Teams

AESOP'S FOLLY

Garage Headquarters: Rock Hill, MO

Driver: Mike Grondahl

Mechanics: David Grondahl, Jeremy Grondahl, Lucy Grondahl

Nuts and Bolts:

"We are a bizarre combination of The Waltons, Malcolm in the Middle, and South Park," says Mike Grondahl of his "Aesop's Folly" team. Although the four teammates share the same last name, their talents vary widely. Lucy, the matriarch of the clan, has been a professional storyteller for 33 years and drives a mean five-speed wheelchair. Mike expresses his creativity through making up computer games and is studying that digital artform at Sanford-Brown College. He also possesses the ability to fall asleep anywhere at any time – which is perhaps attributable to keeping up with his sons, Jeremy and David.

Eight-year-old Jeremy is Missouri's answer to Spiderman: he climbed the equivalent of 135 stories in only one hour at an indoor rock-climbing gym. Oh yeah – and he can burp the alphabet. Last, but definitely not least, seven-year-old David is a wizard with Legos as well as a master conversationalist in two languages: English and (thanks to his dog, Max) canine. Yes, they're all very different – but Mike notes that there's one thing they do have in common: "All of us are very responsible," he says with a twinkle in his eye. "If there is trouble, one of us is probably responsible!"