Route 2003

As I've said many times, the off-season is way too short. I guess another way of looking at it would be to say that the racing season is far too full of disappointment and frustration. Don't get me wrong, I'm no big fan of winter. I don't ski, snowmobile, or have a team of sled dogs, although as a resident of upstate New York, sometimes I could use one. I think the best part of winter is that I actually go two months without any major debacles

A late start

For a variety of reasons, I elected to skip the season opener in Pomona. First was the minor detail of not having a tow vehicle. Donnie Peden of Country Motor Trailer Sales had a solution that involved a whole lot of money going from my checking account to his, but that's life in the big city. If I weren't so picky, the folks at NRC Modifications (a conversion manufacturer) probably would have completed it in time, but me being me, I had to change things again and again, and, eventually, we just ran out of time for Pomona. As much as I like racing in Pomona, I didn't really want to take my slightly oversized dog-and-- pony show past the Banning, Calif., scales anyway. My idea of a good start to the season does not include a war of words with the folks at the California DOT.

So, after missing Pomona, I flew to Peden's shop in Illinois to pick up the new unit and hauled butt to Phoenix - and I do mean hauled butt. Much like POWERade, my new rig has "Very Real Power" - raw. unadulterated power.

From my father's tow rigs when I was a child to my most recent motorhome, I've never had a rig with steam to spare. Now I've got one. I can set the cruise control at whatever speed I want and get it. As a rule, my goal every year is to win races. This year's goal is to obtain a speeding ticket for at least 80 going uphill. Of course I'm just kidding about that. I try to follow the posted speed limits, but it is nice to have the extra towing power when I need it.

Sun and fun in Phoenix

I arrived in Phoenix a week before the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals, dumped the new motorhome at the rented storage lot of my good friend Tom Ely, and caught a plane back home. I know that sounds silly, but my two sons had the following week off from school and were coming with me to Phoenix, so I had to go home to fly back with them. This way, I also went to the race fresh, not beat up from driving for three straight days. Oh, and I guess more importantly, I got to be home for Valentine's Day.

After a few days at the house, my boys, Thomas and Timothy, and I hit the friendly skies for Phoenix. I had to test some tires for Mickey Thompson on Monday; that helped me get the cars and myself ready after the winter hiatus. The same day, reigning NHRA Super Comp champion Jim Hughes came by and picked up the kids for a couple of days of fun and games. Through our travels, my kids and his have become friends, so that worked out great. They loaded up a few dirt bikes, headed off to the desert, and had a big time.

Wednesday rolled around quickly enough, and it was time to get back into things: parking, tech, fluid changes, valvelash adjustments, sticker procurement -- typical pre-race activities. That night, the boys and I and our good friend Bernie Cunningham attended the Phoenix Suns versus Houston Rockets NBA basketball game. It was NHRA night, so we were happy to take advantage of the half-price ticket deal that was offered. If you know me, you know that I hunt bargains like a bum looking for a bologna sandwich. A couple quick observations from the game: Yao Ming is very tall, and those thunderstick things are very loud. As you might have guessed, my kids have gotten ahold of some of those thunder-stick things.

Thursday brought my first look at the new LED Christmas Tree lights. As expected, my reaction time was just a few hundredths quicker than normal. The solution was simple: add some time to the delay box and move on. Oh, wait, in Super Stock and Stock, I can't use a delay box. Oh well, there are other ways to achieve the desired result. LOL, as my friends on the Internet would say.

Later that night, we headed off to the local Hooters, where I was scheduled to be a guest on a radio show dedicated to racing. The place was packed with racers and, by most accounts, a good time was had by all. Heck, NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart was even kind enough to pick up our dinner check. Note to Alan: next time, call tails.

The racing on Friday and Saturday went well, and come Sunday morning, I was still in competition with both cars. So far, I was having a stellar week. The boys and I had a great time together, we did fun things, and I got the feeling that I was about to start the year with a double win. Life was good.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, things took a decided turn for the worse. I rolled up for the first run of the day in Super Stock and proceeded to red-light by .001. "One-- stinkin'-thousandth" as Bob Frey would say. Schucks, darn, etc., etc. Well, this is why I race two cars: Make a mistake in one, come back and redeem yourself in the other. You can also go out and blow the other one up, which is what I did in my B/SA Camaro. As I was about to reach the semifinals, the engine in the Stocker decided it was time to go. Three cars left at a national event and I couldn't return for the semifinal round. Words cannot sufficiently describe the gut-wrenching, just-want-to-puke-the-inner-lining-of-your-- stomach-out feeling that I had at that moment.