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
1 comment:
Elaine, it was great seeing you and the crew in Norwalk this past weekend. As always, you were so awesome with your fans. It is the time that you always take to talk with the fans, sign autographs, etc, that puts a smile on our faces and makes us more than willing to stand in an autograph line in the cold rain.
I honestly believe that if every driver at the track took the time to interact with the fans like you do, there would be more people at the track and every single seat would be filled. People like to feel important and to feel like they are part of the process at the race track. You do that with the fans, and then they become your fans. In my opinion, more drivers need to do that. Hope to see you in Norwalk at Night Under Fire in August.
Bill Edmunds
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