Hey Everybody;
I hope all of you fathers out there had an awesome Father's Day. I spent the weekend taking it easy and trying to fight off a cold and I guess misery loves company because Ann was doing the same...fighting off a cold!
Back in the office today, doing some office work and then into the shop where we began cleaning dirt off of engine parts, car parts and the like. The good news from Pro Start Racing is that the chassis is in good shape! We'll begin working on the body and before too long hope to be back at the track.
Marty is doing well and is ready to get back to racing...as are we all.
I think it's important to remind us all, that although sometimes things don't always work out the way we'd like, it's the power of keeping a positive attitude that keeps us on the path to where we need to be.
We love to see your comments and questions on the blog!! Please always feel free to ask us, let us know how you feel or just give a shout out. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
WEEKEND RECAP
Hey Everybody,
Sorry to disappear on you but things got crazier than I ever would have thought or for that matter, would have liked. We ended up qualifying 6th in a field of 19 cars and felt confident going into round 1 of eliminations. Round 1 of eliminations were rained out on Saturday so eliminations began on Sunday. We ran a 5.59 in round 1 to take the win, and we were all very excited as we prepared for round 2. We set the car up for round 2, where Marty left the line first. The car slowed to a 5.62, with Tony Bartone's car getting the win with a 5.54 @ 259mph. At that point, everything changed. The parachutes failed to blossom, so the car was not stopping. Marty was pulling on the brake, the car started bouncing, the end of the track was getting closer, the end of the track came, and the car went into the gravel pit and then into the catch net. Thankfully, Marty was okay. I spoke with him today, and he's gone for a run and not hurt at all. That's whats most important. The body of the racecar is badly damaged and we are going to bring the chassis down to Kurt at Pro Start Racecars in New Jersey to have it checked out. Hopefully, we'll know that the chassis is a-okay by the middle of next week. We are still working diligently to figure out our options with the body, so we can get back on the track as soon as possible. I believe we will miss the next two races on our schedule but hope to be back for the National event at Maple Grove later in the summer. From what I'm told, there is TV footage of this mishap that will air on ESPN, Sunday, June 21 @ 11am.
The most important thing about all this is that everyone is okay. This is just an unfortunate part of the sport. Don't you worry for a second, we'll be back and stronger than ever.
Will touch base again soon.
Jay
Sorry to disappear on you but things got crazier than I ever would have thought or for that matter, would have liked. We ended up qualifying 6th in a field of 19 cars and felt confident going into round 1 of eliminations. Round 1 of eliminations were rained out on Saturday so eliminations began on Sunday. We ran a 5.59 in round 1 to take the win, and we were all very excited as we prepared for round 2. We set the car up for round 2, where Marty left the line first. The car slowed to a 5.62, with Tony Bartone's car getting the win with a 5.54 @ 259mph. At that point, everything changed. The parachutes failed to blossom, so the car was not stopping. Marty was pulling on the brake, the car started bouncing, the end of the track was getting closer, the end of the track came, and the car went into the gravel pit and then into the catch net. Thankfully, Marty was okay. I spoke with him today, and he's gone for a run and not hurt at all. That's whats most important. The body of the racecar is badly damaged and we are going to bring the chassis down to Kurt at Pro Start Racecars in New Jersey to have it checked out. Hopefully, we'll know that the chassis is a-okay by the middle of next week. We are still working diligently to figure out our options with the body, so we can get back on the track as soon as possible. I believe we will miss the next two races on our schedule but hope to be back for the National event at Maple Grove later in the summer. From what I'm told, there is TV footage of this mishap that will air on ESPN, Sunday, June 21 @ 11am.
The most important thing about all this is that everyone is okay. This is just an unfortunate part of the sport. Don't you worry for a second, we'll be back and stronger than ever.
Will touch base again soon.
Jay
Friday, June 12, 2009
June 12 - Guess Where?
Hey Everybody;
Well it's Friday evening and you'll never guess where I am. Last night I was on I-91 Northbound, heading through Connecticut to Lynn, MA. I am now back on I-95 Southbound back to New Jersey after the graduation ceremony at Lynn English High School this morning. My address to the graduates went very well and I received terrific feedback. However, the highlight for me was that Charlie was able to sit up on the stage with me and when it came time for his son Andrew to receive his diploma, they asked if he'd like to present it to his son. In short, it was just AWESOME!
We're now traveling to NJ caravan style with Charlie, his older son Joe and Andrew, my daughter Mary Beth and her friend Judy all heading for Englishtown.
Tommy tuned the car for our first qualifying run this morning. The Follow A Dream/ Permatex/Wynn's/Roadhouse Impala ran a 5.68 @ 254 mph. That was good enough for the #5 qualifying spot. Unfortunately rain kept us from 2nd round qualifying today. Second round qualifying will take place tomorrow morning, and eliminations will begin in the afternoon.
I'll keep you posted as the action heats up.
Well it's Friday evening and you'll never guess where I am. Last night I was on I-91 Northbound, heading through Connecticut to Lynn, MA. I am now back on I-95 Southbound back to New Jersey after the graduation ceremony at Lynn English High School this morning. My address to the graduates went very well and I received terrific feedback. However, the highlight for me was that Charlie was able to sit up on the stage with me and when it came time for his son Andrew to receive his diploma, they asked if he'd like to present it to his son. In short, it was just AWESOME!
We're now traveling to NJ caravan style with Charlie, his older son Joe and Andrew, my daughter Mary Beth and her friend Judy all heading for Englishtown.
