BLAZING TRAILS

Failure is only a fact when you give up. Everyone gets knocked down, the question is: Will you get back up?

2011-09-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well as usually it has been a little bit since I have checked in and man oh man do I have a lot to tell you. We have moved our race shop to Daytona Beach and are putting the finishing touches on the new shop. This is a dream come true for Chris and myself. We have worked so hard for the past 10 years and then some to get to this point and every morning when I pull into my parking spot, I think this is OURS!!!!

So not only it is the coolest Jet Shop, we are work with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to start up their Research Park. I can't tell you much yet, but stay tuned because there is so much going on right now. I never dreamed that 20 years ago when I went down the dragstrip in my 75 Vega, that it would ever turn into this. But here we are and I don't even know if I can dream big enough to know where this is going to take us. So in February we are having our Grand Opening. We will also do a mini opening in December for the PRI show. If you are in the area, I will post the dates and we would love to show you what we have been working so hard on.

With moving our shop, we had to relocate as well, so we sold our house and purchased a new one not far from the shop. Nice to be close, but still able to get away. We are still unpacking and putting the finishing touches on the house. Nitro isn't quite sure what is going on, and he misses chasing the squirrels and kitty's, but he is adjusting. He loves coming to work with us everyday at the shop and has made many new friends. Andrew is adjusting as well, he is doing the Florida Virtual School this year and I am so proud of him. He does his school in the morning and then afternoons he works with Chris in the shop to earn money for a car as he will be 15 very soon. YIKES!!!!

All of that should be enough, but we are just getting started. A few weeks ago we announced the addition of a new driver Marisha Falk. Marisha is 24 and will drive the Embry-Riddle jet dragster for the 2012 season. She is an Alumni of Embry-Riddle with a degree in Aeronautical Science. We have know Marisha for over 4 years when we met up at EAA in Oshkosh, WI. She looked at the dragster and was hooked. We have been working with Marisha for that past few years and she is going to make a great addition to the Larsen Motorsports Team. Marisha's dragster is at the shop getting the final touches put on her and as soon as possible we are going to have her start making some test passes. She is so talented and dedicated, I know she will make an amazing driver. I will be driving the Miller Welding jet dragster full time and we will be racing across the country together.

Speaking of racing, we have been busy on that front as well. Larsen Motorsports has visited a lot of our favorite tracks so far in 2011. Everything was going well until we hit the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova, IL Friday nights pass went well came back the next day to make two passes on Saturday. Unfortunately on the first pass Saturday evening we had an issue. The car sustained some damage, and I am fine, but was very sad. I have to thank everyone at Cordova for helping us that evening as well as the Miller Road Show guys. Talk about true pros!!! Never fear, my beautiful baby is back at the shop getting worked on to be better than ever.

There is never any rest. We are working hard to put the Miller dragster back in circulation as quickly as possible while finishing up the year with the Embry-Riddle jet dragster. It has been an interesting experience. You sure do realize very quickly who your friends are in times of need. Failure is only a fact when you give up. Everyone gets knocked down, the question is: Will you get back up?

Take care, be safe and we WILL see you at the races!!!
luv ya,
e

Gotta Love it!!!

2011-07-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

After almost 10 years driving a jet dragster, it is still so much fun to be knee deep in racing. Every year I always wonder how we are going to be able to do this and keep up the pace, and sure enough, we just keep getting busier. I wouldn't have it any other way. I realize that there are a million people out there right now that would give anything to be in my position. Racing for two teams, living my dreams with my family. Pretty cool!!!

Here are some highlights since we last talked. We have officially moved to Daytona Beach. We are in our new shop full time and have just purchased our new home!!! With the help from a friends and lot of very dedicated Embry-Riddle students, things are really starting to take shape in the new shop. A lot of back breaking work and so many long hours have gone into making this place shine!!! We can't move into our house for a few more weeks, but that works out as we are on the road racing for most of the summer.

Racing has been amazing. The new 2011 Embry-Riddle jet dragster is running great. She didn't have very many bugs, I think we are getting a handle on these jet cars. The Miller jet dragster continues to shine with her large fire!!! We have put many miles on both rigs getting them from Bradenton, FL to Norwalk, OH twice and just leaving Maple Grove Raceway.

For up to date news, we will be running at 3 NHRA National events this year. We are kicking it off with the US Nationals in Indy!!! Then we go back to Maple Grove and finally we hit Firebird Raceway Park in AZ. Jets have not run at National events in over 15 years. We can't wait to show everyone a little smoke and fire!!!!

Andrew is going into the 9th grade. Scary, I remember when he was so little and the only thing he cared about was his hot wheels cars. Soon he will be driving a real car. Chris has been very busy at the shop and just made a trip out to Prescott, AZ to catch up with the Embry-Riddle students working on a jet dragster!!!

All seems to be coming together. I hope that many of you check out the website www.ElaineLarsen.com to see where we are racing next and if you want up to date info, join my facebook page.

I hope everyone has a great summer and we will see you at the races.

luv ya,
e

In Memory of a Great Friend Dick Rosberg

2011-05-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

On May 23, 2011 a legend in drag racing passed away. Dick Rosberg, a dedicated family man, a record breaking racer and an amazing friend left us today. It is with a heavy heart for those of us who is left no longer have this amazing man that was such a charmer. We all have many memories and Dick has touched so many people in his entire life. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and for all of the friends that will miss him. Chris and I were lucky enough to have him in our life. We will miss you my friend.

Luv you,
e

Jet Shop

2011-05-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

The middle of May is here already and we have already been so many places. Last weekend we were in Norwalk, OH for the NHRA division race. We only had one shot at running as the weather was not good for racing. We ran 5.40 at 296 mph. Not a bad way to kick it in. As racing is always fun and exciting, we have so much that is going on behind the scene. Some of you may not know, but we are moving and opening our new shop in Daytona Beach, FL. We will be moving into Embry-Riddle's new Research Park. Our new shop is over 12,000 and we are giving her a beautiful facelift. It will be open to the public during the week when we are not off racing around the country.

I thought driving a screaming fast jet dragster was challenging, not even close to what we are doing. We have our home of 21 years for sale, we have closed all of our other shops and closing our eyes and taking that leap of faith. You know in the Transformers movie when he says you don't want to regret that you didn't get in the car. Well we definitely got in the car. So not only are we in the middle of a full race season, we are showing our home, while renovating our shop and looking for new homes. Anything else........bring it on!!!!!

Other than that, it seems like life is just flying by. This summer we have soooooooo much planned for the summer 2011. We are visiting new a race tracks Maryland International Raceway, in June for the NMCA. Can't wait for that. We will also be back to the EAA Air Venture in Oshkosh, WI, Summit Motorsports Park Night Under Fire and then are you ready for this.......We will be at the NHRA's race at Maple Grove Race way in October. If you haven't checked out the schedule lately, make sure you do as you don't want to miss a second.

If you are not my friend on Facebook, make sure as that is the easiest way to stay up to date on every that is going on. Okay so I forgot something very very exciting that is happening in June. Chris and I will be celebrating our 25 wedding anniversary. He is my best friend and I can't believe that it has already been 25 years. When we took that leap of faith 8 years ago for him to quit his job and for us to go racing full time, we never guessed that this is where we would end up. Here is a thought I want to leave you with:

In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality. ~Kristian Kan

luv ya,
e

Kickin in the New Year!!!

2011-04-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Okay the time is ticking away so quick. I can't believe that it is already the middle of April and we have completed 4 races. The brand new Embry-Riddle car has made her debut, 2 airshows and a tornado. HUMMMMM sound like fun, you bet ya!!!!! We kick off the year with the Miller Jet Dragster in Bradenton, FL two weeks later we traveled to Belle Rose, LA. I couldn't be happier on how the dragster is running. She is coming back just as good as last year not skipping a beat. Now the new Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster, we had to shake down and get her running. New cars are always fun, if you believe that Nitro says HA!!!! After a few bugs, we got her running great. Hey maybe we are getting good at this. She made her debut at Cycle Palooza and then just ran at the ADRL show.

Now on to the tornado, yes a tornado. We were just sitting there and the next thing we knew it the skies opened up and I thought I saw the scarecrow!!! Luckily we didn't have any damage, but unfortunately others were not as lucky. Clean up was not fun, but the airshow must go on.

So now I have to talk about the ADRL show. The cars were amazing, we were there for a reason....filming a new promo for Larsen Motorsports. We always try to change things up every year, but I think this is going to be pretty cool. We wanted to show the entire operation. i can't wait for the production team to finish and I will post it as soon as possible.

So that covers the racing, now lets talk about the business side of Larsen Motorsports. We are moving!!!!!! Yes moving. I can't wait, Daytona Beach here we come. The new shop is getting a facelift as we speak, crews are working so many hours to make her a show place. Photos to come. Moving the shop means we are selling our house and buying a new one. Wish us luck in this real estate market. So here we are almost to Easter and guess what we are doing???? Racing of course. We are heading to Summit Motorpsorts Park this weekend to have a little fun. Others will be hunting Easter Eggs, we will be hunting MPH and ET!!!!

If you aren't my facebook friend, log on today. That is the best way to keep up to date with everything that happens at Larsen Motorsports. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend. Be safe and make sure and have fun!!!!

luv ya,
e

Power Block TV

2011-03-15T06:49:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Make sure you check out Power Block TV this weekend, March 19-20. I had the chance to bring the Miller Jet Dragster to the studio and spend some time with Courtney. Very cool. Go to www.PowerBlockTV.com to get show times near you.

luv ya,
e

Hello 2011

2011-01-23T03:59:00.001-08:00

Well here we are almost at the end of January and 2011 has already kicked off. Crazy. Larsen Motorsports has a lot of very cool things on the horizon, but we have to make sure and keep focused on what is in front of us first. So, what has been going on, LOTS. I flew out to Nashville to meet up with Miller Marketing to do a TV show called Power Block TV which airs on Spike. We were asked to bring the Miller Jet Dragster and myself for a couple of days of shooting. Sounded like fun. When I was telling people of my plans all I heard was "you get to meet Courtney Hansen, she is HOT!!!" Not wow, you get to go and see the Muscle Car, Trucks, Xtreme 4x4, and Horsepower stages and see what goes on behind the scenes. Crazy boys!!!! Anyway, I flew in and meet up with Travis from the Road show and Vickie from Marketing. We loaded in the car at the Power Block studios and got the tour. Very very cool. It was impressive to see that the sets were as cool in real life as they are on TV. A lot of work goes on in the studios, it isn't just shipped out and the brought back to the show. I would have loved to have taken pictures, but of course, they won't let you do that, which I totally understand. Sorry!!!

Anyway for those of you that want to know, No Courtney was not there on the the first day. The next morning and we were back at the Studios. You could feel the difference in the air on filming day. Time for hair and make-up and before you knew it my turn had come. Here is your Courtney scoop, she is as pretty in real life as she is on TV. Very tall and beautiful. But here is the best part, she is really nice and knows her stuff!!!! We had a blast talking to each other, and I was so impressed when I walked away. All of the camera guys and the producers were great and a lot of fun to work with. Now the guy who put my mike on, I have to wonder about him!!! wink wink!!!

We shot our part and then it was time for some photos. I will post the photos that they send to me as soon as I get them in. The show will air March 19-20 on Spike Network during the Power Block time in the morning. I hope that you will watch.

Back to the airport and time to fly out as we had a Military Days to set up for the next day. It was at University High School in Orange City, FL We brought out the brand new 2011 Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster to help recruit students. It rained on Friday, but it didn't matter, the students still came out and asked a lot of great questions. We loaded the dragster up and hit the road. 2 events done already.

The check list is long for 2011, but if we just keep marking them off, things will get done. My 2011 schedule is going to be posted, so make sure you mark your calenders and come out to support us. I am going to be adding some merchandise to my website soon as well. Also for those of you that love jet cars and want to keep up to date with your favorite drivers, don't forget to check out www.njraracing.com

luv ya,
e

Where has the time gone

2010-12-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well it is a chilly December day and I am just trying to avoid doing my work. Anyone out there feel the same way???? Some days it is just hard to get focused as you can tell from my lack of blogs. Well where we left off was not a good place and I just had to take a break to get my head together. I had just had an issue with my Embry-Riddle jet dragster in Columbus, OH and it set us back more than what I had hoped. But the good news is that all is good now. I took a few weeks off to heal mentally and physically. It was sorely needed. It seems like for the past few years I have had only one speed and that is all out. The wrecked forced me to take things a little slower for a bit and what I found out about myself is that I only have one speed!!! Please don't ever make me take things slow again. So lets get to the good stuff....RACING!!!

We tested the Miller Jet Dragster the first part of November to get me some seat time before my first race schedule for the Orlando Night of Fire. You always wonder after you wreck if you are going to be the same in the car or how it is going to feel. Well let me tell you the butterflies were moving around pretty bad when they were putting me in the car but when I heard Chris say "here we go in 3,2,1!" and the car came to life, the only feeling I had was HOME!!! This is what I was put on the earth to do! I love my jet cars!!! We made some 1/8Th mile passes to make sure all was good and my baby didn't disappoint. 218 mph in the 1/8Th and boy oh boy did that feel good! Here are a couple of photos from the day.

Hopefully you can tell from my smile that I LOVE this life!!! So we loaded up the car and it was time to get ready to race. The Miller Jet Racing team loaded into Orlando Speed World where we were racing a good friend Terry Rosberg and the Thriller jet dragster. Orlando was the first track that I ever raced at, and it was great to be back. They had a packed house and the crowd sure did get a great show. 6 jet teams 2 jet trucks and 2 wheel standers. Unfortunately it rained after our first pass and it cut the evening short, but WE WERE BACK!!!

The next weekend we headed south to Palm Beach International Raceway in West Palm Beach, FL tough life!!! We were racing Jerry McCart and his Glory Days jet dragster. 4 great passes, what more can you ask for. A good friend was on had to catch this amazing photo. Get your hot dogs ready!!!

Rest, who needs rest, I had been off for 2 months and it was time to race. So for the last race of the year we head to Bradenton Motorsports Park for the Snowbird Nationals. To say that we were ready to have a good time would be an under statement. We loaded into the track and just knew that it was going to be a great day. Saturday morning and the sun is shinning we got to the track. Again I was racing Jerry McCart. Standing room only and the crowd is pumped up!!! On their feet cheering going wild and the jet cars blasted down the 1/4 mile!! Huge fire and Bob Motz ending up the show with his amazing jet semi!!! Everyone made great passes down the track and we put an end to 2010!!! After we hung out with all of the other racers and let our hair down, sorry no photos!!!! What a way to end the year. We loaded up the car for the last time and headed home.

The next week was the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando, FL where all of the who is who of racing comes out to see what the manufacturers have for us. This year we had a booth. Larsen Motorsports had a huge announcement. The National Jet Racing Association (NJRA) was launched. Now for more info on what the NJRA is you need to visit our website at www.njraracing.com to get the scoop.

So 2010 is over and it is time to look to 2011 and what it has in store for us. I can sure tell you that we have lots of exciting things happening. New shops, new dragsters, new trailers and graphics, TV, and hopefully new adventures with all of the fans!!! So for 2010 we put away the smoke, fire and the screaming fast passes down the 1/4 mile until the first race of the year where we will do it all over again!!! Ain't life great!!!

luv ya,
e

Labor Day

2010-09-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

Hello, I hope that this blog. finds everyone healthy and happy on this Labor Day weekend. It is a day that people should be spending with thier families enjoying bbq's. We have been very busy at Larsen Motorsports these past few weeks. Unfortunally everything has not gone well. This past Saturday we were racing at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH and had a problem with the Embry-Riddle jet car. As I was driving her down the track, a cross wind lifted the car and I hit the wall. I am fine, and the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster did just what she was supposed to do and absorbed the hit for me. At time like this you have to take a step back and look at all of the safety features on the car and thank GOD for everyone that makes our cars so safe. Larsen Motorsports has never skimped on safety, and always been one to over do, and it truly paid for its self this weekend.

We want to thank all of the safety crew at National Trail and the NMRA as well as fellow racers that were there for support. Conrad Scary's crew are the best. My guys give me the best car everytime to go down the track in and I am so proud to have each and everyone of them on the team.

All will go on with the Embry-Riddle team, we are going to make a couple of schedule adjustments, but other than that, you will see us back on the track shortly. Thanks for all of the well wishes, and we hope to see you all at the races very soon.

luv ya,

e

Who does this?????

2010-07-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Who does this???? This is the question that I have been asking myself a lot lately. We have been jetting all over the country for the past few weeks and we finally landed in Orlando at midnight on Monday evening. Now it is time to gather up everything and hit the road again. I was working on travel plans with Jennifer (my friend/travel agent) and we both realized that we are working for the next 19 weekends with only 3 of them off. How does that happen. I think I need to fire the scheduler. Oh yeah... that is me!!!!

We are now officially a two car team. We have been racing both the Embry-Riddle jet dragster as well as the Miller Welding Jet Dragster at many events this summer. I have to say, both cars are doing great and behaving themselves. The Miller car had a few new car blues, but she worked them out producing a 277 mph pass at Route 66 this past weekend. Not too bad for a brand new car. Now both cars are ready to go, and hopefully the rest of the summer will continue to have great racing action.

We are heading out for the 8th year in a row to the EAA Oshkosh AirVenture. We are here with ERAU and always have a lot of fun. We will hold our 3rd annual Bowling tournument again this year so watch out Vedalo and Orgon Aero, you are both going down!!!! Then I finish up on Friday with the Lunch with the Stars before flying out to Norwalk, OH to race the Miller team at the Night Under Fire. We will meet up with 3 other jet car teams as well as Bob Motz, the Forces, Wilkersons, and other top fuel teams. My family will be coming out to enjoy the evening. If you have never gone to this show before, it is a must to put on your bucket list!!!!

Then we are heading to Charlotte, NC to race at Z Max dragway with 4 wide jets again this year. In the mean time here are some photos that I have taken while on the road this summer. If you want to keep up with the teams, please make sure to follow us on facebook or twitter!

See you at the races!!!

luv ya,

The Dog Days of Summer

2010-06-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us. We left home to start the summer in Maple Grove, PA with the Embry-Riddle jet dragster, then back home to pick Andrew up on his last day of school. Then fly off to Michigan to make a quick stop at the school of some of my biggest fans. Speak in front of the entire school, then whisked off to visit one of my sponsors Matrix Systems, to tour the factory and finally ended the day at a backyard BBQ. Up again early the next day to work the Roush Museum with my good friend Susan and display the jet dragster with some of the NASCAR guys. Time for me to work on Friday evening making a nice pass down the track. Saturday morning and back to the track for two more passes with the new Miller Welding Jet Dragster. Sunday my best friend Jennifer, picks me up at the hotel to hang out with her family and to do a little pre-father's day shopping. Best Buy here we come. After a GPS and few other things, we headed back to her house where we spent a nice night. Morning and it is time to get back at it. I am supposed to be at a local distributor event for the Miller team and the weather isn't looking good. But a few good fans stopped by before Jennifer to the rescue takes me to the airport to make my flight home for just a couple of days.

Back at home and it is just Chris and myself. Andrew is staying with his Aunt Nancy and Uncle D. He is fishing everyday and having a great time. Chris and I are celebrating our 24th anniversary. Yes 24 years we have been side by side. Chris made a reservation for us on the beach at the Don Cesar in St. Pete, FL. What a beautiful place. We enjoyed fun in the sun for just 24 hours. We only had a small amount time and then back to the airport. Yes oh Yes Jennifer back to the rescue to pick us up at the airport and drop us at our rig.

We meet up with Uncle D and Andrew and then Kansas City, MO here we come. The Embry-Riddle team has been at this wonderful competition called Skills USA and for the third year we are back!!! We spent a week with these extraordinary students and I always leave feeling very inspired. This year was no different. Watching these students excel is just so much fun. Thursday afternoon and no time to rest, we need to hit the road to make Atlanta by the next day in order to make their night of fire!!!

Friday evening and we meet up with the Road Show rig and it seems as if some of the crew decided to race in the test and tune session. Saturday and back to the track. HOT HOT HOT!!! Florida does not have anything on Atlanta in the heat department. The crowd is small at first, but as the day goes on, the crowd slowly fills up and makes for a great night of racing. The Miller team makes a couple passes. Every time I get more laps in the new dragster, it gets better and better. We ended the night with great fireworks and then eating every dessert on the Ruby Tuesday's menu!!!!

Sunday morning and back at the track to tear down. Then nap and pool. Monday morning and I am getting itchy to get back home for the first time in a couple of weeks. But we have one more stop at the Air Gas display. At first I was thinking, "what are we doing here?" Just as those words popped into my head, people started pouring in!!! Now, of course, they were all there to see me, not the FREE lunch that they guys were putting on!!! HUMMMMMM. No matter who or what they came to see, it sure was fun when the place was packed!!! Some of my good friends from the track came out to see us as well. But home was calling me and we headed out!!!

