Hello From Sunny Warm Florida!
It's Wednesday morning and we have arrived in Gainesville. Got to the track last night around midnight and Todd, Charlie, Ed, Scott Spencer, & I sat around shooting the breeze until about 2am. Woke up this morning ready to set up the pit area, get the car teched (NHRA saftey inspection), and ready to race. Testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park on Monday & Tuesday went well. We got Todd all fitted in the car and made all final adjustments. Todd made four runs, getting acclimated to the car and did a phenomenal job. The new parachutes on the car worked great. Steve Baker of SB Video Productions and his friend Fred (photographer)were both with us in Valdosta and got some great photos & video. Check the site and we'll get some of those up for you to see soon. Today & tomorrow we'll be servicing the car and putting new connecting rods in and then Friday begins qualifying. The entire team has worked unbelievably long hours with tireless dedication to get us ready to start the season. I can't say enough about what a terrific crew we have-they are the best!
Well, gotta run for now. Stay tuned to the blog-we'll try and update you all throughout the weekend.
Thanks & have a great day!
Jay
March 10, 2010
March 6, 2010
ON THE ROAD HEADED TO GEORGIA
Hey Everybody!
It has been a busy week. Eddie, Charlie, Ozzie, Scott, Terri, & I have been putting in long days to get us ready. Some longer than others-eighteen plus hours some days for myself & Charlie. Ozzie got the new chute launchers all squared away, Charlie got the new safety shutdown system ready, & everything is loaded. We're now sitting on Cape Cod in traffic, if you can believe that. The Sagamore Bridge is under construction! Charlie is now taking a nap, Eddie is driving, & Scott Spencer's head is spinning-not sure if he know what he's gotten himself into! We're due to arrive in Valdosta, Georgia on Sunday evening & will then offload the rig and get the car ready for testing Monday & Tuesday. Jimmy & Todd will be meeting us there on Sunday. Stay tuned, I'll try to update the blog on Monday night to keep you all informed of our progress.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
It has been a busy week. Eddie, Charlie, Ozzie, Scott, Terri, & I have been putting in long days to get us ready. Some longer than others-eighteen plus hours some days for myself & Charlie. Ozzie got the new chute launchers all squared away, Charlie got the new safety shutdown system ready, & everything is loaded. We're now sitting on Cape Cod in traffic, if you can believe that. The Sagamore Bridge is under construction! Charlie is now taking a nap, Eddie is driving, & Scott Spencer's head is spinning-not sure if he know what he's gotten himself into! We're due to arrive in Valdosta, Georgia on Sunday evening & will then offload the rig and get the car ready for testing Monday & Tuesday. Jimmy & Todd will be meeting us there on Sunday. Stay tuned, I'll try to update the blog on Monday night to keep you all informed of our progress.
Have a great weekend!
Jay
February 28, 2010
EVERYONE PULLS TOGETHER AT THE SHOP
Wow – what a day! What a week, really. It's been busy.
The trailer is back on the ground, the discs and the floaters are all ready to go, and all the wiring and plumbing are back together in the driver's compartment after changes were made for Todd. Ozzie has been working hard on the chute launchers that will go on the car this year to shoot the parachutes far out into the air.
Yesterday, there was a whole gang at the shop: Alan, Ed, Charlie, Jerad from Red's Reconditioning, Mitch, Terri, Terri's husband Bob, who was working on the trailer A/C and heater, Maura, who does custom sewing and embroidery, and me. Alan took some videos of all the work that was going on, and it will be up on the Website soon, so keep checking.
It's just five days now until we pull out of the shop to head for Valdosta, Ga., to test. These next five days are going to go by so fast, and we still have so much to do. Thanks to this amazing team, we'll get it all done and be on our way. Terri is back from shoulder surgery and oh my gosh it's GREAT to have her back!
I can't believe this season is about to begin, how excited I am, and how excited the whole team is. I will try to give everyone an update on a daily basis. I'll write at you soon.
Jay
The trailer is back on the ground, the discs and the floaters are all ready to go, and all the wiring and plumbing are back together in the driver's compartment after changes were made for Todd. Ozzie has been working hard on the chute launchers that will go on the car this year to shoot the parachutes far out into the air.
Yesterday, there was a whole gang at the shop: Alan, Ed, Charlie, Jerad from Red's Reconditioning, Mitch, Terri, Terri's husband Bob, who was working on the trailer A/C and heater, Maura, who does custom sewing and embroidery, and me. Alan took some videos of all the work that was going on, and it will be up on the Website soon, so keep checking.
It's just five days now until we pull out of the shop to head for Valdosta, Ga., to test. These next five days are going to go by so fast, and we still have so much to do. Thanks to this amazing team, we'll get it all done and be on our way. Terri is back from shoulder surgery and oh my gosh it's GREAT to have her back!
I can't believe this season is about to begin, how excited I am, and how excited the whole team is. I will try to give everyone an update on a daily basis. I'll write at you soon.
Jay
February 21, 2010
MONSTER JAM
Hello all. It is Sunday, and I wanted to bring you up to date. Last night, I went to Monster Jam in Worcester with Marybeth, Brandon, and Scott for Scott's birthday. Thanks to Adam, the driver of the Taz truck and to Permatex for the backstage look and for letting me sit in a monster truck. What a great experience and a great show.
