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Top Fuel or BUST!

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AKA… Don’t pinch me, I don’t want to wake up.

I am truly amazed how quickly your entire world can change overnight…Tuesday, I get a web message from the website… it’s from a gentleman who asked what my interests were in driving a top fuel dragster. Hmmm, lemmee think about that. UM, YEAAA! So, I immediately pick up the phone and call him back. After some brief conversation, we set up to meet in Chattanooga for lunch the next day with his PR/Marketing person.

Now, this is the 4th time I’ve had someone approach me about a possible fuel ride, so I’m a little bit skeptical and really just don’t get excited over these type things anymore. I usually just get a big dose of false hopes and some major disappointments. But, I am a little optimistic about this meeting simply for the fact that he set up a meeting so quickly. Surely that must be a good sign!

So, I get up early the next morning and head out to a regular job interview I had set up for a Marketing Coordinator position with a Huntsville technology company. The interview was at 7am, and after meeting the Marketing Executive and hearing all about this position and the advancement opportunities, I am extremely excited. Its EXACTLY the position I was looking for, and I loved the executive’s willingness to train a successor, because it matches my desire to learn!

With one good meeting under my belt, I head to Chattanooga for the Top Fuel interview. We are meeting at a restaurant in downtown Chattanooga called the Big River Grill. I arrive a few minutes early, and gather my thoughts before I entered.

Earlier this year, I interviewed with Don Schumacher to drive the Oakley Nitro Funny Car, and was so nervous, I blew the interview royally. Determined not to make that mistake again, I took a deep breath and walked up to the restaurant, where I met the team owner, Dave Stevens and his marketing partner waiting for me outside.

Lunch went great, they were very easy to talk to and down-to-earth people. We discussed everything and went over backgrounds… both mine and theirs. Needless to say, I am absolutely elated by this opportunity, and walked away with a great feeling about the new connection.

The team is an independent team who last competed in 2003 at the US Nationals with Tim Gibson (former driver of the BME Top Fuel Dragster) as their driver. They are putting together a program to run either NHRA or IHRA Top Fuel in 2008, depending on the funding secured. We are awaiting one big deal right now that I really hope will come through and set this plan in motion, but regardless of its outcome, the hunt for a sponsor will continue.

Becoming a professional driver in the fastest class on the planet is an absolute dream come true for me. It is this type of opportunity that I’ve spent the last 10 years working for night and day. A few of my friends have called and spoken to be about the news, and are surprised to hear that I’m not jumping from the rafters. I guess it’s shock…. it hasn’t become real to me that I may be piloting a car from 0-330 mph in 4.5 seconds yet. I read the rumor announcement on Competition Plus, and for a second I just couldn’t believe it was my name on there mixed in with all the Force and Scelzi announcements. Please don’t pinch me if this is all a dream!

Now, its just a matter of time. Keep your fingers crossed for me! (And your toes, too!)

Green Racing

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Today around the web is Blog Action Day, a day when people devote their daily blog to environmental awareness.

Racing and environment issues are generally not two things discussed in the same context, but I believe it’s important of all of us to do our environmental obligation ofoffsetting our carbon footprint on the environment. Its not practical or possible for all of us to drive fuel efficient hybrids, walk to work, or to do many of the things that true environmental activists practice in saving our environment. But, if we each do our part, we can all make a difference.

GREENER RACING

  • Ensure that oil/fuel disposal is done properly. Racetracks for the most part have oil collection points set up on their grounds. But I’ve still seen countless racers who carelessly spill those contaminants into the grass, allowing those toxins to affect our environment. If your track doesn’t have a collection point, request one. DON’T DUMP!
  • ETHANOL The Indy Racing League is switching to corn-based ethanol in 2008. Why not change your tuneup to ethanol as well?
  • Maintain your tow rig. Whether its an open trailer or a full blown semi hauler, these are the vehicles that travel miles and miles every year. Yet as meticulously as we are with the upkeep of our racecars, often the tow rigs are ignored. Make sure that they are kept in tune and up to its best mechanical shape.
  • Non-motorized pit vehicles. Golf carts, pit bikes, scooters. The facility can be cumbersome, but none are so vast that a good old bicycle couldn’t get us around instead. Use peddle-power when possible.
  • Plant trees or help sponsor a rain forest. Planting trees will help offset our carbon footprint and add oxygen back into the environment.

Can you think of more ways to make racing a little bit more eco-friendly?

Flashback: 2Fast, 2Funny

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Its campfire story time, so I thought I’d share one of my more comical stories from my past.

**Names/Locations may have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.**

This Flashback story takes us back to 2003…

The-Fast-and_FuriousI built my first project car, a 1992 LX Coupe that was once a FL highway trooper car from the ground up. Took it down to the metal, rebuilt a short block, and rounded up old odds and ends parts from across the shop to assemble it. Stuck a single turbo on the thing, and made it the ultimate street sleeper. The car had dark tint, no rollbar, and stock wheels with Nitto radials on back. An automatic and quiet as can be, it was completely unassuming. I built it with the intention of smoking Z06 Corvettes of that day… they loved to play from a roll.