For the first couple of hours we did great, but about 6 hours into the trip home we lost it and didn't think we were going to make it. But finally at 11:00 p.m. we walked in the door!!! Home sweet home!! It was sweet until it was laundry time.

We will be home until July 5th and then it is NASCAR time in Chicago. Time to switch over the clothes and get some sleep. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ I will check in later and let you know how that all turns out.

luv ya,
e

Summer Time!!!

2010-06-03T18:47:00.001-07:00

The summer is officially here. We found that out yesterday while testing our new Miller Jet Dragster at Bradenton Motorsports Park. It was an amazing day, and the Miller Jet Dragster is behaving herself now!!! New cars always have the new car blues, but she is acting like the lady she is now!!! After we loaded up and celebrated at our favorite place to eat at in the Bradenton area. Woodys River Roo!!! Right on the water and it is hard not to have a good time while you are at the Roo!!

As summer is gearing up, the racing if going to get hot and heavy. This weekend we are heading to Reading, PA for the NMCA race then barely enough time to fly home, get Andrew and get to Milan, MI for the Jack Roush Museum on Wednesday and then racing for the weekend. The rest of the summer looks just as crazy, from Kansas to Atlanta to Chicago, this summers schedule is amazing. Lots of great racing, lots of great fun. Make sure you check out the schedule to see if we are coming close to you!!!

Now for all of the other exciting news, Blown Away is getting ready to start filming. This is going to be so much fun. The film crew is going to out at many of the races coming up capturing what we do behind the scenes. It is going to be a crazy ride, but I can't wait for it all to start. I will keep you all up to date as things unfold!!
luv ya,
e

ALL COMING TOGETHER!!!

2010-05-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

So much has been happening these past few weeks I don't even know where to begin. Lets start with my new car. Larsen Motorsports is proud to announce partnering with Miller Electric. This has been a long time in coming and we are very excited. The dragsters have all been welded with Miller equipment so we will definitely have the Power of Blue behind us. The Miller Jet Dragster will travel around the country not only racing, but going to many different shows. You will have to check the Miller schedule to see where the dragster will be. Now lets talk about how the dragster is getting from race to race. She is riding in comfort in the Miller Road Show 1. They have totally refitted their rig for my new baby. New graphics inside and state of the art equipment. My new Miller Jet Dragster will live the life of luxury. I just want to know if there will be room for me????? You can find more about the new Miller race team on our website and choosing the Miller team.

So where does that leave me with the Embry-Riddle team? We are also racing her across the country adding some Western dates to our schedule. This is the brand new Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster, the sister car to the Miller Jet Dragster. We have all new uniforms, graphics on the trailer and are working with Embry-Riddle with new projects. So if you want to see the where the Embry-Riddle team will be, you can go to the site and choose ERAU team.

Now of you thought that running two race cars was going to keep us busy, come on. We are working with McCabe Productions and they are producing a Reality Show about what goes on behind the scenes at Larsen Motorsports. The show is schedule to air in 2011 and we will be filming at several of the race tracks across the country. Nitro better be ready all of the girl pugs will be after him!!! I think he wants a dog house with a star on it and chicken 3 times a day!!

I know that this is a lot in just a short time. We have been working on everything for several years and it has finally all just come together. This is just the tip of the iceburg. Keep checking back because things are moving faster than my jet car at this point. Look for a lot more photos, a lot more up dates and a lot more fun!!!

We are heading out to Norwalk, OH this weekend where we will debut our brand new Miller Jet Dragster, so if you are in the area, make sure you come out and say HI.

luv ya,
e

Where is Spring???

2010-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

So all we hear about is global warming and how the earth is changing. I want WARM weather!!!!! I am ready for the heat. Sitting in a hotel in White, GA and it is only 46 outside, YUCK!!!! I want to pull out my summer clothes and complain about how hot it is!!! I know how about a little cheese to go with all of this.

We are in White, GA doing a display at Toyo tire factory. Last night we fired the Embry-Riddle jet dragster up in the parking lot. We will do it one more time tonight and then head to Atlanta Dragway to run the NMRA race. I am still getting used to the new car. She is a different dragster, with a GE J-85 in her. She doesn't like some of the things that my Pratt and Whitney J/60 liked, so I am in the middle of a learning curve. All good.

Last weekend we raced in Bradenton, FL for the NMCA races. Lots of fun on Saturday, but Sunday left a lot to be desired. It rained so hard on Sunday we were looking for the no wake zones in the pit area. After the race, we had dinner with some new friends. I will keep you posted on some new things that are happening with Larsen Motorsports. We meet up with them and went over the next days schedule. I did a radio commercial and had a lot of fun. I will post pics and news very soon.

After playing MISS SUPERSTAR, time to get back to my real job and we headed back to the track to tear down as was too wet to take things down on Sunday. The NMCA finished up their race Monday while we were there. Then it was off to boot camp. This boot camp was HARD. Miss Brenda knows how to make us dig very deep and get the most out of work-out. I am feeling stronger than ever. Now I just need to eat healthy.

Well lots going on for Larsen Motorsports. If you go out to the track to see us, at some races you will notice a lot of cameras following us around. I will keep you posted on what that is all about. I guess that is it for now, back to the hotel room where I should be doing work. Focus Elaine, Focus!!

Luv ya,
e

OUCH!!!!!

2010-02-01T18:36:00.001-08:00

Okay so before we get to the title of this blog. we will go back a little. After the last blog. We were going to head back to the track and get the new graphics for the trailer. We are getting there. The new graphics are on the sides and the trailer is at the shop right now with the guys working very hard on the rear door. I will post photos later this week. The new fire suit has not come in yet, but Simpson is working hard. I received my new helmet freshly painted by Joe Graska this weekend. I let him have a little fun and he did not disappoint. It is really cool. I will post a photo later this week. I am getting geared up and ready to go for the first race of the season. I turn on the TV and watch the weather and what do I see.......80% of rain on Saturday. You have got to be kidding. This race was already rained out and here we go again. No time to complain, you pack up and head to the track no matter what.

Friday came and I was waiting for our newest crew member to come over as I was riding with him to the track. His name is David Crohe. I have known David, his wife Melissa and their two girls for a very long time. When we were starting to look for some extra help, we thought of our friend David. He accepted and here we are. So Andrew, Nitro and I loaded in his car and it is off to the races. We get in have some dinner and call it a night. Our other crew, Mike Mathes, is driving in from Georgia to help show David about the dragster. Great Guys!!!

Well Saturday morning and I am afraid to look outside, but it has to be done. Guess what, it doesn't look half bad. The weekend just looked a whole lot brighter!!! We head out to the track and things are getting ready to roll. We unload the car and guess what, we are back in the ball game. It is race day baby!!!! I am racing a friend Jerry McCart this weekend and we are ready to have a little fun.

We gear up for the first pass and to say that the butterflies are making a home in my stomach, is an understatement. It is always the case for the first race of the year. But as soon as the helmet goes on and you get strapped in, it is game on!!!! We had a lot of friends that came out to cheer us on and even though the sun wasn't shinning, we put on a great show. The Embry-Riddle dragster ran straight and true. It sure felt great to be back behind the wheel. As soon as we got back from the pass, it started to sprinkle. But the owners of Bradenton Motorsports Park did the right thing, they canceled the race for the rest of the day, as the rain was only supposed to get worse as the day went on. They gave everyone that came on Saturday FREE tickets to get back in on Sunday and had the jet cars come back on Sunday to finish the show!!!! YES!!! More racing!!!!

Sunday morning and it has gotten a little chilly overnight, but we are ready to go. We arrived to the track early to attend the RFC chapel service, where something magical happened. Nitro met a women. She is a 3 1/2 year old pug named Gabby!!! She was soooo cute. The looked each other over and decided us humans were just weird.

After we separated the Pugs, it was time to go racing again. We get the car ready to go and made one more great pass down the quarter mile. 287 mph, not a bad way to start off the new year. We are heading out west from here. Lots to do and see. Check the schedule to see where we are going next. I have a few more races to add to it, but we are pretty much sold out at this point. Not a bad thing to have happen. I will dust off the camera and get you some photos of the new stuff and post them very soon.

I hope you all are going to watch the Superbowl this weekend. GO SAINTS!!!! Just a little shout out for my No Problem buddies!!! Okay so back to the title of the blog. OUCH is what I am feeling right now. I thought I had friends, but obviously thought wrong. Somehow I was talked into joining this workout boot camp. What was I thinking. There is a reason I not like lunges!!!!! There will be NO photos of this!!!! Even my fingers hurt, how does that happen. But hopefully it will pay off in the long run. DON"T mention RUNNING!!!

luv ya,
e

Hello 2010

2010-01-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

OK so when I last checked in I told you about my fun schedule that I had for the end of 2009. You hopefully will understand why I haven't posted anything for a while. After a very full 2009 racing season Larsen Motorsports finished out the year with a rain out in Bradenton for their Snowbirds. It was so disappointing. The race tracks now more than ever need our support and for them to have a loss like this really did not help. But you can't fight Mother Nature.

So, we headed for the Performance Racing Industry show that is held in Orlando, FL If you are into racing, this is show for you not to miss. Everything that you love about racing is there under one roof. We had a lot of great meetings and ran into friends that we hadn't had a chance to see through the year.

After that it was time to get ready for Christmas. Wait back up I forgot to tell you that we had a bunch of friends staying at our house, a bunch of jet racers and friends a like. We all hung out around the table and told great stories from the present and the past. It was really cool. OK so now it is time to get ready for Christmas. Lots of cooking and shopping and then Christmas is here. We went to the Christmas Eve service with my Mother in Law. It was really nice. Christmas morning and paper is flying. We all got way too much, ate way too much and made way too much mess. Then it was time for rest. Chris wanted to get away so we purchased a cruise that left a couple days after Christmas. We sailed away, no cell phones, no e-mail and best of all no work. We slept in and took naps. It was a wonderful way to spend the holidays.

Okay that sounded good, but man do I miss the sights and smells of the race track. I got a call from Bradenton Motorsports Park and they said they were going to reschedule the jet portion of the Snowbirds for January 30th. So guess what baby.......It is time to get back to what we love to do. It is time to go racing. YES!!!! We have a lot of work to do in the off season. New graphics for the trailer, new firesuit, new helmet and HUGE surprises!!!! (NEW CARS!!!!))) I have never been more excited about a race season yet. So hang on things are just starting to heat up!!!

luv ya,
e

The final PUSH!!!

2009-11-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a very long time we have just been slammed. I do not know where the time goes, but between racing, being a wife, mom and trying to run a business makes me wonder how I keep my head above water sometimes. But we have one final PUSH to finish up the year.

The good news is we are in the state of Florida for the remainder of the year. YES!!!!! Okay so are you ready for the next 4 weeks schedule hang on cuz here we go:

November 18 Guest speaker at the Great American Teach In
November 19 Display Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach
November 19 Drop trailer and set up for the Orlando Night of Fire
November 21 Orlando Night of Fire
November 22 Homestead (yes Homestead) NASCAR display fan zone
November 26 Cook Thanksgiving Dinner YUM YUM
November 27 Celebrate Andrew and Nitro's Birthday and drive to West Palm for the Citrus Nat
November 28-29 Race Citrus Nationals Palm Beach International Raceway
December 3 Drop trailer and set-up for the Snowbird Nationals
December 4 Race the Snowbird Nationals Bradenton, FL
December 5 COME HOME!!!
December 8 Pick up friends from airport
December 9 Production meeting
December 10-12 PRI show Orlando, FL
December 11 NMCA/NMRA awards banquet
December 12 stay in PJ's all day and eat Bon Bon's!!!!
December 13 Christmas shop and get it done!!!

That is my life, anyone what to join me??? I say this now as I am in the middle of this crazy life, but as soon as the racing season is over then the first words are "when is the next race?" You can be sure that we will be back out in 2010 ready to go!!!

Well hang on it is going to be a great ride!!!! I will try and keep you filled in as much as possible. Keep checking back in 2010, we are going to have some great fun. New cars, additional sponsors, new race tracks, and big announcements. Don't miss a minute.

luv ya,
e

I know LAZY LAZY!!!!

2009-09-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken me so long. It has been very crazy. We have been buying and selling so much, that time has just slipped away. But I will try and catch you up.
1 sold the 1941 Willys
2. sold Miss Ta Fire
3. sold Miss Ta Fire trailer
4. sold our F550 truck
5. bought LOTS of engines
6. took new ERAU jet dragster to race
7. questioning my sanity.

You have no idea. We have just been so busy and things are moving so fast that I have no idea how we keep things straight. But the racing action has been amazing. Columbus, OH was the last pass down the track for the Embry-Riddle jet dragster. We have finally gotten the bugs out of the new dragster and it is running great. Just a couple more things to straighten out and I can't wait to she how fast she can go!!!

We made a quick trip to Belle Rose, LA and met up with our great friends. Always a favorite for the food and friends. The racing isn't too bad either. Sad to know that this will be our last time for the 2009 season, but looking forward to rounding out the season.

This weekend we are racing in Bowling Green, KY for the NMRA finals. This has been a great year for the Fords!! We have seen just about a little of everything. I think that over the past year we have made a lot of friends and it will be great to see who takes home the championship.

Well that about covers it for now. Tomorrow I take Chris to the airport @ 6:30, come home take Andrew to school, then come home to make more flights to finish out the year. We are working on some great things for the JETS for the 2010 and 2011 season. We will be posting all of the news ASAP.

Keep checking back.
luv ya,
e

World Series a Grand Slam!!

2009-09-03T16:55:00.001-07:00

Back from the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova, IL This is our second year at the World Series and I can tell you it was only bigger and better than last year. We arrived in town on Thursday afternoon, we flew in as Chris had repositioned the rig in town a couple of weeks ago. We got our bags and headed to the car rental. We had a major choice to make, Avis rental tempted me with a choice, a normal rental or a brand new Camaro........now ever since Transformers every person wanted Bumble Bee, me included. Well this car wasn't Bumble Bee, but she was sweet. I chose the cool car!!!! Chris and I hopped in the car and got ready to have fun for the weekend. It was a rainy day and the car held the road wonderful. We went to pick-up the rig at the Crownharts, where we had left her. Chris got in the truck and it was my time to get behind the wheel and see what she had!!! The new Camaro sits great and handles wonderful. Everything was very user friendly. Not quite sold yet, but moving in the right direction. We dropped the rig at the track and went to the hotel to rest for the big day tomorrow. Friday and the clouds were still out, but the weather report looked good. I did forget to tell you when we left Florida it was in the 90's and that night it dropped into the 40's in Cordova. YIKES!!! We get everything set up and the crowd starts coming in for the Friday qualifying. We were scheduled to make a pass Friday evening and two on Saturday night. We waited all day long and the sun finally came out. The cars were flying down the track and them temps were cold. Things looked good, until........a very small rain cloud passed over us and dumped enough rain for the track to call it a night without us making a pass. The next day and the sun is shining and by the time we got to the track the crowd was huge!!! We unloaded the dragster and it was slammed all day. We had the great opportunity to race with KC Jones and Paul Kelly with the Cannonball Express, Diamond Jim and Dan Crownhart and Fran Peppler. We also had Benny the Bomb along with the wheel standers of Bob Hall and Richard Hutchinson. Now that sounds great right, well how about Tim Wilkerson and his son Dan, Cruz and Tony Pedregon and TJ Zizzo. Crazy right. That is what the World Series is all about. I couldn't even tell you the final car count. It was amazing. Scott and Linda Gardner really know how to put on a show. There were families that have been coming for all 56 years, they camp out and really enjoy racing. I can tell you I am a fan!!! Well back to racing. We get ready to make our first pass and the Crownharts are first down the track. Unfortunately, they got tangled up with each other and Dan ended up taking out Jim's parachute. They are both safe and healthy due to their safety measures in their cars. Both were in great spirits. I am sure they will both be back at the track in no time with their hot rods ready to go. KC and Paul went next and then Fran and I ran. The crowd went wild, standing room only and the stands were packed. We had so much fun. After checking on the Crownharts, we turned the car around to make the second pass for the evening. We headed back to the staging lanes and loaded up only to hear the announcer say there had been another wreck. Unfortunately the time was running late and we were unable to make our last pass. The crowd all came back to the trailer and we hung out late into the evening. This race rocked!!!! We came back on Sunday and loaded up and I got to drive the Camaro back to the airport. Chris is driving the rig to the next race. I was in the airport and heard that there was bad weather in Atlanta so all flights were delayed. Good Grief!!! I almost made the flight that did get out, but just a couple of seats short. I was feeling pretty bad, when I looked out over the airfield to see the plane that I was supposed to be on getting towed out to the runway. Then the front landing gear just collapsed. The plane bellied down and the passengers had to be taken off. Well maybe I will just let things happen and be happy about it. No one was hurt, and I finally made it out and arrived home 5 hours late!!! It is good to be home. This weekend we are heading to Columbus, OH. Andrew and I are flying out in the morning and I better get packed!!!! Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the races somewhere!!!

luv ya,
e

Rather be racin!!!

2009-08-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Okay. for the most part most people see what we do at the track and think that is what goes on, well let me tell you, that is the easiest part of our jobs!!! We left Z Max dragway, Andrew, Nitro and I flew home while Chris drove to the next race to leave the rig. Life has a way of just keeping going. While we were gone, the mail still comes, bills still need to be paid and work needs to be done. We can't do any of that on the road. So there is no rest. We had been gone for almost 3 weeks, what a mess. It took me a couple of days just to get the feel of home. I had no food in the house and just going to the grocery store is hard. But, we made it through and I picked Chris up from the airport and then the work started out in the shop Chris is a hard boss! There is no rest at Larsen Motorsports!

We head out to the shop and get moving on assembling engines and start working on getting the new ERAU jet car up and running. Our crew guy Mike and his daughter Alli made the long drive to come and help over the weekend, thanks guys!!!

Engines are always top priority, but yard work doesn't wait. I had to trim the palm trees, man do they have pickers!!! If that wasn't bad enough, the fire ants were all over. I think there is something about me that they like!! My feet are killing me. Okay so enough whining. We still have a week and a half left at home before we hit the road again for the next race. Hopefully we will get caught up in that time. I guess that is it for now. Back to the ants.

If anyone hasn't seen the video of the 4 lane drag race on you tube, you need to log on and watch. It was probably the coolest thing I have ever done racing!!! It will last in my memory forever! Here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApJAgUBEQdw

Have a great week!!!

luv ya,
e

Airplanes and Fast Cars

2009-08-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

The team flew out to set-up for the sixth year in a row at the EAA Oshkosh Air Venture air show. We always love this air show as you never know what you are going to see. They had changed the layout of the show and Embry-Riddle expanded their spot to make it very nice. We had to quickly hang out with all of our friends because this year, we left early to head to a race in Ohio. We hit the ground running and met up with friends and sponsors. We were invited to sign autographs at the Ford exhibit with Jack Roush a couple of days and finished up the week signing at the FAA area. On Wednesday evening to break up the week, the President of Embry-Riddle took us all out for a wonderful dinner. Then it was time for the 2nd annual Larsen Motorsports ALL OUT Bowling Party. The same group and a few extras came out to bowl our hearts out and had a legendary time. Thursday morning and we had to be at the show bright and early to finish up some filming for ERAU. That afternoon we started tearing down in order to head back to Summit Raceway Park for their Night Under Fire.

We arrived on site and they were ready for us. The Embry-Riddle team was working out of the Miller Welding Road show rig for the weekend. First class all of the way. We set up, then went for dinner before we collapsed at the hotel. We knew the next day was going to be crazy. 8:00 a.m. and we are back at the track. Most of the big names in Nitro Funny car racing were invited to the show as well, the Forces, Pedregons, Jim Head, Willkersons and the DHL car of Jeff Arrend. The jet dragster were on hand as well as Bob Motz with his amazing jet truck. We can't leave out the wheel standers and 600 race cars. What night. Everything is set to music and the cars were making huge power on the track.

At 7:30 it was out turn. I was paired up with Lou Pereira. The crowd went wild and we both made great passes down the track. Ernie and Jill followed us up and then it was time for BOB!!! The crowd went wild. The love the jets. We only had a short time and we were back on the track. Nitro Funnys first and then us. At the end of the track they had us all wait for the famous fireworks show. Bob burned down the wall and the fireworks went crazy We towed back up the track for the crowd to come out and see the cars, get pictures and autographs.

We went back to the trailer and still signed until 3:00 a.m. and after an 18 hour day finally made it back to the hotel. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

We had a display on Monday and then headed to friends house to relax for the evening. Finally I got to see one of my biggest fans DVD he had made for me. He did a great job and I got to see what he likes to do. Interesting!!! Now it is time to hit the road one more time. We are heading to the brand new ZMax dragway in Charlotte, NC. I will be racing 3 other jet cars down the track at the same time!!! Four lanes, sounds cool!!!