Alan has been working in the shop machining floaters and discs for the clutch as well as cleaning and helping us organize the shop. Friday, Ed came over and worked on putting cylinder heads together. Scott Spencer has been working on repacking wheel bearings and brakes on the trailer.
Thanks to HTC Racing in Rockland for the powder-coating and for rebuilding the calipers. Saturday, Mitch was back at it too, working on redoing some air valves and air lines on the trailer while Rich from In A Flash Welding installed some D-rings and brackets on the trailer.
I have been doing a variety of things in the office and the shop and trying to work on my computer. Thanks to all the great volunteers who make all of this possible. There's no way we could do it without them! I'll be back soon and hope you are well.
Thanks for reading!
Alan has been working in the shop machining floaters and discs for the clutch as well as cleaning and helping us organize the shop. Friday, Ed came over and worked on putting cylinder heads together. Scott Spencer has been working on repacking wheel bearings and brakes on the trailer.
Thanks to HTC Racing in Rockland for the powder-coating and for rebuilding the calipers. Saturday, Mitch was back at it too, working on redoing some air valves and air lines on the trailer while Rich from In A Flash Welding installed some D-rings and brackets on the trailer.
I have been doing a variety of things in the office and the shop and trying to work on my computer. Thanks to all the great volunteers who make all of this possible. There's no way we could do it without them! I'll be back soon and hope you are well.
Thanks for reading!
February 16, 2010
BACK HOME!
Hey all!
I survived two weeks of computer school at the Carroll Center For the Blind. I finished up Friday night, and boy, was it great to be back home.
Saturday morning, Mitch, Scott, and I unloaded the race car and got the trailer backed into the shop. We got the brakes and hubs apart to service them for the upcoming season and sent all the calipers to HTC Racing to be rebuilt and powdercoated.
Sunday and Monday, I worked from home and played the good husband, doing laundry and cooking dinner and trying to get Ann to take it easy because she's been fighting a cold for two weeks.
Today, I'm on my way to speak for the New England Ford Truck Club. I talked to Tommy Howell this morning. He sounds good and can't wait to get back home.
This week, we're working on getting Todd's firesuit designed and new uniforms made for the team. It's still rainy and snowy on Cape Cod. I can't wait for the warm weather to get here! The Winternationals were last weekend, and it was great to see racing on TV again – you can tell the season's finally getting started. We at Follow a Dream will be back racing before we know it.
Stay tuned. I'll be back soon!
Jay
I survived two weeks of computer school at the Carroll Center For the Blind. I finished up Friday night, and boy, was it great to be back home.
Saturday morning, Mitch, Scott, and I unloaded the race car and got the trailer backed into the shop. We got the brakes and hubs apart to service them for the upcoming season and sent all the calipers to HTC Racing to be rebuilt and powdercoated.
Sunday and Monday, I worked from home and played the good husband, doing laundry and cooking dinner and trying to get Ann to take it easy because she's been fighting a cold for two weeks.
Today, I'm on my way to speak for the New England Ford Truck Club. I talked to Tommy Howell this morning. He sounds good and can't wait to get back home.
This week, we're working on getting Todd's firesuit designed and new uniforms made for the team. It's still rainy and snowy on Cape Cod. I can't wait for the warm weather to get here! The Winternationals were last weekend, and it was great to see racing on TV again – you can tell the season's finally getting started. We at Follow a Dream will be back racing before we know it.
Stay tuned. I'll be back soon!
Jay
February 12, 2010
ANOTHER BUSY WEEK LEARNING COMPUTERS
Good day, everyone
Sorry for the lapse in posting. If I remember right, my last blog was before the weekend. Charlie and Eddie got the car set up at the Frank Marrata Auto & Cycle Show on Friday. Thanks to them for a great job. I arrived Friday evening around 7, and we also had Tom Dobruck from Permatex and Tom from Wynn's there for the weekend.
Todd arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the rest of the crew showed up that night. It was great having everyone together again. Sunday, we closed the show with a service of the car, then we started it up. The crowd and the team seemed to love hearing it run.
Eddie, Charlie, and Todd went straight to ProStart Race Cars to fit Todd for the car. Todd flew home Tuesday, and the guys headed home, trying to outrun a huge snowstorm.
I got back to the Carroll Center Sunday night and was back in class Monday morning. My head was swelling by noon!
This week, I have worked more on Outlook and started on Excel on Wednesday. I find it amazing that less than two weeks ago, I could barely turn on a computer and now I'm posting this blog. I'll write soon, and thanks for checking back!
Jay
Sorry for the lapse in posting. If I remember right, my last blog was before the weekend. Charlie and Eddie got the car set up at the Frank Marrata Auto & Cycle Show on Friday. Thanks to them for a great job. I arrived Friday evening around 7, and we also had Tom Dobruck from Permatex and Tom from Wynn's there for the weekend.
Todd arrived on Saturday afternoon, and the rest of the crew showed up that night. It was great having everyone together again. Sunday, we closed the show with a service of the car, then we started it up. The crowd and the team seemed to love hearing it run.
Eddie, Charlie, and Todd went straight to ProStart Race Cars to fit Todd for the car. Todd flew home Tuesday, and the guys headed home, trying to outrun a huge snowstorm.
I got back to the Carroll Center Sunday night and was back in class Monday morning. My head was swelling by noon!
This week, I have worked more on Outlook and started on Excel on Wednesday. I find it amazing that less than two weeks ago, I could barely turn on a computer and now I'm posting this blog. I'll write soon, and thanks for checking back!
