Why 54?

Why am I so obsessed with the number 54? There are a few reasons.

1. I actually requested the number 34 when I was autocrossing my Saturn with the Cumberland Motor Club—a tribute to the famous #34 ITA Saturn SC that had quite a successful racing career in the SCCA. (I was autocrossing my own Saturn at the time.) That number wasn’t available, so they gave me 54 instead. I had number magnets made that I could slap on any car (except, ironically, a Saturn), so the number just literally stuck.

b. The Car 54, Where Are You? jokes came to a head when I drove an ex-cop Ford Crown Victoria. I couldn’t give the number up after that.

iii. I was late to the game, and the username JustinHughes was already taken for a domain and on social media. Adding a number was an easy way to get the unique online identity I needed.