Well time to start the day. It is one of Andrew's friends Birthday today so we are taking her out to lunch. I will keep you posted. Hope to see you at the races!!!

luv ya,

Testing and beyond

2009-07-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well after a great vacation there is no time to rest, it is off to test the brand new ERAU Jet!!! Now where are we going to go??? First we try Bradenton, FL but no luck as it rained. So now where?? Well we call the race track PBIR in West Palm and they say sure bring her over. So off to the races for Friday and Saturday. Friday we get a couple of shots down the track, and then it rains. Saturday we make a couple of passes before the rains hit again. The car is getting there and we are working out some of the new car bugs. Unfortunately we had to pack it up as bad weather was heading in. So we loaded up and headed to yet one more dragstrip. Gainesville, FL was having a run day Sunday, so guess what, where there is a race track open, we are heading out. We loaded and our spirits were up and we were ready to kick a little butt!!! Well the first pass, still working on bugs and by the end of testing we are getting there, but not good enough to take the new girl on the road for the next few races.
We load the new car back in the trailer and head back home. Our heads are hanging a little, but you know what, things are not as bad as we are thinking. First, we have a beautiful state of the art brand new jet dragster that is going to FLY, she may be giving us some problems, but as they say nothing that is worth while is easy. Second, we have a GREAT Embry-Riddle Jet dragster that I have been running for the past 2 years and she is not ready to take a back seat. Third, we have a wonderful car, which is my original Jet dragster the Miss Ta Fire that is wanting to come out of retirement.
We decided to hit the road a little early as and take a little time to smell the roses on the way to the next race. We found this spot that is amazing, just north of Chattanooga, TN. We rented a floating cabin and stayed for a couple of days. But the sound of burning rubber was calling and we had to get to the next show. Route 66 here we come!!!
We pulled into the track on Thursday evening and the clouds just let go. We dropped the trailer and headed to the hotel. We ordered some Chicago style pizza. Got to bed early to get ready for a huge weekend of racing. The Superbowl of Dragracing!!!!
Friday morning and can you say BRRRRR!! I was not not ready for the cool weather. We were scheduled to make 3 passes over the weekend. One pass per day. Friday night and we were the last car down the track. We make a nice pass and then meet up with family that made the trip to come and see us. Saturday morning and we get back to the track. The place is crazy packed. Food lines, entry lines and they are going to get their money's worth!!!! Amazing drag racing, amazing weather and records are being set on the track. We make our pass and then load up for the night. Sunday is coming soon. One more pass down the 1/4 mile and then it is time for us to become fans. We get to watch some of our friends go for the Superbowl Championship. I am happy to say my girl Susan the She Devil kicked it. Congrats Susan!!!
Well we hung out till the end but we had to hit the road and head even further north. We dropped the trailer at Oshkosh for the next event. The EAA Air Venture show. We head for the airport and fly home. Now my good friend Curt is here hanging out, but not for long. Saturday we head back to work the airshow and then we are going to the Night Under Fire at Summit Raceway Park in Norwalk, OH. Now if you have been living under a rock and don't know what this show is, you need to check it out!!! I cannot wait. John Force and the entire gang is going to be there. 4 four jet dragsters and Bob Motz with his jet semi. A combination for success!!! This summer is heating up!!! See you at the races.
luv ya,
e

Can you say VACATION!!!

2009-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

We start out our vacation with one last race. We head to Atlanta Dragway to do their annual Night of Fire. This is a great family race as we always celebrate our 4th of July with our racing family at the race track. Friday we load in and do our display at Walmart and then head to the hotel for some great pizza and swimming in the pool. Saturday morning and the kids head back to the pool and I get ready for the full day of racing. HOT HOT HOT is the best way to describe the race. Man I thought Florida got a little toasty, but by 12:00 it was steaming. I mean literally steaming. We had a rain shower and the steam was pouring off the track. I thought it would cool things off but wow it got sticky. Talk about true racers. The Jr. dragsters drivers were real sports. They raced in all of that heat and were amazing. It is the largest group of Jr. drivers that I had seen in a while. They are amazing.

So we were supposed to make two passes on Saturday night and then the fireworks were going to go off at 10:00. We pull into the staging lanes @ 6:30 p.m. and were schedule to blast off @ 7:00. Unfortunately a racer in front of us had a problem on the track and oiled it down, and I mean the entire track. It took over 2 hours to clean up. We road down the return road throwing out t-shirts and hats in some guys in the Army. Pretty cool. I was racing Hojo and Casey Jones and the trains were on hand to give the crowd what they came for. We were only able to make one lap down the track as time was running out for the fireworks. They were awesome. After the show, Chris and they guys get everything loaded up I finish up with the fans and then we hit the road.

Now we really really have to hit the road, our vacation is starting in just a few hours. Our friends from Michigan flew in while we were racing and we were all scheduled to board a cruise ship in Tampa by 12:00 on Sunday. There was no time to stop, and we rolled into the house @ 9:30 a.m. jumped in the shower and hit the road. We were all ready for some R&R. First day was just floating at sea. Second day was Grand Caymans and sting rays. Third day Cozumel and the beach, fourth day is Belize and cave tubing, last but not least is Roatan and shopping in the port. Then to finish it all off we had the last day at sea.

This was the best vacation we have ever had. We rested and got all caught up to hit the ground running for the race season that is coming up. I will post vacation pics real soon. Hope you all enjoyed the 4th and can't wait to see you at the races.

luv ya,
e

Back Home Again

2009-06-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to be home. I am sitting in my favorite chair with Nitro sitting here with me, Chris talking on the phone (of course) and Andrew playing basketball with his friend Nelson. Life is good. I made homemade double chocolate chip cookies and dunked them in ice cold milk. Wow can you say paradise!!!!! But we have to back up a little. We left our house almost two weeks ago to fly out for the next race. Our first stop is Maple Grove, PA We are heading out to race for the NMCA. We have never been to this track and I am very excited. The only problem is that it is raining when we get into town on Friday. Not cool. One of my good friends Jill is coming in to hang with us at the races. We met up on Friday night and got to bed early for the fun day at the races. It was Jill's first time at the Drag Races and I was really excited to put her on the starting line. Saturday we made two nice passes and I think Jill went back a little extra crispy!!! Sunday and we are back at the races. We made a great pass and then it was time to hit the road. The only problem is I had made some great friends at the track. We said our goodbyes and then started out for Michigan where we were going to our next race.

Okay, I did not think the roads could get any worse, Nitro even went air born, talk about bumpy. When we dropped the trailer off at the Roush Museum for a display later in the week, we were still bouncing in the truck. We figured out that we had lost our airbag in the back of the truck. Well that explains everything. Chris's cousin owns a trailer dealer, we pulled in and they took great care of us. Both of our families live in central Michigan, so it was off to see family. Lunch at Uncle Johns, and then dinner later with my sisters and their families. I can feel my pants getting tighter. Only one night to spend with family and then back on the road.

Chris dropped me off at a friends house who lives near our display. We have been friends with the Kempf's for several years. We first met on a cruise ship when our kids were very small. We have since vacationed a lot together and stayed real close. Andrew and I hung at the house while Chris went to do business. Later that night, you guessed it, back out to eat. The next morning it was all work. We were scheduled to place the dragster into the Roush Museum to display with several of the top NASCAR drivers along with Jack and Susan Roush. Susan and I sat together signing autographs for most of the evening, it was girl power all of the way.

The next morning and we had to set up for the races. Rest, are you kidding me. We get everything set up and make our pass, last car down the track 10;45 P.M. Back to the hotel for a little rest and then back to the track at the Milan Dragway for the NMRA. Saturday morning and we had better be all hands on deck as our families and friends are coming out to the races. It was cloudy but believe it or not no rain in sight and the race went off perfect!!!! We made our passes and it was so much fun to see my sister in the stands cheering me on. Worth all of the work to get here.

No rest yet, we still have to tear everything down so we can hit the road first thing in the morning. Thanks JIM for the help. We get back to the hotel and crash. Now comes the fun part, the long drive home. We made it half way the first day and then finally we are back to the beginning of this blog. Me sitting in the chair. See, that chocolate chip cookies sounds pretty good right now. No rest as we have to fight those new car blues and get the new car up and running for our next race, Atlanta Dragways Night of Fire. I think I need more cookies.

luv ya,
e

New Car Blues!!!

2009-05-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well we went to test the new Embry-Riddle Jet dragster this weekend, well test isn't really, we put it on a chain in order to get pressure readings and set up the car. We had big plans that if things went well, we were going to rent the track with friends on Monday morning. With great expectations we headed out on Saturday morning. Things did not go as planned. We fired the car up but that is about that. I guess the up side is that we didn't have to rent the track. The new Embry-Riddle car is not ready to ride yet. I can promise you she will be ready very soon. We will figure out the gremlins that are giving us some problems and we will make this car amazing. She just wants us to work a little harder. I guess it will make us enjoy the moment when things do go right so much more.

Okay so on to better things. We are getting ready to hit the road for the next few weeks. We are heading for Maple Grove, PA for the NMCA race this coming weekend June 5 & 6. We are meeting some friends and we are looking forward to a great weekend. Then we head to Milan, MI for the NMRA race. Some of our family will come out as both Chris and I grew up a couple of hours away. We will also meet up with some close friends that we are going to be going on vacation with. AHHHHHH vacation. What a great thought. Sun Sand and many other memories!!!!

New website. Okay so the new website if up and running. YESSSSSSS!!!! Sherry from Firefly has been amazing. She got me up and running and I think it looks amazing. We still have a little more work on the store, but if you get a chance, check it out and make sure you let www.Fireflywebsites.com know what a great job they did.

Right now it is Sunday night and Chris is in the office working on the computer, Andrew is in his room ready for school to be over and Nitro is snoring on my chair beside me. Even though the weekend didn't go as planned, even on my worst day, life is still pretty darn good.

see you at the races,
luv, e

Hitting the Summit!!

2009-05-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well it is time to get back on the road and race again. Chris and I flew to Norwalk OH Friday morning and met our crew guy Mike to race at the 3rd annual Cavalcade of Stars at Summit Raceway Park. It is always such a pleasure to race with the Baders as they always run an amazing race. We were scheduled to run 3 times on Saturday as it was a NHRA Division race and final rounds were on Sunday.

We set up on Friday and then met up with friends on Friday night for dinner. We went back to the hotel to relax at the hot tub and get ready for a great day of racing. Okay so that is the glass is half full. When we left on Friday the rain chances were really bad. 70% on Saturday and cooling off temps did not look good. I was trying to keep positive, but after the last rain out, it was tough. So back to the hot tub. We figured we might as well make the best of it and have some fun. Well Saturday morning and the alarm went off. I was very nervous to go over and look out of the window. But to my surprise it looked really good, I saw some sunshine. Talk about a mood changer. I hurried up and got ready for a great day of racing.

We pulled into the track and things were still looking good. We got the Embry-Riddle dragster out of the trailer and started getting things set-up. We were racing against 3 other jet dragsters, Bob Motz and Bob Hall finished out the list for the weekend. As the day went on the spectators started coming in and the Lucas Oil racing series was racing on the track. It started clouding over about 10:00 and just got worse and worse. We had our drivers meeting at 1:00 and was scheduled for a drivers autograph session at 2:00. It has sprinkled on and off, but I thought we were going to dodge a bullet. Well about 10 minutes into the autograph session it started to rain. I mean rain. It was cold and wet and that is not good for racing. It was amazing how long the fans stood in line to finish out the signing getting wet. My day was going down hill fast.

I went up to the tower to see what the weather was looking like and by the faces I thought we were done. I was feeling so bad for all of the fans that had hung out all day long getting wet and cold just hoping to see some great racing. Well someone was looking out for us because the sun started to shine though the clouds. Before you knew it I was getting my Vedalo HD's out!!!! We got the okay from the track and we headed up for the staging lanes at 6:30!!!! I made my first run and the crowd was so excited. I think it was more from the heat that got the fans on their feet!!! We hurried up and got the cars ready for the last round. It was a lot of fun as the track at Summit Raceway Park is always top notch.

After the final round we all waited at the end of the track to tow the cars back up the track for our final autograph session right on the track. It is so much fun to have the fans get right out on the track and get up close to the cars. Thanks so much for everyone who cheered me on this weekend. We went back to the trainer loaded up and then headed for the hotel. After 4 hours of sleep the alarm went off and it was time to get back to the airport to head for home.

When we got home Nitro and Andrew was waiting to tell me all about their weekend. Nitro chased the bad Kitty's while Andrew rode on Dolphins at Discovery Cove. It was a field trip that Andrew did not want to miss. I think the entire class had a great time.

Well now Chris is out in the shop working on the brand new Embry-Riddle jet dragster, Andrew is writing book logs for school, Nitro is playing with his monkey and I am watching of course, drag racing on TV!!! Two weeks off and then back on the road. Maple Grove is on the next stop!! See you at the races,
luv e

Rain Rain Go AWAY!!!!!!

2009-05-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well it is time to hit the road again for Bowling Green, KY. We love this track as both Chris and I think it is one of the prettiest tracks to pull up to in the country. It truly takes you back in time. Just the winding roads with the fences and the cows and horses, if that isn't enough the amusement park is just a must see on the racing stops!! We pulled out very early on Thursday morning as we had a radio interview to do on later that evening so we had to beat feet to get there in time. All was going well and we were making great time that is until we made it north of Chattanooga, TN. We were ahead of schedule until we hit the rest area and our truck decided that it wasn't going to go any further. It just stopped. Not a good thing to happen at the the entrance of the rest area. The security guard walked up to us and said "you can't park here!" Well you can imagine what I was thinking, but luckily Chris got the truck started and we moved it enough to get it in a parking spot. Obviously the security guard did not realize we were having problems. But we still had a problem with the truck. I got on the GPS first thing and found a Ford dealer and Chris called our warranty company and got a tow truck coming. Just so you understand we broke down at 3:00 and we were towed and to the Ford dealer by 4:00. The dealer closed at 5:00 and we had a race to get to. Let me just say "holy cow" they said stay out of the way and I will get you back on the road. Sure enough he had us back on the road and we were haul butt down the road by 6:30 that night. I can't say enough for Ford and everyone that helped us get back on track. I missed my interview, but we pulled into town when things were not looking so good. Thanks everyone.
Well on to the racing. Thursday night we went to bed very early. We were beat, but Friday morning we woke up and it was not sunny and pretty like we had hoped it was going to be. Cloudy and gloomy but we head to the track to set up. You never know, but the weather station did not predict it to be a great racing weekend. So we did a small set up and then went out to eat with friends. Saturday morning and YUCK!!!! Not good at all. We got to the track and people were just hanging out not moving fast. The promoters of the NMCA about 11:00 decided to pull the plug on the weekend. The weather wasn't bad and it wasn't raining, but later that afternoon it started and didn't stop through Sunday. So it was so nice for them to let everyone go early and let us just hang out with friends and spend some well needed R&R!!! Guess what this means???? HOT TUB!!!!! We headed back to the hotel and got into our bathing suits and relaxed for the rest of the day. Later even though we never like rain outs and it costs us so much money, it was sure nice to take a break and rest for a couple days. I called the airline and got out early and made it back home in time to relax on Sunday. Chris is moving the rig to the next race which is the Cavalcade of Stars in Norwalk, OH. I spent the afternoon watching the Bucket List. BOO HOO!!! I cried like a baby. I had heard the movie was good, but I thought it was great even though it made me cry. Now Andrew is finishing up homework for the weekend. He went to a Tampa Bay Rays game today. Nitro is sitting on my chair watching drag racing with me. I figure if I can't race, I might as well watch racing. I hope you all have a great week. Hey we will see you at the races. luv ya,e

Moving to a new Site!!!

2008-11-25T17:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, we for those of you who have been so faithful and followed my blog. Thanks so much. A brand new Web Site will be up and running in the next few weeks and I am changing up my blog. as well. I will keep this blog. up for the old posts, but all current posts will be made on my MySpace account. I want to invite you to check out my page. http://www.myspace.com/elainelarsen

Please feel free to add me as a friend. I will try and update more often.

Thanks so much and we will see you at the races.

luv ya,
e

Back home!!!! For now????

2008-11-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, we are back at home and I am sleeping in my own bed, life is good. I flew out to Vegas to meet up with Chris and go to the SEMA show. It was very very cool to fly into Las Vegas at night. The problem was I didn't get there until 9:30 p.m. Vegas time which was 12:30 my time. Now I had a choice to make, I could have some fun and go out, or go back to the hotel and get some sleep..........Okay, we went out. We walked the strip and it was amazing just to see the lights and the different casinos ..... wow!!! We finally got something to eat and made it back to the hotel about 3:00 a.m. Vegas time, so at that point I was up for over 24 hours. Man am I getting old!!!

The next morning we got up early to head out to the show. I had heard so much about SEMA and knew a lot of my racing friends were going to be there, I could tell we were going to have fun. To say that we saw just about everything is an understatement. From the Ghostbuster car to every Challenger on the face of the earth you can see it all at SEMA. Each hall is a different. From Wheels and Tires to Racing and Performance, I walked my feet off.

Dodge had one of the most impressive displays. I don't think you could turn a corner without seeing their new Challenger, but my heart belongs to the new Camero. I found a couple that I would have liked to take home. I told Chris I would take one in black and one in yellow for Christmas. He said "YEAH RIGHT!!!!!" I won't hold my breath.

We spent two days just trying to soak it all in. A highlight was meeting up with our friends Donna and Danny O'Day with the Super Wench wheel stander. Super Wench unveiled a Danny O'Day signature series of wenches. I know that we need a new one for our trailer and you can bet that will be first on the list.

We only had two days there and flew out Thursday afternoon, not much time, but enough that I know I want to go back. But as much fun as it was, we had a show to do this weekend at the Daytona Beach campus for Embry-Riddle. It was their homecoming event and we took the rig out and set up the display to show the students and Alumni the good ole ERAU jet dragster.

Sunday afternoon and we are back at home. We only have until Friday until we head our for our next show. For the past 3 years we have been invited to the Miami Homestead Raceway for the last NASCAR race of the year. We are meeting up with some drag racing friends, so we should have some fun.

We will return home and I am sure I will have some good stories to tell from the circle track guys. I will be waiting to hear how the NHRA Championship ends up this weekend. We have two races left this year. We are going to the newly opened up Palm Beach International Raceway (Moroso Motorsports Park) and then the final race of the year is in Bradenton Motorsports Park. I hope I get to see some of you at the races. I think the best is yet to come for the Embry-Riddle jet racing team.

luv ya,
e

Filling in the Blanks

2008-10-13T09:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have checked in. A lot has happened since the last blog. First we finished up the NMCA series in Memphis, TN. This was my first trip to Memphis Motorsports Park. The fans are awesome. We had a display on Beale Street in front of Coyote Ugly before the race and then headed to the track for the season ending party. It is fun to see all of the racers and their families putting the competition aside to have a little bit of fun.

We made 2 passes on Saturday and one on Sunday. The car ran great. Andrew and I flew out of the Memphis airport so he could get back in school Monday morning. Chris repositioned the rig in Gulfport, MS for our next week a couple of weeks later. Chris flew out of the Gulfport airport the following day, so by Monday evening the family was all back in their own beds.

It is amazing how quickly the two weeks can fly by. I always miss the track and can't wait to get back out there, but part owning a business is getting the book work done and there is always looking ahead for the 2009 season. So after getting things caught up back at the shop, we headed for the airport to make our 4th appearance at the Ford vs. Chevy show in Gulfport, MS. This is their 20 anniversary for this event and is always one of the fun stops on our schedule.

After a lot of delays in the Atlanta airport, we finally touched down and got some sleep for the big weekend ahead. We headed out to the track Saturday morning and got everything set-up. Luckily there was enough time to go out and grab a bite to eat at one of Gulfports amazing restaurants. Then it was time to get to work as the gates opened up for test and tune and for me to make one of my passes for the evening.

The pass went on without a hitch, we loaded up the car and headed to the hotel for some rest. Sunday morning and when we headed to the race track we were in for a surprise. The line to get in was sooooooooo long that it took over 30 minutes just to get up to the gates. I had a great feeling about the day. It did not disappoint. The track was PACKED. Like I said before this is my 4th year coming back for this race. I had some wonderful surprises. Several fans have come back every year to see me and they always bring back photos, t shirts and other things they have collected from previous years. Thanks so much, you all have a special place in my heart!!!!

Well after two great passes with the last pass at 286 mph, we loaded up the dragster and headed for home. I don't have another race until Thanksgiving weekend at the Citrus Nationals and then finishing up the year at the Snowbird Nationals, but that doesn't mean we will be resting. We are going to visit the World Street Nationals in Orlando, FL as a lot of our racing friends are going to be racing. Then bright and early I have to take Chris to the airport to fly out to Arizona to Embry-Riddle in Prescott. I am going to fly out and meet him at the SEMA show. Not a lot of rest for us as soon as we get back the very next day we head to the other Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona Beach for their homecoming.

So hang on, it is going to be a very busy fall!!! Keep checking in on our schedule as I will have my 2009 schedule posted soon. I hope to see you all at the races!!!!

luv ya,
e

The NMRA Finals

2008-10-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well a full year has come and gone and we are back to the NMRA finals in Bowling Green, KY again this year. I have been traveling with the NMRA and NMCA series this year and it has been a lot of fun. As I am not racing anymore, it is fun to be a part of a series that you can feel a part of. The problem is that I get involved with the teams and want them to do well. Now the end has come and all that is left if the banquet at the PRI show to finish off the year. I want to congradulate the winners on a job well done. I will miss seeing you guys. But 2009 is just around the corner.

