Hockey sticks, nets and soccer balls cluster near the front of the garage - evidence of his kids' love for sports. Near the back of the garage, however, is Paul's passion.
An old Ford Bronco is hidden away behind a cover and a collection of garden odds and ends. At the front of the house is his treasure - a 1975 Ford Bronco, painted in red and black with giant mud tires.
"She can still go," he said with a smile as he looked over the vehicle.
Five years ago, Loughead had planned to restore the truck to roadworthy shape. Around the same time, his cousin convinced him to go for a ride in his truck during an off-road race.
"He'd been doing it for a while, so I figured I'd jump in with him and see what it was about."
That taste was all he'd need to be hooked.
"I realized right away I needed to make some changes to the old truck. It wasn't going to be just for the streets any more."
Racing is nothing new for Loughead, who used to race jet skis competitively. After being away from competition for a while, he decided to jump back into it on dry land.
"I guess the racing bone never left my body."
Skip ahead to today, and Loughead is gearing up the old Bronco for the races next weekend at Glenholme, hosted by Colchester County Off-Road Racing.
Eight classes of drivers will be going at it all weekend long, from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. There will be drag, side-by-side and slalom races throughout the weekend, and lots of fun, he said.
"The competitiveness of it is what brings everyone in," he said. "When you see these guys out there on the slalom track, racing to beat the clock, that's when you feel what it's all about."
While the drivers may be competitive, it's also a tight-knit group who bend over backwards to help each other, he said.
"The camaraderie is great. Everybody is out there helping each other out. You'll have one guy helping another guy by lending him parts, when that guy can turn around and beat his time."
Action will get underway June 28 at 10 a.m., and pick up again Sunday at 9 a.m. Admission will be $15 for a weekend pass, or $10 per day for adults and $5 for kids.
For more information, check out www.maritimeoffroadracing.com.
