I am NOT QUITTING

Much to my surprise, I or Jeff B. have received at least five e-mails about my returning to California concerned about my quitting DRO. Not so. Furthest thing from my mind. I'm leaving St. Louis, not DRO.

What the deal is that a couple of things have popped up that make my staying in the St. Louis area a little difficult. As most of you know my father passed away this past March, leaving my mom by herself. To keep it brief, a few years ago, I had told the rest of the family that if either my dad or mom left the other one, I'd have no problem staying with them and helping out. After all, I'm 84, so how old do you think they are?

The other thing is that I need to find a good part-time job to augment what I make at DRO. The Burk Publishing Empire is still floating right-side up, but let me be frank for a moment, Emap and Argus still have a small lead on us.

Finally, this will be my last missive from the Elm St. address here in O'Fallon, so there are a few small tidbits I want to deal with before I turn left.

Correction: A few issues back, I took some liberties with my National DRAGSTER chums on their best 50 drivers featurettes in their "Bits From the Pits." In particular, the segments involving James Warren and Danny Ongais, which I thought were woefully lacking in any substance. They were, but had I bothered to read the fine print immediately above the two drivers, I'd have noted that these bits were designed to encourage readers to go to the NHRA website for the full story. Personally, I'd have just run the driver's picture, a slugline, and the above information, but I guess that's why I've been homeless these past few years.

Also, I teased my pal John Jodauga on running Terry Earwood twice in "Who Are They Now?" Shoulda called him. Turned out the ND staff switched computers and lost a lot of the previous feature material. Oh well, just the mumbled pratings of a drunken bitter old man in a dark nook of the Living Room Lounge.

Living Room Lounge: And on the subject of my home away from home, it is with a heavy heart that I bid adieu to a site where I got 50-percent of my story ideas and, nearly 100-percent of my hangovers. I even worked there as a bartender for a month -- and is that ever a job with a deadline. Still, there were race fans there, and it is because I played so hard there that I have decided to quit drinking. Age and diabetes being the chief impetus.

But ... Going lounge-less, the next few months should provide some interesting changes. I have had a drink with every dinner I've had since I was eight years old. Well, that's stretching it a little. Just let me close by saying that, barring an unexpected okay, partial or otherwise from a doctor, pork chops will grow on the palm trees of Tel Aviv before I drink again.

I'll write to you from L.A.

photo of Chris Martin by Jeff Burk

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