At the Finals last year I did a charity golf tournament. I can’t golf, and I really don’t enjoy it enough to spend my free time trying to improve. It was a worthy cause and I don’t embarrass easily, so I thought “what the heck.” Half of the proceeds went to Metro Ministries in Brooklyn, run by a gentleman named Bill Wilson. I hadn’t yet heard of either, but Pastor Bill did stop by briefly on Sunday of the Finals to offer his thanks. It wasn’t until later that evening, in a conversation with Frank Hawley, that I began to get a deeper impression of Mr. Wilson. Amazing, resilient, superhuman, driven, wonderful, altruistic, spiritually overflowing, and overworked wouldn’t even start to describe this giant among us. His book, “Whose Child Is This?”, made me more thirsty to be around this unbelievable human. Read the book, but bring tissues. His life is the paradigm for sainthood.

Richard Luther (no relation to the founder of Protestantism) of Speed Sport Marketing really was the one to put this plan into motion. Several racers were invited to speak at the evening services for Metro Ministries. I wanted more. I wanted to participate in the “Sidewalk Sunday School” program that happens every day of the week. That necessitated taking the “red eye” from LAX Tuesday night. Converted vans serve as stage platforms for the various members to go into the community and spread the word. I am not claiming to be highly religious, just highly motivated to help those who make a difference, and these folks make enormous sacrifices each and every day to improve lives in the hardest areas of the projects. It was a privilege to be included, and an eye-opener to witness.

Later that evening I got to speak in the large auditorium during the “regular” services. I joined Tom Hammonds, Hillary Will, and Roy Hill as guests of Pastor Bill. Wow, Will, Hill, and Bill, that could get confusing! We were so well received, and it was inspirational to listen to Hillary and Tom speak. She packs a lot of character into such a small frame, and Tom (who is a deacon at his church) is as large on the inside as his stature infers. There were poster signs in the audience for each of us racers, and NHRA highlights of us were played as we were introduced. Cool.

Saturday, as we towed up to the line for our last qualifying run (we were not yet qualified), the fifty kids that were selected to come to the race were lined up with encouraging signs cheering me on. I was strapped into the car, but I suddenly felt any anxiety slip away, realizing I had won no matter how the car ran. Unfortunately we never even started the car, as Scott Kalitta lost his life right in front of us, ending action for the day. I have chosen to write a separate entry for and about Scott, as I believe it would be too difficult to incorporate into my regular entry. I saw Pastor Bill Saturday and Sunday, and look forward to spending more time with him, his co-workers, and his amazing projects.

Thursday I drove into downtown New York to do the NHRA media luncheon, and that took some time. Not so much the eating, nor the questions and answers, but the drive! It sucked beyond belief, taking 40 minutes just to go the last four miles. Don’t get stuck around there in a vehicle; riding a tortoise would expedite your journey.

Thursday night Karen Comstock and I, along with friend Peg Gorsky, visited both MTS terminals in the area. The MMT unit handles all of the military mail for the war zones, and the Newark unit deals with standard shipping.

The race sucked, and not because we didn’t qualify. After losing Scott, the whole atmosphere seemed almost mute. Though it looked the same, it didn’t sound or feel like a normal event.

I rode with Gary Scelzi to the airport Sunday afternoon, and I enjoyed catching up with one of my favorite racers and friends. We talked for a bit about Scott, but I think it was just too fresh in our minds and difficult to discuss, so we just decided to stop at Dairy Queen for a little tribute to Eric Medlen … lots of ice cream!

While I was away Jenna took Jason to a party for his cousin Jack, who turned the big “1” on the 22nd. They got to hang out together and compare hairdoos, give each other a good luck kiss, and Jason insisted on driving the inflatable car while in the pool.

Tuesday we went surfing. Well, I did the surfing, Jenna and little man stayed shore bound. Jason wanted to explore everywhere, and even met a new friend, Quentin. Quentin was kind enough to share his sand castle (like he had a choice) and toys with Jason, so Jason reciprocated with a kiss. Wait a minute, two kisses in three days … he’s just such a loving little guy! On our way home from surfing we visited our friend Rich’s father, who is recovering from a stroke three weeks ago. He will be going home on Thursday, and I’m looking forward to having him back at the track in Las Vegas. Rich actually won his first Super Comp race while his dad was in the hospital, so that was pretty emotional for the entire Camou family. I even let Rich outsurf me, something that rarely happens, just to make him feel better!

A trip to Home Depot for parts, replacing several drawer slides as well as the garage door seals, and a trip to NHRA for a meeting with some of my friends at headquarters to brainstorm some ideas, and it’s once again time to pack and hit the airport.

Stay tuned.