Beat the Heat Revs Up Anti-Drug Programs

by Shelley Brinsfield

Gary Medlock pulls toward the staging area under the tall, bright lights and revs the engine in his white ’72 Chevy Camaro. White smoke billows from the car’s spinning back tires, and the smell of burnt rubber fills the night air. In the lane beside him, separated by concrete pillars, a high school student revs the engine in his yellow ’76 Chevy Nova.

Medlock, an educational officer in the police department of Wewoka, Okla., (pop. 4,069), and the teenager are about to make a pass, or timed qualifying run. The green light flashes, tires squeal, and the cars are off. The teen is aiming to “beat the heat (the police).”

It’s just another Friday night of drag racing for Medlock and the other members of Wewoka’s Beat the Heat drag race team, a “cops and kids” program that fosters communication between young people and police officers through education and drag racing.

“We want ’em to race at the track, not on the street,” Medlock says.

Diann Neal, an educational officer and a Beat the Heat pit crew member, says Gary sometimes lets the teenagers win, but not without pushing them. “He doesn’t give it to ’em. It’s neat because before or after the races, some of the guys will come up and ask about the car, so it fosters interaction between teenagers and police officers.”

Medlock was disappointed with his speed of 11.92 seconds at a speed of 108 miles per hour on the quarter-mile strip. Medlock and pit crew member Hank Neal let some air out of the tires to gain better traction and make other adjustments in a bid for speed. Other pit crew members include Medlock’s wife, Sally, who serves as crew chief, Craig Wilson, Donald Bryant and his grandson, Zachary Carter, and Ferlin and Nancy Traylor.

Medlock and the pit crew spend weekends at the races, then visit schools around the state on weekdays to talk about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and reckless driving.

Occasionally, school administrators let the team demonstrate the car’s 545-horsepower engine by revving the motor in a parking lot or on an outdoor basketball court. Members distribute promotional items like Beat the Heat trading cards, T-shirts, coloring books, and junior police badges.

The team also holds contests for teenagers to serve as honorary pit crew members, selecting two each month from schools visited by the team. Winners are chosen based on poster, essay, and poem entries.

Amanda Streater won a spot on the pit crew with her poster of a brick wall and the slogan: “Don’t take a left turn into a brick wall. Make the right turn and just say no to drugs.’’

“I thought it was cool—the racing and how fast the cars went,’’ the seventh-grader says of her stint on the crew.

Eighth-grader Darius Johnson wrote a winning essay on the importance of saying no to drugs. “I would hate for my little brother to see me doing drugs. That’s why I wrote the essay.”

Wewoka Beat the Heat members also spread their message at parades, car shows, churches, shopping malls, and festivals.

Sgt. Don Robertson of the Jacksonville, Fla., Sheriff’s Department, started the program in 1984. Today there are 200 members in 30 states and Canada.

Wewoka’s Beat the Heat program is a nonprofit organization funded by individual members, sponsors, and donations. So Medlock and others have personally invested thousands of dollars to buy and maintain the car and pay for promotional materials.

“It’s so worthwhile,” Medlock says, “if we can make a difference in one child’s life. The price of a life...you can’t put a price tag on that.”

Shelley Brinsfield writes from her home in Piedmont, Okla.

first appeared: 7/22/2001