Jay
February 6, 2010
FRANK MARATTA AUTO & CYCLE SHOW
Hi everybody!
It's Friday afternoon, and I'm on my way to Hartford for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show. It's been a busy few days of computer training at the Carroll Center. It's really been cool learning the Internet and checking out stuff like nhra.com.
Using a screen reader, you have to listen and use key commands. It gets a little frustrating because you have to be patient and listen to what the computer's saying, but the reality of life is that Windows and the Internet are based on visuals – I can't exactly point and click! I'm not complaining, though. Repetition will be the key - the more I do it, the easier it gets. I can write an email just as easily as anybody else now.
Todd's flying in from Indianapolis for the show, and practically the whole team's going to be in Hartford. Should be fun! Sunday night, Eddie, Charlie, and Todd are headed to ProStart in New Jersey to get Todd all fitted for the car, and I'll be back at the Carroll Center all week.
Talk to you soon.
Jay
It's Friday afternoon, and I'm on my way to Hartford for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show. It's been a busy few days of computer training at the Carroll Center. It's really been cool learning the Internet and checking out stuff like nhra.com.
Using a screen reader, you have to listen and use key commands. It gets a little frustrating because you have to be patient and listen to what the computer's saying, but the reality of life is that Windows and the Internet are based on visuals – I can't exactly point and click! I'm not complaining, though. Repetition will be the key - the more I do it, the easier it gets. I can write an email just as easily as anybody else now.
Todd's flying in from Indianapolis for the show, and practically the whole team's going to be in Hartford. Should be fun! Sunday night, Eddie, Charlie, and Todd are headed to ProStart in New Jersey to get Todd all fitted for the car, and I'll be back at the Carroll Center all week.
Talk to you soon.
Jay
February 3, 2010
LEARNING HOW TO EMAIL
Hey all!
Another day at the Carroll Center. Today was spent working on Outlook for me email. By the end of the day, my head was pounding! I'm not complaining - the teaching and the knowledge I'm gaining is awesome.
It's so weird having so much time on my hands with nothing to do, but I'm thankful for this opportunity. Thanks for reading, and if you send me an email, I'll respond. My email address is jay@followadream.org.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
J
Another day at the Carroll Center. Today was spent working on Outlook for me email. By the end of the day, my head was pounding! I'm not complaining - the teaching and the knowledge I'm gaining is awesome.
It's so weird having so much time on my hands with nothing to do, but I'm thankful for this opportunity. Thanks for reading, and if you send me an email, I'll respond. My email address is jay@followadream.org.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
J
February 2, 2010
LEARNING COMPUTERS
Hello, everyone!
I just finished my first day of training at The Carroll Center For the Blind. My instructor's name is Heather, and she's wonderful - very patient, and fun too. We worked on Microsoft Word for most of the day and learned a little about computer setup and other general stuff. It's kind of weird being back here and getting flashbacks from 12 years ago. Once again, all the people are great. I'll blog again tomorrow. See ya!
Jay
I just finished my first day of training at The Carroll Center For the Blind. My instructor's name is Heather, and she's wonderful - very patient, and fun too. We worked on Microsoft Word for most of the day and learned a little about computer setup and other general stuff. It's kind of weird being back here and getting flashbacks from 12 years ago. Once again, all the people are great. I'll blog again tomorrow. See ya!
Jay
January 31, 2010
GETTING READY
Hi, everyone!
I'm at the Denver airport, waiting to catch a flight home. I just spoke to service managers, general managers, and technicians at Brakes Plus' annual awards banquet, and it went great.
The car is close to being race-ready. Charlie was at the shop last week, setting up and installing the clutch and servicing the transmission. Eddie and Ozzie were there getting everything ready to run, and we fired it up to make sure it's good to go for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut, which happens to be Permatex's corporate home. Alan was in the car for the fire-up, and let's just say he loved it! Charlie, Eddie, Scott, and I then loaded it in the rig for the trip to Hartford.
Todd's going to join us at the show, then the car will head to ProStart Race Cars in New Jersey, where Todd will be fitted for the cockpit. I won't be making that trip. I'll be at the Carroll Center For the Blind the week before and week after the Maratta show, where I'll be learning to use a computer – the Internet, Word, Excel, everything. Stay tuned – the season's almost here!
I'm at the Denver airport, waiting to catch a flight home. I just spoke to service managers, general managers, and technicians at Brakes Plus' annual awards banquet, and it went great.
The car is close to being race-ready. Charlie was at the shop last week, setting up and installing the clutch and servicing the transmission. Eddie and Ozzie were there getting everything ready to run, and we fired it up to make sure it's good to go for the Frank Maratta Auto & Cycle Show this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut, which happens to be Permatex's corporate home. Alan was in the car for the fire-up, and let's just say he loved it! Charlie, Eddie, Scott, and I then loaded it in the rig for the trip to Hartford.
Todd's going to join us at the show, then the car will head to ProStart Race Cars in New Jersey, where Todd will be fitted for the cockpit. I won't be making that trip. I'll be at the Carroll Center For the Blind the week before and week after the Maratta show, where I'll be learning to use a computer – the Internet, Word, Excel, everything. Stay tuned – the season's almost here!