Tommy tuned the car for our first qualifying run this morning. The Follow A Dream/ Permatex/Wynn's/Roadhouse Impala ran a 5.68 @ 254 mph. That was good enough for the #5 qualifying spot. Unfortunately rain kept us from 2nd round qualifying today. Second round qualifying will take place tomorrow morning, and eliminations will begin in the afternoon.
I'll keep you posted as the action heats up.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11 - Englishtown Bound
Hey Everyone;
My daughter Mary Beth graduated from Barnstable High School on Saturday and it was just Great! The rain managed to stay away and during the ceremony the sun came out and made our day even better.
Charlie and Mark worked late into Saturday night on the clutch. The team took Sunday off and we loaded up on Monday. Tuesday was spent dealing with some last minute minor details, and we headed out Tuesday night. We drove to Bordentown, NJ, and stopped at the Petro to have the truck serviced. I have to tell you that they took great care of us and a big shout out to the folks at Petro for their excellent service.
We proceeded and got to the race track. As we sat outside the truck unwinding, Eddie noticed the sunrise and we all decided that it was time for a nap.
We got up Wednesday and Eddie, Paul and I set up the awning and the pit area. We're now all set up in Englishtown and ready for the racing to begin.
Right now, I'm on my way back to Massachusetts for my commencement address at Lynn English High School, tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. Right after that, we'll be turning around and heading right back to Englishtown for the next week or so. We're hoping that the rain stays away and that the weekend is beautiful.
I'll be keeping you all updated throughout the weekend.
My daughter Mary Beth graduated from Barnstable High School on Saturday and it was just Great! The rain managed to stay away and during the ceremony the sun came out and made our day even better.
Charlie and Mark worked late into Saturday night on the clutch. The team took Sunday off and we loaded up on Monday. Tuesday was spent dealing with some last minute minor details, and we headed out Tuesday night. We drove to Bordentown, NJ, and stopped at the Petro to have the truck serviced. I have to tell you that they took great care of us and a big shout out to the folks at Petro for their excellent service.
We proceeded and got to the race track. As we sat outside the truck unwinding, Eddie noticed the sunrise and we all decided that it was time for a nap.
We got up Wednesday and Eddie, Paul and I set up the awning and the pit area. We're now all set up in Englishtown and ready for the racing to begin.
Right now, I'm on my way back to Massachusetts for my commencement address at Lynn English High School, tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. Right after that, we'll be turning around and heading right back to Englishtown for the next week or so. We're hoping that the rain stays away and that the weekend is beautiful.
I'll be keeping you all updated throughout the weekend.
Friday, June 5, 2009
June 5 - Preparing for Englishtown
Hi Everyone;
The team and I are working hard preparing for the National Event in Englishtown, NJ next weekend. Charlie is working on the clutch this weekend and Scott DeWitt and Scott Osborn will be back working with us for the Englishtown meet. We are REALLY excited to have them back with the team.
We're also putting gift bags together to hand out at Pennco Tech in NJ and PA. We're looking forward to welcoming all of the Permatex guests that will be visiting with us at Englishtown.
I continue to prepare my speech for the graduation ceremonies at Lynn English High School, and also am extremely excited that my daughter, Mary Beth, is graduating from Barnstable High School this coming Saturday. It makes a father proud.
Stay tuned for another update on Sunday and thanks for continuing to check the Blog.
The team and I are working hard preparing for the National Event in Englishtown, NJ next weekend. Charlie is working on the clutch this weekend and Scott DeWitt and Scott Osborn will be back working with us for the Englishtown meet. We are REALLY excited to have them back with the team.
We're also putting gift bags together to hand out at Pennco Tech in NJ and PA. We're looking forward to welcoming all of the Permatex guests that will be visiting with us at Englishtown.
I continue to prepare my speech for the graduation ceremonies at Lynn English High School, and also am extremely excited that my daughter, Mary Beth, is graduating from Barnstable High School this coming Saturday. It makes a father proud.
Stay tuned for another update on Sunday and thanks for continuing to check the Blog.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
A Beautiful Sunday, May 31
Hey Everyone;
The team and I are taking the day off and enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day here on Cape Cod.
Yesterday, we had an open house at Anderson Hardware in Centerville, MA, displayed the car, met lots of great folks, handed out Fast Orange and Ultra Cherry samples from Permatex and took in WAY too much sun! It was really a great day.
Friday we were supposed to show the car at an event supporting the Special Olympics, but bad weather put a "damper" on our plans and we weren't able to attend. We'll have to wait for our next opportunity.
Tomorrow I'm going to be pulling the motor and putting in some new connecting rods getting ready for a big weekend in Englishtown, NJ, June 12-14. The whole team is really excited about our chances in Englishtown, and I'm really getting confident about our chances for the rest of the season; you could say I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm also beginning preparations for the Lynn English High School commencement address that I'll be delivering in Lynn, MA.
Tommy is in Australia tuning an alcohol dragster, but he'll be back in time to work with us for Englishtown.
More news for you some time mid week. See you then.
The team and I are taking the day off and enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day here on Cape Cod.
Yesterday, we had an open house at Anderson Hardware in Centerville, MA, displayed the car, met lots of great folks, handed out Fast Orange and Ultra Cherry samples from Permatex and took in WAY too much sun! It was really a great day.
Friday we were supposed to show the car at an event supporting the Special Olympics, but bad weather put a "damper" on our plans and we weren't able to attend. We'll have to wait for our next opportunity.