Now on to this weekend. We are finishing off the NMCA series in Memphis, TN. This is Andrew's favorite series, so we are letting him take a day off from school to head to the track to cheer on all of the racers. We get to have a little fun before we head to the track at Coyote Ugly to do a display. Yes Chris is sad about this, but hey we do what we can for the sport of drag racing!!!!

This week has also been interesting, on the way home from picking Andrew up from school, driving home on a road that I travel everyday, we got into an accident. A person was looking at a house and decided instead of going straight ahead, she would go backwards and hit me. Talk about making a day interesting. Luckly we are fine and the only damage is very small to the front of my car, which can be fixed. So it really makes me realize that it is much safer on the dragstrip than the road.

Here are some photos from this past weekend. Enjoy.

Well I guess that is it for this week. I will post more next week. Be safe.
e

Having Fun in Atlanta

2008-09-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, well it was time to get back to the race track and what better place than Atlanta Dragway. Always one of my favorite stops and it didn't disappoint. We made a stop on the way to the Dragstrip, we went to the Nitto tire factory in White, GA to do a two day display for all of the employees. This is our second time back to the factory and it was much better this year as the weather couldn't get much better. 80 degrees out and sunny. Thursday and Friday were spent firing up the car for the different shifts and then it was time to meet up with Mike (crew) at the track and get ready for the big weekend event.

NMCA rolled into town and let me tell this series is sizzling hot. Beautiful show cars and slamming fast racecars. Then just for fun throw in the Embry-Riddle jet dragster to blast down the quarter mile.

Saturday we made two passes. The my jet car was right on track running some great times, the best of the weekend was right at 286 mph. After the last pass, we loaded the car up and went to eat a wonderful dinner at Dale and Susan's. Good ole comfort food of chicken, beans and mac & cheese. YUMMMMM It was too early to go back to the hotel, so we hit the go carts. Yes I had to turn. We had so much fun and after a couple of hours, it was time to get some sleep for Sunday's race day.

Sunday morning and we got up early to make it to Racers Church. Then all we had to do is get the car ready to make our one pass later in the afternoon. We hung out for the day after a series of events pushed back the days runs. It was just one of those days at the race track. But when they called us up to the staging lanes, we were ready to go and blasted down the quarter mile in Atlanta for the last time this year.

Our season has just a few more races left to end the year. But as the say, we are saving the best for last. We get a week off and then head out for a couple of weeks on the road. First stop, Bowling Green, KY for the NMRA finals, then the week after NMCA races their final race in Memphis, TN If you haven't come out and seen us yet this year, check out the schedule to find a race close to you, we only have a few left. It seems like the year has just flown by and I want to make sure we go out on top.

Well I hope you all enjoy the great fall weather. It was only 86 here in Florida today, great weather get all of the outside work done that we have been putting off. (I think I would rather be racing!!!!)

See you at the races,
luv ya,
e

Reflections

2008-09-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well this is my second weekend off from racing, last weekend we went and did some testing on the Miss Ta Fire and this weekend we decided to work really hard all week and take off this weekend for the beach. I always feel so much better after a weekend at the beach. It is hard not to just let all of your troubles go when you are looking out at the sun rising over the water with dolphins playing. Your problems always seem so much smaller to the big ocean.

We had a couple of wonderful days, but there is always work to be done and it was time to get back home to get ready to hit the road to Atlanta for the NMCA race. This will be our third time back to Atlanta Dragway this year and it is one of the favorite stops for our team.

Now for some non-racing observations. Andrew came home the other day and one of his 6th grade teachers, Miss Wimberly, had the kids watch a portion of the Last Lecture from the Oprah show. Now I have heard people talking about this and had my head stuck at a drag strip and really did not know what this was all about. Probably most of you have already watched this and I don't want to say too much for those of you who have yet watched, this is a must see. Here is a link if you would like to take the time to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Well I guess that is about it for now. Larsen Motorsports has a very exciting 2009 planned. There will be a lot of changes shaking everything up and mixing it around. I can't give it up yet, but keep checking and I will let you know as soon as I can. One last thing I want to make sure all of our friends from Texas and New Orleans know they are in our thoughts and prayers.

luv ya,
e

Pictures from National Trail and World Series

2008-09-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, here are some photos from the last couple of races.

Friends from National Trail

A great night shot from Cordova

Matt from CSK and I hanging out after the race. I think they work a little harder than my guys. Sorry crew. : 0 )

I will post more soon!!!

luv ya,
e

Pinks All Out video

2008-08-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

The Embry-Riddle jet dragster was featured on Pinks All Out on Speed TV. Here is a clip.

Enjoy,
e

World Series and NMRA

2008-08-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, well it has been a couple of races since I have written anything. Lets go back to an amazing race, the 55th annual World Series of Drag racing held at Cordova Raceway. We were fortunate enough to be invited to run my jet dragster for this amazing piece of history. We started the weekend with some 80 year old grandmas racing golf carts, yes I said grandma's racing golf carts. Four racing grandma's battled it out for the Grandma Grand Prix. I was lucky enough to be a part of their fun and hand off the trophies to the winners.

Then it was time to get back to the track as we were making a pass later that evening. We were joined by KC Jones and the trains, Diamond Jim Crownheart's two jet funny cars and Miss Fran Peppler in her Rock N Roll Thunder jet funny car. That sounds like an amazing line-up but that is not all. Del Worham, Tony Pedragon, Tim Wilkerson and Jack Wyatt. The TOP NHRA Top fuel funny car drivers out there. That is not all, nostalgia cars, wheel standers and the list just went on and on. This is now a stop for us every year. I have been to a lot of drag races, and this was right up thee on top offering so much for everyone.

It was a privilage for the Embry-Riddle team to be a part of this racing history and hopefully the crowd enjoyed our show. We made one pass on Friday and two on Saturday to end the show. At the end of the night we hung out with Del Worsham's crew enjoying the evening. The next morning bright and early we were back at the track breaking things down to head to the next show.

NMRA in Columbus, OH was our next stop. This is our fourth year back at National Trail Raceway and I have made some amazing friends in the past and it is always great to come back and see them every year. There was this little guy Jordan Nash that is going to take my job in about 10 years.

Andrew and I flew home Sunday evening and Chris went on to the US Nationals to enjoy more Drag Racing. My thoughts and prayers are with all of my friends in the path of Hurricane Gustav. I have heard from some of you and am happy to report that all seems well at this point. We are looking forward to our trip back to Gulfport Dragway in October, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the dragstrip didn't sustain too much damage.

Well I guess that is all I have for now. I will try and post photos soon. We just purchased a new camera and I need to figure out how to download the files. Thanks for checking in.

luv ya,
e

Wait and see!!!!

2008-08-17T15:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this is the first weekend that we have not had a race in a very long time and what do we do........well Chris drives all over the state of Florida getting this lined up for the days to come and I clean house. Fun fun.

We are also starting a new project.....I am sooooo excited about this, I have waited for this for 22 years......I am getting are you ready.........a laundry room!!!!! Whoooooooo Hooooooooooooo. I have wanted this for a very long time and Mr. Don is here to put it in for me. Now as excited as I am, I am watching the weather. If you have been paying attention Tropical Storm Fay is trying to head our way. New construction and a Tropical Storm not a great combination. But we are going to wait and see. YIKES!!!!

So in other news, another big landmark is happening tomorrow..........Andrew starts the 6th grade. Yes my little guy is starting Middle School. Wow how time flys. It seems like yesterday he was starting Kindergarten. Now things are all about to change.

Well that is all I have for now. I will leave you with a photo that was sent to me. It was taken right before I was going to run at Oshkosh Airshow. Pretty cool.

I will keep you posted on the first day at school, laundry room and Fay. This week is going to be fun!!!

luv ya,

e

Finally

2008-08-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, sorry it has taken me so long to check in with everyone, but it has been a very busy summer. We left home heading for Route 66 for the Super Bowl of Drag racing with the NMRA vs the NMCA. We had never been to Route 66 before and I had heard great things, well it is amazing. The facility is just breath taking.

We pulled into town on Friday morning as we had extra set-up for this event. The Embry-Riddle team has an addition to our display, a brand new awning, and boy oh boy were we ever happy to have it that weekend. Rainy weather on Saturday morning put a damper on the morning, but sunny skies later that day and into Sunday, made for some of the best drag racing in the country. Andrew never missed a second and kept us up to date, but in the end NMCA came out victorious over the NMRA. It was a great weekend. Chris from Vedalo HD came out to bring the racing action into HIGH DEFINITION!!! Check out the sponsor page to get a set of your own Vedalo HD sunglasses!!!

Next we headed for Oshkosh, WI but had a couple of days to spare so we hit the Wisconsin Dells first. The Dells has the worlds largest water parks as well as the famous ducks and the now famous Lake Dalton. Now why would the lake be famous, we it is no longer there. After severe rain in June, the lake overflowed into the Wisconsin River and disappeared in 2 hours. When we arrived we could walk across the lake. Spooky!!! We stayed in a cabin for a couple of days and enjoyed the town. It was very nice to sit back and relax. If you ever get a chance, this is definitely a place to stop.

Well it was time to get back to work and head for Oshkosh, WI for the EAA airshow. We set up on Saturday with the help of Embry-Riddle. Monday morning and it is time to go to work. During the week over three quarters of a million people will come though the gates. It is amazing and so much fun to see old friends. We we busy everyday trying to do our best to represent drag racing. Now every year we get a lot of the same questions and one question is "Are you going to run out here this week?" Well guess what.......this year I was happy to be able to say YES!!!!! Thursday at 2:57 the Embry-Riddle jet racing team rocketed down the runway at the World's Largest Airshow in front of people from all over the world. It was amazing to see the reaction. I was so proud of my team for giving me the tool to blast down the runway. What a rush!!!! I can't wait until next year. Thanks for all of my friends that took the time to stop and say HI. I have a new theme song and can't wait to do something with it. All in all what a great week.

But that was the airshow. Larsen Motorsports held their first annual sponsor appreciation party and the local bowling alley. Sorry to say NO photos will be posted : 0 ) We finished up the week and Sunday was the mark of another successful airshow. We packed everything up and it was time to head back to New Jersey for the NMRA race.

On the way to New Jersey we made a pit stop in Akron, OH. Now a lot of people may say "what is in Ohio?" But to a jet racer it is where a lot of history began. We went to the late Art Arfons shop and got to take a look at some amazing pieces of jet racing history. It was a honor to meet Tim Arfons and see photos and hear some of the old stories. We spent a couple of hours in the shop and then it was back on the road. No rest.

Curt Eierdam was in the area so he made the trip over to help crew for the Embry-Riddle team. We made a pass on Friday evening to light up the New Jersey skies and then 2 passes on Saturday. We were supposed to make an additional pass Sunday but rainy weather put a stop to the race and sent us on our way early. We said goodbye to Curt and started for our good friends house in Indianapolis. We spent the night and then flew home on Tuesday morning. We have been on the road for almost 5 weeks and I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Well home sweet home. We are going to get caught up on work back at the shop and in the office before we hit the road again for August 23rd. We have been invited to perform at the World Series of Drag Racing in Cordova Dragway. I can't wait. Check out the schedule page for more information. I hope to see you all at the races.

Catch up photos

2008-07-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have not done my job posting photos of my recent events. Soooooooooooo I thought I would catch you up on some of the high lights. I hope you enjoy.

Skills USA Kansas City, MO

Atlanta Night of Fire

Roush Museum

Time with friends and family

2008-07-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well after we rolled into the drive last Sunday, there hasn't been much time for rest. It is amazing how much mail there is to answer and the laundry, don't even get me started. It is one of those things where a couple of weeks sounds like we can get a lot done, but here it is a week into it and I am not even close to ready to hit the road again for a month.

There wasn't any time to rest as Chris and Mike installed our new awning for the Embry-Riddle trailer. We will debut it in Chicago for the next race. They worked very hard and I can't wait to use it at the track. Mike and Alli spent the week with us and we had a lot of fun. It was sad to see them head home to Georgia, because Chris would now look to me for the help.

I do hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July. We spent it at my best friends Trish's house on the lake enjoying great food and a wonderful fireworks show. I did of course try and show off that I am NOT an old lady by try to blast down the water slide and beat my son. Well all I ended up is hurting my pride and my knee. Good night. As I was limping back up to the pool trying not to show the pain on my face I decided to spend the rest of the day holding down a chair.

The next day was Chris's birthday and we spent the morning relaxing and getting ready for his birthday surprise. Now in the past I have really gone all out, for example, I sent him skydiving, we went on a cruise and this year I bought us tickets to Blue Man Group at Universal Studios in Orlando. He has wanted to see them for a while and I figured this was the chance. It was very very cool. I better start planning next years present.

Sunday was part two of the birthday present. He has wanted the garage painted so first thing the whole family (including Nitro) woke up and started the day painting. It only took us 8 hours to prep paint and put back to order, but man was he happy. We then went to eat with some neighbors that we hadn't seen in a while. All in all a great day.

Now I am sure a lot of you have already gone to see the new movie Hancock, but we never do things on time, so off to the movies and it was pretty cool. I won't spoil it, but a great surprise.

Now we are back home watching Pinks All Out enjoying the rest of the night. Soon it will be back on the road and we better enjoy this while we can. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Make sure you check out the schedule, we would love to see you at the races!!!
luv ya,
e

Home Sweet Home!!!!!

2008-06-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well I am writing this in my family room watching what else, drag racing!!!! We have been on the road for the past 4 weeks racing up and down the country and as much fun as it is......it is good to be home!!!!

I want to take a minute to say a little about Scott Kalitta as all of our thoughts and prayers are with his family and race teams. It is always a hard time when something like this happens in our drag racing family. But we all know the the consequences when we put on our helmets and accept what will happen. It never makes it easy, but we are all living our dreams.

On to better days. When I last checked in we had just left Milan and had to take care of some business then it was off for some R&R. We spent a week at my sisters house on the lake and man was it wonderful. Andrew played with all of his cousins and Nitro ran free!!!! On Saturday we were scheduled to do our favorite event of the year. The St. Johns High School held its 14th annual car show. Larry Button was Chris's auto shop teacher in High School and was a huge influence in his life and our family owes him so much, it was an honor for us to be a part of the car show this year. We fired the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster up in the parking lot and lit up the skies at Chris's old high school!!! Larry suprised Chris with a 1/5th scale replica of our Willys. Now give us a little time and you will see us buzzing around the drag strip on our new pit toy!!!

We left Michigan and stopped in to say HI to Al Z. another jet car racer. It is always nice to see Big Al!!! Then on to Kansas City to Skills USA for the rest of the week. We were on display for the second year to help promote Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and careers in Aviation. It was packed this year and we had beautiful weather the entire time. I want to congratulate all of the winners of the competition.

Then it was off to Atlanta Dragway for their Night of Fire. This is always a very fun race and we were ready to have some fun!!!! My crew guy Mike and his daughter Alli came out to help and stayed at the track. Alli was a great help. The Embry-Riddle jet dragster blasted down the quarter mile 3 times and ran awesome!!!! I think it was the largest night of fire ever and it was a great way to end our race tour!!! We headed home for some R&R and get everything ready for our next tour leaving July 16th.

I hope everyone enjoys the 4th of July holiday with friends and family. Chris's birthday is this Saturday July 5th and I have something really fun planned for the day. I will take a lot of pics and let you know how it comes out. Stay safe, see you at the races!!!

luv ya

Northbound

2008-06-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hey, well it has been a while since my last update so hopefully I don't bore you. The LMS team flew out the first of June for the NMCA race in Atco New Jersey. Now as the temperatures are heating up in the south, I was looking forward for some cooler weather.......HAAAAAAA It was record temps reaching in the high 90's and when we checked the temp it was 105. Still it was a great racing weekend for those who braved the heat to come out to watch. The Embry-Riddle jet car is doing a great job with no problems. We made three passes over the weekend and met some great people I am looking forward to come back in August for the NMRA race.

We hit the road on Sunday evening and headed back to our home towns in Michigan. We dropped off the trailer at Uncle Johns and then headed to my sister's house. We were all ready to stretch our legs. We had just enough time to unpack when it was time to hit the road to do a display for Jack Roush a couple of days later. I was honored to be invited to display the car at his private museum in Livonia, MI before the NASCAR race. It was wonderful to meet some new people and hopefully make some new drag racing fans.

Packing everything back up and it was time to race. We dropped the truck and trailer at Milan, MI which was our destination for the weekend. Unfortunately the skies were cloudy and it was raining off and on. They did get some qualifying in later that evening. We were invited to some of our close friends house for dinner. We met the Kempfs about 8 years ago on a cruise and have been close friends ever sense. They have a beautiful little girl and a new dog named Daisy. Nitro didn't know what to think.

Saturday morning and it is race day. I get nervous when my family comes to watch me race, and just hope that all goes well. My sisters Nancy and Diane with their families all were in attendance along with some close family friends Larry Button and Paul Beck. It was time to put the show on. I think they all had a great time and can't wait to see us again.

Sunday morning and back out to the race track. A new group of friends and family came out to watch and the good ole Embry-Riddle car did not let me down. This was my first trip to Milan Dragway and I would love to come back. It was a great facility and we all had a warm welcome. After my sister took Andrew and Nitro home while Chris and I took care of some business. Now we are sitting here getting some R & R. Now our plans at first was to enjoy the outside swim and play in the lake. Mother Nature has had other plans. It got down to 45 degrees last night and the high today is only 62. It is called be careful what you ask for as I was hoping for cooler weather.

Andrew has had fun with his cousins and Nitro has enjoyed running around Uncle Johns farm. We are having dinner with more family tonight and then we get to go to Chris's home town of St. Johns, MI to do their annual car show and fire up the jet car for the home town crowd.

We want to send out our thoughts for those who have suffered so much with the crazy weather lately. From the tornado's to the flooding. I guess mother nature has a mind of her own. Take care and we will see you at the races!!!!

luv ya,
e

Sparky is growing up!!

2008-05-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe it, but Sparky aka Andrew is growing up. This week he will be graduating from the 5th grade. Wow I can remember the 1st day of school in his brand new uniform. Now it is off to middle school and all that goes with that. Eye's rolling, loud music and oh yeah, GIRLS!.!!

So this week we are putting racing aside and totally focusing on him this week. So Thursday we are grilling 120 hamburgers and 120 hot dogs!!!

Well I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day, we spent it with friends out on the lake. Not to bad. Nitro enjoyed the day playing in the beach swimming in the pool and wearing us all out.

This weekend I am going to enjoy a girls night out with my best friend Trish and 15 of our close friends going to see the Sex in the City movie. Chris and Andrew are going out in the Hot Rod and going to cruise up and down main street at Old Town. We better rest up because right after schools out, it is time to get back to work and we will be heading to Atco, New Jersey to kick off our summer schedule.

Well the long hot summer is coming up with some great racing action. Check out the schedule and we will see you at the races!!!!

luv ya,
e

Heading for the Summit

2008-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well the Embry-Riddle Jet Racing team headed for Ohio to Summit Raceway Park for the Cavalcade of Stars. We were full of expectations as I had heard that this was the premiere drag strip in North America and I will say that it did not disappoint!!! The facility was beautiful and the staff was amazing. From the minute we pulled into the gate it was an experience. They treat the fan and racer so great, making sure that both get the best of the best.

So on to the good stuff. We dropped the trailer on Friday and set up the display. While we were there, Dick Rosburg arrived and we met up with some of our good friends from the Torco Alcohol team. After setting up we hit the road as we had made plans with Dick for dinner and a movie. Iron Man had come out the weekend before and we just had to see it. Great movie!! It was back to the hotel and in bed as it was going to be a long day on Saturday.

Saturday morning and the weather had called for cold, windy and possible rain, not a great outlook for racing, but hey it is race day so we headed out to the track. They had planned a full day with four jet dragster two wheel standers, motorcycles, snowmobiles and some of the fastest and best race cars it was going to be a great day. After all of the car arrived, we had our morning meeting. I was able to meet the new Queen of Diamonds, Jill. I had heard nice things about her and am happy to say she is did a very nice job this weekend. I was also racing Ernie driving the Beast from the East. Ernie was sooooo much fun and he knows how to take a joke!!!

We were scheduled to make 3 passes on Saturday, the first pass was a qualifying run. I was running Dick and made a good pass. Unfortunately Dick has a problem toward the end of the run and his weekend ended quickly. Jill ran faster than Ernie so round one went to the girls!! The second run, I was up against Ernie, well he wanted me to shave my head if I lost and I wanted him to wear a dress and dance on the starting line. Now if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is. Unfortunately things did not go my way and it looked like I was going to have to start wearing a hat. Ernie, being the gentleman that he is, said that it was unnecessary as he didn't want to see what I would look like without hair!!! So for the third round I had the single and it was Jill vs Ernie. Well experience won out and Ernie took home the win for the weekend, but I will tell you Jill and I will be back real soon and I am sure that next time we will both give him a run for his money.

