There comes a time in drag racing when a car enters the scene and everyone sits back and says “DAMN”, that is exactly what happened when “Gotti” emerged last season.

For years I have known who Marcus Birt was, what he drove, and how great of a driver he was. My first experience with him in person was in Macon when he was set to grudge race Stevie Fast one night. That is also the night that I learned what kind of humor is hidden within Marcus’ soul, as he lost the race and paid the bet off in all rolled coin that was in the trunk of a car. Needless to say, there were some unhappy people regarding the situation, but at the same time, that is grudge racing and it was some funny shit.

We all talk about family in drag racing, and that is no more apparent that when we talk about Marcus Birt and the Adams family. Mike Adams is the man in charge, and the owner of Mike Adams Towing in Macon, GA. He is also the owner of the car better known in the N/T world as “Gotti”. What most don’t know though, is that this a a family business that Mike started almost 30 years ago. In fact, Mike has been in the towing and recovery business since his late teens, and has managed to make a great business out of it for his family and kids.

While David Hilner and I were at the shop, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mike and get a little of the back story. He told me about growing up and some of the other cars that he raced over the years. We talked about the towing business, and how he took the area that no one wanted, until he showed them all how it’s done and was able to make a damn good living doing it. I asked Mike how he and Marcus hooked up, and he told me that they used to race against each other back in the day. Then Marcus ended up coming to work for Mike at the towing business and have been a solid team ever since.

When I tell you that this is a family deal, that might be an understatement. Mike and his wonderful wife Judy spend their days at the shop, while their two youngest sons are both still in High School. Mack and Matthew, who most of you have seen at the track a time or two are not only physical giants, but also completely softies at heart. Their love for their family is second to none. Watching those two around their dad and mom is an absolute treat. There is a third Adams boy as well, the oldest son Lane works for Mike at the shop, and is also a gear head at heart. There is also a fourth Adams boy, and his name is Goat, another teenage in the group. Lord help Mike and Judy with those three teenagers.

Marcus is obviously the one that all of you know behind the wheel of Gotti, but recently Matthew got to take a stab at driving that beast. Matthew in fact has another car that he drives in the N/T and Grudge scene from time to time as well. I asked Matthew what it felt like to drive Gotti, and the smile on that boys face was brighter than the brightest sunrise over the horizon. He went on to gush about how much fun it was to be wheeling that car.

I am sure that most of you are wondering about the car itself. Well as per usual, there are a lot of things that we don’t talk about in the N/T and grudge world, so I will tell you what I am allowed to. What I can divulge to you is that the Camaro was built by David Reese in Georgia. Most of you know David from the feature we did on his RvW car El Diablo II. Gotti is powered by a Fulton engine and fed a bunch of nitrous. All that is sent through a Mark Micke M&M Transmission. Obviously when you want to win and it is your money on the line, you want suspension that is going to make that happen. Gotti is fitted with Menscer Motorsports on the corners and Mickey Thompson rubber out back.

As you can see, we couldn’t stop drooling over Gotti. I had the honor of being the first photographer to photograph this car on track last year at the infamous House of Hook, and I will tell you that the car looks just as good at the track busting the competition as it does sitting in front of the shop. David and I would also like to thank Mike, Judy, Matthew, Mack, and the rest of the Mike Adams Towing family for allowing us the privilege of capturing the car. And for that absolutely delicious steak dinner too Judy, that was a tough drive home after that.