HEADING HOME FROM HOUSTON

Hello All,

The National Automotive Technology Competition in New York went great. The Permatex kick off breakfast was successful & there was a steady crowd throughout the show. I competed with a blindfolded ESPN analyst & retired Nascar driver Ricky Craven @ the Universal Technical Institute booth in a spark plug competition, removing four spark plugs from the cylinder head & then repplacing them. Ricky was a great sport & we both had lots of fun. He needs a little more practice doing it in the dark but not bad for the first time. I also competed in the General Motors booth against a sighted Dan Fuller, a former GM Tech instructor & current Bristol Tech High School Automotive Instructor in Bristol, CT. Dan got the better of me by just a little bit but was too afraid to be blindfolded. Congratulations to all the competitiors.

I flew to Houston with the team on Thursday for the 24th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. It was a good weekend although the track was tricky-very hot & humid. The team worked very hard to get us another semi final finish.

Ed & I were on the road home Sunday evening & by Monday afternoon @ around 2pm we had a ttrailer tire blow out in Alabama, taking out one of the airbags in the suspention of the trailer. Thanks to our friends at the Petro Truck Service we got the trailer all fixed up & were back on the road this morning after a good nights sleep to continue our journey home.

Once again, thanks to the Dream Team for a great weekend. We're beginning to prepare for our next race & first of the season in Division 1 competition, in Reading, PA, May 27-28.

A special thanks to all the men & women of the Armed Services for keeping us all safe through their tireless work & determination. FREE TO DREAM...THANKS TO OUR TROOPS!

Jay