, and will be back on track when spring rolls around, but for right now his tools of choice are an artist's pen and a clean sheet of paper, rather than a helmet and firesuit.
Pyle, with the support of WalTom owners Wally and Tom Gleitsman, is working to expand his sign and graphic design business, Robbie Pyle Designs.
"My focus has been mainly on building the business," said Pyle. "Our first priority is on the sign business right now. I haven't really been doing much racing stuff over the winter."
But don't think for a minute that Pyle won't spend time in a car this season.
"We've roughed out a schedule and figured out what races will be best for me to run," said Pyle. "There is no pressure to do any particular races and our goal for the year is to just have fun."
Pyle will focus on the ASA Late Model tour with WalTom and also plans to run a few extra events in a Late Model owned by Phil Hines in the CRA Super Series.
"That car is pretty much a community project," said Pyle of the Late Model. "Everyone puts their part into it and it's fun just to race it. Part of the fun is also to run well, though.
"So between the ASA Late Model races for WalTom and the Late Model shows, I'll actually run quite a few races."
So 2005 promises to be a good year for Pyle, especially since he is getting the chance to live out two dreams now, as both a racecar driver and an artist.
"I've always been the guy with a pencil in his hand sketching stuff out," said Pyle. "I still start out most of my projects that way. I'll sketch something out and then go to the computer. It's great to start from nothing and see it come along. It is kind of like building a racecar and seeing it take shape.
There are a few major differences between racing and design, though.
"When you design something, there isn't really a right way and a wrong way to do things," said Pyle. "There is no book that tells you the right way to do something and it's not like a 3/8" bolt needs to be used in a certain application. You might pick ten people to do a project and all ten might do it different. You can work with colors and a look to come up with something unique."
The sign business isn't just about artwork either.
"There are a lot of things that go into doing this kind of work," said Pyle. "We do all kinds of commercial signs, vehicle lettering and some racing stuff. When you do an outdoor sign, you have to engineer it for the wind and weather."
Balancing work and racing isn't going to be a pressure-packed pursuit for Pyle this year. He's really looking forward to everything on his plate.
"In ASA, we were chasing points," said Pyle. "Now we are going to the track to have fun and run well. This is a lot less stressful."
WalTom Racing, with Robbie Pyle and Stephen Leicht, will compete on the ASA Late Model tour in 2005.
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