ALL COMING TOGETHER!!!

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???

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!!!!!

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

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!!!

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!!!!

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!!

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!!!

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

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,

e

Testing and beyond

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!!!

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

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!!!

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!!

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!!!!!!

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!!!

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????

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

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

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

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