The Road I Took

Bob Norwood’s story doesn’t begin in a boardroom or with a business degree. It begins in Turlock, California in 1943 — and under the hood of a beat-up 1950 Ford sedan.

After his family relocated to rural Kansas, young Bob quickly discovered that his curiosity and hands-on skills were his ticket out of boredom and into purpose. He learned to drive at age 9, tore apart engines before his teens, and out of sheer necessity and grit, became a mechanic, welder, fabricator, tuner — and ultimately, one of the most respected minds in high-performance automotive engineering.

From early days racing at the NHRA drags in Great Bend, to building a shop in Yakima, WA, to pioneering the use of Nitrous Oxide in drag racing with Dale Armstrong, Bob’s career is a testament to adaptability, obsession with craft, and a fearless willingness to learn by doing.

Bob’s days now begin early — organizing his team, solving supply puzzles, and getting his hands dirty when needed. He's guided by checklists, intuition, and decades of experience building and fixing machines most people wouldn't dare touch.

He’s built race cars, taught himself TIG welding, coordinated 17-day endurance events, and supervised engines that could produce 2,000 ft-lbs of torque. Along the way, he's hired, fired, failed, succeeded — and never stopped pushing forward.

Bob believes in hard work, sharp focus, and staying endlessly curious. That’s the engine behind everything you’ll find on this blog.