Right off the trailer we did what I had joked about since hearing of the new 1000-foot format: being the first Funny Car to post a 4.2 second E.T. up on the scoreboards! That run was a fantastic tuning call by Johnny, Tommy, and thanks to Ed McCulloch for lending us some help prior to and during the race. That was the quickest run of the first session, and we improved by .005 in the night session, good enough for No. 6. The third session was our “lucky break” for the weekend, as a shorted mag controller wire caused a small fire (small is defined as flames that the driver cannot see while strapped in) and we shut off after the burnout. The fourth and final session we ran a 4.25 and, although we eventually ended up 10th, we felt real confident going into Sunday.

First round we were able to beat TJ in the resurgent Monster car, and seeing that win light was such a welcome (and missed) sight for all of our team. We liked it so much we took another against Densham (who has really impressed this year) in the second round, and another against Cruz in the semi’s. Matched with points leader Tim Wilkerson in the final, I really liked our chances. Tim and I both spun the tires, and, unfortunately for us, his car stayed out front for the event win.

The upside is that we are (barely) back in the top 10, and beginning the Western Swing on such a high note is exactly what we needed. These next five races will be so pivotal for five or six teams, and I really think we need to win 10 rounds to secure a berth in the Countdown. I’d like to see four of those win lights in Seattle!

Sunday night we got to watch the race back in the motorhome, with Jason and I lying on the floor, kicking back, just thinking about ordering some pizza and a six pack!

Monday morning we hit the road, as we had lots of miles to cover. Our plan was to head over to Nampa, Idaho (near Boise), and spend some time with our friends, the Vander Meers. Dick, Kathi, and Hannah have entertained and fed us so often at the track, and we were excited to see where they live. We bid farewell to Denver and headed up I-25, making really good time. That lasted about an hour, when suddenly things slowed to a crawl. After more than 45 minutes of 5-mph boredom, we finally passed a cop, a bunch of skid marks, and an overturned trailer. Now we were making good time again, all the way into Wyoming.

Speaking of Wyoming, I’m a bit confused. Does anyone know what the purpose is of all of these “fencelike” structures? I think I have an idea, but their arrangement and placement seems so random as to be ineffective. Were they built by an ancient civilization, or do you think we were visited by aliens who had an abundance of two-by-fours, one-by-sixes, and nails? Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, we were making good time on the highway … until. Seems that July must be National Roadwork Month, and we were right in the middle of it. Wyoming was kind enough to bring out their best equipment, and driving a huge RV in narrowed lanes is always a cause for celebration and gratitude. We were so upset we decided to head to Cheyenne, go in the Capitol building, and register a complaint. I’m kidding.

If you’ve been a longtime reader, you’ll know that Jenna and I like to visit State Capitols whenever our travels permit. We can knock out a tour in less than an hour when pressed for time, but that wasn’t an issue on this day. As I paused outside to get a shot of the front of the building, suddenly a water bottle bounced near me. Seems that the homeless lady sleeping on the lawn out front wasn’t about to share her space with a tourist, and judging by her language (what I could understand) she must have spent time in the Navy. Clearly she wasn’t a drag racing fan. I just told her my name was John Force and I didn’t appreciate her yelling at me!

Once inside, Jenna thought Jason would enjoy the bison they had on display. That thing was huge, and she thought it was funny to pet it and kiss the snout. All I had to do to get her to stop was have her read the sign. It was in big, clear letters, and said something along the lines of, “Do Not Touch.” The next line said it was donated by a city taxidermist, and once I explained what a taxidermist does I think she began to realize she was not kissing a fake, studio bison. Now I’m afraid to kiss her!

I think I mentioned in an earlier blog how much Jason likes to just sit on stuff. This trip was no exception, and he made me put him on the Capitol sign. Never satisfied, he now insisted that I put him on the statue of the cow. Normally I wouldn’t be presumptuous and assume it was okay to “ride” the statues, but I was smart enough to know that this particular cow, unlike the bison my wife earlier had made out with, had never been alive. And hey, if she can touch a dead buffalo, what’s so bad about sitting the little guy on a cow statue? I did draw the line at the fire hydrant across the street. For some reason Jason starts making pig noises every time he sees a hydrant, and he just wanted to dance around this colorful example. I just made sure he didn’t put his lips on it, as you never know what has touched a hydrant. Heck, maybe a bison licked it or something!

We got back on the road and really enjoyed the beauty of Wyoming, though I still was perplexed by those weird fences. But at least we were making good time getting into the upper end of Ogden, Utah. Are you paying attention to the blog? Then you know how this goes … I-15 closed for road work, and the detour takes you through some really narrow areas that just aren’t much fun at night with the oncoming headlights shining through the parts of your windshield that aren’t covered with bugs. I think it’s time to pull over and call it a night. Besides, I think by tomorrow everyone should be done with all of this highway maintenance and we can get back to making “good time”.

Stay tuned.