The racing gene

Anthony White follows the family tradition of competing in ‘street-stock’ races

July 7, 2021 by Collin Riggs

Racing is in the blood for the White family, with Anderson County Mavericks football receiver and safety Anthony White joining his family’s hobby of dirt racing,

He recently achieved his fourth win, this one from Mountain View Raceway.

He’s won four of six races so far in so-called “street-stock” racing, called such because only cars purchasable by the general public are allowed.

“My dad has been doing it since he was about my age,” said White. “And I’ve been wanting to do it for a while. With injuries and football all together, though – well I finally got to. My first race was right before I had knee surgery a while back and I just picked it back up this year.”

White said he races a Monte Carlo that he received as a hand-me-down from his sister after she got too busy to keep up with the sport.

“About six years ago, my sister got into racing, but then she started going to college and got a job, so she didn’t have time,” he said. “The car sat around, and then we fixed a bunch of stuff on it and got it ready. My dad built it. We got the Monte Carlo frame. A bunch of work goes into making it a race car.”

When asked what about the sport attracted him originally, White said it was multiple things.

“It gets your adrenaline going a lot like football,” he said. “Before the race your adrenaline gets pumping, and I always was interested in it because my dad did it and I’ve been around it my whole life. It’s a bonding thing, and it’s kind of a hobby. It’s just kind of in my blood because it’s been passed down. My papaw raced and my dad got into it and I guess it’s my turn.”

Despite his father and grandfather being into the sport, White admitted his mother wasn’t too thrilled about him getting into it.

“She really wasn’t that big of a fan of it,” he said with a laugh. “She was pretty upset when Dad took me to race the first time, but I think she likes seeing me be happy so I think she’s all right with it now. As all right as she’s going to be, anyway.”

White said he plans to continue with the sport.

“The ultimate goal is to race dirt late-models (the highest class of stock cars with the largest engines) , which I think is achievable,” White said. “I think it would be fun to travel around racing, but that’s super hard to do.”

White said he wanted to thank all of his sponsors for supporting him, as well as his father, Anthony White, his grandfather, Tony White, his mamaw, Shirley White, and his mother, Stephanie White.

Finally, he said he wanted to thank David Birchfield, who has sponsored both White and his father across the years.

“He helped my dad a lot and helped me whenever he got the chance to. He’s a great guy.”