One weekend, I got bored as I traveled out of Orlando for the weekend, and decided to check out the local race scene in another town. I pulled up for their midnight drag at the track (street racing style grudge night) and got out of my car in my heeled sandals and mini-skirt, to the curious stare of the local crowd. After a few minutes on the fence, I walked up and introduced myself. Well, that’s only half-true. I walked up and in a sugar-sweet voice, proceeded to put on an Emmy Winning performance.

You see, I was “new” in town. The car? It was my “boyfriend’s”. He just happened to be out of town this particular weekend, and I had decided to take the car out for a “spin”.

[Me]: “Hi, guys!”
[Local Track Guy]: “Uhh, hi.”
[Me]: “I’m a little new here, but ever since I saw that movie on TV, you know… the Fast and the Furious, I wanted to try this. My boyfriend’s out of town, and I’m out playing with his car tonight. What do I have to do to race like that here?”
(crowd snickers)
[Local Track Guy]: “Well, uhh, do you even know how to drag race? I mean, have you done it before?”
[Me]: long pause. “Well, no…. but I saw it on TV and want to learn. What do I need to do?”
[Local Track Guy]: “Forget whatever you saw on TV. That’s not drag racing.”
[Me]: “Oh, really? So you don’t race for money and stuff here? What do you do then?”
[Local Track Guy]: Grins. “Weeelll, we DO still race for money, so you probably don’t want to try that right now seeing how you’ve never done it.”
[Me]: “Oh, that’s okay. How much does it cost and how does it work?”

Round One

The local track guy proceeds to tell me all about arranged “grudge” matches and how they pair two cars together for money, and race for the winnings. Sometimes, they negotiate for head starts they call “spotting a car length”, or they get to leave first, which they refer to as getting the “hit”. After carefully nodding during his explanations, I set in for the kill:

[Me]: “So who wants to race me, then?”
[Local Track Guy]: “What does that thing have done to it? Is it stock?”
[Me]: “I don’t know. Its my boyfriend’s car. Its pretty old, so I guess so.”
(Local track guys talk among themselves for a minute before one steps out)
[Camaro Boy]: “I’ll take your money… err…I mean, I’ll race you.”
[Me]: “Well, since its my first time, how much of a head start are you going to give me? I am just a girl trying to learn, you know.”
[Camaro Boy]: laughing cockily. “Pffft, I’ll give you a car and the hit.”.

So I lined up with a blue Ls1 Camaro, who proceeded to give me my 2 car spot and the head start. I was supposed to nod when I was ready, and then as soon as he nodded he was set, I could leave whenever I wanted. After a very good show of “barely being able to do a burnout”, I gave the signal and looked back for the nod. No sooner than I get it, and with my door still partially open (I can’t see out with windows tinted black), did I roll into the throttle. I left pretty good on him, so I didn’t ever really need to go to the floor with it. I kept the win to a few car lengths at the stripe, and proceeded to round the return to claim my cash.

My Camaro buddy was complaining he wasn’t ready (then why did you nod, fool?) and wanted to re-run, but using the starter and not getting any head start. By now, they were wondering what this muffled, quiet little car was capable of doing. It left quicker than expected, and didn’t sound stock. Surely this sleeper with an automatic wasn’t THAT fast??

Round Two

We lined up again, this time straight heads up. I cleaned off the tires, and staged up. I had been leaving at idle so they didn’t hear the turbo too much before, though I think they had figured it out by now. So I tried to bring it up a little and took off. Admittedly, I was a bit late on this run, so I had to run her out a bit to chase him down, but ultimately, I had passed him at the stripe with a little change to spare.

Again, I return to claim my cash, met with lots of commotion and some real hard attempts to peek inside the car. It was getting late, and these guys were all stirred up. But before they’d let me leave, they wanted a Rd. 3 with a different car, double or nothing. This time its with a whistling fox body mustang that I know at least has a blower on it with exhaust and the rest of the goodies. I agree to line up, knowing I’d have to run it this time. I mean, I’m there to have fun, right???

Round Three

We leave, and spin pretty good off the launch, which actually worries me for a few seconds. But I start to reel the mustang back in, and was able to pass him pretty good before the finish. Knowing I was done for the night, I stayed in it hard and actually ended up with a sizeable lead at the stripe.

I come around to collect my cash.

[Me]: “This is FUN!!!!!” Snatches money. “I didn’t know it’d be this easy! Thanks guys, but I gotta get going!”
(dumbfounded crowd starts asking to see the engine)
[Mustang Guy]: “You passed me like I was sitting still. I was doing 110 mph! Pop the hood on that thing.”

Smiling, I walk over and pop the hood. The guy lifts the hood up and gasps at the turbo, intake and all the other toys. The crowd starts complaining and asking if my boyfriend knew I was driving the car. I just started smiling and laughing, when I hear a guy walking up yelling from the back.

[Guy in Crowd]: “Man, don’t ya’ll know who that chick is? She drives a damn 8 second drag radial car. “

The crowd starts yelling, some laughing and others visibly pissed off. They start telling me to get the heck out of there, that I was one sneeky little bugger. (putting it nicely)
By this point, I am quickly closing my hood. My work there was done, and $200 to the good, it was time for me to go!!!

The morale of this story…. objects may appear slower than they really are.