The fans were treated to a live marching band, Beechcraft T-34 airplanes flying over and a wonderful fireworks display. The Baders sure know how to put on a race!!!! Sadly the race was over and it was time to pack up and head for home.

We will be home for a couple of weeks getting things ready for the summer runs. Andrew will graduate from 5th grade next week. I can't believe that my little sparkplug is growing up!!! Before you know it he will be in middle school. If you thought driving a jet dragster was fast, try keeping up with an 11 year old.

The next race is in Atco, New Jersey and then we go my home state, Michigan. Keep checking the schedule. I hope I see you on the road!!!

luv ya,
e

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

First I want to wish all of the Mom's out there a very Happy Mother's Day!!!! I hope that you all relaxed and enjoyed your day. Also our thoughts and prayers go out to those that lost family members today in the bad weather. We stayed in Macon, GA last night and when we woke up this morning and headed for home, trees were everywhere. We didn't realize that the tornados had just been through the area and we were only minutes behind. It sure puts things in perspective.

Now on to the race weekend. The Embry-Riddle team hit the road on Thursday afternoon for Atlanta Dragway for Pinks All Out. We were scheduled to display on Friday afternoon and then run the jet car on Saturday. Andrew and Nitro stayed home, Andrew had a baseball game and a 5th grade party and Nitro had bad kitties to chase, so it was only Chris, Mike and me.

We pulled into Atlanta Dragway and the place was beyond packed. The Southern Nationals were just held there a couple of weeks ago and from what everyone was talking about it was even BIGGER!!! People who had never been to a drag race before we e lining the fence ready to see what we do. It was really exciting. Atlanta Dragway brought in some great exhibition cars and the record crowd on hand was proof that we love drag racing!!!

This was the largest vendor row that the Pinks show had ever had. I was able to go shopping at the drag strip which is always fun. We were only able to make one pass on Saturday as the show was running a little behind schedule so the the show must go on. We did put on a great show and the car ran really well. The Embry-Riddle jet dragster is running the best it ever has and Chris really has a handle on the tune up.

Now we are back home and getting ready to hit the road for an event I have been looking forward tom the Cavalcade of Stars in Norwalk Ohio. You can find more information out about the event on our schedule page. If you are in the area, make sure you stop by and see us. I have never been to Summit Dragway Park and can't wait to eat the pound of ice cream!!!! Check our schedule and if any of you can make it out to the races, make sure you stop by.

luv ya,
e

Beech Bend Raceway Park

2008-05-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well it was time to head back to the race track after a weekend off. Chris left Kansas to head for Kentucky for the next race. Andrew and I flew out on Friday to meet up with all of the crew for the weekend. Chris and Team Synergy did a display for the Embry-Riddle Jet Racing team at the Holley factory on Friday while I was back at home doing some radio interviews.

Finally the crew all meet up and went out for dinner and then it was to bed early for the big weekend a head. Unfortunately the rain and wind came in Friday and stay with us until Saturday morning. But the NMCA and Beech Bend Raceway Park made sure that the track was prepared and ready to go on Saturday.

We made two passes on Saturday, the first one we had a pretty good head wind that I was fighting and I had to shut the car off a little early, on the second pass it was late and cool and the good ole ERAU jet dragster flew. I want to thank everyone that stayed to watch me make that last pass down the track. I know that it was cold and late, but really appreciate everything.

At the end of the night we were invited over to the Timberland Racing team for dinner. I thought I was back at Belle Rose, LA as crawfish was on the menu for the night. After filling our stomachs we headed back to the hotel for some rest. The next morning it was back out to the track and get the car ready for the next pass.

It was time to say good bye to Kentucky as we headed for home just in time to do some laundry and hit the road again for a trip to Atlanta for Pinks All Out. If you are in the area, make sure you stop by and say HI!!!

Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say HI, remember I will be back to Beech Bend the first weekend in October for the NMRA finals. See you at the races!!!!
luv ya,
e

Being Mom

2008-05-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

This past week it was time for the annual 5th grade field trip at Andrew's school. I somehow volunteered to organize this trip. We had decided to go to Animal Kingdom and camp at Fort Wilderness for a couple of days. Sounds fun right????? Well we had a blast. The kids were amazing and it was so much fun to watch them running around swimming and making smores and watching movies under the stars. I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as the parents.

Then it was back to work. We were invited out to Cessna Citation for the customer appreciation conference. Their theme was speed and we fit right in. The Embry-Riddle jet team loaded up and headed to Kansas. Well okay I flew out while Chris drove the dragster out. We had the opportunity to visit the Service Center and the Factory where Citations are made.

I flew home and Chris is driving to our next race. Bowling Green Kentucky is where we are going this weekend for the NMCA race at Beech Bend Raceway Park. I will report back after the race. Cross your fingers for good weather.

c ya
e

Just Call Me Nemo

2008-04-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, I received this today and thought it was cute. Thanks for making me laugh!!!!!

PINKS ALL OUT

2008-04-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Embry-Riddle jet team headed to Gainesville Raceway this past weekend for the Pinks All Out show. We set up on Friday to prepare for the very busy weekend ahead. Danny O'Day was there with his Super Winch wheel stander along with other exhibition cars, so we were ready for a great weekend.

Saturday morning we woke up, picked up E. Lowe and headed off to the track. Speed TV was there filming all day for the show and the fans packed the place. Pinks has a huge following and all of their fans were out in full force. Some of my friends also showed up to cheer me on, which is always fun.

We lined up for our first pass and the good ole Embry-Riddle car ran like a dream and flew down the track and the fans went wild. We hurried back to the pit as we had to be back on the track ready to go in under a hour. The second pass went smooth and then it was time for the Pinks top 16 to film their show.

The weekend was a blast and I can't wait to see the final product when it airs on Speed TV.

Thanks to all of the fans that stopped by to say HI. I also want to thank Gainesville Raceway for providing a great track for us. My next challenge is 72 fifth graders. Andrew's class is taking their annual trip and I get to be one of the parent volunteers. Fun Fun. I think a 6000 horsepower fire breathing dragster will be easier to control, but I will let you know.

See you at the track.

e

Keeping you in the loop

2008-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it has been a while since I have checked in. A lot has been going on at Larsen Motorsports.....all good, but very very busy. First since the Gators we went down to South Florida to the Barrett Jackson auto auction in West Palm Beach. Chris took the 41 Willys Jet Pro Mod down to help out the Vedalo HD sunglass company to do a display. Now if you haven't checked out the sponsor page and link to their page, www.vedalohd.com
you need to because they have come out with some amazing styles and the lenses are the best. So check them out. Well enough of a plug back to business. I had never been there and was amazed at the cars. Chris had his eye on this really cute little 1932 Ford, but he had to go home so too bad for him or was it. I had a little surprise waiting for him. The car went up on the auction block the next day and I bid on it and won it for him. I was going to surprise him the next day, but guess who was watching TV. Well did he get a surprise. The rest of the event went amazing, and Chris got his car.

No rest and time to enjoy, we had to hit the road for Belle Rose, LA to meet back up with PeeWee and the club!!!! We went back to No Problem Raceway for the Jegs Cajun Nationals. We had a wonderful time and ate at Garrison's. Now some people may think that Garrison's is a restaurant, but it is the best place to eat in Louisiana and it is at the track. A fellow racer holds this amazing party at the larger races has Pee Wee cook up a storm. I would like to say I enjoyed the racing as much as the food, but after the craw fish boil on Saturday night, the food won.

After the final run on Sunday evening we hit the road to get Andrew back in school and we had to get things set up for our next show in Lakeland. The famous Sun N Fun airshow always if fun, but a lot of rain had all of the vendors calling it the Mud N Fun. When we arrived at our booth space it was a challenge to say the least to get the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical jet dragster trailer in place, so much so we got stuck and had to get towed out of the spot. We unloaded the car and decided for this show we wouldn't use the trailer. We also had the 41 Willys at the Vedalo HD booth so it was double duty.

I worked the show all week and on the weekend the Tunderbirds performed. We also had the Embry-Riddle alumni event on Saturday. We had a wonderful event and I appreciate all of you that took time to stop by and say Hi at the booth.

My sister Nancy and her husband Duane flew in Saturday in order to help out with our busy schedule. It was a welcome relief as they took Andrew on Sunday to go have some fun. Chris and I loaded up the cars and hit the road for home. It was a long day, but as always a lot of fun.

Now you would think that I would be ready for a rest, but no way. Tuesday morning we went over to the Embry-Riddle Daytona Campus for the Women in Aviation day. Over 400 young girls come out to learn about the different careers that are available for them at Embry-Riddle. It is always refreshing to see kids with their whole life ahead of them. Full of dreams and ready to hit the ground running.

Well that about covers the last couple of weeks. This weekend we are heading to Gainesville, FL to tape the Pinks All Out show. Gainesville just put in a beautiful new tower, so I will try and behave. We will be there with Danny and Donna O'Day with their Super Wench Wheel stander. I can't wait to see them again. Well keep checking in.

See ya in the fast lane.
e

Gatornationals

2008-03-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, Well we have had a couple of weekends off and of course where do we go.....the drag races. I bought us tickets to Saturday's qualifying. We woke up and left bight and early to head out to the track. We made great time until we hit Gainesville. Then trouble started. It was a two hour delay just to get into the track. I guess there are a lot of drag race fans out there because we were all at the track.

We finally made it in and we could hear the top fuel cars warming up. There is something pretty darn cool when you are walking through the pits and hear one of those bad boys fire up. We made it to our seats in order to see some great passes down the quarter mile. As I was sitting in the stands feeling like a small fish in a big pond the guy sitting in front of me turns around and said, "Hey aren't you Elaine, the driver of the Embry-Riddle jet dragster?" Talk about making my day.

We left our seats to walk around and ran into a lot of friends and met up with Chris and Chuck from our crew. As we were walking around you will never guess who was in Clay Millican's area....none other than Jessie Harris. She wants to tell everyone HI and is working hard with Clays team. It was great to catch up with her.

We ended up spending time in Meline Troxell's area, as a friend that Chris went to school with crews for Mike Ashley At the end of the day, we had seen some great runs down the quarter mile and ran into some old friends. All in All in was an awesome day. We headed for home ready to get back to the race track. I not a very good fan, I am much better hands on.

Well the next stop is Barrett Jackson and Indy at Homestead, FL, then back to No Problem Raceway for the Jegs Sportsman Nationals. Keep checking the website as I will be adding some new places. I hope to see you at the RACES!!!

luv ya,
e

Mustang Madness

2008-03-11T15:38:00.001-07:00

The Embry-Riddle team set off for Bradenton Motorsports Park for the NMRA season opener. It was Mustang Madness in South Florida and we were there to watch it all. We headed out for the race on Friday morning in order to do a couple of displays, first at Walmart then for the pre-race party at Hooters. Then it was time to go to the hotel to rest up for race day.

Andrew had a baseball game Friday night so E. Lowe picked him up at a friends house and all of the crew was on hand to have a great time. Unfortunately the weather was WINDY, so it made set-up fun and we eventually lost one of our canopies to the wind. But racing goes on. We were only able to make 1/8 mile passes, but I am happy to say that the ERAU jet dragster ran amazing.

The next day we were geared up to make one more pass and have some fun. Well okay we also had to celebrate my birthday, which it seems like I always celebrate at the race track. Hey a girl has to make a living. But with all of my friends around how could my day be anything other than great. Thanks for everyone for the great birthday. Jason, glad that you are back safe and sound from Iraq, it was good to see you. The ERAU dragster made a blistering pass and we packed up and headed for home.

We have the next couple of weeks off, but we are going to check out the Gatornationals this Saturday and get ready for the weeks to come. Check out the schedule as we are heading to South Florida for World Famous Barrett Jackson Auto Auction and the kick off of the Indy racing league at the Miami Homestead Raceway. We are going to be a part of the Speed Jam with Three Doors Down and Danica. Check out this link for more information. http://www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com/544813.html

Thanks for checking in. Enjoy the photos below.

luv ya,

Hey NO PROBLEM!!!!

2008-03-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well it was really time to kick off the 2008 season and we kicked it off with a bang at No Problem Raceway. Now this is our second year to come out for NHRA's division 4 first points meet, last year was amazing and we had high hopes as we left home on Wednesday after Andrew got out of school. So "on the road again!!!!" We made it to Marianna, FL and found a hotel to spend the night. Up early the next morning and with the frost in the air we hit the road destination Belle Rose, LA!!!

We dropped off the trailer on Thursday afternoon and met up with some friends from last year. Then went to the hotel to rest up for the big weekend. Friday morning E. Lowe was flying in and Mike Mathes was driving to us so we were ready for the weekend. It was a cool night and the car ran great and the crowd was on their feet. So Saturday we come back to the track to make two runs. The race track was busting at the seams cars were flying down the track it felt like magic!!!! I talked to so many racers that had worked so hard in the off season and spent hard earned money to put their race cars back on the track. You sometimes wonder why......well after that first blast down the quarter mile it comes rushing back to you why we do what we do. I feel so much at home at the drag strip. People get me here. Anyway the stands were packed and people just wanted to have a good time and a good time is what the racers gave them.

The Embry-Riddle jet dragster did me proud and shot fire and smoke and hopefully entertained the crowd. After the runs we were invited to Mr. Dons pit area for some wonderful food. Now I have to tell you that usually when I go racing I loose weight, it will never be the case at No Problem Raceway. I don't know what I ate but it was amazing. My crew is fighting over who gets work these weekends.

Sunday morning and we celebrated the RFC service with about 200 other racers and fans. But it was time to get busy and get down to work and make one more pass to close out the weekend. But wait a minute. I forgot to tell you the best part......I don't know how to explain it so I will just put on a BIG photo to show you. They came over to show me, but during the race the stood on their motorhome. How cool was this!!!! Talk to you soon, luv ya

Race Day Postponed!!!

2008-02-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

Well darn!!! We were all set to go racing and I did the wrong thing......I looked at the weather report. I guess I should be happy I did, becuase what I saw wasn't good. 80% chance of rain everyday. It was looking like a long weekend in the hotel. At the last minute I decided to call Pat Jeffron @ No Problem Raceway and heard the news....NHRA had postponed the event for a couple of weeks. Well I guess I should be happy that we didn't have to drive for 18 hours only to turn around and head home. So I guess it all ended up well. But man am I ready to get back to the track.

Last weekend E. Lowe took his car out and had some fun and went a couple of rounds, it was fun to be back at the track. So I guess I will have to wait a couple of weeks to try out some new safety equipment.

I hope to see you out at the track.

luv,
e

Gearing up for the Show!!!

2008-02-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am sitting here watching NHRA drag racing. Man am I ready to get back in the drivers seat. We have been very busy in the off season, in fact this past week we spent out in Prescott, AZ visiting Embry-Riddle's other campus. We flew out on Tuesday and returned home Friday evening. This is the furthest west I have ever traveled and was in awe of the beautiful senery that was breath taking. Obviously, we are right around the corner of the Daytona Beach campus, but it was a lot of fun to visit the other main campus. If hiking, biking and horseback riding is your thing, this campus has it all.

Now it is time to look towards the 2008 racing season. We are kicking off the racing action at No Problem Raceway this weekend for the NHRA division 4 race. There have been some changes in our safety up grades with our boots and gloves. So this weekend will be a time to get used to the new equipment. I will let you know how it comes out.

My schedule is posted on the webiste, so if you are in the area, make sure you stop by and say HI. I am going to put up my merchandise very soon. I have new t-shirts that are soon to be delivered as well as some really cool new items, so make sure you check back.

I guess that is all of the news for now. We are almost finished with the remodeling in the house. I have a laundry room that will be going in next week, YES!!! We are enjoying the new bathrooms and Nitro has a new doggie door that has made his life so much easier for him to chase the bad kitties!!!!

P.S. A change in the schedule. The NHRA division 4 race scheduled for this weekend has been postponed until the first weekend of March. See ya there.

Being a Homebody

2008-01-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hey, I hope this finds everyone rested after an exciting New Year. We have been very busy preparing for the 2008 season. The cars are in the shop getting their winter makeover, and as many of you have seen I have redone the website. I hope you are enjoying the new look. We have a new car a 1941 Willys Jet Pro-Mod that we are using for displays for the 2008 season. She is an awesome car and I can't wait to take her out on the strip and see what she can do.

We also have an additional sponsor that I would like to introduce everyone to, Vedalo HD. They are a revolutionary sunglass company. You can check out their website at www.vedalohd.com You can also see the whole LMS crew decked out in their latest and greatest eye wear.

Next week I will have my official 2008 schedule posted. We are coming back to see some great friends and going to some new tracks and I can't wait. It seems as if it has been so long since I have been in the dragster that I can't wait.

Well keep checking back for updates, as our first race is just around the corner. I will be placing a lot of great photos that have been taken in the past year as well. See you guys at the races!!

luv,
e

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well it is 2008. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Santa was good to everyone. We spent Christmas with family and friends and probably gained 10lbs. I hope I can still fit in the car!!! It is hard to take time off from work when work is at your house and always waiting. Chris has been busy out in the shop with some of our crew guys working on getting the cars ready for the 2008 season. I have been busy in the house, YIKES. I replaced the wallpaper in the kitchen and the bathrooms are next. I have a contractor coming out to give me a bid.

I have been busy booking my shows for the 2008 season. We are hitting some of the fun spots from last year and we are going to so new places. I am very excited to be in Michigan this year. Both Chris and I have family there, so it should be a fun race. The new schedule will be up real soon, so if your in the area come out and see us.

Well I guess that is it, back to cleaning the house and getting ready for the busy season. If you are in South Florida, I am going to be doing a charity event for the Darrell Gwynn foundation this weekend. It is at 2800 Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point. We are going to bring the 41 Willys down to show her off. I will take lots of photos and I got a camera from Santa!!!!

Have a safe and happy New Year. See you at the races!!!!

e

PRI in Orlando, Florida

2007-12-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

For the last show of the year, we didn't have far to go. The Performance Racing Industry was held in Orlando, FL. This was a very exciting time for everyone at Larsen Motorsports. We debuted our brand new jet car at the show. A 1941 Willys Jet Pro-Mod!!!!! We have so many sponsors to help for putting this car on the map. First Vedalo HD and Swiss Trax for putting us in their booth at the PRI show, Jammin Grafix for such an amazing job on the paint and Vickerys Speed Shop for my awesome new Impact helmet with the eye popping paint scheme. Photos will be coming soon!!!

We arrived on site on Wednesday morning and the place was packed with everyone setting up their booths. It is so cool to see this part. We were helping Chris set-up the Vedalo HD booth when I soon realized that we needed help getting our supplies into our booth, it was up to me to find a cart to carry in all of our boxes. I enlisted the first person I found as I walked in the show. Little did I know who I was enlisting to help. Berserko Bob!!!!! He is with Bob Gilbertson for those of you who may not know. Well we had a lot of fun for the next few days!!!

We set-up the booth and then went home to get ready for the first day of the show. 9:30 a.m. and the cover came off our car. There is not other show like this in the world. The Willys Jet Pro-Mod received a lot of attention which was hard to do at a show like this with "who's who" of racing.

There were many high profile drivers and race teams at the show and it was an honor for them to stop by our booth to check out our sunglasses. Thursday was so busy that by the time we got home, I was exhausted. We had to be back early on Friday morning and it was going to be a long day as we had the NMRA and NMCA banquet later that evening.

Saturday, and the last day of the show. Even though I was very tired, it was so amazing and such an honor to be a part of the largest racing trade show in the world. We ended the show and it was time to go home to start thinking about the Christmas Season, since I haven't bought even the first Christmas present, YIKES!!!! I better get busy.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Holiday Season!!! Make sure you celebrate all that is important, friends and family. I have BIG news coming the first of the year. Watch for a brand new website, fan club, our 2008 schedule and some major announcements.

I luv you all!!!
e

Last Race of the Year!!!!

2007-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

The 2007 Snowbird Nationals in Bradenton, FL was my last pass down the quarter mile for the 2007 season. We headed to Bradenton Motorsports Park on Friday afternoon to set up for the event. We met up with one of our crew guys, Mike Mathes from Georgia, that drove down for to help us out. Bob also met us on Friday to take some photos for the weekend.

Saturday morning and we headed to the track very early because we were having some special guests from American Heart Hero's later that day. You can learn more about the wonderful group at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3004967 It was so wonderful to be able to walk the kids and their family around to meet all of the exhibition drivers. Hopefully they had as much fun as I did.

I only race a few times in Florida every year, and some of my friends came out to visit us at the races. We made two great passes down the quarter mile and packed everything up to get some rest for the next day.

