Editor’s note: WGCU interviewed Roger, Scotty and Amy McCandless for a swamp buggy documentary airing in January. Roger, 76, died in October after fighting leukemia. The following was excerpted from the interview.
For father and son, Roger and Scotty McCandless, swamp buggy racing in Southwest Florida is a family tradition.
“I ran the original Rat On,” said Roger McCandless. “So that's where all of this began.”
The buggy's name lives on.
“We built this buggy for pretty much, Dad,” said Scotty McCandless, pointing to the new Rat On in a backyard shop. “Because it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be racing.”
Roger loved watching his son Scotty drive.
“It gives you butterflies, you know, just seeing, because I've got pictures of him … sitting in my lap driving out of the pits,” recalled Roger. “So, at one time he got up to the age and said, ‘Well, Dad, I’d like to try it. I said, ‘Well, if we're going to do it, let's do it right.’”
Swamp buggy racing in the Collier County community of Naples officially began in 1949. Local historians say the unique sport is among Naples’ oldest traditions. Some families lay claim to several generations of drivers for the buggies crafted in shops throughout Southwest Florida.
Roger recounted how the technology has changed since he began driving.
“Over the years, we evolved and came up with lighter rear ends, wheels, steering, the whole system. The trick is to build it light and wind it tight. You'll be back first.”
Roger McCandless competed on the mud and water-filled Naples racecourse against another familiar name, Leonard Chesser, often called the godfather of swamp buggy racing.
Decades later, Roger's son Scotty, and Leonard's daughter Amy, married.
Scotty and Amy McCandless, who is also a driver, share a 5-year-old daughter, Bristol.
Said Scotty, “There's a lot of bloodline that runs through her.”
Said Amy, “Yeah, we call her a purebred.”
Roger added, “Then, hopefully one day, I may not see it, but Scott and Amy will see Bristol, my granddaughter, see her drive. There won't be any trouble with her. You put her in there and tell her what to do, and she'll do it. She has no fear.”
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