January 20, 2010
Work At The Shop
Hey Everyone,We had a head we had to send out to BAE for service. Got a couple of cranks getting checked too. Mitch & our buddy Rich from In A Flash Welding have been working this week on redoing the exhaust in the Freightliner. It was in desperate need of a muffler & Mitch redesigned it so we can build a storage box under the truck to haul some tables. Todd went to Impact Racing this week to get measured for his firesuit. Charlie is going to come out of the North country early next week to help get ready for Maratta's Auto & Cycle Show in Hartford, CT on Feb. 5-7. We'll all be at the show throughout the weekend with the start up of the racecar on Sunday afternoon. In a couple weeks I'm going to Denver, CO to speak on behalf of Brakes Plus. Looking forward to the trip & hoping I don't get snowed in! I don't ski.
Talk again on Monday & thanks again for checking in.
Jay
January 12, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Hey Everybody!
Happy New Year, I hope everyboy had a great Christmas & New Year. Temperatures have been consistently in the twenties here on the Cape for the last couple of weeks so we're all moving kinda slow. I've been in the office working the phones, out in the shop cleaning & organizing, and tomorrow I'm bringing a short block in & going to disassemble it, get the crank shaft in, and make sure the cylinders are happy. We're going to get to work in freshing up some cylinder heads too. Alan Hadfield has been over helping to clean up the clutch area and getting ready to grind some discs.
Thanks for checking in, we'll get back at you in the next couple days.
Jay
Happy New Year, I hope everyboy had a great Christmas & New Year. Temperatures have been consistently in the twenties here on the Cape for the last couple of weeks so we're all moving kinda slow. I've been in the office working the phones, out in the shop cleaning & organizing, and tomorrow I'm bringing a short block in & going to disassemble it, get the crank shaft in, and make sure the cylinders are happy. We're going to get to work in freshing up some cylinder heads too. Alan Hadfield has been over helping to clean up the clutch area and getting ready to grind some discs.
Thanks for checking in, we'll get back at you in the next couple days.
Jay
December 23, 2009
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
Hey Everyone!
Cape Cod got hammered with 2 feet of snow last weekend. It's a good thing we're not trying to race today. Fortunately, I only had to do a little bit of shoveling. Looks like we'll get some rain this weekend so some of the snow should melt. I spent alot of this week on the phone, wishing people a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Serviced the generator on the Freightliner, did some more picking up in the shop with lots still to do. It never ends & keeps us busy. I spent evenings shopping & preparing for Christmas. Going to take tomorrow off to help Ann get ready for the holiday and then over to my mothers for Christmas Eve. Family will all meet there for dinner & presents-a long time tradition since we all grew up & moved out to start our own families. Christmas day we'll be home in the morning & then over to my father in laws in the evening for dinner. I'll be back to work at the shop on Saturday-going to get some cleaning & organizing done with the tunes cranked up.
Wishing everybody a great Christmas. I hope Santa is good to you all and for all of you on the naughty list-I hope it was worth it! Will be in touch again next week.
Jay
Cape Cod got hammered with 2 feet of snow last weekend. It's a good thing we're not trying to race today. Fortunately, I only had to do a little bit of shoveling. Looks like we'll get some rain this weekend so some of the snow should melt. I spent alot of this week on the phone, wishing people a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Serviced the generator on the Freightliner, did some more picking up in the shop with lots still to do. It never ends & keeps us busy. I spent evenings shopping & preparing for Christmas. Going to take tomorrow off to help Ann get ready for the holiday and then over to my mothers for Christmas Eve. Family will all meet there for dinner & presents-a long time tradition since we all grew up & moved out to start our own families. Christmas day we'll be home in the morning & then over to my father in laws in the evening for dinner. I'll be back to work at the shop on Saturday-going to get some cleaning & organizing done with the tunes cranked up.
Wishing everybody a great Christmas. I hope Santa is good to you all and for all of you on the naughty list-I hope it was worth it! Will be in touch again next week.
Jay
December 17, 2009
WORKING AT THE SHOP
Hey All!
Cool pictures will accompany this blog....As you'll see, we unloaded the car last night and got it into the shop. Charlie is down from NH helping out. It's great having him around. He pulled the clutch out so we can send that off for recertification. I just finished making up a 60' extension cord to plug the trailer in while its outside. Unfortunately, I underestimated by a couple of feet-Son of a gun, I came up short! We'll be doing a variety of other work in the shop over the next couple days. I'm going to take advantage of Charlie's help while he's here. It's brutally cold here so we're doing our best to stay inside to work.
I'll update you all again early next week. Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.
Jay
December 14, 2009
BACK FROM PRI SHOW
Hey Everybody!
Its been a busy week but we're back from Florida. The Performance Racing Industry (PRI)Trade Show was a great show. Jimmy & I spent three days walking the show, shaking hands, doing some research, and talking with people in the industry. We got alot of positive feedback on the car that was set up in the Permatex booth. We're back at the shop now and will start to prepare for the racing season. Will be taking some time over the holidays to hang out with my family. Otherwise, busy here in the shop & office as usual. Thanks for checking in & if you have questions...please let me know.
It's a crazy time of year so, take a moment in all the craziness & remember to be thankful for all that you have.
Jay
Its been a busy week but we're back from Florida. The Performance Racing Industry (PRI)Trade Show was a great show. Jimmy & I spent three days walking the show, shaking hands, doing some research, and talking with people in the industry. We got alot of positive feedback on the car that was set up in the Permatex booth. We're back at the shop now and will start to prepare for the racing season. Will be taking some time over the holidays to hang out with my family. Otherwise, busy here in the shop & office as usual. Thanks for checking in & if you have questions...please let me know.
