Ouch! What happened in St. Louis should stay in St. Louis. Come to think of it, that really was the case; this makes two years in a row that I have failed to qualify for that race. Can’t we just move it to Vegas next year?

The weekend started off on the right note. I flew out early to participate in a display at Scott Air Force Base. We had our Valvoline show car out, and Scott Kalitta fired up his DHL flopper for all in attendance. No, the base wasn’t named after him. Team Kalitta even put a couple of special guests in the seat and lit the car, including an Air Force Brigadier General and a Navy Vice-Admiral (that’s equivalent to a three-star General). Neither one said they were going to quit their day jobs; the General is too tall to fit into any of our cars, and she [the Vice-Admiral] didn’t like helmet-hair. We were also treated to a tour of the base, including one of the top briefing rooms in the country. Perhaps the coolest part was getting to hang out with the explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) team and blow some stuff up on the far side of the base. They wanted to come to the track and have us reciprocate the favor, but I told them that nitro Funny Cars NEVER blow up! (If you’re wondering which one I am in the group photo, you probably are reading the wrong blog right now).

As I mentioned, the weekend started just fine. Friday, bright and early (again), I participated in the Army YES program and got to meet many fine high schoolers and their teachers. I just knew that I was creating great karma for our team; I just wish we could have used it while in Illinois. Our first qualifying run we shook hard and aborted. Run number two resulted in several burned pistons (I should have made sure none of the EOD guys were hanging around our pits with grins on their faces) and LOTS of Valvoline dripping from underneath the body. We somehow managed to oil the Safety Safari vehicle at the end of the track without getting any 70 weight on the racing surface. Sometimes wind can be your friend. I felt so bad for our body guy, Joe that I figured I could help him clean the underside of our Charger and make short work of it. Eighteen cans of brake clean and thirty towels later we were done, and it wasn’t quick. We’ve had better Fridays.

Saturday, run three was very nice. Our 4.83 was actually our quickest run of the year, eventually settling us into the 13th spot, and I really thought that, even if we couldn’t improve on the last session, that run should keep us in the show. With only 19 cars on hand, this was the smallest car count in recent memory. We ran session four right behind the five cars that were behind us up until that point, and four of them ran quicker than our .83. That meant we were sitting 17th when we lit the motor, but I was pretty confident we had an 80-flat in the car. We did, I’m just not sure what happened to it. Our 4.84 officially ended the longest qualifying streak in Funny Car at 22 races. What a major disappointment for the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services team. Though I love hanging out with Bob Frey, announcing with him on Sunday wasn’t where I would have preferred to be.

Guess what we did on Monday? If you answered “tested,” you’d be correct. We were the quickest car on Monday, and I hope what we learned will help us throughout the remainder of the season.

One thing that is never easy in drag racing is the crew turnover. Tuesday I was informed that Rick Cassel had been let go, and that Johnny West would be coming over to assist with the car. Rick and I spoke that day, and it never is easy in these situations. We really had started to get close, as with the rest of the team members, and I will miss Rick. It seems that turnover is fairly common in our sport, and I truly am fortunate for all the great guys I have worked with. So, if anyone on the crew is reading this (like you guys can read!), thank you Tommy, Eddie, Terry, Chris (Warrior), Dan (Smoke), Joe, Chris, and Mark (Bonecrusher) for everything. If we can just get some cool nicknames for the rest of the group, we’ll be styling.

Getting home was great. We didn’t plan on testing until after our DNQ, so I had to change my plans. I have only been home four days in the past 16, and I’m heading out again after being home for two. Tonight I fly out to North Carolina, and we will be filming a Valvoline commercial Thursday. As hectic as things seem for me, the crew really has been burning the midnight oil for quite some time. Not only have these guys been maintaining our current ride, they also have been building our new big-tube car, as mandated by the NHRA. (Our in-house fab shop, led by my buddy Norm, actually built the entire back half at DSR). Throw in this commercial shoot, and the guys have seen very little of their friends and family for a long time.

My little man just keeps getting more fun each time I come home. I try to spend every moment that I can with him, and today we took him to his first swim class. “Swim” might be an exaggeration, but I really wanted to acclimate him to the water before he gets too old. As usual, he had a blast, and I got some quality time with my son.

My other diversion lately has been doing segments for 1320TV.com and ESPN2. The 1320 stuff is just whatever I feel is topical, and in St. Louis I interviewed Tim Wilkerson, based on his strong season. Then he goes on and wins the race.....how about that? Maybe I should just interview myself from now on. The ESPN segments require some research, as I delve back into the history of NHRA and drag racing. Luckily I have several “go-to” guys, including Bob Frey, Lewis Bloom, Phil Burgess, Steve Gibbs, and Bret Kepner. All of these guys are encyclopedias of racing, and I really appreciate their input. We have two shows “in the can” ready for broadcast when time allows, and I currently am researching for two pieces; one on the history of national events, and one on nitromethane. It should be lots of fun working with Jason and Matt (my ESPN “crew”) in Bristol, as that is the sight of the third national event added to the NHRA schedule back in 1965, and thus should be very timely. Fortunately Ashley has already won her first race and John got his 1000th round win, so we shouldn’t be bumped. Come to think of it, with my luck this will be the race that Bob Vandergriff gets his first win, Densham his first on his own, and Bob Glidden comes back in Pro Stock! As long as I’m next to Densham in the final, I’d be just fine with all of that.

The photo of the two gentlemen and I was taken at the Atlanta Dream House charity dinner that I talked about in a prior blog. Roger Burgess you already know about, and the other gentleman is a retired three-star General who chairs the Medal of Honor Society. (If I have some of my verbiage incorrect, I humbly apologize). Anyway, two great guys, and little old me.