Randy Lanier’s Weed Funded Race Team

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Talk about a wild ride!

Imagine, if you will, being a 13-year-old boy who has recently moved to Hollywood, South Florida, after a life of hard work in rural Virginia. Eventually, getting caught up with marijuana and partying, you fully embrace the lifestyle of the 1960s and '70s with your fellow hippie friends. Perhaps your father is less than thrilled at your new lifestyle choices, but you eventually begin selling weed to pay for your extravagant taste. Again your father expresses concerns over your life choices as he sends you to work in construction. Little did you know that this would be a blessing disguised as your co-workers becoming your core customer base, allowing you to buy a boat and quickly begin smuggling drugs. This was the childhood of racing's toughest rookie Randy Lanier, who eventually became America's most prolific drug smuggler and racing car driver. So how did this scrappy young teenager become such an icon in racing and organized crime?

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In 1978, Mr. Lanier began his foray into racing in a beaten-up old 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster which he bought with the money he had earned from drug smuggling. Just a short time before the start of his career, he had purchased a boat with his money and began trafficking marijuana at the request of a close friend. Randy didn't see much wrong with it at the time, as weed was less criminalized than even today, which is really saying something. However, it became clear that Lanier had a knack for racing as he barreled past other drivers faster than most would ever dare travel. Racing is a sport meant only for the most daring individuals, so Randy excelled at it. Eventually, Lanier found the darker side of drug dealing when he was confronted by a burglar in his home, which led him to call off his criminal ventures.