It's a crazy time of year so, take a moment in all the craziness & remember to be thankful for all that you have.
Jay
December 7, 2009
Updates From The Road
Hey Everybody,
Eddie & I are driving I-95 South in Georgia, it's a little bit warmer here. Eddie just commented, "not by much". I want to thank team members Mitch & Ozzie for all the hard work they put into the truck before we left Massachusetts. Rich, from In A Flash Welding donated lots of time to help us out as well, thanks Rich! The truck has been running great!
We dropped the Dodge Avenger body off with Jesse at Circus Paints in NJ on our way to Florida. He's going to repaint the Avenger to match the Impala paint, so they will look identical. This will be a big plus for our sponsors so that we have a matching show car for when the Impala is elsewhere racing.
Eddie and I will arrive in the Orlando, FL area early tomorrow for the the PRI Show. Set up for the show is Wednesday, where the car will be in the Permatex booth throughout the show. Jimmy will fly down to meet us on Wednesday. Tom, Barbara, & Fred from Permatex will be meeting us & working the booth as well. It'll be good to see everybody and it should be a great time.
Check back later in the week for updates from the show. Thanks for checking in, I hope you're all having a wonderful day!
Jay
Eddie & I are driving I-95 South in Georgia, it's a little bit warmer here. Eddie just commented, "not by much". I want to thank team members Mitch & Ozzie for all the hard work they put into the truck before we left Massachusetts. Rich, from In A Flash Welding donated lots of time to help us out as well, thanks Rich! The truck has been running great!
We dropped the Dodge Avenger body off with Jesse at Circus Paints in NJ on our way to Florida. He's going to repaint the Avenger to match the Impala paint, so they will look identical. This will be a big plus for our sponsors so that we have a matching show car for when the Impala is elsewhere racing.
Eddie and I will arrive in the Orlando, FL area early tomorrow for the the PRI Show. Set up for the show is Wednesday, where the car will be in the Permatex booth throughout the show. Jimmy will fly down to meet us on Wednesday. Tom, Barbara, & Fred from Permatex will be meeting us & working the booth as well. It'll be good to see everybody and it should be a great time.
Check back later in the week for updates from the show. Thanks for checking in, I hope you're all having a wonderful day!
Jay
November 25, 2009
HAPPY TURKEY DAY
Hey All,
Working in the shop, the office, and on the truck. Mitch has been helping to winterize the truck and get it ready for the trip to the PRI Show at the beginning of December. Will be nice to head south for a couple of days, although the weather here in New England has been absolutely great for this time of year.
We're going to try something new today and post some photos of the new paint on the racecar. Thanks to Jesse LeJeune @ Circus Custom Paint in New Jersey, I think it looks great. Let us know what you think.
Will be going to my moms with the family tomorrow for turkey. My sister Bonnie and her family are here from NJ and brother Jim will be down to help celebrate as well. It should be a great time and very filling!
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be back in touch next week.
Jay
November 18, 2009
WORKING AT THE SHOP
Hey Everyone!
The weather has been great here in New England. I've spent the last week doing a variety of things in the shop & office. We have the truck that pulls the racecar trailer inside, giving it a once over. Our pal (and one of our biggest fans), Mitch Sullivan came down to the shop this past Saturday to service the truck. Changed all of the fluids, and have ordered some replacement parts that we'll get in when they're delivered. I'm also doing some reconfiguring to make some more storage area under the bed of the back of the truck. Jared of Red's Reconditioning was here as well, working his magic to make the inside of the truck look like new after a long season of race weekends and our recent journey West. We're headed to Texas Roadhouse in Danvers, MA tomorrow evening for a visit & racecar display. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. Just a one evening event and then back to work in the shop & office. Will touch base again in a few days, thanks for checking in.
Jay
The weather has been great here in New England. I've spent the last week doing a variety of things in the shop & office. We have the truck that pulls the racecar trailer inside, giving it a once over. Our pal (and one of our biggest fans), Mitch Sullivan came down to the shop this past Saturday to service the truck. Changed all of the fluids, and have ordered some replacement parts that we'll get in when they're delivered. I'm also doing some reconfiguring to make some more storage area under the bed of the back of the truck. Jared of Red's Reconditioning was here as well, working his magic to make the inside of the truck look like new after a long season of race weekends and our recent journey West. We're headed to Texas Roadhouse in Danvers, MA tomorrow evening for a visit & racecar display. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello. Just a one evening event and then back to work in the shop & office. Will touch base again in a few days, thanks for checking in.