Tomorrow I'm going to be pulling the motor and putting in some new connecting rods getting ready for a big weekend in Englishtown, NJ, June 12-14. The whole team is really excited about our chances in Englishtown, and I'm really getting confident about our chances for the rest of the season; you could say I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm also beginning preparations for the Lynn English High School commencement address that I'll be delivering in Lynn, MA.
Tommy is in Australia tuning an alcohol dragster, but he'll be back in time to work with us for Englishtown.
More news for you some time mid week. See you then.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 25 - Memorial Day and Home from PA
Hey Everybody;
On Saturday evening the Follow A Dream team was ready to resume our quest for another victory. The team had worked hard to tweak the car for the following rounds. Some engine mods resulted in a few more horses and some added clutch work gave us a bit more bite. When we got to the line, Marty hit the pre-stage light and then began to roll into stage, but ended up deep staging. As a result, when the lights came down, the new combination resulted in a red light, and our stay in Maple Grove, although initially encouraging, was over for this time around. So, we packed up the truck, drove through the night and ended up back home on the Cape in the early morning hours.
The team will be taking Sunday and Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family and friends.
We hope you will remember, as you do the same, that about 233 years ago some of our forefathers "followed a dream" which lead to the beginning of our great country. One of the few countries in the world where each of us can be free to follow OUR dreams whatever they may be. I ask that as you enjoy whatever activities you have planned for this holiday weekend, you take pause for a moment or two to remember those who have given their all in service to you and your family, to provide the freedoms that make America great. I know the beach and the bar-b-ques and the sales at the mall are all great, but let's remember the men, women and their deeds that allow us to enjoy this weekend the way we do; that's what this holiday is all about.
On Saturday evening the Follow A Dream team was ready to resume our quest for another victory. The team had worked hard to tweak the car for the following rounds. Some engine mods resulted in a few more horses and some added clutch work gave us a bit more bite. When we got to the line, Marty hit the pre-stage light and then began to roll into stage, but ended up deep staging. As a result, when the lights came down, the new combination resulted in a red light, and our stay in Maple Grove, although initially encouraging, was over for this time around. So, we packed up the truck, drove through the night and ended up back home on the Cape in the early morning hours.
The team will be taking Sunday and Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family and friends.
We hope you will remember, as you do the same, that about 233 years ago some of our forefathers "followed a dream" which lead to the beginning of our great country. One of the few countries in the world where each of us can be free to follow OUR dreams whatever they may be. I ask that as you enjoy whatever activities you have planned for this holiday weekend, you take pause for a moment or two to remember those who have given their all in service to you and your family, to provide the freedoms that make America great. I know the beach and the bar-b-ques and the sales at the mall are all great, but let's remember the men, women and their deeds that allow us to enjoy this weekend the way we do; that's what this holiday is all about.
Friday, May 22, 2009
May 22 - A Beautiful Day @ Maple Grove
Hey Everybody,
A couple of great days here at Maple Grove. We tested yesterday and Tommy put a fresh motor together. After a half track and then a full track pass, the car ran a .68. The car was "happy". We felt confident going into qualifying today. After the first run, we qualified in 3rd place with a 5.73. We went back to the garage area and made some minor tweaks. Later in the afternoon, our second pass moved us into second place with a 5.64.
The team did a GREAT job! The car is happy! We've got a late start tomorrow; probably around 5:00. The weather here's been excellent and in the 80's.
For May 22nd, It's a BEAUTIFUL day!
A couple of great days here at Maple Grove. We tested yesterday and Tommy put a fresh motor together. After a half track and then a full track pass, the car ran a .68. The car was "happy". We felt confident going into qualifying today. After the first run, we qualified in 3rd place with a 5.73. We went back to the garage area and made some minor tweaks. Later in the afternoon, our second pass moved us into second place with a 5.64.
The team did a GREAT job! The car is happy! We've got a late start tomorrow; probably around 5:00. The weather here's been excellent and in the 80's.
For May 22nd, It's a BEAUTIFUL day!
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 18, Off to PA
Worked in the shop today in preparation for departure tomorrow. Warmed up the car and then loaded the truck. Speaking at the Lion's Club in Acton, MA tomorrow night, then Eddy and I are off to PA for the weekend. Barry Carrus is going to be writing the Blog for me as I continue to contact him. Barry will be working on some exciting upcoming projects for us as we continue on, so you'll be seeing his name from time to time. We will, of course, keep you updated.
Friday, May 15, 2009
I'm Still Here!!
Hey everyone, thanks for continuing to check on our blog. I apologize I haven't been in touch. This week has been spend in the office, the shop, & the trailer. Alan's been cutting floaters, Tommy's been working on getting a new motor together, Charlie's been on the clutch. Lots going on. I've been bouncing around doing a variety of things. I got the motor pulled out and about ready to go back in the trailer. New motor is in the frame rails. If all goes according to planned, we'll fire it tomorrow afternoon in preparation for Maple Grove. Wednesday, Eddie & I will be on the road to Maple Grove for our next race. I'll be speaking Tuesday night for the Lions Club of Acton, MA.
I'd like to thank K&N Filters & Auto Meter for their continued support this year. Two great companies, we're honored to have on board.
Will write on Monday to let you all know how the weekend goes. Have a great one!
Jay
I'd like to thank K&N Filters & Auto Meter for their continued support this year. Two great companies, we're honored to have on board.
Will write on Monday to let you all know how the weekend goes. Have a great one!
Jay
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Hey Everybody!
