After a rough Friday, my good friend TJ from T.A.R.E Racing stopped in and picked me up on his way to the NHRA Bristol race. (Really what this meant was he stopped in around 10:30pm, and proceeded to fall asleep while I drove the 4 hours to Bristol,hahaha… but I’m grateful for the ride!) We arrived at the track around 3:30am, and by 7am I was up and awake, and only a little groggy. I absolutely LOVE NHRA races, its my goal to be racing there in the next 2 years. I don’t know if its seeing all the people that you follow on TV every race weekend, or just being in the midst of all that horsepower and seeing how the professionals run their operations, but I can’t absorb enough from NHRA National events. Bristol is also my all-time favorite track, so attending this race made me very happy. Thunder Valley is something every drag racer or fan should experience in their lifetime… its absolutely beautiful and the people are super friendly.
I did learn of some disappointing news while there… I had actually interviewed with Don Schumacher at the Atlanta race back in April to drive the MOPAR/OAKLEY Funny Car after Gary Scelzi retires at the end of ’07. I knew that it was an absolute long shot, but having the opportunity to speak with Don Schumacher and even be remotely considered for this type of opportunity is HUGE to me. Unfortunately, one of the OAKLEY reps this weekend broke the news to me that the field has been narrowed down now, and I am not in contention anymore. I’m sad, but I know that if I keep working, that another opportunity will come.