Jay
November 11, 2009
Back from AAPEX
Hey Everyone,
Lots to talk about today. It was a great trip to AAPEX, I'm back in the office, & Eddie has returned from Vegas with car in tow. I flew out Sunday night, Nov. 1 and arrived in Vegas late. Monday morning we moved into the show, Todd Veney arrived from Indy. Todd helped us set up and had his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the racecar, where he was pushed through the convention center to the booth. Monday night Todd & I went to a dinner hosted by Permatex at Smith & Wollensky-a world renowned steak house. The best filet I've ever had! I'm no food connoisseur but everyone else at the table agreed. Great food, great company, great night! No gambling that night, off to bed for all. Tuesday we were up & at the show by 9:30, meeting & greeting customers and introducing Todd to Permatex & Wynn's folks. John Force, Robert Hight, & Ashley Force Hood stopped by the booth and John in his usual great humor had everybody laughing. It was great to see them all and have the chance to congratulate them on their successes and Roberts possible and hopeful championship. Todd & I went out Tuesday evening for dollar beers at Casino Royale. We met a lovely couple from Philly (they stopped at the Permatex booth on Thursday to say hi) and hung out for awhile. Went and got some dinner and again, bed early. No gambling for us! Wednesday was much of the same, spent the day at the show, met with some good friends at Clevite, and spoke with our friends at Wynn Oil. Todd flew home Wednesday afternoon. Tom Dobruck and I stopped and had a couple beers after the show closed for the evening. Then, my wonderful wife Ann showed up. Wow, a much better roommate than Todd for sure! Ann & I went to dinner at a Mexican joint and had amazing guacamole & chips. Called it an early night as Ann had been traveling from the East all day. Aaand....again.....no gambling! Thursday down on the show floor by 9:30 again for the last day of the show. Eddie & I took a quick trip across town to the SEMA Show, where we visited our friends & supporters at Meguiar's & ARP. We were out of time and had to rush back to AAPEX to move out of the show. The show ended at 5pm, we loaded the racecar into the trailer, and sent Eddie on his way back East. I hung out with Tom as they closed up the booth. I met up with Ann for a nice dinner and then called it a night. That's right....no gambling. Friday we slept in and Ann and I kicked around the strip, got tickets to see Jay Leno that night, and visited the wildlife sanctuary at the Mirage where they have dolphins, white lions, & tigers. It's amazing to think that lions & tigers make their home in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, in their own little world. That night we went to the Leno comedy show, which was absolutely terrific. After the show, we hung around the back door to wait to meet Jay Leno. Thanks to Ann, we found the right spot and were able to meet him and have our picture taken. I took the opportunity to pass him some info on Follow A Dream, maybe we'll get an invitation to the show. By this time it was early Saturday morning, time for bed and up early for flight home. I got out of Vegas without losing a dime.....again....thats right.....no gambling. Ann & I arrived home Saturday evening where Marybeth & friends picked us up at the airport. Back to our crazy schedules and the lives of our busy teenagers. Have been working in the office the last couple of days, catching up and gearing up for PRI and the 2010 season.
Thanks for checking back, will post early next week.
Jay
Lots to talk about today. It was a great trip to AAPEX, I'm back in the office, & Eddie has returned from Vegas with car in tow. I flew out Sunday night, Nov. 1 and arrived in Vegas late. Monday morning we moved into the show, Todd Veney arrived from Indy. Todd helped us set up and had his first opportunity to get behind the wheel of the racecar, where he was pushed through the convention center to the booth. Monday night Todd & I went to a dinner hosted by Permatex at Smith & Wollensky-a world renowned steak house. The best filet I've ever had! I'm no food connoisseur but everyone else at the table agreed. Great food, great company, great night! No gambling that night, off to bed for all. Tuesday we were up & at the show by 9:30, meeting & greeting customers and introducing Todd to Permatex & Wynn's folks. John Force, Robert Hight, & Ashley Force Hood stopped by the booth and John in his usual great humor had everybody laughing. It was great to see them all and have the chance to congratulate them on their successes and Roberts possible and hopeful championship. Todd & I went out Tuesday evening for dollar beers at Casino Royale. We met a lovely couple from Philly (they stopped at the Permatex booth on Thursday to say hi) and hung out for awhile. Went and got some dinner and again, bed early. No gambling for us! Wednesday was much of the same, spent the day at the show, met with some good friends at Clevite, and spoke with our friends at Wynn Oil. Todd flew home Wednesday afternoon. Tom Dobruck and I stopped and had a couple beers after the show closed for the evening. Then, my wonderful wife Ann showed up. Wow, a much better roommate than Todd for sure! Ann & I went to dinner at a Mexican joint and had amazing guacamole & chips. Called it an early night as Ann had been traveling from the East all day. Aaand....again.....no gambling! Thursday down on the show floor by 9:30 again for the last day of the show. Eddie & I took a quick trip across town to the SEMA Show, where we visited our friends & supporters at Meguiar's & ARP. We were out of time and had to rush back to AAPEX to move out of the show. The show ended at 5pm, we loaded the racecar into the trailer, and sent Eddie on his way back East. I hung out with Tom as they closed up the booth. I met up with Ann for a nice dinner and then called it a night. That's right....no gambling. Friday we slept in and Ann and I kicked around the strip, got tickets to see Jay Leno that night, and visited the wildlife sanctuary at the Mirage where they have dolphins, white lions, & tigers. It's amazing to think that lions & tigers make their home in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, in their own little world. That night we went to the Leno comedy show, which was absolutely terrific. After the show, we hung around the back door to wait to meet Jay Leno. Thanks to Ann, we found the right spot and were able to meet him and have our picture taken. I took the opportunity to pass him some info on Follow A Dream, maybe we'll get an invitation to the show. By this time it was early Saturday morning, time for bed and up early for flight home. I got out of Vegas without losing a dime.....again....thats right.....no gambling. Ann & I arrived home Saturday evening where Marybeth & friends picked us up at the airport. Back to our crazy schedules and the lives of our busy teenagers. Have been working in the office the last couple of days, catching up and gearing up for PRI and the 2010 season.
