National Guard Staff Sgt. Steve DeMott recently returned from a year-long deployment in Iraq to a big surprise: His Bandit Sprint Series car had received a massive makeover courtesy of his teammates and buddies from the racing community.

“I don't even know how to say thank you to everybody,” said DeMott, 45. “At first I thought they just painted it.”

But the makeover went much deeper than paint.

“The only thing left on my car is the frame and steering wheel,” he said. “I still can't believe they did that.”

During one of last season's final races, his colleagues passed DeMott's helmet in the stands to gather money for the effort.

“We told them he went to Iraq and him and all the other guys and gals were going over so we can do what we're doing - race,” said Charlotte Larsen of his 3Wide Racing team sponsor, Santa Maria Masonry.

They raised just shy of $1,000 from that effort alone.

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“We used every dime of it and then some,” said Mike Larsen, DeMott's team member and another Bandit Sprint Series driver.

Individuals and business donated heavily to fuel the overhaul of the driver's sprint car.

“Everybody pulled together or it wouldn't have happened,” added team member and sprint car driver Bill Jones of Santa Maria.

Nipomo residents Mike and Kurt Larsen, along with Jones, Ron Mename of Nipomo and Landon Kingsley of Santa Maria spearheaded the refurbishing work.

From front to rear, the car has been remade through donations from R. Burke Corp., Maaco, B.R. Motorsports, Stinger Chassis, Kittle Motorsports and J&J Chassis. Sponsors' logos shine against the new layer of black powder-coat paint with bright pink trim, from Acme Powder Coating. On the nose now sit an American flag and the words “Support our troops,” thanks to Artistic Impressions. Even his fire protection suit boasts new embroidery.

“It didn't look this nice before,” DeMott said.

Yet the car doesn't just look better. Prior to the overhaul, his race car's body panels were loose, “so the car rattled a lot,” he said.

“That's putting it mildly,' a friend said.

Now bolts hold the panels in place, keeping noise down.

DeMott was among a couple dozen Guardsmen who landed May 3 at Santa Maria Public Airport. A short time later his buddies showed up at DeMott's home with a race car carrier. He thought they were going to show off one of their cars. It wasn't until he saw his distinctive number - 35D - that reality hit.

DeMott was “dumbfounded,” Mike Larsen said.

“I still can't believe it. They put thousands and thousands of dollars into this car,” DeMott said.

DeMott has spent 24 years in the National Guard. One year after returning from a deployment to Guantanamo Bay, the Santa Maria-based National Guardsman got orders again.

He left in 2007 for a year-long assignment in Iraq, where he was assigned to support convoys, which typically moved at night.

To help focus on his duties in the dangerous war zone, the father of six squelched his love for racing during his deployment, only occasionally inquiring about his car or team during calls home to his wife Renee.

Later this month the citizen soldier returns to his civilian job as the transportation operations manger for Greka Energy.

“I've forgotten how to do stuff,” he said. “I haven't done it in a year. Going back to work, it's going to be an adjustment.”

He's taking a couple of weeks to “decompress” from being at war, where regular booms kept him on constant guard; loud sounds can still startle him.

“Every time you hear a pop there, it's someone shooting at you,” he said.

Transportation issues slightly delayed DeMott's return from Iraq - a hold-up welcomed by the team working on the Guardsman's race car. They only finished it a few hours before its unveiling.

Saturday night, just hours after landing in Santa Maria, DeMott was behind the wheel and on the track at the Santa Maria Speedway, slowly adjusting to the sport of speed after a world of war.

“I didn't want to scratch it,” he said, adding that he finished 10th. “It took me half the race to remember how it's done, then I started going fast again.”

He's got time till the next race, set for May 24 at the speedway, when he gets to take his nearly new car back to the track.

Meanwhile, he asked, “How can you say thank you for something like this?”

Janene Scully can be reached at 739-2214 or janscully@santa

mariatimes.com.

May 11, 2008