HELLO ALL!

I hope everybody had a great Memorial Day & remembered to be thankful for the freedoms that we have. Remember-freedom is not free!

The race in Indy went well. We qualified third, and lost in the semi final round. After returning from Indy, Scott, Mitch, & I did a brake job on the trailer, while Charlie cut floaters & discs. Then Charlie, Scott & I loaded the trailer and hit the road. We picked Eddie up on our way out of town and headed for Maple Grove. It was a very busy couple of days.

The team met up in Reading, we tested on Thursday, which went well. We qualified #2 on Friday. Saturday we freshened the motor as scheduled & then Saturday evening had first round of eliminations. Eliminations didn't go as well & we lost first round. We ran a 5.70 to a 5.69 against Fred Tigges. The crew dragged themselves back to the pit area, frustrated with the outcome. The only thing left to do was load up & head home. It was great to be back at our first division 1 race, got to see some folks we haven't seen since last year. Saturday afternoon we had a special visit from Nick, a boy I met seven years ago in Maple Grove. Nick is fighting Juvenile Batten Disease, which is a terminal illness. One of the effects of the disease is loss of sight. Check out his website, www.nicksbattle.com if you want to know more about Nick & his fight. So, it was great to see Nick & his family as always. We also met a young boy name Kevin, who has recently been paired with a great foster family. Kevin's foster dad brought him to the races for the first time. We had a great talk & he promised me he'd be back in October for the national event. Can't wait to see both Nick & Kevin again.

Driving home Saturday night, somewhere around 1am-my phone rings & I hear a voice say, "is that you in the Follow A Dream truck?" A friend of mine from high school was driving right in front of us. We stopped at the TA for fuel & spent an hour catching up with my old buddy Ed. I also met Amanda, who has been a fan of Follow A Dream & couldn't wait to meet us. She drives a junior dragster & her & her dad were on their way to race in Englishtown. Great to meet you Amanda & good luck on your graduation!

I'm home now for a week. I went to a Memorial Day Parade on Monday. Had my father in law Ray, my mom, & my daughter Marybeth over for a delicious dinner to celebrate Ray's birthday. Its great to be home for a couple of days to enjoy some family time.

This week will be all about getting ready for Englishtown & our visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC prior to the race.

I'll get back to you all soon-have a wonderful week.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! Thanks to our troops for their dedication-it's because of their many sacrifices that we can DARE TO DREAM.


Jay