We’ve all heard countless quotes and phrases before regarding doing the things that make us most happy, like, “Choose to do what you love for a living, and you’ll never work a day in your life” or “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” Knowing these quotes and living them in our pursuit of happiness are two very different things. 

If you’re reading this, you’re probably similar to most gear heads and car enthusiasts who would love a job in the automotive industry that pays the bills and fulfills your love of cars. However, in terms of actually being able to make a living doing what you love, I think most people tend to believe it is just a dream. I, on the other hand, have been very blessed to have had opportunities to do just that and work in various areas of the automotive industry. 

Attending my first event as editor. LS Fest Texas was a blast and I couldn’t be happier doing what I do.

Setting The Hook

Let’s take a trip down memory lane for a brief history of myself. Born and raised Texan, the old saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas,” was never more accurate than the first World of Wheels car show my father took me to in 1989. The Pro Street scene was poppin’, and all of the chrome, big tires, blowers, and crazy paint jobs sparked a passion that I still carry. Sure, my tastes have changed over the years, but as a seven-year-old boy, I thought I would one day work on or build cars that caught people’s attention the same way those wild-looking cars did back then.

As a child, all of the bright paint jobs and chrome of the Pro Street scene captured my attention. Photo courtesy of Auto Enthusiast Network

 My father helped fuel my passion because he was an enthusiast himself. He liked 67-72 C10s, so my education began on a trio of trucks he owned, all in various stages of restoration and modification. Not long after, a local friend of my father introduced me to drag racing. He had a 1969 Nova with a small-block Chevy that was set up as a small tire race car. To my young and impressionable eyes, that Nova looked so fast just sitting in the garage. The loud rumble from the open headers was music to my ears. I was dead hooked after that on race cars, drag racing, and all things fast.

Wild Pro Street cars like this 1965 Chevelle built by Bill Wooten and painted by Rocky Robertson are what set the hook for me as a kid. Van Povey is the current owner of this beautiful ride. Photo courtesy of Auto Enthusiast Network

Making Dreams Reality

Luckily, as a teenager, I landed my first job in the automotive industry at Nitrous Express (NX). Starting at the very bottom, cleaning up and making steel braided hoses, I gladly took the position to get my foot in the door so I could be around race car culture. I eventually worked my way up to handling sales, tech support, and spending weekends working at the local drag strip selling fuel. While at NX, I saw the LS engine’s power potential early on. The results people were getting out of the platform in those first few years made it evident that the LS would be legendary. I was quickly on board with the “LS the world” mentality. 

My first street/strip car was this 1997 Pontiac Trans Am. Pictured here after I regretfully sold it.

Around this time, I bought, traded, and built various projects. Everything from a 1967 C10, a dropped and shaved 1999 regular cab Silverado 1500, to a 1997 Trans Am. The T/A got me into racing and the never-ending cycle of going faster, breaking parts, rebuilding, and repeating. Being young and enthusiastic, I eventually built the car into being more strip than street, even though it was my daily driver throughout college. Unfortunately, like many car enthusiasts, I let this car get away while pursuing making a living at jobs that didn’t fuel my fire. 

My ’97 Trans Am featured a nitrous assisted 383 LT4 and a manual valve bodied TH400 transmission.

Chasing My Passion

Eventually, I decided that I would rather be doing something that stokes my passion and makes me happy. I was fortunate to be offered an opportunity in 2019 to get back into the automotive industry. I took the position as the shop manager and lead tech/fabricator for 4 Wheel Performance, a local higher-end truck and Jeep accessory shop. Although I enjoyed my tenure there, my passion has always been fast cars, and when the potential opportunity arose to come to LSX Magazine, I pursued it vigorously.

As the incoming editor of LSX Magazine, I bring almost 40 years of passion for fast cars and the car culture surrounding the LS engine, backed by nearly 20 years of automotive and fabrication experience. My goal for the continued success and growth of the magazine is to convey LS/LT culture to the masses by sharing with you, the readers, the best feature car content found anywhere and bringing to life the stories behind the cars and their owners. I also aim to keep our readership on the leading edge of the industry with the latest in LS/LT news and real-world technical information through hands-on installation and technical articles. 

LS Fest Texas 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway had no shortage of fast cars and trucks in the drag racing event.

The most incredible thing about the LS/LT culture is that we aren’t afraid to try new things, ask questions, and figure out solutions to problems considering we are up for swapping an LS or LT engine into anything. In addition, we can all learn from one another, so if there’s content you want to see covered in the magazine, let us know! 

From the Texaco Camaro to the Dirty Datsun, there’s something for everyone at LS Fest Texas.

Fueling My Fire

I am happy to be part of the Power Automedia team and even more excited to be the new editor of LSX magazine. Once again, I’m back to doing something for a living that I’m passionate about and fuels my fire. I look forward to learning from all of you, the readers, and bringing you all the content you want to see. 

The LSX team and I have some new things coming down the pipeline that we think will catch your attention. We want to spark your interest and motivate you to build or complete your own LS/LT projects!  To keep up with new projects coming online and current projects moving forward, and the latest news, tech, and features subscribe to our newsletter. Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, and continue to come back and see us at LSXmag.com!