Thanks for checking back, will post early next week.
Jay
October 27, 2009
DID YOU SEE THE NEWS???
Hey Everyone!
If you haven't seen it yet, I'd like to let you all know that Todd Veney will be the new driver for the Follow A Dream/Permatex Funny Car. We're ery excited to have Todd in the seat, he's a great team member and an all around terrific guy! The entire team is very excited and can't wait to start racing. I've been working in the office with Terri on the new race schedule and readying a new newsletter. Working a bit in the shop as well. Tonight Scott Spencer and I are working on the pit floor-nothing overly exciting but something that need to be done. I received a message from Eddie a few minutes ago-he's in Flagstaff, AZ on his way to Vegas. All is well and he's making great time.
Thanks for checking in! Talk to you again toward the end of the week.
Jay
If you haven't seen it yet, I'd like to let you all know that Todd Veney will be the new driver for the Follow A Dream/Permatex Funny Car. We're ery excited to have Todd in the seat, he's a great team member and an all around terrific guy! The entire team is very excited and can't wait to start racing. I've been working in the office with Terri on the new race schedule and readying a new newsletter. Working a bit in the shop as well. Tonight Scott Spencer and I are working on the pit floor-nothing overly exciting but something that need to be done. I received a message from Eddie a few minutes ago-he's in Flagstaff, AZ on his way to Vegas. All is well and he's making great time.
Thanks for checking in! Talk to you again toward the end of the week.
Jay
October 26, 2009
BACK TO BLOG LAND
Hey everybody, sorry I've been missing in action. Things have been busy since I returned from Florida & DC. We've been preparing the racecar for its trip to Las Vegas to be displayed at the AAPEX Show. The body has been @ Circus Custom Paint in NJ where Jesse put a brand new beautiful paint job on the car. Pictures coming soon! Eddie departed the shop on Friday, picked the body up on Saturday, and is headed West to Vegas. He's hoping to get there in time to catch the National event there this coming weekend. Terri & I went to Hartford, CT-home of Permatex World Headquarters and we're excited that Permatex will again be on the car next year. We had a good meeting and as always, it was great to see our friends & supporters there. They're all such great people, with great products, it makes our job so easy to represent them.
We've been extremely busy in the office-working on a variety of major changes that are happening around here. Check the website tomorrow to look for a big announcement. I'm such a tease!
Will be in touch again tomorrow folks, thanks for checking in.
Jay
We've been extremely busy in the office-working on a variety of major changes that are happening around here. Check the website tomorrow to look for a big announcement. I'm such a tease!
Will be in touch again tomorrow folks, thanks for checking in.
Jay
October 8, 2009
Advance Auto Parts
Hello Friends!
Have been working the Advance Auto Parts Commercial Sales Conference & Auto Show here in Orlando all week. Yesterday morning I spoke to a group of about 500 Commercial Sales Managers and we displayed the racecar throughout the day. It was a great day and the energy was amazing. We moved the car out of the vendor show last evening and Eddie is on his way back to Massachusetts. I fly to DC this evening to speak tomorrow morning for Service Specialists Assoc. at their annual conference-then home tomorrow afternoon.
Wanted to let you all know that our 2009 team t-shirts have been discounted, you can see them and place an order from the home page of our site!
Will be in touch soon,
Jay
Have been working the Advance Auto Parts Commercial Sales Conference & Auto Show here in Orlando all week. Yesterday morning I spoke to a group of about 500 Commercial Sales Managers and we displayed the racecar throughout the day. It was a great day and the energy was amazing. We moved the car out of the vendor show last evening and Eddie is on his way back to Massachusetts. I fly to DC this evening to speak tomorrow morning for Service Specialists Assoc. at their annual conference-then home tomorrow afternoon.
Wanted to let you all know that our 2009 team t-shirts have been discounted, you can see them and place an order from the home page of our site!
Will be in touch soon,
Jay
October 6, 2009
Sunny Florida
Hey All,
I'm in Florida, where it's 95 & sunny! We're down here with Advance Auto Parts & Permatex. Tonight we're moving the racecar into a trade fair, and tomorrow I speak for 500 commercial sales people. Eddie and I had an uneventful trip down South until we got to Southern Georgia, where we lost an air valve on the trailer. Thanks to Petro for their help, they had us back on the road pretty quickly. Great people, great service! This morning I spoke for a leadership group for Advance. Spilt orange juice on my Braille N' Speak this morning as well-have sent that out for repair but in the meantime, I'm without my "life"-contacts, schedule, all lost....until I get it back. I've been having a problem with my ear so I went to a walk in medical place this morning. Diagnosed with an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics-should be feeling better soon. That's it for the time being-will be in touch soon.
Jay
I'm in Florida, where it's 95 & sunny! We're down here with Advance Auto Parts & Permatex. Tonight we're moving the racecar into a trade fair, and tomorrow I speak for 500 commercial sales people. Eddie and I had an uneventful trip down South until we got to Southern Georgia, where we lost an air valve on the trailer. Thanks to Petro for their help, they had us back on the road pretty quickly. Great people, great service! This morning I spoke for a leadership group for Advance. Spilt orange juice on my Braille N' Speak this morning as well-have sent that out for repair but in the meantime, I'm without my "life"-contacts, schedule, all lost....until I get it back. I've been having a problem with my ear so I went to a walk in medical place this morning. Diagnosed with an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics-should be feeling better soon. That's it for the time being-will be in touch soon.
