Racing for real beats stunt work

Christmas can be any day of the year for Tony Hunt. All he has to do is take a walk to the mailbox.Every telecast of "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" means another residual check for the 39-year-old Lincoln resident. Hunt worked as a stunt driver in the 2006 spoof of NASCAR.Those checks are worth than chump change. His out-of-the-blue income comes in handy when he is paying bills for his family. Hunt and his wife, Philippa, have a 17-month-old son, Logan.Stunt work is not his full-time job. Hunt makes a living behind the wheel for real as a race car driver. He finished the 2010 season by winning his sixth United States Auto Club (USAC) championship.The Western Sprint Car Series title was secured Nov. 25 when Hunt finished second in the Turkey Night Grand Prix in Irwindale. He finished the season 58 points ahead of rookie Luis Ramos III.Hunt could have played it safe in the season finale, but that is not his style. He needed to finish no higher than 12th to earn the series title, but a race victory would have been icing on the cake."In racing, you can't play defense," he explained. "I've caught myself doing that in other races and it's never worked out well. I knew I had the points lead, but I still wanted to race offensively." In 2003, Hunt was dating Philippa and had not told her what he did for a living when he left on Thanksgiving Day to compete in Irwindale. He feared his true identity might frighten her away."I kept it real low key," he recalled. "I didn't want to tell her."Fortunately for Hunt, Philippa went along for the ride. Surprisingly, he would prefer his son not follow in his skid marks even though he did so with his father. Hunt's father, Tom, is an official with the USAC. His mother, Jeanie, runs the Hunt's Race World store in Fair Oaks. Racing is certainly a family trade."My family has been involved in the business for about 60 years." Hunt said. "It's been in my family forever."Hunt is doing his family proud with his success. There was a time when he thought all his victories would put him on the fast track to the NASCAR Sprint Car Series. Those days have come and gone, however.There is little chance that Hunt will ever get such an opportunity at his age. Before falling in love with Philippa, he spent five years in Charlotte, N.C., so he could rub elbows with the NASCAR crowd.All that rubbing did not do him much good. Hunt returned to California and the Western Sprint Car circuit. He did not retreat as much as he accepted that NASCAR would not be his destiny."Only 43 guys make it in NASCAR, so the chances of making it are very minimal," he said. "It's not like football where there are guys sitting on the bench."Rather than think about what might have been, Hunt is content with how his career has turned out."You would think if you're successful on the racetrack, it would lead you to the next level," he explained. "So many more elements go into it than that. It's like any other sport. It's cut-throat."The window of opportunity is pretty slim. I've stopped waiting for the phone to ring. You have to get over that."That explains why Hunt would prefer that his son steer clear of a racing career. One racer in the family is more than enough, and Hunt has no intentions of driving into the sunset any time soon.As long as he can make a living by pursuing his passion, Hunt will keep his foot firmly on the gas pedal."When I put my helmet on the rack and say it's over, it's going to be devastating," he said. "I love this."