Keeping you in the loop

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

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

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,

e

Hey NO PROBLEM!!!!

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

e

Race Day Postponed!!!

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!!!

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

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

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

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!!!!

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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