Jay
October 1, 2009
Back To Blogging
Hello Friends!
Been a long time and I apologize. We've been in and out of MA for the last several weeks, racing and speaking. Went to the finals at Etown divisional and lost to Frank Manzo. The computer read 4 points past the decimal and all 4 were zeros. It was the closest race in history according to what we've heard since. It was a great race and a terrific way to gear up for NC Nats. On the way to Charlotte, we stopped in Raleigh and participated in the TMC SuperTech Competion, where we display the car and I spoke to all of the attendees to kick off the event. Wednesday evening we visited sponsor Texas Roadhouse's Charlotte location, where we displayed the car and met some customers. Then we headed to the track where we spent late Wednesday night setting up the pit. Spent Thursday putting new connecting rods in the motor, servicing cylinder heads, and the clutch-pretty much getting ready for the team to arrive and Fridays qualifying rounds. We worked through rain delays most of the weekend but qualified 6th. Friday evening I left the team and flew to Washington, DC where I spoke at a national meeting of Mack & Volvo Parts, Service, & Body Shop Managers. I spent Saturday evening in the Permatex booth at that event and met alot of great people. I returned to NC Sunday morning for the races. We lost in the semi finals to none other than Frank Manzo-again! That guy kills me! That was a wrap on our season. We dropped the racecar body off at Circus Custom Paint in NJ on our way home to get it ready to go to Vegas for the AAPEX/SEMA Show in November with our sponsors Permatex & Wynns. Have put the old car together for a show car. Went to The Carroll Center for the Blind to introduce their new President, Mike Festa. Mr. Fest is replacing outgoing President Rachel Rosenbaum, who is retiring. Went to the Touch-A-Truck event in Hyannis, MA last Saturday, which was part of the grand opening of the new recreation center there. Monday morning I spoke to some 20 students from the Southeast Alternative School based in Hyannis. We're preparing to head out this weekend to Orlando, FL with the racecar for an Advance Auto Parts convention. I will leave there and fly to DC again to speak for the Service Specialist Assoc. at their annual convention. Between events I've been cleaning up the shop and squeezing in some office work. Terri & I will work harder at keeping you all up to date. Thanks for visiting!
Jay
Been a long time and I apologize. We've been in and out of MA for the last several weeks, racing and speaking. Went to the finals at Etown divisional and lost to Frank Manzo. The computer read 4 points past the decimal and all 4 were zeros. It was the closest race in history according to what we've heard since. It was a great race and a terrific way to gear up for NC Nats. On the way to Charlotte, we stopped in Raleigh and participated in the TMC SuperTech Competion, where we display the car and I spoke to all of the attendees to kick off the event. Wednesday evening we visited sponsor Texas Roadhouse's Charlotte location, where we displayed the car and met some customers. Then we headed to the track where we spent late Wednesday night setting up the pit. Spent Thursday putting new connecting rods in the motor, servicing cylinder heads, and the clutch-pretty much getting ready for the team to arrive and Fridays qualifying rounds. We worked through rain delays most of the weekend but qualified 6th. Friday evening I left the team and flew to Washington, DC where I spoke at a national meeting of Mack & Volvo Parts, Service, & Body Shop Managers. I spent Saturday evening in the Permatex booth at that event and met alot of great people. I returned to NC Sunday morning for the races. We lost in the semi finals to none other than Frank Manzo-again! That guy kills me! That was a wrap on our season. We dropped the racecar body off at Circus Custom Paint in NJ on our way home to get it ready to go to Vegas for the AAPEX/SEMA Show in November with our sponsors Permatex & Wynns. Have put the old car together for a show car. Went to The Carroll Center for the Blind to introduce their new President, Mike Festa. Mr. Fest is replacing outgoing President Rachel Rosenbaum, who is retiring. Went to the Touch-A-Truck event in Hyannis, MA last Saturday, which was part of the grand opening of the new recreation center there. Monday morning I spoke to some 20 students from the Southeast Alternative School based in Hyannis. We're preparing to head out this weekend to Orlando, FL with the racecar for an Advance Auto Parts convention. I will leave there and fly to DC again to speak for the Service Specialist Assoc. at their annual convention. Between events I've been cleaning up the shop and squeezing in some office work. Terri & I will work harder at keeping you all up to date. Thanks for visiting!
Jay
September 3, 2009
WEEKLY UPDATE
Hey Everybody!
Spoke at Ben Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston today. It was a quick trip up and back to the Cape with Eddie. We're pulling the operation together to hit the road middle of next week for the Englishtown division 1 event and then off to NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC. Have some events between races-trying to work some Texas Roadhouse store visits into our plans and will be visiting Pennco Tech in Bristol, PA next Thursday morning. Lots going on, will blog again beginning of next week. Have a wonderful holiday weekend-hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it has been here on the Cape.
Blog soon friends,
Jay
Spoke at Ben Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston today. It was a quick trip up and back to the Cape with Eddie. We're pulling the operation together to hit the road middle of next week for the Englishtown division 1 event and then off to NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC. Have some events between races-trying to work some Texas Roadhouse store visits into our plans and will be visiting Pennco Tech in Bristol, PA next Thursday morning. Lots going on, will blog again beginning of next week. Have a wonderful holiday weekend-hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it has been here on the Cape.
Blog soon friends,
Jay
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