Fastest Indian on Earth
Local chief zooms into Drag Racing Hall of Fame ~ Johnny Rocca's world is one of head-to-head races on a quarter-mile track, where cars have a top speed of 234 mph and 2,450 horsepower to take them there.
It's a world where brakes alone can't stop you - you need dual parachutes tied to the back of the car and sand pits at the end of the track.
In his world of drag racing, Rocca - a 66-year-old Tuscarora Indian chief who lives just south of Leesburg - is known as "the fastest Indian on Earth." This October, the drag racer will be the first American Indian inducted into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in North Carolina for a lifetime's dedication to the sport.
"I consider myself just another drag racer," Rocca said. "I never considered myself a Hall-of-Famer, but when you put it all together, it's 50 years of drag racing."
In his sport, Rocca is a celebrity. Some of his cars are drag racing icons themselves, like the Tin Indian, the Wooden Nickel, Dark Horse, the Mohegan Sun and the Iron Horse. Many are named to reflect his American Indian heritage.
Rocca has won several U.S. championships, two Canadian championships and an Australian championship in his sport.
When preparing for a race, Rocca said he would get into a zone of his own and no one would be allowed to talk to him until the race was over.
"One of the things I've noticed over the years is that I hold my breath," he said. "I hold my breath all the way down that racetrack."
Despite the "need for speed" that everyone has, Rocca said he has no speeding tickets because he leaves his talents on the track.
Rocca is about safety. This isn't street racing, he says. But drag racing has its dangers.
"There's always a danger that the car will catch on fire," he said. "When you wreck one, it is completely demolished. There's nothing salvageable."
Drag racing, unlike oval-track racing, is done in short spurts, Rocca said.
"In oval racing [like NASCAR], all of the cars are almost identical. Oval-track racing is a test of the drivers' skills," Rocca said. "In drag racing, the drivers are about the same skill level. Drag racing is a test of the car."
Souping up a hot rod for racing makes drag racing one of the most expensive sports, Rocca said, estimating that professionals spend $600,000 to more than $1 million a year on racing.
Rocca began racing as a teenager. At the peak of his career, he was at the track 27 weekends a year until he retired in 2005.
In his garage are his "babies," several hot rods that predate the 1970s. The garage is also where Rocca has a wall of memories, including a picture of himself and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, who Rocca took for a ride in 1976.
Rocca also has a trophy with a grenade planted on top, which he received for "blowing up the most engines."
But Rocca said he's put in his time racing and wants to be home more.
"It takes its toll," Rocca said. He concentrates a lot of his time now on his business, the Brother Signal Co., which manufactures traffic signs. Rocca founded the company in 1967.
He also is an advocate and war chief for the Bear Clan, which is part of the Southern Band Tuscarora Tribe.
"I'm too old to race," he said. "I don't have the reflexes anymore that these younger guys have."
Hall of Fame candidates must be retired before being inducted. Rocca will be inducted Oct. 19 with 18 of his peers.
Despite retiring, Rocca is still a figure in the drag racing arena. He has appeared as a commentator on the Speed TV network station and radio shows.
BY: Holly Hobbs
Source: Loudoun Times-Mirror
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