Had a nice day at Porter & Chester last Thursday. It was a beautiful day and my face got fried, looks like I've been on a cruise-wishful thinking!
Got back to the shop on Friday and we've been working to get ready for VA Div 1 race. Charlie, Alan, & Mark have all been working on clutch stuff in the shop. Tommy & I have been working on motor stuff, Tommy serviced the heads and put new rods in, making sure everythings happy.
Continuing to try and organize is a never ending battle at the shop but we're working on it. Terri's been hard at work in the office keeping it all going. She's convinced me (against my better judgement) that its time for FAD to go green. Going to try recycling bottles, cans, cardboard, paper, etc. We'll see-she says she'll take care of it so, we'll give it a shot!
We're going to load up and head out to VA on Tuesday. I'll talk to you all later.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
Had a nice day at Porter & Chester last Thursday. It was a beautiful day and my face got fried, looks like I've been on a cruise-wishful thinking!
Got back to the shop on Friday and we've been working to get ready for VA Div 1 race. Charlie, Alan, & Mark have all been working on clutch stuff in the shop. Tommy & I have been working on motor stuff, Tommy serviced the heads and put new rods in, making sure everythings happy.
Continuing to try and organize is a never ending battle at the shop but we're working on it. Terri's been hard at work in the office keeping it all going. She's convinced me (against my better judgement) that its time for FAD to go green. Going to try recycling bottles, cans, cardboard, paper, etc. We'll see-she says she'll take care of it so, we'll give it a shot!
We're going to load up and head out to VA on Tuesday. I'll talk to you all later.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
National Automotive Technology Competition
Hey Everybody,
Sorry for the delay in getting a blog up, been really busy.
It's Wednesday afternoon and Eddie and I are leaving the Javitz Center in New York City where we've been at the National Automotive Technology Competition for the last couple of days. Our third year in a row! We moved into the show on Monday and I spoke at the kick off breakfast on Tuesday morning. We had the Permatex/Wynn's/Texas Roadhouse funny car on display, where Tom, Chris, Andy, & Mark from Permatex were all there to demonstrate Permatex's dedication to training and educating the technicians of tomorrow. This morning, former Nascar driver Ricky Craven and I kicked off the start of todays competition.
Had the opportunity to see some of the folks that we haven't seen since last years competition and that was great.
Heading to Stratford, CT tonight where we'll display the racecar tomorrow for Porter & Chester Institute from noon to 6pm.
Returning to the shop on Friday and will blog again soon. Have a great day!
Jay
Sorry for the delay in getting a blog up, been really busy.
It's Wednesday afternoon and Eddie and I are leaving the Javitz Center in New York City where we've been at the National Automotive Technology Competition for the last couple of days. Our third year in a row! We moved into the show on Monday and I spoke at the kick off breakfast on Tuesday morning. We had the Permatex/Wynn's/Texas Roadhouse funny car on display, where Tom, Chris, Andy, & Mark from Permatex were all there to demonstrate Permatex's dedication to training and educating the technicians of tomorrow. This morning, former Nascar driver Ricky Craven and I kicked off the start of todays competition.
Had the opportunity to see some of the folks that we haven't seen since last years competition and that was great.
Heading to Stratford, CT tonight where we'll display the racecar tomorrow for Porter & Chester Institute from noon to 6pm.
Returning to the shop on Friday and will blog again soon. Have a great day!
Jay
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I'M HOME
Hey Everybody,
Ed & I arrived back at the Cape at about 10am this morning. Eddie drove his butt off, 8-10 hours a day since we left Houston.
It's great to be home and now the daunting task of cleaning the truck/trailer from the trip. Terri's done a great job starting to get things cleaned up from the disaster we brought home-all the mud in Texas and just the usual road debris.
I'll unload the car tomorrow. I took off from the office early this afternoon and am home doing laundry. Looking forward to a long hot shower.
My mom came by the shop today to say hello and it will be great to see my wife Ann and all the kids this evening.
Will touch base again soon. Have a great day!
Jay
Ed & I arrived back at the Cape at about 10am this morning. Eddie drove his butt off, 8-10 hours a day since we left Houston.
It's great to be home and now the daunting task of cleaning the truck/trailer from the trip. Terri's done a great job starting to get things cleaned up from the disaster we brought home-all the mud in Texas and just the usual road debris.
I'll unload the car tomorrow. I took off from the office early this afternoon and am home doing laundry. Looking forward to a long hot shower.
My mom came by the shop today to say hello and it will be great to see my wife Ann and all the kids this evening.
Will touch base again soon. Have a great day!
Jay
Monday, March 30, 2009
GREAT WEEKEND IN HOUSTON
Hey Everyone,
It's Monday morning and Ed Parker & I are driving home from Houston. In Louisiana right now and heading East. It's been a great trip but we're excited to get home and spend some time with our families.
Had a great weekend in Houston. We had our last qualifying pass on Saturday morning and ended up 3rd qualifier going into first round of eliminations later in the day.
Arnold Gacita & Edward Ibarra from Wynn's came to the races on Saturday. Arnold brought his son Andrew with him and it was great to have them there to experience the racing. They really enjoyed themselves and we were glad they could join us.
