I flew out on a Sunday for Gainesville, and taught Monday and Tuesday. Early Wednesday I hopped on a plane for Atlanta, then headed straight for Fort Benning. The Army had arranged for Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, and me to participate in some trap shooting. The Army instructors were all Olympians in their various disciplines, and all were multi-time medalists in World Cup competitions. They were decent shooters, to say the least. I shot about like I drive: I hit a few things on occasion! I actually was pleased with my performance, and I think that “the Sarge” and I are about on par with one another. Hight is a different story. Though Robert hasn’t shot in a year due to his hectic schedule, you could tell he was an expert. Had Tony and I been able to team up, we may have given Robert some trouble. I really want to thank everyone who made our trip possible, and I’m glad they are all on our side.

Thursday was the first day in quite a while where I found myself with little to do. I spent the day with the crew making sure they didn’t need any of my expert mechanical skills or tuning advice. Turns out they managed on their own just fine.

Friday morning I was up bright and early (well, one out of two ain’t bad) to participate in the Army YES program. After that it was all about racing. Run one we smoked the tires and ended up dead last of the 21 cars. Friday night, the run where you really want to be loaded for bear and get deep into the show, we apparently only had ammo for pheasant. Our 4.94 didn’t break into the top 12, and that’s all that counts on Fridays with the new qualifying format. People were talking about rain on Saturday, and I was beginning to get nervous.

Did I say anything about nervous? Nah, not me. Saturday run one we negotiated the bump in the left lane and managed a decent 4.964 despite the hot conditions. That was enough to get us in for the time … on the bump. Trust me when I tell you how stressful it can be -- with five quality cars still with a chance to get in -- going into the last session in such a precarious spot. Thankfully we were able to turn the screws up and run a 4.900, the third best run of the round, and move up into the 13th spot.

Sunday was a completely different ballgame. Rain gave way eventually, but the clouds stayed and the temperature dropped. We got bit again by the left lane bump, and Gary Densham put us on the trailer. I want to congratulate Ashley Force and everyone at Force racing for a historic weekend.

Though we didn’t achieve our objective on the track, there were some bright spots to the weekend; I filmed another segment for the “Flashback with Fast Jack” ESPN bit, and I spent time with some great people.

Roger Burgess, the man behind ProCare Rx, sponsor of Mike Ashley’s cars, is a fun guy. He races Pro Mod, digs cars, and acts just like one of the guys. However, the more time I spend around him, the more I realize just how special he is. A former Army Captain, Roger is also a huge philanthropist (not to be confused with a philatelist, though he may also collect stamps). If you noticed the paint on Melanie’s car or watched the TV coverage, you already know about the Dream House. Roger is one of the people making this happen. He’s THAT special! Saturday we went to a fundraiser dinner for the house, and met some more remarkable people. Laura Moore is a nurse, and she is the founder and CEO of Dream House. You can look them up on the net, but their purpose, though multifaceted, revolves around “medically fragile” children. Care, comfort, treatment, reintegration, parental education, and several other benefits are provided at this location, and it was sobering to listen to some of these stories. Laura is one of those angels that just happens to live on earth. Quality people!

Also, my newest, bestest buddy, Jon Caviani was in attendance. To see Jon at the races, hanging out with Roger or in Mike’s pit, he looks and acts like any one of us. Trust me when I tell you that he is one unique individual. Did you know (jeez, here we go again, Jack) that the President of the United States would salute Jon at any function? Jon is one of 105 living persons who have been recipients of the Medal of Honor. We’re buddies now!

Usually when I write a blog I start with the pictures. It really is the only way I can typically remember what has happened the last week or so. When home, Jenna takes great shots with the digital camera and we store them on the computer. Writing a story around the photos is fairly easy and makes sense to the reader. The problem is when Jenna isn’t around. Trying to get someone to take shots of me at events, download them, send them to me, and do all of this before I write that blog (which still needs to be timely) is nearly impossible. That is the situation facing me this week. Sorry that this blog isn’t very creative or filled with decent shots, but I’m back on the road in 15 minutes to head to St. Louis. I am including a shot of Jon, Laura, and I, as well as one from the hospital visit during the Vegas race (you’ll have to reread that blog).

Lastly, though I have only been away from home for eight days, I can’t believe how much my son has learned. I missed him and Jenna so much, and though I talked “at” him every night on the phone, he has changed noticeably in that short span. Now that our front yard is nearing completion, Jason has discovered just how much fun playing in the sprinklers can be!

So I leave you now and will be away at least another six days before returning home, and I just hope Jason isn’t driving or sporting a moustache by then!

Stay tuned.

P.S. If you get a chance, please vote for me in the NHRA Circle Track race at Bristol.  Voting will determine the starting lineup for the race and I don't want to be last.