Sunday morning and we made to the RFC chapel service. Tom always does a great job. We pulled the car out and got it ready for the last run of the year. After blasting down the track one last time, we loaded things up. As much as we love racing, I was ready for some time off. I do have one more show before I can put the year to bed. One of our newest sponsors Vedalo HD and Swiss Trax has asked us to be in their booth at PRI. I am very excited to see what 2008 has to offer. A lot of BIG NEWS, an brand new website, fan clubs and so much more. Keep checking back.

e

Citrus Nationals

2007-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

This blog. is very hard to write. I have been putting it off this week, but I guess it is time. Chris Gould, driver of the Firepower jet funny car lost his life piloting his funny car at the Citrus Nationals this past weekend. We were rained out on Saturday and had made our first pass on Sunday, on the last pass of the day Sunday he lost control of the funny car. We do not at this time know what happened, except a friend lost his life. Words can not describe the feelings that you have at a time like this. We all take our cars for granted, we all feel like Superman and indestructible, but unfortunately, we are human, and tragedy happens at the race track.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris's family and friends. Chris licensed for the jet funny car about the same time I did. We raced with him at all of the Moroso events. The jet racing community is so very small, that this loss will be felt by everyone.

Life is precious, live everyday to its fullest.

e

Winding Down

2007-11-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while for me to write, but we have been very busy. In the past few weeks, we have displayed the ERAU dragster, displayed Miss Ta Fire and in the middle I have licensed a brand new jet funny car driver.

We started off the displays at Middleton High School over in Tampa. It was great to see the cool ideas the students have. Then we went to an Admissions Fair at ERAU. Miss Ta Fire was feeling a little left out, so we put her on display in South Florida and in the middle of all of it I licensed a new jet funny car guy.

Last weekend we headed Homestead for the last race of the year in Homestead where we were on display in the fan zone. It was amazing again this year.

Now it is Thanksgiving evening and we spent the day with friends and family. I ate too much turkey and stuffing. Every year I say not again, but it seems as if I do it anyway. I am trying to decide if I am going to be like everyone else tomorrow and hit the malls running. Right now I am too tired to think about it, but tomorrow the stores may be calling me.

This weekend we are head to West Palm Beach for the Citrus Nationals. Then we go to the other coast to Bradenton Motorsports Park for the Snowbirds. We finish up the year at the PRI (performance racing industry) show in Orlando.

I hope everyone has wonderful plans for the holidays. If you are in the area, please stop by and see us in our last few races of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving,
e

Gulfport, Mississippi

2007-10-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Andrew had Friday off for a teacher work day so we hit the road early for the last race outside of the state of Florida. We arrived in time to have a nice dinner and get some rest before our display the next day at Keesler Airforce Base.

Saturday morning and we headed out to the base and set the dragster up. Later that day we headed out to the track. We met up with Dick and Terry Rosberg had some ice cream and went to the track. We were scheduled to make one pass on Saturday night and then two the following day. Well we almost didn't make it, not because of the the car, because they were feeding us some amazing food, and it was all we could do to tear ourselves away to go and make a pass. Gumbo & boiled shrimp. YUMMMMM Now that was worth the drive to Mississippi.

The next day we made our two passes and packed up to come home. I am looking forward to staying close to home for the next few weeks. We are working with our sponsor for the next couple of weekends over in Daytona Beach. Then it will be time to wrap the season up.

Keep checking back as we have some big things on the horizon for Larsen Motorsports.

e

Back to where it ALL began!!!

2007-10-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a long hot summer, and it is nice to be back in Florida to race at Moroso Motorsports Park. It is always nice to come back to Moroso, but we made the decision to bring the Miss Ta Fire out of retirement so it was extra special. We had some special guests that came down to hang out with us. Bob made the trip from Daytona to take some AWESOME photos of the ole' girl. It felt great to watch her shine again this weekend. The fans were also excited to see her back in action.

We were there for the All Ford Show. I was racing the Thriller jet dragster, the funny cars came out to play as well, Firepower and Rocky Mountain Thunder took their turns to Blast down the quarter mile. But that is not all, the Wheel Standers came out as well, Danny O'Day with the Super Wench and Billy Moffett with the Bottoms Up. Elvis came out to make some test runs. As you can see, it was great weekend.

Saturday Night Danny invited us down to enjoy big stories, this is what drag racing is all about, sitting around the pits and talking about the good ole' days. What a night. The next morning we went to the RFC service and then back to racing. The wind was really strong so they cut the racing to 1/8 mile. The Miss Ta Fire made her laps and it was time to put her back in the trailer for a while. I don't believe she will run again until next year, but it was fun to blow the cobwebs out.

We made it home in time to put Andrew to bed for school the next day. No time to rest, we have a race in Gulfport Mississippi, the annual Ford vs Chevy where I will be racing Thriller again.

Thanks to my AWESOME crew that always does a great job. Bob, you are the best, and Chris, hope you had fun at homecoming. See you on the road.

e

The NMRA World's Finals in Bowling Green

2007-10-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster loaded up and hit the road for Bowling Green, KY to race at Beech Bend Raceway. We were invited to the World Finals and when I tell you this was big, I mean BIG. We pulled into town on Friday afternoon, met up with Mike our crew for the weekend, washed the truck and trailer and it was time to get some rest. Okay so no rest it was time for the Bassani party. Darrell made some wonderful white chili. YUM!! Then we went to the Go Kart track and had some fun.

The next morning and we head to the track. It was wall to wall race cars and people. It was awesome!!! We had one of my biggest fans Mustang Jay reported for duty and the weekend was complete. We made two passes on Saturday and then two on Sunday. The weekend was almost perfect, yes almost, it was HOT. But the racing goes on and may what a race. This was the worlds finals for the NMRA and the cars were going all out. In the end on Sunday the last car went down the track and a new champion will soon be announced. A perfect weekend.

We hit the road for a 14 hour drive to get Andrew back in school for Monday morning. He was only a little late, and now it is time to set our sights on the up coming weekend for Moroso Motorpsorts Park's Ford show. We are going to drive the Miss Ta Fire for this event. It is time to bring her out of retirement. I hope to see you there.

e

NMCA in Atlanta

2007-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

After a week of rest, it was time to get back out to the track. The Embry-Riddle jet team loaded up and headed back on the road. We had all of the crew scheduled to come up and join the fun. We were asked to a display for the events sponsor Nitto/Toyo tire. It was a lot of fun to share what we do with the many people who work to make sure our tires are made correctly.

Friday evening and we head to the race track to drop off the trailer and get some sleep to get ready for the big weekend. Saturday morning and our crew all arrive. E. Lowe brought Chuck and Chris from south Florida, Russ and Bob drove in from Embry-Riddle and Mike lived close by. It was nice to have ALL of the crew there. Saturday morning and we were happy to be at the race track. After we set up our display, Andrew took off to watch racing. I went to say HI to all of my vendor friends that we have made over the last few weeks. We were scheduled for two runs each day. The first pass, the car ran a little slow thanks to driver error, but the second pass, the car ran well. We packed up for the night and headed for dinner for some great food After we headed back to the hotel to jump in the pool. Little did we know how cold the pool would be, but still we had fun.

Sunday morning and we are back at the track for more fun. We started the day with Chapel Service. It was a cool morning but what a way to start the day. The rest of the day went by fast. We made two more nice safe passes, and then loaded up the team as we had to drive to get Andrew back in school Monday morning. YIKES!!! We made it back in time and Andrew was back in school first thing. Back to our normal life.

We have a couple of weeks off. There are a lot of projects coming up for Larsen Motorsports. Big announcements and lots of great racing action yet to be completed this year. Keep up with us and we wind down the 2007 year in the Southeast. Keep up with the schedule and watch for some exciting news.

c ya,
e

Working on Labor Day

2007-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend was all about work, okay so maybe not so much work as racing. We spent the weekend in Columbus, OH racing for the NMRA. We left for the race on Thursday afternoon, flying out of Orlando into Charlotte, NC to pick up the truck and trailer. We hit the road and met up with Danny O'Day (Super Wench wheelstander). Danny had fixed one of our fuel tanks and did an amazing job. Thanks Danny. The next morning and we drove the rest of the way. We were excited for this event as I was meeting up with my sister and her family.

We were scheduled to do a display at Hooters on Friday evening. It went well and we packed up the car for race day. Saturday morning and it was very cool outside, but there was a lot of cars getting ready to make their first laps. We set up and started the day. I was scheduled to make two passes on Saturday and two on Sunday. The car ran well, and we packed up for the night.

We decided to go our for Japanese with my sisters family and our sponsor George from Syngery Coatings who also joined us for the weekend. The food was good but the chief was great. We all enjoyed a nice dinner and back to the room to get rest for the next day. Sunday morning and we are packing up and heading to the track. The car ran well again, and We had the opportunity to met some great fans. I was sad to see my sister leave, but we had to put some miles behind us so we could get home.

We spent one night and made it home about 7:30 on Monday evening in order to watch the US Nationals. We are now home for the next week and no race this weekend. It is time for a breather. The plan is to get everything caught up, and then we hit the road again for Atlanta, GA for a NMCA race.

Sparkplug is back in school, so it is homework at night and getting in bed early. Keep up with our schedule as we may be coming to a city near you.

See you on the road.
e

Racing in North Carolina

2007-08-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

We left the truck and trailer in Charlotte, NC after racing last Saturday night and flew home so Andrew could start 5th grade. He had a great first week in school, but the race track was calling. Friday afternoon we flew back to Charlotte for this weekends racing at Wilkesboro Raceway Park.

E. Lowe met up with us after spending a week visiting family and friends. We were up against the Thriller jet dragster and scheduled to make three passes. We pulled into the track and unloaded the car. Okay, so I went over and talked to Dustin and Terry and the guys unloaded the car. After we set everything up it was time for the gates to open. We were expecting Embry-Riddle representatives from our North Carolina World Campus. Mark and his sons came out to cheer on the good ole ERAU car.

The car ran well, and we always have fun running with the Rosburg crew. After the race we threw some hot dogs on the grill and told BIG stories. We are racing in Columbus, OH next weekend, so we left the rig in Charlotte again and flew home. Four days to get caught up and back on the road. Some of my family is coming out to see us, so it should be a fun Labor Day weekend.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said HI at the track. We will see you on the road.

e

Clay City Kentucky Here We Come!!!

2007-08-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay so our plans did not work to fly home for a couple of days, so we made the best and visited Washington D.C. After a couple of days there, we headed to our race in Clay City, Kentucky. We arrived into town on Wednesday evening and met up with Pepi and Danny from the Xtreme Machine. We had dinner with them and then back to the hotel. Thursday we were a bunch of veggies. I laid out in the sun, Chris worked on the race car, Andrew watched TV and Nitro chased his tail. It felt good to just relax for a change.

Friday morning and it was time for some action, so we got in the truck and headed for something fun to do. We had heard that there was this Natural Bridge you could climb up, so we headed in that direction. Wow if you are ever in the area, this is a must see. I wish we would have known about this when we first got into town, as there are cabins you can rent and so many trails to explore. Next time we are in the area, this is the place to stay.

Saturday morning and it is race day. Chris washed the truck and I had to do some last minute school shopping for Andrew as we get home on Sunday evening and he starts school on Monday morning.

We headed out to the track and met up with Fran and Phil Peppler, Pepi, and Danny O'Day. The Bars Leak team was also there to help put on a great show. This race track has been around for over 40 years. We were scheduled to make three runs at 7:00, 8:30 and 10:00 and right on the dot they were pulling us in the staging lanes. We made three passes, no problems, the car ran great and the crowd was standing room only. The stands filled in by 4:00, and the rest of the people lined the fence. Not a bad way spend a Saturday night.

We loaded up everything and headed for the hotel as we had to hit the road by 4:00 a.m. to make our flight out and get some rest before Andrew starts the 5th grade. Wow time is flying.

I want to thank Mike for coming out and filling in for E. Lowe. Also all of the fans that stopped by to see the car and say HI. Next stop Wilkesboro N.C.

See you on the road.

e

Catching up

2007-08-16T06:59:00.001-07:00

Well we have traveled a lot of miles since the last blog. After our great time at Oshkosh it was time to hit the road for Texas. We made it into town a couple of days early, so we hung out and enjoyed the hotel pool. We met up with Mike and Maria from the Interceptor team and head dinner on Thursday evening. On Friday it was show time. We headed to the track and it was time to get down to business. We made two passes on and it was time to load it up and get some sleep. On Saturday we headed back to the track to make two more passes.

Peggie Horton came out to help us on Saturday evening. It was great to see her again. While we were at the track we had a lot of people stop by and tell us about the times Ancel had raced up and down the many race track in Texas. I still miss him a lot, but think he would be proud of what we have accomplished.

We made our two passes and loaded up. It was a long drive home, but I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. We made it home Monday morning at 11:00, and it gave me just enough time to do laundry, and repack the trailer to hit the road again on Thursday.

Thursday morning and it is on the road again heading for New Jersey. We were running on of the NMRA (national mustang racing association) races. I had never been to Atco Dragway before, but what a wonderful track. The place was packed and it was going to be a great race.

Friday evening and we had nothing to do, so we headed into Philadelphia to see the sights. We headed to Independence Hall and wow what a great time. We walked and walked up and down all of the old streets.

Saturday morning and race time. We made two passes on Saturday and then two on Sunday. The car ran great at 283 mph. I met a lot of fun people and would love to come back again to race their.

Monday morning and our plan was to fly out and then return on Thursday to head to another race. Well plans changed when we pulled into the airport. There was NO parking for our rig. I had really misjudged the parking situation as it was going to cost us $300 to park for 3 days. YIKES!!!! So I called the airline and canceled the flights and we decided to drive and hang out. As I was looking at the map I realized that we had passed by D.C. three times this summer and never had taken the time to sight see. Well all we had was time. So D.C. here we come.

We found a wonderful hotel just outside of the city that was pet friendly and had a shuttle to the metro, the train that runs into the city. We lucked out. If you ever get a chance to visit D.C. take a couple of days and stop. It was amazing. We tried to see everything, but ran out of time. Next time we are in the area, we are going to stop again and see more.

So now that we are caught up, I am in Kentucky in a hotel waiting to race this weekend. Andrew starts school on Monday and we race again next weekend. What a great life.

see ya,
e

Nashville and Oshkosh here we come!!!!!

2007-07-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Larsen family hits the road, air, for our next race in Nashville, TN. We had left the rig at the race track as we were pulling through town, so I booked us a flight to go back out for the race. It was Nitro's first flight, and I am happy to say that he was wonderful.

We landed and we went to the car rental to pick up our surprise, I had rented us a Nitro from Dodge. We loaded up and met up with George from Team Synergy. He was our guest for the weekend. The next day it was time for a display at Tennessee Speed Sport and then off to the race track to drop the trailer.

Saturday morning and it is sunny and blue skies. We hang out by the pool to relax before the busy night. We head out to the track. Charlotte and Rick, owners of the track, have done a lot of work to make the track really nice for the racers. We were scheduled to make 3 passes for the evening. Just before my first pass I look up and Big John, my ERAU buddy shows up after a 500 mile drive just to come and see me!!!!!

We make 3 good passes, and the crowd went wild. It was a late night, and he loaded everything quickly as we had to hit the road very early 4:00 a.m. to head to Oshkosh, WI. 45 minutes of sleep was not even near enough, but it had to do.

We were very tired on the drive, but we had to be at the airport to set-up the display by 5:00. The rest of the ERAU team were waiting for us to help and then it was time to get some well needed sleep.

Monday morning and it is show time. They say that for the entire week over 700,000 people attend the World's Largest Air Show. I can believe it. For the third year in a row, we had a wonderful show. I love watching the airshow every afternoon, and we have a great spot. The Beach Boys performed sounded great.

My new sponsor Vedalo HD, expect to hear more about them in the near future, was also at this event and I was able to show off some of the newest line of sunglasses.

For the entire week we were there to talk to prospective students about their career goals. Then on Friday we had a Lunch with the Stars scheduled. It was a one on one time for them to ask questions with some of the air show performers. It was a honor to be a part of this panel. Later that evening it was the kick off party for my newest sponsor, Vedalo HD. I invited all of the ERAU staff, and we all enjoyed ourselves. By the end of the week, we were all very tired, but I am already ready to do it all over again next year.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to stop and say HI. Right now I am in Missouri at a Comfort Inn watching Shark Week eating pizza heading for Texas to race. Nitro is going crazy in the room, jumping from bed to bed trying to get our food. I will check in later.

see ya,
e

Time to get back to work!!!

2007-07-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, we have had a couple of weeks off and it is time to get back to work. We are going to be on the road for the next 6 weeks straight, and I can't wait.

We start out in Nashville, then Oshkosh, Texas, we make a quick stop at home and then back on the road. This is going to be fun. I will be finishing up this week packing, and getting everything ready for next weeks.

If you see us on the road, make sure to stop and say HI!!! Check out our schedule and see if we are coming to a city near you!!!

see ya on the road.
e

Skills USA

2007-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Skills USA, for those of you who do not what this is, let me send you to their website for help. http://www.skillsusa.org/ Now that you may know more about this organization, let me tell you HOW COOL IS THIS!!!!! It is like the Olympics for any type of trade. Students compete in everything from aviation maintenance to dental assisting. To be able to watch these students work so hard for the ultimate goal.....being the best of the best.

This is defiantly something that I was so proud to be a part of. We had the opportunity to meet some other great vendors. On Tuesday morning, I took a break to walk around and see what was there, and you would never guess who I ran into, a fellow drag racer. 2 time NHRA world champ Tony Schumacher. Years ago he got his start racing in a jet dragster, so of course I had to ask him which one he liked driving the best, well top fuel won, but he did have some great times in a jet. For those of you who have never taken the time to go to a NHRA national event, make sure you stop by and tell Tony HI. He is one of the good guys.

The next day we started out with cloudy skies. The event areas were still full and there was a lot going on. We snuck out for lunch to the world's famous barbecue place called Arthur Bryants. You have to go to this place to believe it. When you ask for pork, they slap down two pieces of wonder bread, and use TWO hands to shovel the pork onto the bread. It was HUGE!!!!! I have to tell you amazing doesn't even cover it. We ate until our stomachs couldn't put anything else in. The bad part was we had to go back to work when all we wanted was a nap.

Thursday was the main day of competition for the students. It was a rainy day, which didn't upset us as we wanted to be up stairs to watch all of the events unfold. At the end of the day, everyone had a wonderful time and was ready to relax. But rest if not for us, we loaded up and hit the road yet again. This time was for HOME!!!! We arrived home in the middle of the night, and man my bed never felt so good. We are now home for 18 days. Time to get some laundry done and get things ready for the next trip. We also have to have a party for Chris, as he turns 40 on July 5th. Wow he does pretty good for an old man!!!! I hope everyone has a great 4th of July. We are going to spend it with friends and family. I will check in later.

see ya,

Atlanta Night of Fire

2007-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so now we have been on the road for so many days, I have lost count. It gets bad when you forget what hotel you are staying at.

But the up side is we have had a BLAST racing up and down the country. We pulled into Commerce for Atlanta Dragways Night of Fire on Thursday afternoon. Chris now calls me a princess, as I changed our hotel plans when the hotel pool had green sludge growing on the top. I moved us over to a beautiful brand new Best Western which we both enjoyed the pool on Friday morning before we had to go to work at a display in the afternoon.

Kroger was one of the sponsors of the event, so we set the car out front for a few hours. Then it was time to pack it up and head to the track. This as kind of a combo weekend as we were doing a race along with a photo shoot for a new sponsor soon to be announced. We hired a great photographer to come out for the weekend and shoot us in action. Friday night, was just the beginning. We finished up about 12:00 a.m. and headed to get something to eat. Taking pictures makes you very hungry. I was happy to have one of the newest members of Larsen Motorsports, Russ Glover, come out for the weekend to help us with all of the set up. Russ really loves drag racing and I can see a bright future for him with us. Look for his crew bio coming soon.

Early the next morning we were up and getting ready to go to the track. I had rented E. Lowe a car to drive in and had called to check his progress as we were getting ready. Not long after we arrived at the Atlanta Dragway, E. Lowe pulls up in his rented PT Cruiser convertible. I wave and pull him in. He gets out of the car and we start talking, I feel someone rubbing my shoulders and turn around to see that the some of our other crew has snuck a ride up with E. Lowe. Chuck and Chris Foster decided late on Friday night that they wanted to come up and have some fun. You could have blown me over. I was shock but sooooooo happy as the race was going to be hectic and we really needed their help.

Marc, the photographer took some awesome photos. I will post some when he gets them all cleaned up, and me looking good. I was racing the Danchuck jet funny car driven by Paul Miller. We were scheduled to make three passes for the evenings events. They had a full points race as well as some great looking pro-mods. We made our three passes without any problems and then pulled up on the return road to enjoy the best fireworks display that you can see anywhere.

We cleaned everything up and was too tired to even eat after the race. We went back to the hotel to get 2 hours of sleep before hitting the road for our next event in Kansas City, MO. In route we received some very sad news. Bob Motz, who drives one of the jet semi trucks, had a problem on the starting line at his race on Saturday evening. He was burned and was taken to a hospital nearby. If we can keep him in our thoughts and prayers along with his son Scott that was also burned trying to get him out.