The whole team worked hard to ready the racecar for the first round of eliminations, where we won the round. We gave the car a service after the run to prepare for second round on Sunday morning. Woke up to sunny skies and much less wind on Sunday-just a beautiful day for racing. Rich made us all a great breakfast and we got ready to go racing. Ran a 5.71 @ 255mph in the second round of eliminations that got us through the round and into the semifinals. Everybody was extremely pumped up and ready to work quickly to get the car ready for the next round. Short turn around between rounds and before we knew it, it was time to stage again. Won the semifinal round as well and everybody continued to be excited and very satisfied that all the hard work throughout the weekend was paying off. Going to the finals with the Permatex/Wynn’s/Texas Roadhouse Chevrolet Impala SS Top Alcohol Funny Car!
Our opponent in the finals was Steve Harker, who had the racecar to beat all weekend. Unfortunately, we came up on the losing end with a 5.61 to Harkers 5.63 due to a red light. It was disheartening to lose but we were greatful to be there.
The team worked really hard all weekend to get us to our first final of the year. Not our last though, as we're getting closer all the time. Tommy's getting more comfortable and we seem to be getting a better handle on the car with every run.
I can't thank our sponsors enough for giving us this opportunity. Again, it was great to have some folks from Wynn's join us. We also had visitors from San Jacinto College, where we spoke last week before getting to the track. Also saw some folks from Texas Roadhouse at the track. It was great to have friends and fans with us.
Will get home later this week and begin to ready the car for Div 1 race in Petersburg, VA at the beginning of May. In the meantime, we'll be making some appearances in the month of April. Keep checking the site for updated schedule of events and we'll keep you updated on the blog as well.
Have a great day!
Jay
It's Monday morning and Ed Parker & I are driving home from Houston. In Louisiana right now and heading East. It's been a great trip but we're excited to get home and spend some time with our families.
Had a great weekend in Houston. We had our last qualifying pass on Saturday morning and ended up 3rd qualifier going into first round of eliminations later in the day.
Arnold Gacita & Edward Ibarra from Wynn's came to the races on Saturday. Arnold brought his son Andrew with him and it was great to have them there to experience the racing. They really enjoyed themselves and we were glad they could join us.
The whole team worked hard to ready the racecar for the first round of eliminations, where we won the round. We gave the car a service after the run to prepare for second round on Sunday morning. Woke up to sunny skies and much less wind on Sunday-just a beautiful day for racing. Rich made us all a great breakfast and we got ready to go racing. Ran a 5.71 @ 255mph in the second round of eliminations that got us through the round and into the semifinals. Everybody was extremely pumped up and ready to work quickly to get the car ready for the next round. Short turn around between rounds and before we knew it, it was time to stage again. Won the semifinal round as well and everybody continued to be excited and very satisfied that all the hard work throughout the weekend was paying off. Going to the finals with the Permatex/Wynn’s/Texas Roadhouse Chevrolet Impala SS Top Alcohol Funny Car!
Our opponent in the finals was Steve Harker, who had the racecar to beat all weekend. Unfortunately, we came up on the losing end with a 5.61 to Harkers 5.63 due to a red light. It was disheartening to lose but we were greatful to be there.
The team worked really hard all weekend to get us to our first final of the year. Not our last though, as we're getting closer all the time. Tommy's getting more comfortable and we seem to be getting a better handle on the car with every run.
I can't thank our sponsors enough for giving us this opportunity. Again, it was great to have some folks from Wynn's join us. We also had visitors from San Jacinto College, where we spoke last week before getting to the track. Also saw some folks from Texas Roadhouse at the track. It was great to have friends and fans with us.
Will get home later this week and begin to ready the car for Div 1 race in Petersburg, VA at the beginning of May. In the meantime, we'll be making some appearances in the month of April. Keep checking the site for updated schedule of events and we'll keep you updated on the blog as well.
Have a great day!
Jay
Friday, March 27, 2009
FIRST QUALIFYING PASS
Hey Race Fans!
We're in the process of servicing the car for our second qualifying pass later today. The rain has held off and we got our firt quailifying pass in after a bit of a thrash to be ready to run. After 18 cars made an attempt at qualifying, we're currently #1 qualifier. Tommy made a great tuning call this morning.
All is going well and we're excited about the rest of the weekend. We're missing crew member Joe Mitchell who's home in MA working.
The weather report for Saturday & Sunday is still great so we should get all the racing in.
That's it from the track for now. Will try and keep you updated as the weekend progresses.
Jay
We're in the process of servicing the car for our second qualifying pass later today. The rain has held off and we got our firt quailifying pass in after a bit of a thrash to be ready to run. After 18 cars made an attempt at qualifying, we're currently #1 qualifier. Tommy made a great tuning call this morning.
All is going well and we're excited about the rest of the weekend. We're missing crew member Joe Mitchell who's home in MA working.
The weather report for Saturday & Sunday is still great so we should get all the racing in.
That's it from the track for now. Will try and keep you updated as the weekend progresses.
Jay
Thursday, March 26, 2009
RAINING IN HOUSTON
Hey Everybody,
I'm out buying plywood to give us a solid surface for the pit area. Raining today and predicted for tomorrow and Houston can get muddy. Eddie and I stayed up late last night taking the car apart for between race maintenance. Ed put rods in this morning and Tommy's working on heads. Charlie's doing his thing with the clutch. Awning is up and Rich is getting the kitchen set up. We're looking forward to Arnold Gacita with Wynn's coming to the race with some guests.
Hope its not a rain out tomorrow. Will be in touch to fill you all in.
Have a great day!
Jay
I'm out buying plywood to give us a solid surface for the pit area. Raining today and predicted for tomorrow and Houston can get muddy. Eddie and I stayed up late last night taking the car apart for between race maintenance. Ed put rods in this morning and Tommy's working on heads. Charlie's doing his thing with the clutch. Awning is up and Rich is getting the kitchen set up. We're looking forward to Arnold Gacita with Wynn's coming to the race with some guests.
