Chuck McKenna is co-driver of Impulsive Behavior

Co-Driver
Age, 41, 6'2", 230 lbs.
Occupation: Construction Estimator
Hometown: Camarillo, California

As a young boy of five years of age, my mom would pick me up from Sunday School, and take me and my brothers to watch my Dad drag race his 55' Chevy at Lyons Drag Strip in San Fernando Valley, California. These are probably my earliest memories as a child that stuck with me.

As I grew up in the Pismo Beach area of California, I got into 4WD trucks and playing in the sand and mud. After I hammered the stock components of Chevy short-bed, I built the same truck up with a big block LS6 motor, 1-ton axles, and a NP205 transfer case. This was my first hot rod of sorts that I raced in Mud Bogs and Sand Drags for entertainment.

This was about the same time that I met Tim Gaasch. Tim was building a Willys Jeep for sand and rock crawling. We became good friends and enjoyed playing at Pismo with his jeep and my truck. Not long after watching the "big-boys" with their sand drag jeeps at various events, we knew it was something we wanted to do.

To begin the process, we found Rick Thomas of RT Welding, who is one of California's better-known sand drag jeep builders. With Rick's help with the chassis, and Bob Joehnck help with the big block Chevy, we now had a state of the art sand drag jeep that we both agreed on naming "Impulsive Behavior," due to the fact both of us being somewhat Impulsive in our behavior.

From the first day of mashing the pedal at Pismo, with excitement and fear running through our minds, we knew we had achieved the vehicle of our dreams. We now had something real, not just talk or hype; this was a runner. We have raced the jeep now for a couple of years, working out the bugs and chasing set-ups, while winning two First Place Trophies along the way. We are steadily improving on our reaction times and proper chassis set-up, but most importantly, we have become respected by our competition. I know now, that I have found a hobby that I can do for a long time that I truly get great satisfaction from.

The experience is best described as a rush of adrenaline from the split second you release the trans-brake at 5,000 RPM and feel the front end lift off the ground, to the next second, where you shift the Powerglide to 2nd, where the G-force is pushing on your chest, and your not really sure if you are breathing or not. Hearing the 800 HP Big Block screaming at 8,000 RPM, as you travel 300 feet in 4 seconds. Just thinking about it, makes the hair on my neck stand up and my eyes water. This is truly an E-Ticket ride, and I can't wait for the next one.

Chuck McKenna | Tim Gaasch | Jonathan Gaasch | Samantha Gaasch