RACINE - While Andy Bohl was weighing what classes he should take his senior year at Park High Schoool, there was one no-brainer.

Bohl figured it was only logical to take an automotive class because he enjoyed tinkering with cars.

And there was another fairly important reason Bohl wanted to take it.

"I wanted an easy class," Bohl said. "I thought it would be a good way to get an 'A.' But it wasn't that way."

Instead, Bohl said Dave Dixon, who taught that class in the fall of 1993, challenged him in ways he never envisioned, exposing him to new and different things.

Bohl also was able to build a Barracuda, one he would race extensively over the next several years at Great Lakes Dragaway. "While most people were studying math, I was taking out an old motor and putting in a new motor on my race car," Bohl said.

The class, Bohl said, was almost a life-altering experience.

"They have a great automotive program at Park," Bohl said. "Mr. Dixon was really a great teacher and I learned a lot in that class. They say there are usually five or six events that shape your life. Who knows? But that

class definitely helped me a lot.

"I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't taken the class"

Today, Bohl and his father, Steve, are co-

owners of Bohl Automotive Inc., located at 2525 Douglas Ave. He is deeply immersed in the business, working long hours as a mechanic.

While being in the automotive business is Bohl's vocation, his avocation also is car related. For more than two years now, Bohl has been racing top alcohol funny cars on the National Hot Rod Association circuit.

Because the NHRA competition is so fierce, whatever free time the 31-year-old bachelor has is devoted to working on his car or racing it.

"He'll work at our business until 6 o'clock and then he'll work another four or five hours on the car," said Steve Bohl, who introduced his son to racing as a child and took him to his first national racing event in 1984 at Brainerd, Minn. "It's a total commitment of your time and energy and money. To race one of these cars, it consumes your whole life."

That's what happens when a hundredth of a second can make or break a race. The days of Bohl racing his Barracuda street car and covering a quarter-mile track in 12.23 seconds, or 111 mph - like he did in his first race as a teenager - are in his rear view mirror.

These days, Bohl's 2000 Firebird covers a quarter mile in a take-your-breath-away 5.65 seconds - or 253 miles per hour. Yet, even at those mind-boggling speeds, the difference between winning and losing is a snap of the fingers.

That's why Bohl and his crew are constantly searching for even the smallest edge. Besides his dad, Bohl's crew consists of Christian Madsen, Chris King, Jim Tracy, Alex Diekfuss, Patty Diekfuss, Gregg Pofahl and Dennis Etchison.

"There are so many things that determine whether you win: how you drive, how much fuel, your tune-up, the track, the barometric pressure … " Bohl said. "We check for a lot of things."

There are some things Bohl and his crew simply can't control, though. And that's the other racer. A classic example of that occurred in Bohl's first divisional race this year at Norwalk, Ohio.

Bohl was psyched for the race and, naturally, wanted to win. But he also wanted to gauge how his spanking-new 2007 Mustang would hold up.

"Just before the race, the (public address) announcer mentioned how beautiful the car looked," Bohl said.

Seconds later, the announcer might have mentioned how grotesque it looked. No sooner had Bohl left the starting line, the other racer, Chris Foster, inadvertently pulled into Bohl's lane. There was nothing Bohl could do to prevent the inevitable.

The cars crashed, and both were mangled. Amazingly, neither driver suffered any major injuries.

"I knew I was going to crash and I thought, 'Well, what can you do?' " Bohl said. "You just hold on. But racing is really very safe. You have a lot of safety equipment: the harnesses, the roll bars, the helmets …

"That's not to say you can't get hurt. One thing you realize when you get into these cars is that they're dangerous. Something can go wrong. But you have to be smart and get off the throttle. Some guys hold on forever and hit the walls and cones and there's no reason for that.

"In that crash, my legs were flying up and hitting the bars. But all I had was two bruises under my knees."

The monetary pain was considerably more severe. Bohl's prized 2007 Mustang was expensive. Bohl won't disclose the cost of the car, saying only "it's more money than buying a new 2007 Mustang" off the sales lot.

Normally, top alcohol funny cars that Bohl drives cost in excess of six figures. Unless you have deep pockets, you just don't go out and buy another one.

Bohl acknowledged the crash put a crimp in his lifestyle.

"I've learned to live really cheap," Bohl said. "I've learned to live on $30 of groceries and I'm a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guy."

Fortunately for Bohl, Murph McKinney, a chassis builder from Lafayette, Ind., and Bohl's crew did a yeoman's job of getting Bohl quickly back on the track.

Within a couple of months, Bohl was racing again - in his revamped 2000 Firebird. And he was racing competitively. Two weeks ago, Bohl recorded a breakthrough victory, besting a field of 12 to win an NHRA regional event at Hebron, Ohio.

"It was one of the best feelings I've ever had," Bohl said. "It was awesome. I never thought I'd get my first victory this soon."

Bohl had yet another notable performance last weekend. While competing in a national event at Brainerd, Minn., Bohl qualified eighth of 20 entrants. It was the first time he's broken into the upper half of the field for a national race.

Suffice to say, Bohl has come a long way in a short time as an NHRA racer. After finishing fifth in the third division for top alcohol funny cars and 50th nationally last season, he's currently fourth in the third division and 22nd nationally - with several races left.

That's impressive, considering Bohl has only two local sponsors: Wisconsin Industrial Supply Co. of Franksville and Joe's Tools Service of Racine.

"I'd like to get some more sponsors; that would be a big help," Bohl said. "Now that I've won a race and was a runner-up in another one, sponsors now know it's not a gamble sponsoring me and that they can get their names out there."

And if Bohl can land additional sponsors, he doesn't intend on letting them down. He has set some lofty goals for himself.

"My goal this year was to win my division, which I won't do because of the crash," Bohl said. "But next year I want to win my division and place in the top 10 nationally and I think I can do that."

ANDY BOHL FILE

FULL NAME: Andrew Douglas Bohl

BORN: Dec. 23, 1975 in Reading, Pa.

HIGH SCHOOL: Park

OCCUPATION: Co-owner of Bohl Automotive Inc. in Racine.

MY NON-RACING CAR: 1995 Chevy Lumina.

FAVORITE MUSIC: "It used to be metal, but it's gotten too much for me. Now, I almost listen to half oldies and half new stuff."

FAVORITE MOVIE: Days of Thunder.

SUPERSTITIONS: "I'm not too superstitious, but there are people who race with me who are ridiculous about superstitions. They wear the same underwear and things like that."

FAVORITE RACE TRACK: "Joliet, Ill. It's such a good track. It's brand new and the surface is great. It's one of the best tracks on the circuit, and it just happen to be the closest one to us."

IF I COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE: John Force (of Yorba Linda, Calif). He's the best racer, and he's a nice guy, too."

WHAT I LIKE TO DO TO KICK BACK: "I just went out on my buddy's boat and went fishing. I also like to go to different restaurants and try different foods."

FAVORITE FOOD: "I like making stir fry, but Cajun food is probably my favorite."

PET PEEVE: "I try not to let things bother me anymore, but I don't like people who don't know how to drive."

WHEN I'M RETIRED, I'LL DO WHAT: "I don't think I'll ever retire. That would be boring."

While Andy Bohl was weighing what classes he should take his senior year at Park High School, there was one no-brainer.