It always puts things in perspective when you hear of one of our best racers having a problem. It is important for us all to stay on our toes. Bob has entertained so many people over the years, that it is easy for us all to take it for granted.

Well we are Kansas bound for a display that Embry-Riddle set up. It is called Skills USA. I will give you more information the next time.

Luv ya,
e

Traveling Tbrough the Country

2007-06-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we hit Hershey, PA and let me tell you, chocolate does make everything better. We had so much fun at Chocolate World. We went to the Kit Kat Lounge to have some lunch and make our own sundaes. All of us left with a smile.

We decided to spend a little time and explore. We went to a campground to see if we could rent a canoe. The water level was so low, that we just decided to wade through the streams. Andrew and Nitro had so much fun. It was a day to remember.

Now time to get back to work. We headed out for the 13 hour drive to Bowling Green. It was through some beautiful country side but we could not take time to enjoy work was calling. We kept up and finally made it. The problem was, I started to not feel well. I just thought it was the flu at first, but after a couple of days of running a fever and laying in the hotel bed, it soon became apparent that I had to get to the Dr. Thursday morning, I found out that I had a really bad Kidney infection. After a couple of antibiotic shots and some strong medicine, by that evening I had to pull it together to do a radio show.

The next day I was feeling much better and we decided to go to Splash Lagoon at the race track. It was a fun relaxing day to enjoy.

The next morning it was time to head to the race. Beech Bend Dragway is such a family fun race track, it is hard to not have a good time. We were hired to be there for Match Race Mania, along with 30 other exhibition race cars. The track and facility was wonderful, but unfortunately the crowd was not. But we all made the best of it, and made one pass and loaded up to head for home.

We dropped our trailer at a friends business in Atlanta, and drove the rest of the way. I couldn't tell you who was the most happy to be home. Nitro just ran from room to room rolling on the ground. We all enjoyed an evening at home. Chris and Andrew had also become very run down on the last couple of days, so we all visited the Dr. on our first day home. They both have sinus infections.

We will try and all get better in order to head to Commerce to head up the Atlanta Dragways Night of Fire. I am racing Paul Miller in his Danchuck funny car. This is my third year back to this event, but the first for the Embry-Riddle jet dragster. I will be a great race!!!! I have some special guests coming, so we will rest up and get ready to have some fun.

See you all at the races.

Rain Rain Go Away!!!!

2007-06-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Okay the title says it all. I knew it was too good to be true. We woke up on Saturday morning to rain, and after breakfast, more rain, then the fateful phone call from the track, the race has been canceled. It continued to rain for the rest of the day and into the evening.

I felt really sorry for New England Dragway. They put in a lot of work to make this event a nice one, to just have it rain out. For us, well we had an enjoyable drive, and saw some areas that we have always wanted to visit. I can't complain. Okay so I can, but it won't make it any better. I was really looking forward to the race, but the good news is, E. Lowe is now considered a very very spoiled crew chief. We can say that we flew him in for an official New England Clam Chowder bowl of soup. He arrived in time for breakfast at the hotel, when we found out the race was canceled, we went to have some soup, and then we relaxed at the hotel for a nice dinner.

An Embry-Riddle representative, Gretchen, also flew in for the race. Everett and her both flew out on Sunday morning, and we hit the road to head to our next race. We are making a small pit stop in Hershey, PA to drown my sorrows in chocolate. I think a chocolate massage would make me feel much much better.

I will check back with you when we hit the next stop.

e.

P.S. Nitro is afraid of his shadow.

Hitting the Road!!!

2007-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Back from vacation and now it is time to work. I am telling you, I think I need a vacation from vacation. We filled our seven days as full as you could. I finally on the 6th day took a much needed nap. We snorkeled with stingrays, kayaked in the ocean, jumped on water trampolines, climbed water glaciers, explored Mayan ruins, dune buggied through Costa Maya, and finally hung out with friends and family. It was a blast!!! I am ready to sign up for the next one. It went much too quick, but well worth the money. I did try my hand at the slots, but ended up on the loosing end.

We came home on Sunday, and it was time to get to work to prepare for the next month of racing. T-shirts to fold, trailer to pack and laundry to do and then repack. It was time to hit the road

We took off Tuesday mid-morning, made our first stop in North Carolina, and then didn't plan our travels very well, we hit New York at 6:30 p.m. but to our surprise, the traffic wasn't as bad as Orlando traffic in rush hour. We made our next stop in Connecticut. Something funny happened, it turned COLD. I am talking really really cold. It got in the low 50's overnight. Talk about an adjustment, we were in the tropics just days ago, and now the temperature was totally the opposite. We pulled into Epping, NH on Thursday mid-morning and dropped off the trailer. Met up the the Interceptor team and went to the Hampton Falls to have some lunch. Very very cool. We then found our hotel and got some sleep. Friday morning and it is bright and sunny. I think the sun comes up earlier here. 6:00 a.m. and the sun is coming through the drapes. We decided to play tourist today. We went to the Hampton beach, and walked the boardwalk. Chris and Andrew wanted to try all of the different food, I just had the fried dough!!!! Andrew wanted to run and jump in the ocean, well that all changed when he put his baby toe in the water. I think ice is warmer than the water was. BURRRRRRRRR!! But the sun was out and it was a wonderful day. We decided to do a little house shopping while we were here. HAHAHAHA

Tomorrow is race day. The forecast doesn't look good, but we are thinking positive. When we get to our next stop, I will tell you how the race went. Thanks for checking.

P.S. Nitro is afraid of the dandelions.

e

Summer is here!!!!

2007-05-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well today was Andrew's last day of school. I remember the feeling of walking through the doors for the last time of the school year, hearing the song "Schools out for the Summer" Man do I feel old sometimes. These last few weeks have been crazy. There is so much behind the scenes organization that has to go on, I wonder if I will ever get things done. We are leaving on vacation this Sunday, we come home for one day and then leave for Epping, New Hampshire for Jet Wars. Then it is off to Hershey PA to eat some chocolate, YUMMMMM. We will roll down the highway and head toward Bowling Green, KY for Match Race Mania. We are going to come home for 3 days and then back on the road to Atlanta, GA to run their Night of Fire. We can't go home yet, Kansas City here we come. We will be home for the first of July!!!

So hang in there with me, I will try and post as many updates as I can.

On a business note: Keep checking back as we have some really cool news to post soon!!!

Now it is time to pack and relax for one week before the craziness begins. If you happen to see us on the highway or if you are in the area where we are racing, make sure you stop and say HI.

C ya,
E

Jet and Truck Nationals

2007-05-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

It was time to head back to south Florida to Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach. On Friday morning April 27th Chris loaded up the trailer and headed south to set up the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster. I had to stay home for an extra night so that Andrew could play his baseball game on Friday evening. The kids tried, but unfortunately they didn't win the game, but they had fun, so that was good.

Crew Chief Everett stopped by early Saturday morning to pick up Nitro, Andrew and myself so that we could make be there when the gates opened. We did have enough time to stop and eat breakfast in Okeechobee. I was looking forward to this weekend, as there was going to be a lot of jet cars performing. When we arrived, it is always nice to see some of my fans that come out to see me. Chuck and Chris Foster were also on hand to help crew the car this weekend, which I greatly appreciate as it was Chuck and Ellen's 25th anniversary. We were scheduled to make two passes each day. On Saturday evening the Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster made both laps with no problems. We packed up and headed to the restaurant and was in bed by 12:oo, which is a pleasant treat.

Sunday morning we were up early and back at the track, as we had two more passes to make. We lined up and blasted down the quarter mile both times with no problems. It is so nice to have a race car that just motors down the track, my husband and the students from Embry-Riddle designed and built an awesome car.

We have a couple of weeks off, which we will be able to get caught up on all of the day to day stuff. Keep checking back, as we have a lot of exciting news coming up in May.

Stay safe.

Elaine

SUN N FUN 2007

2007-04-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have the greatest life. First I get to drive two awesome jet dragsters, which is an amazing job, but I get to meet some amazing people on the road. You never know when you open the door, who is going to be on the other side. I guess you have to grab life by the horns and go with what ever is put in front of you and never look back. I can't list all of the people that have made such of an impression on my life, because I will for sure forget someone, but just know it means something to me.

Okay enough of the mushy stuff, on to the good stuff. Sun-N-Fun is always fun for me, because it is so close to home and I get to sleep in my own bed every night which is a BIG plus!!!! That being said, it is always nice to see the people that always go to all of the shows. For me racing is my only social life, sad but true. So we connected with some of our old friends, and pretty much just had a wonderful time enjoying the daily airshows and entertainment. We talked to many perspective students which is always great for my sponsor Embry Riddle, and some that just had a lot of questions about the car. By the end of the week, I couldn't tell you how many thousands of people stopped by, but it made the week go fast.

I had the chance this year to watch the night-time airshow. This was my first time and let me tell you I was impressed. To see these pilots fly during the day is amazing, but at night....WOW!!! The Aeroshell guys are always amazing. They rock and just have their act down to perfection!! It was very windy and they had to cancel the skydivers, which was a good decision, safety first. I can't wait until next year, I will be front row center.

Now I have been to a lot of airshows, and it would be impossible for me not to be curious about flying. Chris has his pilots license, but I have only flown commercial or with him in small planes. I was invited to go up and fly a fully aerobatic, competition, "Skybolt" from Steen Aero. Now for those of you who do not know what this plane is you can go to http://www.steenaero.com/ and see a photo and stats. She is a little hot rod with wings. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. WAY WAY cool. The pilot Barrett had me doing loops and rolls. I felt like I could conquer the world when I got out. It is life changing to be up there and feel like you are one with the plane. I didn't want it to end, but Chris was scheduled to go up after me, so reluctantly we had to head back. Chris also enjoyed the ride. I won't tell you which one that Barret said was the better pilot.....but needless to say, it was an amazing ride for both of us.

After working the week long event, I was ready to stay at home for the day, but Polk County Florida, where I live, had other ideas. On Monday I was called in for jury duty. Everyone was hoping I was going to get to sit on a speeding violation. After spending the day at the court house, my services were not needed. Thinking that I was going to get at least one day off to put my house back in order, I was mistaken. Chris had a Doctors appointment early Tuesday morning to help repair his knee. He fell back in December hard on the kneecap. Fluid has been gathering since then, and being a typical man, he wouldn't go to the Dr. until now. As it turns out, all they had to do is drain the fluid out and give him a cortisone shot. We will see if the fluid comes back for further treatment.

We have only a few days to get ready to head for Moroso Motorsports Park. Rest is not on the schedule yet....but watch out for next week. PJ's all day long.

Take Care,
Elaine

Back to Douglas

2007-04-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Miss Ta Fire is back in action!!! We tested the Miss Ta Fire at Gainesville Raceway to blow out the cobwebs. I hadn't raced my girl in a few months, and she was needing some attention. So we decided to race her back at Douglas Motorsports Park. It is located in Douglas, GA and the Miss Ta Fire had a lot of fans that were ready to see her back in action. I was scheduled to run Paul Miller with the Danchuck funny car.

We left town on Thursday afternoon after I picked Andrew up from school. We arrived in town later that night and was up early in the morning ready for the display at Walmart. We set-up and hung out at Walmart. Later it was off to do some radio shows and then it was time to head to the dragstrip to make some passes down the dragstrip.

My crew had the car out and ready to go by the time I arrived at the track. As we were listening to the weather reports for the weekend, it was starting to look a little like we were going to have problems Saturday night. The track manager, Tim Pafford, made the decision to run us twice on Friday and only once on Saturday because of the weather. It felt great to be back in the Miss Ta Fire. She did me proud, and never let me down. We made two amazing runs down the track and off to the Waffle King. YUMMMM I think.

Saturday morning and we had some time to spare. We hung out at the hotel and then finally we left for the track. It was hot and humid, and we were worried about the weather. We were scheduled to run at 8:00 and it had rained a few times slowing down the racing progress. Finally, at dusk, it was time. I hit the track and heard that rain was 10 minutes out. We quickly pulled out on the track and I was amazed to find the stands full and people lining the fence. This is why we do this. The Miss Ta Fire never let me down and she made a great pass. As we pulled back to the trailer and not a minute later the skies let loose. Just in time!!! We quickly loaded up and hit the road.

Thanks everyone. We will see some of you at Sun-N-Fun.

Elaine

Flying with the Big Boys

2007-03-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thunder in the Valley Airshow was the stage for this weekends event. As Andrew put it "On the Road Again!" The Embry-Riddle Jet Racing Team headed to Columbus, GA to perform at their 10th annual airshow. We arrived in town on Thursday morning in order to speak at a wonderful organization Girls Inc. This is a program that gives young girls a place to go after school. For more information go to http://www.girlsinc.org/

We returned back to the hanger and were invited to join a local flying club for dinner. Then came the one of the best parts of the weekend. ICE CREAM. This place was called the Marble Slab. Holy Cow. If you have ever been there, you know what I am talking about. You get to pick from so many types of ice cream, but here is the good part, they have available more things to add in ice cream than I have ever seen. Now lets start with some plain vanilla ice cream, then add cookie dough, Girl Scout cookies, Snicker Bar, Heath Bar, chocolate chips, nuts, and put it all in a cone dipped in chocolate. The Airshow committee was worried that they may have hired a 50 mph jet dragster with all of the ice cream I ate.

Friday morning, and it is rainy, windy, and very cold. Not good. We went to the performer meetings and found out our schedule for the weekend. The big event for this day was RIBS!!! National award winning ribs were on the menu for later that evening. All of the performers were invited to enjoy these wonderful ribs. Later that evening I fired the car up and tried to warm things up for our own special show.

Saturday morning and the show is on. Windy and bitter cold is what greeted us as we pulled up to the airport. I just knew that it would keep the crowds away, boy oh boy I couldn't have been more wrong. This event is something that people look forward to every year, and they all came out and braved the weather. We fired the ERAU Jet Dragster up to make two passes down the runway. Later that evening, the airshow hosted a catered dinner along with a silent auction to help the Boy Scouts of America.

Sunday morning and it is cold, but the weather report looks better. The wind was down, and it was warmed up fast. We again made two passes down the runway. It was awesome to be taxing down the runway while they were pulling out the perectly restored war birds for the final flight of the day. I can truly say that my job is the best.

At the end of the day we headed home. On the road, Chris and I talked over the weekends events. It was amazing. We were treated so wonderful and with such down home respect. It makes you realize that moments like this don't come along often and you better enjoy them while you can. Thanks Columbus, Georgia.

Love ya,

Elaine

Getting Older

2007-03-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, since the last blog. a lot has happened. Andrew played another baseball game. They did a great job, but unfortunately they lost, better luck next time. My friends took me out for my pre-birthday lunch, which was really nice. On my official birthday, we had to head to the next race, so Chris took me out for a quick lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, we picked Andrew up from school, and hit the road.

The Embry-Riddle jet team headed down to Moroso Motorsports Park this weekend for their Chevy Show. We arrived and set things up, we had the opportunity to meet Mike and Maria that run the Interceptor jet funny car. Chris and Andrew had planned to take me out to a nice place for dinner, but we started watching racing and talking, we ended up eating at the track.

We headed back to the hotel to check in and get some rest for the next day, but there were others who had bigger plans. I was racing the Thriller jet dragster, the crew was staying at the same hotel, so we decided to go down to the lobby and talk racing.

Saturday morning and the sun is shining, and I mean shining. This was the first heat of the spring, and man it got hot. E. Lowe was of course on hand to help with the car this weekend, Chuck and Chris Foster came out to make sure everything ran smooth. George DeWees from Embry-Riddle brought out some students to help crew the car as well. Our pit area was full, and we had a lot of fun.

Nitro again was the hit of the race. He dazzled everyone that walked by. Of course I could be a little bias. We were scheduled to make two passes, the Embry-Riddle jet dragster powered down the quarter mile just like a bracket car.

On the final run of the evening, Chris had planned a surprise Birthday party for me at the track. The crew had decorated my pit with black balloons to celebrate my 40th birthday. They also had a huge cake for everyone to enjoy. I was very surprised, and we all had a great time. It made turning 40 a lot easier.

Sunday, with the time change we didn't get a lot of sleep, but it is back to the race track for another day of fun. The Embry-Riddle jet dragster made her final two passes without a problem, and ended the weekend on a high note. Peas & Carrots, the concessions at the racetrack, supplied us with food to get us home, which was great as I was too tired to cook.

We have a couple of days off, and then we hit the road again for Columbus, GA for the Thunder in the Valley airshow this weekend, March 17 & 18. I am going to meet back up with my buddy from the Aeroshell team who was so kind to give me on ride at Oshkosh last year.

Thanks so much for everyone who came out to the races last weekend. I hope to catch you on the road real soon.

Luv ya,
Elaine

No Problem!!!

2007-03-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Larsen Motorsports headed to No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA for the NHRA division 4 race. We left home on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday there were tornado's all over Alabama, but luckily we missed them all. When we pulled into the track on Thursday, the trailer was ready for a good washing. We washed the rig, and headed for the hotel. Friday morning, E. Lowe was flying in to help us for the race. We all headed to the track, and the place was packed. There were a lot of quality cars, and the racing action was awesome.

I was scheduled to make one pass on Friday evening to close the show down. This was my first pass since I ran at the Snowbirds in December, so it felt really really fast, but man was it fun to be back in the drivers seat.

We were invited to some of the racers trailers to have some crawfish. I had never eaten it before, but the 20 foot table was overfilling of crawfish, and they kept piling it on. My lips were on fire after the third one, but they were tasty.

Saturday morning and it was cool outside. We went back to the track, and made our two passes for the day. The crowd at No Problem was on it's feet and that makes it so much more fun. On the last pass of the night, I decided that the guys in the tower needed to wake up, so wake them up I did.

Sunday morning and it is now freezing, which if you are sitting around the pits, not so much fun, but if you are running a race car, man did she fly. The guys at the track thought I needed to eat some more local food, jambalaya hear we come. All I can say is YUM!!!! The last pass was great, and after giving a lot of hugs goodbye, it was time to hit the road for home. I followed the rules that are posted at No Problem:

1. Have Fun
2. Make a Friend
3. Go Home Happy

We had to be back home for Andrew to be back in school, and I was co-hosting on ESPN radio again. So it was time to pull an all nighter!!! We arrived back home at 6:00 a.m. which was great except Nitro was all wound up from being cooped up in the truck all night, he was not going to let me get even a hour of sleep. So as Chris and Andrew were sleeping, Nitro was running around the house glad to be home. I took Andrew to school, and came home to catch 45 minutes of sleep. Back up and on the road in order to be a Disney World to co-host on the ESPN show. This was my second time back at the ESPN club, and it was a lot of fun. This time we were talking motorsports, my favorite sport!!!! Ashley Force was our call in guest. Talk about a great way to end a wonderful weekend.

Wait a minute, my day isn't over yet.....Elaine the racecar driver is done, but now it is time for mom. Andrew had his first baseball game. So there is no time to sleep yet, it is time to be the team mom. Andrew was AWESOME!!!! I was so proud. This was his time to shine, and he did. He struck 3 kids out, and just had so much fun. Well that about does it for me. I am going to get some sleep. But not much, cuz it is time to go racing this weekend. Life is great!!! Thanks to everyone at No Problem Raceway. This is how a track needs to be. Family fun for everyone. I hope to see you all again real soon.

Luv ya,

Elaine

A Wild Week

2007-02-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

This past week was amazing. I was very excited about the Women in Aviation international conference which was to be held at Coronado Springs in Walt Disney World. It did not disappoint. But we need to start at the beginning of the week. I was excited to receive an invitation to be a co-host at the ESPN sports club there at Disney. It was so exciting, and a lot of fun. I hope to be invited back to do it all over again.

The next day, the show began. Our booth received a lot of attention, and I was honored to meet many great women doing some amazing things. We were scheduled to be at the booth from Thursday through Saturday. On Friday evening after the show, Embry-Riddle honored the Alumni with a party.

Saturday morning I was up at 3:00 a.m. in order to fulfill another obligation. The Miss Ta Fire jet dragster was schedule to be at career expo to help out one of Embry-Riddle's World Wide Campus's in Ft. Lauderdale. Chris was in Orlando with the one dragster, while the rest of the crew went with me to the other show.

On the way home from the expo, Everett (crew chief) and I pulled into a rest area to get something to eat, as we were pulling out, a very nice man asked me to stop. I rolled down the window, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was a father of two women who had graduated from Embry-Riddle. I signed a couple of photos for him and we were on our way.

Sunday I watched the Daytona 500 with the rest of the world. It was an exciting finish, we were rooting for Mark Martin, but I guess you can say "That's Racing!"

On a family note, Andrew is starting baseball. This is his favorite sport, beside racing. I have volunteered to be the team mom. Nitro is growing bigger everyday. Andrew is having so much fun with his new puppy, even the chores that come with a new dog.

Now it is time to gear up for the start of the racing season. I am scheduled to be in Belle Rose, LA for a division 4 race and then back in Florida at Moroso Motorsports Park we will finish up March at an Air Show in Columbus, GA. We would love to see you at one of the shows. Check out the schedule for updates as new dates come available.

