POWERGRAMS

44 foremen and all the guys on the crews," Funderburk said. "Most of the time, everything ran smoothly in the garage. But when a bunch of trucks broke down at the same time, it could get really stressful." Life in the fast lane One reason Funderburk preferred the night shift is because it gave him more time for his passion – drag racing. Although Funderburk went to the drag strip in Montgomery as a teenager, it was almost by accident that he started racing. "I bought a Chevrolet Vega when I was 24," said Funderburk. "I wanted to tear it down and make it into a real nice street car, but it turned into a full- fledged race car." After a year of allowing a friend to take the wheel, Funderburk stepped into the driver's seat and is still drag racing in his beloved cobalt blue Vega with charcoal and gray stripes. "I've always raced that car," said Funderburk. "I know what it will do and what will work, and I don't want to take a chance on another car." Funderburk cites two instances when victory was particularly sweet. The first was when his parents traveled with him to Atmore. It was the only time they were able to stay for a whole race. He took first place that night. The other instance was when he won his first National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) race in 2008. Before this time, he had mainly been competing in races across south Alabama. "It was my first NHRA win, and I was able to share it with my mom before she had complications from surgery and passed away the next week. That really made it special," Funderburk said. Since then, Funderburk has raced all over the Southeast, including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana and Kentucky. He has a professional setup, with a fully equipped 4,000-square-foot shop at his Tallassee home where he fine- tunes and perfects his "baby." Funderburk travels in a 48-foot-long trailer that serves as living quarters for him and storage for his car at the track. Since his retirement on Feb. 7, Funderburk has more time to head to the tracks. He has taken on a part-time job driving an 18-wheeler to help "feed" his racing habit. "I enjoy the excitement and thrill of going 140 miles an hour," Funderburk said. "But the main thing is the friends I've made from all over the United States. We always park together at the track, hang out together, cook together and swap racing stories around the fire pit. It's like a family reunion every time we go to the racetrack." Funderburk also volunteers in his community. He served 14 years as a volunteer firefighter in Tallassee and lived in the fire station for six years, allowing him to be on the spot for emergency calls. Funderburk received emergency medical technician and hazardous materials training, and rose to become assistant fire chief. Since 2009, Funderburk has been a board member for the fire department in Friendship, and often responds to fire calls. "Helping to save property and lives is very rewarding," he said. Funderburk's co-workers agree he is missed around the garage. "Brian is very competitive and a good racer," said Clarence Woodham, Southern Division utility fleet technician and a fellow drag racer. "We've been friends for so long. We've worked together and raced together. We're like family." Eufaula Garage Foreman Tim Wesley said he could always count on Funderburk. "Brian knows everybody and everybody knows Brian," said Wesley, who worked with Funderburk for 21 years before moving to Eufaula. "He is a trusted friend, knew and did his job well, was good to his word and only a radio call away, and in his 27-plus years with fleet, never let me down. What else can you ask for?" Photo by Dan Bynum Funderburk races a Chevy Vega.

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