It’s easy to sound overly cliché, but a lot depends on how you look at things. Houston marked the first race this season where our Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger didn’t win a round. “All good things come to an end” could be the way one would look at this. I prefer a more optimistic viewpoint. “Good things come to those who wait” is fine, but I really like what Joe Amato used to say back when he was so dominant: “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” Though we were defeated in round one by John Force, we qualified in the top half of the field again, and we left in second place in the points. I know, I know; I can hear some of you talking about “missed opportunities,” “striking while the iron’s hot,” or “taking no prisoners,” and our entire team is devoted to making the most out of every outing, but we realize that not every weekend will be ours.

Houston was, by far, the most difficult of several tricky racetracks that we have faced this year. The elapsed times from that race look more like what you’d be accustomed to seeing in Denver in the summer. Not all of that was the track. So far I believe that the quickest pass of the year would be a 4.76 by Robert Hight. That run was over a tenth slower than his quickest run the year before, and both were at the same track. Also, that run barely would have qualified him for last year’s Winternationals. What a difference a year makes, right?

My weekend in Houston actually started on the spectator side of the track early Friday morning. I again participated in the NHRA U.S. Army YES program and got to speak with several hundred high school and vocational students. “The Sarge” and I were paired once more, and I really like the way Tony presents himself. Not only does he have the credibility and material to wow an audience, but his delivery is fantastic. “He’s the man.” (Cliché No. 7) And I’m learning to “be all that I can be.” (No. 8).

Monday we tested some clutch parts. Since the Schumacher Funny Cars were all basically at minimum weight last year, theoretically we were hit hardest by the 100-pound increase. In many ways it has thrown a curveball at our tune-ups, but the cars that already were heavy can basically run the same clutch program that they did last year. Two 330-foot runs before the rain came told us our new ideas have some merit, and we probably will explore them further in testing after Vegas. (Insert your own cliché here).

As much as we all want to win, I must say it was cool to see Del Worsham get back into the winner’s circle after a long dry spell. I’m sure that Ashley Force will be getting her first FC win shortly, and I will be very happy for her (unless I’m in the other lane), but the Worsham group has been through some very trying times since their last win in 2005. Our team salutes them on a great weekend. (That’s definitely NOT cliché …I mean that from the heart). Also, seeing Antron get his first nitro win was very cool. I like that whole team, and they’ve got a driver.

What is cliché is the hotel I had to stay at in Houston. I waited too long to book my room, and everything close to the track was sold out. What I ended up with is a long commute each day, and a beat-up “don’t step on the floor barefoot” room. Humbling, but soon forgotten.

“It’s great to be home!” The only problem is we no longer have a front entrance. Oh, it’s still there, but the pathway resembles a Marine obstacle course more than a residential dwelling. We (Jenna) decided that the backyard looks so good now that it’s complete that it would be a shame to stop spending money so soon. As long as I win the Skoal Showdown AND the POWERade championship this year we’ll be okay. Otherwise, I heard that dog food doesn’t taste all that bad, and, nutritionally, it’s fine. Actually, the cost is very reasonable, and I think it will bring the value of our home up more than the expenses. I have lived here for nearly 16 years, and I have always been good at saving money. Since I was born without the taste gene (the tastebuds are fine, thank you) I just figured I’d let my future wife spend it, and the future’s here. Jenna has awesome ideas about how to beautify the place, and I’m pretty excited about seeing the finished product. If you’ve followed the tree chronicles in my blogs, you know we’ve supplied firewood to a good part of the western hemisphere. We will replant another tree in the front, and I promise to have the “after” pics up as soon as the guys are finished.

I really enjoy reading Phil Burgess’ blog, especially all of the historical stuff he digs up and writes about. Recently he had an article on Clive Skilton from the UK, and there was a YouTube link that had video from Santa Pod in 1976. Interestingly enough, one of the highlights from that was Peter Crane running the first 5-second E.T. in Europe. The car that he did it in used to belong to Brent Cannon, one of my best friends. Brent, who was a spry 22 years old when his Top Fueler defeated some of the hitters of the day to win the Irwindale Gran Prix in 1972, just hit the five-eight on Wednesday. We all met for dinner in Pasadena, and “Big Papa” got a free desert!

Vegas is next, but we won’t leave for five or six days. Let’s see how much damage I can cause around the house in that amount of time. I sure hope there’s some surf, as I’m running out of stuff around here to change the oil on! Not to sound too cliché, but “things are looking good” and “I’m okay, you’re okay!”

Whatever.