Good times, bad times. Losing someone you care about is tough, and celebrating the lives of those you love is joyous. Doing both on the same weekend is surreal.

I'll start with the bad news. John Shoemaker, one of the nicest racers I have ever met and a very talented individual lost his life in a nostalgia Top Fueler Saturday at the March Meet in Bakersfield. Our most sincere condolences go out to Judee and the rest of the family. John will be missed, and that says volumes.

My weekend was hectic. Friday while Jenna took care of the little guy I made the 111-mile trek up to Famoso for what would be my only qualifying attempt in Doug Rose's Time Traveler nostalgia Funny Car. Disappointment was an understatement when the oil pressure gauge decided to stay at zero after firing the car at the starting line. So much for racing at the 50th anniversary March Meet.

The reason that one shot was my only attempt was simple: Jason turned 1 on Saturday, and I wouldn't miss that for the world. We had plenty of family, including his great-grandmother, over to the house, and we finally got to christen our new backyard. Grass is cool. (That should not be construed as a ‘60s liberal slogan). Grandpa Bill manned the barbeque as I still don't know how to operate the thing, though I was able to unpack and assemble it reasonably well. There were several other children over, including cousin "little Jack" and all four "Goodyear Girls" (Jessica and Paul Mitsos, whose family operates Mountain View Goodyear and whose youngest, Samantha, is three days older than Jason, brought along their full complement of four). My cousin Jason and his fiancée, Stephanie, gave our little man his own DSR funny car. They doctored up his push toy with all of the logos of the real Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger, and Jason showed it off to the other kids. He also got his first Radio Flyer wagon from his great uncle John and great-grandma. We loaded up the kids, and I towed them around the yard until I could taste the cheeseburger I had just finished. That was time for dad to take a rest. Not only did Jason get all kinds of cool toys, he actually got to EAT birthday cake. Against mom's complaints I gave him a small piece ... and he didn't blow up or die! It was a marvelous day, and though Jason's only recollections probably will be the photos that we took, the memories are priceless for us.

Sunday I headed back up to Bakersfield to spend some time with all of the legends. I can't write any of their names because I have so much reverence for these icons of the sport, and I don't want to omit anyone. Ron Capps and I actually got to help announce the first round of fuel. Though it was frustrating that neither of us qualified, we had a great time up in the tower. I hope that he and I are now through for the year with the DNQ thing. Funds were raised for Pat Foster, another legend who is hanging tough after some near fatal medical issues and facing a long, expensive recovery. Cindy Arias is spearheading this fundraiser and doing an unbelievable job.

I was actually allowed to make an exhibition pass in the Time Traveler after the semi's, and the car clocked a very respectable 6.07 at 239 mph, which would have put us right up in the top half of the field. Timing is everything. Crew chief Spike Gorr told me to shift when it stopped pulling, and after the run I told him that compared to the late model stuff it felt like it stopped pulling at the Christmas Tree! I shifted out near the 330-foot mark, and I had to check the button twice more to make sure that it was actually pushed in ... it just didn't feel like it shifted. About 1,000 feet it sounded to me like the engine was just screaming (the nostalgia cars usually tach 500 to 1,000 rpm more than their NHRA counterparts), but all of the rods stayed in and the car was perfect after the run. Fun stuff.

Monday was another birthday, my father's. Bob turned 71 two days after Jason turned 1. In fact, my dad's brother hit the big 8-1 the day before Jason's birthday. And while speaking about big days, Bob Muravez went 7-0 on the 10th. And how about one more real BIRTH-day: Antron and Billie Jo Brown delivered their third on the 8th, so Jason shouldn't have any trouble remembering that day. Congrats to Ant and BJ.

I got another surf session in with Rich out in Redondo Beach today, and the waves were pretty fun. I hadn't been in several weeks and didn't want to go last week because my cold hadn't completely gone away.

I head out to Gainesville tomorrow for what I hope will be a successful race for our entire team. I also am excited that my other boss, Frank Hawley, will be competing in Funny Car for the first time in over 20 years. I wish Frank well, just not if we're racing him. I think having someone of his caliber back on the tour, if only part time, will be such a positive for the Funny Car class. I must confess to being slightly concerned about the long cars this year as the fields have shrunk somewhat and sponsorship is spread thin. The Evan Knoll pullout really affected the dragster class, and I hope those teams are able to find other marketing partners to get back on the tour soon.

Speaking of soon, I'll be strapped in real soon ... as in tomorrow!!!

Stay tuned.