Auto racing: David Byrnes ready to not hear the crowd

WEST VALLEY CITY — David Byrnes is a racer on the rise.

The driver of the No. 99 mini cup car won his first race in July — just two months after restarting his racing career. He'll race Monday at Rocky Mountain Raceways in front of his own cheering section.

However, he won't hear their cheers — or anything else — for that matter.

What makes Byrnes a unique race car diver is that he's deaf — not that his racing experience is much different than other drivers'.

"I love the smells — I love the smell of gas, the burning rubber. Everything. It feels like home," said Byrnes, adding that there are definite benefits to racing with no sound.

"I don't have to worry about the car behind me. I don't get nervous," Byrnes said. "For me that's an advantage."

And if anything goes wrong with the engine, Byrnes can feel it.

He was feeling problems during a recent practice run, using a backup engine while his race-winning engine was being rebuilt. After coming into the pit, Byrnes describes the problem to his crew chief Trenton Marsh by signing. Marsh, who is also deaf, takes out a spark plug.

"Hey Mike, I want to show you this," a female voice says to Mike Combs, who is the crew chief to RMR's top mini cup racer Kori Combs, his daughter. The voice belongs to Brynn Elliott, who is interpreting — and speaking — for Marsh. Byrnes, Marsh and their two interpreters (Elliott and Sandra McClure) from Sorensen Communications make up his racing team.

Byrnes and Marsh started D&T Motorsports together and this spring bought the No. 99 car and trailer and started racing in May.

The interpreters help the two get announcements made over the speaker and communicate with other crews — especially the Combs.

"Based on my experience, most of the racers try to help each other, but not as much as him," Byrnes said. "Kori's dad has helped me the most."

A mini cup racer looks exactly like a stock car you see at NASCAR races — only half the size. It has a top speed of 70 miles per hour, and its size allows drivers to race as many as four wide on RMR's track.

Byrnes and Marsh's first race was on May 7 — just four days after buying the car. Byrnes took third place in the heat only to be foiled by faulty wiring in the main race that day. Since then they have been steadily improving.