See ya at the races.

Elaine

Busy Busy Busy

2007-02-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is time to get back to work again. I don't think my family got the memo about the off season, we just kept right on working. Since the last Blog. a lot has happened, where to begin. First, Larsen Motorsports would like to welcome Synergy Coatings to our team. They are a premier coatings specialists. You can find more about their product by visiting the website at www.coat-this.com

We had a photo shoot with Mike from Gotcha Pics. He is an amazing photographer that loves to get that perfect shot. He came out to get pictures of if both jet dragsters, Miss Ta Fire and Embry-Riddle. We fired up both cars, and had a wonderful time.

My sister and brother-in-law from Michigan came down for a visit. During this time, Andrew tried out for little league baseball, we are still trying to train a new puppy and getting two race cars ready for the 2007 season. I wonder what we did with our spare time before racing!!!!

Well I decided that we didn't have much going on, so we went to the track to test the ERAU car. We are hitting the road in two weeks to start the racing season, so we thought it would be a good time to make sure everything was running in tip top shape. Well my baby fired right up and didn't disappoint. I am pumped and ready to go.

My family left for home, not looking forward to the cold weather that they were going to go home to. It is always sad to see family go, but there wasn't much time to think, it was more work. ESPN at Disney gave me the opportunity to co-host their Wednesday evening show. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity.

I guess that brings up to date for now. We are heading back to Disney for the Women In Aviation conference. I will keep you posted.

Getting ready for the 2007 season!!!

2007-01-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

Well, it is time to get back to work. Wait a minute, when did we stop working. This off season has been really really busy. We will have some major announcements in the up coming days. Things are going really well for the LMS teams.

On February 3rd we are doing a photo shoot with both teams. A friend at a local airport has given us permission to fire both cars up and hopefully take some awesome photos. Also that weekend we will be trying out a new driver. I am still going to drive both cars at this point, but there are times that we need a second driver for the cars. I will keep you updated.

Now on to the new puppy. Nitro has been a wonderful addition to the family. It has been hard to get any work done since he has come into the house, but he is very very entertaining. I won't bore you will all of the little details, but we think he is the cutest, smartest, and bravest puppy who ever lived.

Well it is time to get to work. We have BIG plans for 2007. We are going to be stopping at some new tracks this year as well as going back to some of my favorites. I will be posting my schedule very soon. I am looking forward to seeing everyone back at the track.

Keep it safe and between the lines.

Elaine

A new addition to the family!!!

2007-01-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Well we have been really busy in our down season. First to catch you up, Christmas was very restful, but it wasn't long until we were back to work. There is a lot of maintenance to be done on the cars, trucks and trailers to keep them in top shape for the season. With the help of Everett, Chuck, Chris and John, the crew jumped in and we have a great start.

Now for the new addition. We had a wonderful dog named Chippy, who was 19 years old. She passed away a year ago and it has taken us this long to get over the loss, but we made the decision to add a member to the already crazy Larsen family. Enter Nitro. He is a pug who is only 6 weeks old. We went for our first visit today and he has won us all over, even Chris. We can't pick up Nitro until January 23rd, Andrew is already counting down the days. I am sure that we will have plenty of fun stories to tell in the days to come.

Now looking forward to 2007. There are BIG things on the horizon for Larsen Motorsports. We just finished our new promo video and are currently booking the dragsters for the 2007 season. If that wouldn't keep us busy, we are working on the third dragster and a funny car. Like is said BIG plans.

Well I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. It is time to get back to work and look forward to all that 2007 has to offer for the new year.

See ya,
Elaine

Performance Racing Industry

2006-12-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show for the second year in a row was held in Orlando, Florida. It is a great opportunity for people in the industry to walk around and meet the companies that we do business with on a daily basis. For me it is great way to put a face with a name.

We attended all three days and it is awesome to walk around with people who have the same passion for racing. A few of our sponsors were on display at the show. Swiss Trax, which just came on board this fall, was showing off their wonderful flooring.

Something that was huge for me was that I had the opportunity to not only meet Kenny Youngblood, but he colored in a picture that he had drawn. Mr. Youngblood is one of the most famous motorsports aritists in history. I have been a HUGE fan of his work, and it was a honor to finally be able to see a him in action. Our artist, Glenn Ferguson, came out to walk around with us and also had the opportunity to speak with him. That made my weekend.

Now it is time to get ready for Christmas. Cookie baking and Christmas shopping with the rest of America. I hope all of you have a great holiday. We are putting together a great racing schedule for 2007. Make sure you check back and see if I am coming to a town near you.

See ya,
Elaine

Already Missing the Track

2006-12-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

This is sad, I am counting down the days until my next race already and it hasn't even been two full weeks. It is going to be a long off-season. I feel as if we just got the new Embry-Riddle car up and running, and we put her away already. Well I guess that is how it goes. We have been working on the Miss Ta Fire getting her ready to be put back in action. I am going to make some test laps in her the first part of next year, and then it is off to the races.

This week, I have getting things done for Christmas. We have our tree up and some Christmas lights up outside. We are going to attend the PRI show (Performance Racing Industry) which is held in Orlando, FL. It is only 20 minutes from our house, so it is easy for us to go every year. Now it is time for the business end of racing. That is the hard part. Give me a race car and I can put her down the track, meetings can be challenging.

Well I will let you know how the show goes and the race team sightings.

Check back next week.

Elaine

The Last Race of the Year!!!!

2006-12-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

Bradenton Motorsports Parks Snowbird Nationals was the scene for the final race. For the past 3 years, this race has ended the racing season for the Larsen Motorsports Jet Racing Team. This race gets bigger and better every year!!! Chris took off first thing on Friday morning to drop the trailer. E. Lowe (crew chief) decided to take the weekend off from jet racing to do some bracket racing at the same race. It isn't often that he gets a weekend off to enjoy himself and race, so we were very excited to be able to watch him have fun this weekend.

I stayed home in order to do an interview, as well as allow Andrew to go to school. We couldn't take it knowing that everyone was at the track, and by 2:00 we were on the road. When I pulled into the track, I couldn't believe how packed it was, I am talking every inch of space on both sides was filled with racecars. We arrived just in time to watch Freddy Sibley make a test run in his new jet funny car. After we walked around and said Hi to the racers, and caught up on old times.

We headed out to dinner and then back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep for the big weekend ahead. Saturday morning and it was beautiful warm and sunny, not bad for December in Florida. We were lucky to have Chuck and Chris Foster fill in for E. Lowe to crew the car. We all arrived at the track and set up for the weekend. It was so much fun to be back at Bradenton Motorsports Park. There were several people who showed up with Miss Ta Fire shirts on (fans from the past 3 years), and others that took time to stop and say HI.

You know when you just know that it is going to be a good day?? Well I just had a great feeling about this weekend and it did not disappoint. The race track was busting at the seems with racecars and fans. The caliber of cars was amazing. We had several guests with us this weekend, our sponsor Glen Ferguson and JoAnn from Ferguson Racing Art and George DeWees from Embry-Riddle.

Okay now on to the racing...Saturday night we lined up and blasted down the quarter mile twice. The crowd went wild. It was so much fun. When the crowd gets into it, it really makes a difference. We hung out signing autographs for a couple of hours after the last pass of the night, and then headed to Applebees for dinner. It is kind of bitter sweet to know that this is the last race of the year. Moments with the crew like this are so much fun, just going over old times, and replaying the evening is why we do what we do. But it was getting late, and we had to get up early to race, so back to the hotel.

Sunday morning, and it is HOT!!! We pulled into the track and got ready for the last pass of the year. Great racing action, and then it was time for us to line up. Freddy and Paul had a staging duel and it got the fans excited. But when Mark and I pulled out on the track, there was no way we were going to let them have all of the fun. We had the burner pop war that got the fans on their feet!!! When we crossed the finish line and coasted to the end of the track it was a perfect way to end a GREAT 2006 season.

I want to thank everyone that has taken time to stop and say Hi this past year. It is what keeps us going from track to track. There are BIG things on the horizon for Larsen Motorsports. Hang on because 2007 is shaping to be an exciting ride.

2006 Citrus Nationals at Moroso Motorsports Park

2006-11-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well if you read the previous blog. you read that we were rained out from our last pass of the evening. But before that, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Memories from last year were the topic of conversation. I had am emergency appendectomy a few days before Thanksgiving, and was not able to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so in the spirit of last year our wonderful neighbor, said that she would cook it again this year. With our stomachs full of turkey and dressing, we packed our bags for the up coming weekend. First we had to make a quick stop at the airport to pick up Miss Peggie Horton, a good friend. She flew in to help us out at the race this weekend.

We caught up on old times on the way to the track and met up with Miss Frannie (rock n roll thunder) when we pulled in. After grabbing a quick dinner, we hit the bed to get ready for the big weekend to come.

When we pulled in the track, it was PACKED!!! The news was this was the biggest turnout in Citrus Nationals history. We had a bunch of special friends come out to see us, first the great fans that always take time to stop and say HI, and then some new friends that we met last weekend from the NASCAR race. Michael the "Cookie Man" baked Andrew some great cookies to help celebrate his 10th birthday. We all enjoyed them and so did my hips!!!

The weather was a little hit and miss at first, looked good, but when it was time for our first pass, the skies were clear and the car ran great. But when it was time to run the second pass, the rain started and it was time to pack it in for the night.

We all went out for dinner, and back to the hotel and was in bed by 11:00 for a change. The next morning the skies were grey and things didn't look great. We stopped a Publix to pick up Andrew's birthday cake. After hitting an armadillo on the way to the track (gross) we pulled in to drizzling rain showers. The skies cleared just enough to give us false hope, but in the end, it was just too much and the race was called.

On the way home, we stopped and picked up pizza and was home watching CARS by 6:00. Peggie had a early flight home the next morning and it was Andrew's official birthday Monday. We had a party with family and friends in the evening. Andrew likes a cake made by me, and decorated by Chris. This year it featured the new Embry-Riddle jet dragster.

This week will be spent getting ready for the Snowbird Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park this weekend. If you are in the area, make sure and stop by and say HI.

See you at the races!!

Elaine

Saturday night racing at Moroso Motorsports Park

2006-11-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am sitting at the hotel on Saturday night, we were rained out for the final pass of the evening at Moroso Motorsports Park. It was a record crowd on had for their 25 anniversary. The Embry-Riddle jet dragster ran down the quarter mile with no problems. We are looking forward to our 3 passes tomorrow. Cross your fingers for sunny weather. Lots of great friends and fans came out to see us. I will post a full spot later time for bed.

Love ya,
Elaine

HOW THE OTHER HALF PLAYS!!!

2006-11-21T04:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday November 18th the Embry-Riddle Jet Racing Team headed south. We were invited to be a part of the NASCAR experience and display the jet dragster in the Fan Zone before the final race in Homestead, Florida.

We arrived in Miami on Saturday afternoon then met up with the rest of our crew. I was given six credentials. It was real easy to find someone that wanted to go with us. Of course Chris, Andrew and myself, then George and Jeff from Embry-Riddle, that left us with one extra. My first thought was my friend Holly. She is a 3rd grade teacher at Andrew's school, and the BIGGEST NASCAR fan I know.

At dinner we tried to quiz each one to see which of them knew the most about NASCAR....I am going with Holly for the gossip, Jeff for technical NASCAR stuff, but the surprise hands down winner came from the "dark horse" George, when he pulled out all of the stops to take the checkered flag.

We had big plans to stay up and have fun, but the practical side of me said we had to leave for the race track at 4:45 a.m. so we were off to bed early.

Sunday morning was chilly, but otherwise a picture perfect day. Our display location was right on pit road in front of Dale Jr. Not a bad spot. We unloaded the dragster and set-up the display by 6:45. I was wondering how many fans would arrive so early since the race wasn't starting until 3:00, but by 8:30 a.m. the place was hopping.

I signed autographs from about 8:00 until 1:00. It was amazing. Race car fans are the best in the world. Talk about dedicated to their passion. I was overwhelmed by their welcome and genuine interest. Sadly the time came to pack the car up, but the main event was just getting started.

We didn't have a place sit to watch the race. Luck was on our side and we were invited by Jim from Jeldwen Corporation to share a suite right behind Jimmie Johnson's pit! To return the favor we invited the Jeldwen staff, at the race, to be our guests at our next race at Moroso Motorsports Park on November 25 & 26th. Andrew was even set up with headsets so he could listen to the drivers and crew during the race, pretty cool. By the end of the race, we were all NASCAR fans. It was great to watch Greg Biffle win the race and Jimmie Johnson take home the championship right in front of us.

Our team headed home on Monday morning stopping at Moroso to position the trailer for the upcoming race this weekend.

We are honored to have a special guest this weekend for the race. Peggie Horton is flying in from Texas to join us for the weekend. For those of you that may not know who she is, she is the late Ancel Horton's wife. Ancel was instrumental in helping Chris and myself when we were first getting started in jet racing. He passed away a year ago and we are happy that Peggie is coming down for a visit.

The next few weeks are going to be very hectic, with Moroso this weekend (Citrus Nationals) and Bradenton Motorsports Park (Snowbird Nationals)the following weekend. Then to cap off up the year, we will be attending the Performance Racing Industry show that is in Orlando, Florida. Keep checking back, I will try and update as much as possible.

See you all at the races!!!

Elaine

NASCAR here we come!!!!

2006-11-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we were invited to display the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Jet Dragster at the final NASCAR race of the year in Homestead, Florida. It is a true honor for us to be able to do this. I am taking my camera, and am ready to have some fun. We have to be at the track at 5:30 Sunday morning November 19th. We will be on display from then until 1:30 right before the race. Andrew (Sparkplug) is busting at the seam with excitment.

Check back and you will see lots of action photos.

See ya,
Elaine

Becoming an Alumni

2006-10-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

On Friday October 27th, Chris and I headed over to the Daytona Beach Embry-Riddle campus to take care of some business as well as have fun at their homecoming event. Their theme was Super Hero's this year, and it was pretty cool. There was a 15 foot tall Wonder Woman and Superman walking around the campus as well as Batman and Cat Woman. We stayed and watched the parade. It is hard for me to pick a winner, but I have to say that the SCAT club's helicopter was pretty cool.

Later was a special event. Chris and I were scheduled to receive an honorary alumni certificate. This was amazing. To be a part of such a prestigious institution, and in the highest of company, we really appreciate this honor.

After we headed home to pick up Sparkplug at my friends house. This was going to be our first weekend off in a few weeks. It was time to get things ready for the busy weeks to come. See you soon.

Elaine

Gulfport Mississippi

2006-10-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Back on the road. The team didn't get much rest this week as it was time to hit the road again. We had a tire blowout just on the north side of Gainesville. It was so nice to have E. Lowe riding with us so he could help Chris change the tire and get us back on the road. We arrived in Gulfport on Saturday morning. I didn't watch the weather report, and a cold front had pushed its way through, and of course I didn't have a thing to wear. It was off to the store. Chris dropped me off at Walmart to get some supplies while the guys went off to get the tire fixed.

We had a little time to spare, so we decided to head down to the beach to see how they were rebuilding after hurricane Katrina. You could see signs of the damage inland, but that did not prepare us for what we were to see when we drove closer to the beach. Leveled doesn't even describe it. There was an aquarium that was just twisted metal. How anything could survive is amazing. But the best part of all of this was the hope that things will get back to normal. You could see that they will rebuild, and it will be better than ever.

We were here with the invitation of the Ford Performance Club. This is an annual race that we came to in 2004, but they skipped last year because of the hurricane. These guys were ready to race. We were scheduled to do a small show on Saturday night durning test and tune, but mother nature had other ideas. It started to rain, and the track had to cancel the racing for the night. We hung out for a while to see if it would clear up enough for us to do a line show of smoke and fire for the racers and their families that had come to camp for the weekend. The rain cleared and we pulled out the dragster out on the line and fired her up. I did a full track fire show and had a great time.

The next morning we woke up early to go grab some breakfast and head to the track. When we walked outside, it was disappointing. The skies were grey and it had rained A LOT in the night. When we pulled into the track at 8:00 a.m. our pit area was flooded and the track was really wet. But the Gulfport Raceway team and the guys from the Ford Performance Club got it done.

We went up for our first pass at 2:30 and made 3 total passes down the quarter mile. The Embry-Riddle jet dragster did not disappoint. All of the passes went well and I now feel like she is ready to fly.

This race is special, it is what drag racing is all about, I am talking about true grass roots racing. The whole family comes out to the drag strip and camps, kids are running around, moms and dads it was great. This was really cool. Frank, photographer, said that it gave him goosebumps to see the dragracing that he didn't think existed anymore. It was an amazing weekend.

We have to give a BIG thanks to the Ford Performance Club, Bobby and Darrell, for having us come out, the Gulfport Raceway staff, Frankie for taking care of me, ALL of the fans that stopped by, and last but not least my husband Chris for giving me the chance to FLY!!!

Race Day

2006-10-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Embry-Riddle race team headed for West Palm Beach Friday afternoon to Moroso Motorsports Park. We arrived early so we could set up and get things ready for a very busy weekend. Not only were we there to race, we hired a film crew to make a promotional video for the brand new Embry-Riddle jet dragster.

This was the first official race for our new team, and let me tell you it was sweet success. We had a wonderful weekend.

Now for some of the fun stuff. If you read my other blogs. I had put my back out the Tuesday before the race. Of course I didn't think this was going to be a problem, well let me tell you something, I have a new respect for back pain. I have since been to the Dr. and found out that I have a pinched nerve. Saturday was more painful than Sunday, but I made it through the weekend with a smile.

Now for the visitors, from Embry-Riddles Ft. Lauderdales center staff and students came out, as well as many from the SAE club out of Daytona Beach campus. It was so much fun to see them cheer their car on. I have my friends and fans that always come out to see me, which keeps me coming back year after year. This however was an anniversary for me and a special person. I met Chris and Chuck Foster a year ago. Chris was just diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 15. We made a connection right off, and a year later their family has become my family. So it was a special weekend. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us.

For more info about the race, go to the race recaps. Now we are off to Gulfport, MS. Then to the Embry-Riddle homecoming. and it won't be long when we come back to our home track at Moroso for the Citrus Nationals. Take care and see ya soon.

Elaine

Getting ready for the big day!!!

2006-10-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Embry-Riddle team tested on Thursday at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and I can report that the car is running great. We could only make 1/8 mile passes, and we ran in the 3's at over 200 mph. Momma is very happy.

Now we are getting things ready for our first official race with the new car at Moroso Motorsports Park this weekend (Oct. 14 & 15) If that was not enough pressure, we will be shooting our new promotional video with the ERAU jet dragster as the star.

We will spend the week getting things ready for the weekend. I will post the weekend results as soon as we get back. Chris is gone this evening, over at Embry-Riddle for meetings, and I am home nursing a bad back. (don't ask) check back soon.

Elaine

Getting Ready to Test

2006-10-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, we are getting ready to hit the road to test tomorrow night. We are heading over to Bradenton Motorsports Park Thursday afternoon to try and get a couple of test sessions in. We have a race at Moroso Motorsports Park on October 14&15, so we want to make sure the Embry-Riddle car is ready to go.

I am sure some of you have heard about the recent jet car crashes. It is very sad, and my thoughts are prayers are with everyone involved. I had the opportunity to meet Kendall this past July when we were in Wisconsin for the Oshkosh airshow. The Gladiator team was putting on a show at the local dragstrip, and we went to see some of our fellow jet racers. She was very excited about driving a jet dragster, and it is unfortunate that it had to end in this way.

I will keep you posted on the testing, so check back Friday.

C ya
Elaine

Embry-Riddle jet dragster hits the Florida Mall!

2006-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

September 23&24th the Embry-Riddle team gets a chance to stay close to home. George DeWees with the AMS (Aviation Maintenance Science) invited the team to help them promote the University at Latin Weekend at the Florida Mall in Orlando. This is our second year for this event. Because we live in Central Florida, it is not a surprise that there are people that visit from all over the World, but WOW, I think they were all there last weekend. We had the opportunity to meet people from everywhere. The jet dragster was at the center of attention. We arrived on Saturday morning, and finished up on Sunday evening. There were a lot of people from England asking about their countryman who recently crashed in a jet dragster. I had heard about the crash, and as always it makes you pause, but then you realize that this is a risky business, and things can happen, you just hope that your car handles the situation as best as possible. From what I have heard, the driver is doing well.

Other than the display, it has been kind of quite on the home front. In a previous blog, I mentioned that we were car shopping, well, I purchased a car, and I can cross that item off the list. It was sad to see the PT Cruiser go down the street for the last time. I would own another one anytime, great car.

We are gearing up for a very busy October. We will be testing the dragster one more time before her official debut at Moroso Motorsports Park on October 14&15. Then the weekend after we will be traveling to Gulfport, MS. We haven't been back since the hurricane, and are excited to go back to see how all of the racers are doing.

I guess that is it for now. Catch ya later.

Elaine