Jamie Goodman gets where he's going in a hurry.
A big hurry.
In his orange 1980 Malibu named True Grit, Goodman can cover an eighth of a mile in 6 seconds from a dead start, reaching a speed of 111 miles per hour. He can go a quarter in 9.5 seconds, hitting 135 miles per hour.
Goodman, a 29-year-old Grit resident, is a drag racer, and a good one at that. He has the championship hardware to show.
He won a track championship at New London in 2004 and a track championship at Natural Bridge two years later. He finished second in points at Roxboro, N.C., in 2008.
"Done pretty good for myself," Goodman said recently.
He quickly gives credit for his success to God.
"Without Him it wouldn't be possible, first and foremost."
In October, Goodman finished fourth in the International Hot Rod Association Tournament of Champions at the Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie County, near Petersburg.
Competing in the world event against drivers from 27 states and Canada, Goodman bested most of the 27 other racers in his hot rod class. He had qualified for the top-notch event by winning a Tournament of Champions race in North Carolina in April and finishing second in his division over the drag racing season.
"It's a hobby, but it's a fun one," Goodman said.
Goodman, who works as a special projects foreman for Southern Air in Lynchburg, has been driving since 2002, but he's "been around it all my life."
He would go with his dad, the late "Jake" Goodman, to races at New London, Waynesboro and the Piedmont track in North Carolina. Goodman said he loved drag racing from the first time he went to a track with his dad. He liked that it was loud, and had old, fast cars.
"Jake" Goodman was a drag racer for six or seven years. His wife Wanda gave him a 1966 blue Nova as a Christmas present. He died of a heart attack in 1993 at a track in Roxboro.
The younger Goodman said he decided one day he wanted to get behind the wheel. He said he wanted to give his dad somebody to watch race.
"What I like the most is the competition and the thrill of wining," Goodman said.
He's raced in Darlington, S.C., Maryland, Richmond and several drag strips in North Carolina. He hopes to be in Gainesville, Fla., next February racing in a National Hot Rod Association division event. He plans to run a national race in Charlotte, N.C., next fall.
Goodman has no sponsors, meaning he pays for everything. Friends at the tracks help him, but often it's just Goodman and his wife of almost two years, Angel, or just him.
Goodman competes against drivers who are 16 or 17 years old and others who are 60 or 70.
"The only limit is you have to be old enough to have a driver's license."
He said a lot of women also compete. So, how about Angel doing some driving?
"Can't get her behind the wheel. I'd let her if she would," he said.
Sitting across the room, Angel Goodman, who's a nurse at Gretna Health and Rehab, said she puts the car in the trailer.
"That's a lot of car. Just the sound of it is intimidating enough. You can feel your inside shaking," she said.
When they started dating, Angel Goodman said she knew drag racing was a big part of his life. She loves the sport and also loves watching her husband race and enjoy what he's doing.
Another big supporter is Goodman's mom, Wanda, who works at Bennett's Mechanical in Altavista.
Wanda Goodman said the world event was the first time she kept her eyes open to see her son race. Why not at other races?
"Just that mother thing."
"I'm so proud I could bust," she said.
But, Wanda Goodman said, what makes her the most proud are the favorable comments she hears from others about her son and the ovation he got from the crowd at the world event.
As for the future, Goodman's goal is pretty straightforward.
"Just keep winning," he said.
Goodman said he owes a lot to his brother, John, who lives in Rustburg. They had a racing partnership before John got out of it to spend more time with his immediate family.
"Without John, I probably wouldn't be where I am today."
He also noted the support of his sister, Amanda Keesee, his wife and his mother, along with the International Hot Rod Association, Summit Racing Equipment and Herb Bailey, who sold him True Grit.
And, if he could tell him, he'd thank his dad.
"No doubt he's proud," Goodman said.