6/6/03

It was an "interesting" month.

thought I would tell my readers about my experiences of the last month or so. Not everything always goes as planned and it shows that winning is more a state of mind than anything else. I hope you find these reflections of a month on the road with Barb and I interesting, if not familiar to your own experiences.

We started off the 2003-racing season with the "Project 4-Link" dragster by freshening up the engine and transmission. Our first event was the NHRA National Open in St. Louis. We were greeted by the same weather we had at home in Iowa. Fifty degrees during the day and below freezing at night. UGLY weather and it went from bad to worse with the event being rained (almost snowed) out and rescheduled to July 4th weekend. So that was your basic 800-mile tow for nothing.

Next up was the IHRA ACDelco U.S. Open at Cordova Dragway in Illinois. The weather was a little warmer but it was windy. We got in only two qualifying sessions in Quick Rod with one more scheduled for Saturday morning before eliminations. I couldn't find an 8.90 the first day to save my you-know-what. Naturally, the weather caused cancellation of the morning time trial, so it was right into eliminations. The wind had changed from a slight tailwind to a very gusty headwind that really helps the guesswork. I had run an 8.84 the day before, so I changed the throttle stop timer to slow it down what I hoped was .03, and hoped the wind would slow me the other .03. Well, I guessed wrong. I had a great light, .408, but the dragster would only go an 8.94 and I lost by .009. This was just a 350-mile trip for nothing (except the experience of what wind might do to the car's e.t.). When we left Saturday afternoon the skies looked pretty dark and the Weather Channel on my CB was talking about storms.

The plan was to leave Cordova after the Saturday night finals but, instead, we got to leave for the NHRA National Open set for Sunday at Tri-State Raceway in Earlville, IA. At least it was on the way home. We towed in 35-40 mph crosswinds all the way there and I was VERY glad we had the weight and the power of our Georgie Boy diesel pusher. We arrived at Tri-State in time to watch one of the wildest nights of weather I can remember. We got the coach leveled out and on the jacks (for stability in the wind we knew was coming) and watched one of the wildest lightning shows and rainstorms I had ever seen roll right over us. That same weather rolled into Cordova a few hours later and fried the timing equipment just before the final rounds. We had three inches of water running under the motorhome and trailer! I am glad we were parked in a high spot. The event was cancelled the next morning as it was still raining a little, but mainly because of 30-50 mph winds. That National Open is rescheduled in September the Thursday before the NHRA Lucas Oil Points Series event.

The trip home from there was "interesting." We encountered steady 30-mph headwinds and gusts to about 50 mph. It took a lot more driving to maintain a speed of 55 driving the 37-ft motorhome and 28-ft trailer than it ever does to go 170 mph in the dragster. We only had about 75 miles to get home and I was worn out. I felt sorry for racers I passed who were on their way back to Minnesota in that wind. Their tow was about 200 miles and I would bet it took them about 6 hours in that wind. Some days I wonder what it would be like to tow to the races on a day that wasn't windy and the roads were smooth. That condition doesn't seem to exist in Iowa anymore.

Next up was a short 120-mile trip to one of my favorite tracks, Eddyville Raceway in Eddyville, IA. It is one of if not the most beautiful park-like facilities I have ever been to. Super clean and trimmed up like a golf course.