Hope its not a rain out tomorrow. Will be in touch to fill you all in.
Have a great day!
Jay
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
WE'RE AT THE TRACK!
Hello Again,
We've found our home at Houston Raceway Park. Eddie and I have been setting up the pit area all afternoon & we're about to set up the awning. Should be fun, boy is it windy! Looking forward to the rest of the teams arrival and for the racing to get underway. Rain is predicted sometime between now and Friday, I wish it would hurry up and get here and then go away. Really, I hope it misses up completely.
That's all for tonight, will touch base again tomorrow.
Have a great night!
Jay
We've found our home at Houston Raceway Park. Eddie and I have been setting up the pit area all afternoon & we're about to set up the awning. Should be fun, boy is it windy! Looking forward to the rest of the teams arrival and for the racing to get underway. Rain is predicted sometime between now and Friday, I wish it would hurry up and get here and then go away. Really, I hope it misses up completely.
That's all for tonight, will touch base again tomorrow.
Have a great night!
Jay
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
ANOTHER DAY AT SAN JACINTO
Good Day Friends!
Spoke at the San Jacinto College North campus today, we had a great day! They had a high school group in to hear me speak this afternoon as well. Then Glen, the body shop instructor drove us over to the racetrack so we could continue to chase the elusive UPS package we've been pursuing since Florida. Upon arriving at the track we found that UPS had locked up our package and gone home for the day at around 2:30. Fortunately, we were able to talk with someone on the phone and get them to come back to release the package so that we could take delivery. We went back to San Jacinto, got into the truck and now we're on our way to Texas Roadhouse in Pasadena, TX where we're displaying the racecar this evening.
Tomorrow we'll head to the track where we'll start to set up for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals, beginning Friday.
Thanks for reading our blog, will be in touch again tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Jay
Spoke at the San Jacinto College North campus today, we had a great day! They had a high school group in to hear me speak this afternoon as well. Then Glen, the body shop instructor drove us over to the racetrack so we could continue to chase the elusive UPS package we've been pursuing since Florida. Upon arriving at the track we found that UPS had locked up our package and gone home for the day at around 2:30. Fortunately, we were able to talk with someone on the phone and get them to come back to release the package so that we could take delivery. We went back to San Jacinto, got into the truck and now we're on our way to Texas Roadhouse in Pasadena, TX where we're displaying the racecar this evening.
Tomorrow we'll head to the track where we'll start to set up for the O'Reilly Spring Nationals, beginning Friday.
Thanks for reading our blog, will be in touch again tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Jay
Monday, March 23, 2009
IT'S MONDAY & WE'RE IN TEXAS
Hey everybody,
Had a great meal at Steve Baker's Friday evening. Thanks to Steve's wife Karen and daughter Missy. It was great to meet Missy's new husband Gary and their kids Blake & Delany.
UPS completely screwed up and the package we were waiting for wasn't getting delivered Saturday as expected. So we were off to Texas.
We landed in Texas late Saturday night, slept in on Sunday. Ed & I did laundry, had breakfast, washed the truck, & fueled up. Sunday evening we headed out to San Jacinto College Central in Pasadena, TX. I spoke at 10am today to an automotive group. Spoke again at noon time in their community center. Going to speak to another auto group this evening at 6pm. The local MATCO Tools rep Joe Andrews met us for our morning presentation. It was great to meet him. Thanks for coming out Joe.
David Norman runs an amazing program here. They're getting ready to break group on a huge new facility. We look forward to coming back again.
After tonights presentation, we'll load up the racecar and move over to the San Jacinto College North campus, where I'll speak tomorrow morning. Have a display at the Pasadena, TX Texas Roadhouse scheduled for tomorrow evening from 6-8pm.
Will arrive at the track on Wednesday and start to get ready to go racing again. Team arrives on Thursday.
Will touch base tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.
Jay
Had a great meal at Steve Baker's Friday evening. Thanks to Steve's wife Karen and daughter Missy. It was great to meet Missy's new husband Gary and their kids Blake & Delany.
UPS completely screwed up and the package we were waiting for wasn't getting delivered Saturday as expected. So we were off to Texas.
We landed in Texas late Saturday night, slept in on Sunday. Ed & I did laundry, had breakfast, washed the truck, & fueled up. Sunday evening we headed out to San Jacinto College Central in Pasadena, TX. I spoke at 10am today to an automotive group. Spoke again at noon time in their community center. Going to speak to another auto group this evening at 6pm. The local MATCO Tools rep Joe Andrews met us for our morning presentation. It was great to meet him. Thanks for coming out Joe.
David Norman runs an amazing program here. They're getting ready to break group on a huge new facility. We look forward to coming back again.
After tonights presentation, we'll load up the racecar and move over to the San Jacinto College North campus, where I'll speak tomorrow morning. Have a display at the Pasadena, TX Texas Roadhouse scheduled for tomorrow evening from 6-8pm.
Will arrive at the track on Wednesday and start to get ready to go racing again. Team arrives on Thursday.
Will touch base tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.
Jay
Friday, March 20, 2009
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT TODAY
Hey Friends,
Eddie and I displayed the racecar at the Lake City, FL Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Wednesday evening. As always, great food & hospitality.
Today we spent the day at Walton Career Development Center in DeFuniak Springs, FL where our good friend and official Follow A Dream videographer Steve Baker of SB Video Productions got us hooked up to speak to about 400 students & staff members. Thanks Gary & Chopper for your amazing southern hospitality-we had a great time!
