Fairhaven Woman Needs Sponsors to Keep Racing in Son’s Memory

FAIRHAVEN (WBSM) — If you’ve driven around Fairhaven, you may have spotted Christine Peirce in the “Red Dragon,” a 1978 Chevy Camaro. You may not know, however, that the car doubles as a drag racer at Seekonk Speedway and other tracks.

Peirce races the car in what are called “spectator drags,” which are races in which anyone can participate. Competitors race for both prize money and a trophy.

“It’s where any spectator who comes to Seekonk can take their daily driver car, and if they have a helmet, a proper seat belt and stuff like that, and make sure you have the proper registration on your car, you can pay your $30 and get on the track with the other cars and have a great time,” Pierce said in an appearance on WBSM.

Peirce said her boyfriend, Rob Gingras, had been racing the Camaro at Seekonk Speedway for a couple of years, along with some other cars he has built.

He suggested it was her turn to give racing a try.

“He said, ‘Hey, do you want to race my Camaro at spectator drags?’ and I said sure,” Peirce said.

She got her start at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire in 2022, and in her first season of racing, she got in 100 laps.

“It was a lot for my first year,” she said.

At first, Peirce was just racing for herself. Unfortunately, she would soon have something else for which to race, as tragedy struck the family.

On June 23, 2022, her 23-year-old son Trevor took his own life after a silent battle with mental illness.

“We really didn’t think he had at all a problem with mental health. It was very unexpected and he didn’t leave us any reason why,” Peirce said. “It’s been a mother’s worst nightmare, the whole family’s worst nightmare, something like that happening. It’s a daily struggle.”

Racing went from passion to necessity, as it became her lifeline amidst all the anguish.

“After he passed, (racing) kind of gave me more of an outlet that gave me something to look forward to,” she said. “Your head gets quiet when you race.”

Now, when she races, Trevor is with her in spirit in the passenger seat.

“I talk to him before and say, ‘Ok, you ready? Help keep me safe and let’s go,’” she said.

She also keeps his stuffed Piglet puppet right next to her during the race.

“He keeps me safe, makes me feel brave and gives me more motivation to be confident,” Peirce said.

Peirce and her mother also helped to create a tribute to Trevor at Fairhaven’s Livesey Park, with a memorial bench and recently planting 450 yellow tulips as part of the Yellow Tulip Project.

The organization seeks to “smash the stigma around mental illness – one tulip at a time," according to its website.

“My mother came across the Yellow Tulip Project, she asked me about that, and I said heck yeah, let’s do it,” Peirce said.

“We planted 450 tulips at Livesey Park and I did a GoFundMe to have the bench done, and that was perfect," she said.

The memorial now serves as a peaceful place to remember loved ones who have passed, while sitting close to the skate park that Trevor would visit frequently with his friends.

As racing has become her solace in dealing with her immense loss, Peirce is now hoping someone from the community can help her continue on with what she loves. She is seeking a sponsor to help her pay for new tires for the “Red Dragon” so she can continue racing in Trevor’s memory.

“I’m sure it’s well over a thousand dollars,” she said. “I do want to make sure that if a business does help me out, that it’s the right fit.”

Peirce is offering to put signage or logos on the Camaro not only during races, but also as she drives each day.

“I drive this car a lot around town, so people are seeing me all the time,” she said.

Anyone that wishes to sponsor Peirce and the “Red Dragon” can reach out to her via email at jejap525@hotmail.com or via Facebook.