Just left Dallas and I have to thank Bob Gant for one of the most fun and coolest pre- race dinner we have done; Bob even promised that he would wear his, or should I say “our,” lucky shorts during the weekend. I would have to say that it worked!
I am at home for a couple of days and then off to Gettysburg, Pa. for a NAPA AUTO PARTS Store appearance on Thursday and then I am going to drive to Reading that afternoon to meet up with Paul Mecca, who handles all of our NAPA appearances with DSR and NAPA; he is a guy that has been around the sport for quite a long time.
This is the part of the season that can be encouraging for you as a racer in the NHRA’s Countdown, or it can be frustrating for a team which worked so hard all season long, did not make the Countdown and do not have a chance at a championship. We have always seemed to be a contender of sorts, but after this last weekend, we can’t wait to get to Reading, PA and see what the conditions bring us this weekend.
We left Indy after moving up to the fifth spot in the points, only to have a strange weekend in Charlotte. For the first time in a while, we didn’t qualify in the top half of the field and it cost us big time as we lost in the opening round. Tim Richards, Kim, and the NAPA team were able to take a breath, put it behind us and focus on making up some ground in Dallas – and with the soaring temperatures there, it wasn’t going to be easy. But what happened this last weekend is the reason I brag about being able to drive the NAPA car, especially about my NAPA guys who flawlessly prepare our race car for crew chief Tim Richards to make the important tuning calls. This last weekend in Dallas was another great example of how much NAPA Know How Tim Richards has brought to our NAPA racing team. It is going to be fun to see what kind of a battle we can put up in these last four races of our season.
The way things look, as the races wind down closer and closer to Pomona, our DSR cars are going to battle each other for a championship. This is going to be fun because I know that we have four of the best Funny Cars on the grounds.
We had a great weekend in Dallas. It was hot and very tricky and the results are what have made it so much fun to be able to watch Tim, Kim and the NAPA guys work their magic. We won first round, but lost lane choice for the second round. Not having lane choice at that track in that kind of heat normally would mean your day is over, but Tim actually not only won the round, but sent me and the NAPA car down the right lane with the quickest run of the session! We then watched my brother Jon get by my teammate Jack. So, for the first time ever, I got to line up with my brother Jon in competition, a pretty special moment I have to tell you. I am extremely proud of what he does, but it was a little hard to put those emotions aside and concentrate on trying to get our NAPA car into the finals, and that is what Tim did. It was a hairy ride, we struck the tires loose and I was frantically trying to get the NAPA car hooked up and I came very, very close to the wall near the finish line. But we were in the final round and once again we were going to be in that right lane, which was a small hurdle. Tim made a great call and we ran 4.27, but Cruz made a heck of a run with a 4.20 next to us and we had to settle for runner-up. Overall, it was a great weekend for us in the points as we climbed back into fifth place and are only three rounds out of the lead. With the cool weather forecasted for Reading….it is going to be a very fast and interesting weekend and – we can’t wait!
I am going to be at NAPA Gettysburg on Thursday prior to the race and if you are in that area, come spend your lunch hour with me – I just might have a few Full Throttle race tix to give away. If you are one of the many who are going to the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in October, be sure to follow my Twitter feed and our Facebook fan page for all of the cool stuff like the NAPA kick-off party on that Thursday night at Chuys, and I will be giving a few free tix away for the event that night as well. Talk to you next week!