On our way to Steve Baker's for a home cooked meal tonight. Steve's wife Karen and daughter Missy have been cooking all day-can't wait. YUM!
Will hang at Steve's tomorrow morning waiting for a UPS package being delivered-valve keepers, and then we head West to Texas in preparation for next weekends O'Reilly Spring Nats.
Will touch base over the weekend as time permits.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
Eddie and I displayed the racecar at the Lake City, FL Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Wednesday evening. As always, great food & hospitality.
Today we spent the day at Walton Career Development Center in DeFuniak Springs, FL where our good friend and official Follow A Dream videographer Steve Baker of SB Video Productions got us hooked up to speak to about 400 students & staff members. Thanks Gary & Chopper for your amazing southern hospitality-we had a great time!
On our way to Steve Baker's for a home cooked meal tonight. Steve's wife Karen and daughter Missy have been cooking all day-can't wait. YUM!
Will hang at Steve's tomorrow morning waiting for a UPS package being delivered-valve keepers, and then we head West to Texas in preparation for next weekends O'Reilly Spring Nats.
Will touch base over the weekend as time permits.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sorry I Disappeared!!
Hi Everybody!
Sorry I've been out of touch but haven't had access to a computer, so I'll recap since our blog last Friday.
Saturday we had our 3rd qualifier & first round of eliminations. We ended up qualifing 8th and we prepared for first round of eliminiations. Marty did a great job getting a hole shot on Frank Schuster, and we won with a 5.72 over Frank's 5.71. We serviced the car saturday night and made some changes to prepare for our second round on Sunday morning. Woke up to a beautiful day and we were ready to go racing! After the warm up we realized we had broken two intake springs and in order to make the run we had to change all eight. Nick & Tommy went to work but, unfortunately we had run out of time to get them all replaced. This is the first time we had been plagued with breaking intake springs all weekend. We are making changes to run a different spring in Houston to rectify this problem.
We tested on Monday and found the changes Tommy had made for Sunday were definately going in the right direction. Our first pass was a 330 ft. shut off pass and we were very happy with the time slip. We went back and tried to hop the motor and clutch way up to see if the track could handle a very aggressive change. The track had heated up and we were too aggresive and shook the tires. The third pass, we backed it down a little bit and the track had gotten even hotter and we were still too aggressive-the car shook the tires again. Although this may not sound great, Tommy was very happy with what we learned.
It was great to be back in Gainesville, we had a bunch of visitors in the pits and it was good to see old and new friends.
Eddie and I loaded up the car and the pit area on Tuesday and headed to Lake City, Fl where we will display the car at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant there this evening from 5-7pm.
Right now its about 1pm and we're hanging out at a truck stop waiting for later this afternoon to roll around so that we can pull into the Texas Roadhouse.
Am planning a speaking event up near the Florida panhandle for Friday on our way out of the state-will fill you in tomorrow on the details.
Have a wonderful day!
Jay
Sorry I've been out of touch but haven't had access to a computer, so I'll recap since our blog last Friday.
Saturday we had our 3rd qualifier & first round of eliminations. We ended up qualifing 8th and we prepared for first round of eliminiations. Marty did a great job getting a hole shot on Frank Schuster, and we won with a 5.72 over Frank's 5.71. We serviced the car saturday night and made some changes to prepare for our second round on Sunday morning. Woke up to a beautiful day and we were ready to go racing! After the warm up we realized we had broken two intake springs and in order to make the run we had to change all eight. Nick & Tommy went to work but, unfortunately we had run out of time to get them all replaced. This is the first time we had been plagued with breaking intake springs all weekend. We are making changes to run a different spring in Houston to rectify this problem.
We tested on Monday and found the changes Tommy had made for Sunday were definately going in the right direction. Our first pass was a 330 ft. shut off pass and we were very happy with the time slip. We went back and tried to hop the motor and clutch way up to see if the track could handle a very aggressive change. The track had heated up and we were too aggresive and shook the tires. The third pass, we backed it down a little bit and the track had gotten even hotter and we were still too aggressive-the car shook the tires again. Although this may not sound great, Tommy was very happy with what we learned.
It was great to be back in Gainesville, we had a bunch of visitors in the pits and it was good to see old and new friends.
Eddie and I loaded up the car and the pit area on Tuesday and headed to Lake City, Fl where we will display the car at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant there this evening from 5-7pm.
Right now its about 1pm and we're hanging out at a truck stop waiting for later this afternoon to roll around so that we can pull into the Texas Roadhouse.
Am planning a speaking event up near the Florida panhandle for Friday on our way out of the state-will fill you in tomorrow on the details.
Have a wonderful day!
Jay
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hey Everybody-
Sitting in the back of the tow vehicle on our way to the staging lanes, getting ready to make second pass of the day. Currently sitting in 6th after one round of qualifying earlier this morning. Had some problems with the computer during first run but got that straight with the help of Les Deavenport-Thanks Les! Car looked great after the first pass and the crew is doing a terrifc job, as always. Everybody is loving this warm weather.
Have seen alot of friends from the New England today. Had a visit from Barry Carrus and his group of students from the Dunnellon High School in Dunnellon, FL this afternoon. Had some time to introduce the kids to the crew and show them the funny car. They suprised us all with Dunnellon High School T-shirts...WOW...we had fun!
Getting some great feedback from folks at the track who've checked out the blog-thanks for the input guys!
