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This is looking up the Eddyville track from shutdown towards the tower. I thought this was a unique viewpoint and, besides, how many times to you see a stoplight in a dragstrip photo?

Gary Shearer and crew keep the track and the traction SUPERB all the time. I owned a track and the amount of time and work to do what they have done is unbelievable. The IHRA Pro-Am was held there this weekend and we could also do a little bracket racing on Saturday night. We looked pretty good getting ready for the Quick Rod race with a couple 5.68s and a 5.71 (on the 5.70 index) on Saturday. I always like to bracket race without the throttle stop and we managed to go three rounds before I turned on the red light by .004. Sunday I thought I had this Quick Rod race figured out. There are about 25 cars there and as luck would have it I get paired up with my racing buddy Mike Eggelston in the first round. We both have .420 lights. I pedaled it a couple times and he "dumps me" (Gee, that was good thinking Mike!) and I took about 6 inches too much stripe and break out by a couple thousandths. Another first round and out. At least I don't have to worry about IHRA Division 5 point races; I am out of that deal.

Here son Andy is driving the Project 4-link dragster, racing one of his best friends, Bruce Kaul, in a final round at Cedar Falls last weekend. Bruce won, but at least we were running in the 7's for the first time.

The good thing in this dismal racing performance I was putting Barb and myself through was the performance of the "Project 4-Link" dragster. No breakage of any sort and consistent performances. The car was reacting quicker this year (even I had to run delay on the pro-tree and I'm an Old Guy) and the only problem was getting a throttle stop ratio figured out in the few amount of runs I was making. The few runs, of course, are my fault not the car's fault. I felt pretty positive, as we get ready for the next event the following weekend.

We had to leave for the NHRA SummerNationals in Topeka, KS Wednesday afternoon. We got home Sunday night and the work started. Clean up the car, the trailer and the motorhome. Restock the motorhome, do all the laundry, service the race car by checking valve spring pressure, rotating slicks and general inspection to make sure everything was OK. Add in my daily job, as an insurance appraiser and Barb's job as an assistant City Clerk and, as a lot of you know, there isn't much spare time. I am not sure if adding another car to this is going to be fun or what, I guess I'll know in a few weeks.

We arrived at Topeka at 9:30 pm and this is about 7:00 am, when everyone in line is just getting their coffee pots brewing. I want to thank Cheyenne Camping Center for helping out on getting us into our diesel pusher for a great price. I know, I am a shameless sponsor name-dropper.

We got everything done and the trip to Topeka went very smoothly. It is about 450 miles and we got there about 9:30 Wednesday evening. NHRA had it set up so you just pulled in line and assured us we would be pulled in according to the order we arrived. That may not seem important but I think it is. I get all worked up if guys show up after me and somehow get in about an hour before I do. I appreciate NHRA's effort to keep things like this fair. I had not been to an NHRA National event in several years and we really had a great time. We got to spend a few minutes talking to an old Iowa friend, Tommy Johnson, Jr.; he is a terrific addition to the Snake's race team and a heck of a Funny Car driver. Of course, I would guess he could drive about anything, anywhere, anytime.

Our racing at the National event followed a trend I can't seem to shake. I ran between 8.88 and 8.92 with a few different timer settings and it looked very predictable. We had a great time watching the first two Pro qualifying sessions Friday and I appreciate the four time runs NHRA gave S/Comp racers. There was a little EXCITEMENT for me after the last time trial Thursday. The NHRA tech crew chose me to for an electronics inspection. They were extremely professional and did a great job. They had me remove the body panels and answer questions on my wiring. I recommend you carry a small list of where each color wire goes and definitely label them.