Patty Garlits was attending the NHRA Indy Nationals with husband Don "Big Daddy." Patty is shown with her Yorkshire Terriers (from left to right) Belle, Bonnie and Billy. The Garlits' girls have grown into lovely woman and Patty is quite proud of them. Gay Lyn has her Masters degree from Florida State University in music and is a piano teacher. She lives with her husband, Greg Capitano, and their children, Kirsten, Ben and Anna. Donna is married to Tim Perry and they live in Abingdon, Virginia with their children, Rodney and Sara. Gay Lyn's son, Ben, wants to be a surgeon when he grows up and has already observed three heart surgeries by the famed Dr. Carmichael. Gay Lynn's youngest, Anna, will turn five on September 25th and Kristen is following in her mother's footsteps and will be a fine musician one day. Drag racing has always been a family-oriented sport and the Garlits' girls are a strong testimonial to that philosophy.

Dick Rosberg is at home and recovering from thyroid cancer surgery. Dick reports that the type of cancer he had only attacks the thyroid glands so now that it's all removed he should be cancer free. You may Email Dick at RosbergJets@aol.com and if you call him "Whale Belly" he'll know where you heard this . . . There will be a benefit auction held for Beth Steward, former Petersen Publishing representative, who has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo and radiation treatments. It will be held at the Parker Community Building on October 12th, 1:00 PM in Emlenton, Pa. For more information call Brad Rapp at (724) 867-1327 . . . Get well messages go out to Paula Murphy who underwent carpal tunnel surgery on September 5th and is recovering at her Palmdale, California home. You may send get-well messages to plmurphy@myexcel.com . . . Good wishes go out to former race car driver Della Woods who is going through cancer treatments with her beloved dog Neiko, a frisky, loving Siberian Husky with beautiful blue eyes. Although Della misses walking with him, the doctors have advised against taking him for strolls. Della and hubby want to attend the California Hot Rod Reunion but are unable to travel at this time . . . After a long, painful illness Robert "Kentucky Moonshiner" Frakes passed away August 25th . . . A sad statement on our sport is when the head honchos at Primedia were forced to cancel the prestigious Car Craft All-Star Drag Racing Awards because the awards can't survive on its own and they had to pull the plug. People associated with the All-Star program state that although they are down, they are not out and are hoping for a resurgence perhaps as soon as next year.

Lynn Prudhomme, shown here with puppy Rusty, is taking some much deserved personal time away from Snake Racing and enjoying the comfort of her Vista, California home where she and Don have lived for several years. Lynn loves residing and working in their small community which is situated just north of San Diego away from the hustle and bustle of the Los Angeles area. Lynn is into "dogs, walking and herb gardening," while Don has gotten into planting trees, lots and lots of trees. Besides their lovely daughter Donna, they share their home, lives and hearts with a total of four dogs and one Mexican Red Lored parrot named Fred. Their pet menagerie includes one Golden Retriever named Senna and three Australian Shepards named Niki, Alex and, of course, Rusty.

Kenny Youngblood has created a spectacular lithograph limited edition of the "Surfer" Top Fuel Dragster. For a look at this work of art go to www.drag-city.com . . . Anyone looking to publish a book on drag racing should get in touch with Scott Mendel at scott@mendelmedia.com as he is looking for writers of automotive and racing books . . . Good news for anyone who likes to attend both the SEMA Show and the World Finals. The 2004 NHRA World Finals will be held the weekend of November 11-14, the SEMA show November 2-5 . . . Anyone in the Yorba Linda, California neighborhood may like to attend John Force's Cruise Night held the last Wednesday of each month. No imports, mini-trucks, low riders or alcohol. NO ALCOHOL! John's RaceStation is located on 22722 Old Canal Road.