Will try and fill you all in later on results of our second pass. Have a great evening!
Jay
Sitting in the back of the tow vehicle on our way to the staging lanes, getting ready to make second pass of the day. Currently sitting in 6th after one round of qualifying earlier this morning. Had some problems with the computer during first run but got that straight with the help of Les Deavenport-Thanks Les! Car looked great after the first pass and the crew is doing a terrifc job, as always. Everybody is loving this warm weather.
Have seen alot of friends from the New England today. Had a visit from Barry Carrus and his group of students from the Dunnellon High School in Dunnellon, FL this afternoon. Had some time to introduce the kids to the crew and show them the funny car. They suprised us all with Dunnellon High School T-shirts...WOW...we had fun!
Getting some great feedback from folks at the track who've checked out the blog-thanks for the input guys!
Will try and fill you all in later on results of our second pass. Have a great evening!
Jay
Thursday, March 12, 2009
READY TO GO RACING!
Hey Everybody,
We're in Gainesville, got the car out of the trailer, getting a new pair of Hoosiers on the car, putting some new intake rocker arms on the car, filling it up with fresh Valvoline and a new FRAM filter so we'll be ready for our first qualifying pass at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Most of the crew arrived this afternoon, Marty & Nick fly in later this evening.
Another beautiful sunny day- unfortunately, Terri's been hard at work on cold Cape Cod! I do really appreciate all that Terri does, we wouldn't be here without her.
We'll touch base again tomorrow and let you know how our runs went. Please forward feedback on the blog, anything we're missing, not telling you that you'd like to know-let us know and we'll try and get it out there for all you readers. We appreciate you stopping by and checking the blog.
Jay's positive thought for the day: It's great to be in America!
Post again tomorrow,
Jay
We're in Gainesville, got the car out of the trailer, getting a new pair of Hoosiers on the car, putting some new intake rocker arms on the car, filling it up with fresh Valvoline and a new FRAM filter so we'll be ready for our first qualifying pass at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Most of the crew arrived this afternoon, Marty & Nick fly in later this evening.
Another beautiful sunny day- unfortunately, Terri's been hard at work on cold Cape Cod! I do really appreciate all that Terri does, we wouldn't be here without her.
We'll touch base again tomorrow and let you know how our runs went. Please forward feedback on the blog, anything we're missing, not telling you that you'd like to know-let us know and we'll try and get it out there for all you readers. We appreciate you stopping by and checking the blog.
Jay's positive thought for the day: It's great to be in America!
Post again tomorrow,
Jay
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
HOT, HOT, HOT IN SUNNY FLORIDA
Hello From Gainesville-
Arrived today at about 1 this afternoon. Got our pit spot, unload the racecar and took it over to body tech, all was good. Got back to the pit, set the awning up, unloaded the trailer, and getting ready to go racing on Friday. Boy, it's great to back at the track. And did I mention, HOT, HOT, HOT.....
Teams arrive tomorrow early afternoon. We'll be pretty busy once they get here. Eddie and I are visiting with some friends now having a cold one after a long trip.
Will blog again tomorrow.
Jay
Arrived today at about 1 this afternoon. Got our pit spot, unload the racecar and took it over to body tech, all was good. Got back to the pit, set the awning up, unloaded the trailer, and getting ready to go racing on Friday. Boy, it's great to back at the track. And did I mention, HOT, HOT, HOT.....
Teams arrive tomorrow early afternoon. We'll be pretty busy once they get here. Eddie and I are visiting with some friends now having a cold one after a long trip.
Will blog again tomorrow.
Jay
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hey Everybody!
It's been a busy 24 hours since leaving the shop. Early this morning, around 1am, we were driving through a dirt parking lot at a truck stop and bottomed out the trailer on the crown of a paved road going through the dirt parking lot. After messing with it for an hour, it was time to get something to eat and go to bed. We decided to revisit the problem in the morning. We got up bright & early and in about an hour had the truck and trailer freed up-everything was much easier with a clear head and some daylight. We hit the highway once again.
Our next stop was in South Carolina, where we fueled up and put water in the truck and trailer. We had not been happy with the trailer brakes since we left the shop so we took a look at them and didn't find any major issues. Added some fluid, bled the system, repacked the trailer (having unloaded a bunch of stuff to get access to the brake system), fueled up again and we're trucking South headed for the Florida/Georgia line tonight. Looking forward to a good nights sleep.
It's a beautiful sunny day, t-shirt weather! Should be at the track by early tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.
That's all from the highways and byways of America, will touch base again tomorrow.
Jay
It's been a busy 24 hours since leaving the shop. Early this morning, around 1am, we were driving through a dirt parking lot at a truck stop and bottomed out the trailer on the crown of a paved road going through the dirt parking lot. After messing with it for an hour, it was time to get something to eat and go to bed. We decided to revisit the problem in the morning. We got up bright & early and in about an hour had the truck and trailer freed up-everything was much easier with a clear head and some daylight. We hit the highway once again.
Our next stop was in South Carolina, where we fueled up and put water in the truck and trailer. We had not been happy with the trailer brakes since we left the shop so we took a look at them and didn't find any major issues. Added some fluid, bled the system, repacked the trailer (having unloaded a bunch of stuff to get access to the brake system), fueled up again and we're trucking South headed for the Florida/Georgia line tonight. Looking forward to a good nights sleep.
It's a beautiful sunny day, t-shirt weather! Should be at the track by early tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.
That's all from the highways and byways of America, will touch base again tomorrow.
Jay
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