A surprise birthday party was recently held for "Diamond" Jim Annin seen here blowing out the candle with wife Betty. Jim is awaiting a liver transplant, as is Herm Peterson who runs a fishing charter company out of Alaska. All their friends are pulling for both these legends of the asphalt. (Photo courtesy of Don Ewald www.
wediditforlove.com).

Famed race car builder Tom Hanna has completely healed from a bout of poison ivy he contacted while on "weed duty" at the couples mid-west home . . . Ian Tocher, a contributing editor for DragRacingOnline, and his wife, Sue, are expecting their first child in November. Ian stated that "We're probably a little older than most first-time parents (he is 42 and she is 40) so it'll be a strange to add another person to the mix." . . . Happy wedding anniversary to Gary and Marie Cochran who recently celebrated their 44th year together. And they said it wouldn't last . . . Crane Cam's Jim Hill and his wife are leaving for England to visit their daughter Katie and her family for a two week vacation. While there they plan on seeing the British Open Golf Tournament and attending the Goodwood Vintage Auto Festival, "so we probably won't get bored." Lucky them . . . Greg Anderson seems to have the right winning attitude. "Go four rounds on Sunday. Take pictures. Get check. Go home." Works for him . . . Happy birthday wishes go out to Dennis Holding who will be in a business meeting in Carson City, NV during his 65th on July 10th. And although Dennis will be working in Athens that week he still plans on attending the Bakersfield Reunion . . . Kenny Youngblood's design was recently showcased on the Discovery Channel's hot series "Monster Garage." Way to go, Kenny!

What happens to drag racers after they give the sport of drag racing up? In the case of Bruce Wheeler, the owner of the famed "Wheeler Dealer" AA/FD, he and his lovely wife Kolleen O'Flaherty-Wheeler moved to Maui and began performing open-air wedding and marriage vow renewal ceremonies on the lovely black beaches of Hawaii. Kolleen, an officially licensed minister of Hawaii, and Bruce, a fine photographer, offer many packages to meet everyone's budget. Perhaps this could be the answer for Melanie Troxel and Tommy Johnson, Jr. who are doing research for their upcoming nuptials. For more information go to www.maui-angels.com.

Howard Zikes, Craftsman Tools Display Manager, replaced a set of pearls that was lost by his girlfriend Joyce on her last birthday. Certainly put a smile on her face . . . Congratulations to Gary Scelzi's crew chief Mike Neff whose wife gave birth to a lovely daughter, Chloe, on Father's Day . . . Lastly, congratulations to Tommy Johnson, Jr.'s sister Wendy who recently wed Mike Childress in North Carolina. Wendy is the merchandising director for Jack Rousch Racing and Mike is a fabricator for the Robert Yates Indy-type car. Jack Rousch just so happens to be sponsored by M & M Candy, Tommy's favorite. How convenient.

Until next time.