Well, I just returned from a weekend trip to Del Rio, Texas, with my family, including my dad and grandmother as well as my sisters and their kids. It was a blast down memory lane. My grandmother is 95 and definitely a trouper, as she hung in there with us every step of the way. She is definitely an inspiration to our entire family and many others she meets. The reason for the trip to Del Rio is that we used to live there when I was about 4. It's amazing that there were so many moments and places that I actually remembered.
We went by my dad’s auto repair shop and of course, I walk right in and begin to explain to the current owner why I was there taking pictures of the building outside. I even pointed out the old nail holes in the wall 10 feet above his head where my dad used to have his trophy shelf displaying more than 200 trophies. He just looked at me like I was crazy but that’s OK. After all I was only in town for a day or two and the memory moment was worth the looks I got.
Meanwhile, back at home, here we are right in the middle of 100-plus-degree days in West Texas and I am definitely already looking forward to the Fall weather. Not only has it been hot, we have also had an inordinate amount of rain this past month, so talk about some humidity issues. I feel like I am living in Houston! We even had high winds blow over one of my apricot trees in my backyard. I guess its not all bad though, because I get to pull out my chain saw again and go to town on the tree. The last time I pulled out the chainsaw was about two years ago when I cut down a Pecan tree that was growing out of control next to my house. It wasn’t really that big yet, but I was determined to be proactive rather than reactive. The funniest thing about the whole episode is that I had no idea it was Arbor Day and here I am cutting down a tree and jokingly yelling TIMBER!! I guess you had to be there to see the humor, but retrospectively it was quite ironic and humorous.
As far as racing goes, I have been doing some local Outlaw Top Sportsman and Quick 8 racing locally and having a blast. We have been in the hunt every race and recently had a runner–up finish. Last race we went out in the quarterfinals on an Auto-Start foul moment so we decided to have a grudge race with the team we fouled out against for bragging rights since we really didn’t get to race. Talk about crazy! We just wanted to race but the fans were “over the top” about the big grudge race. It was awesome to put on a show for the fans as the two of us took our blown alcohol doorslammers into the burnout box and lit em’ up to the 330 marks side by side!
My friend and team owner, Jeff Saldivar, said there were tons of people standing behind both cars on the starting line betting on the race. One guy actually bet 700 bucks on me to win. I am happy to report I helped make him some dough with a win. We ran a 4.74 while my opponent was plagued with traction woes. It was unreal. You would have thought it was the final round in Top Fuel at the World Finals in Pomona. So, now it’s on like Donkey Kong, so to speak. I am certain we have a rematch in the making. Thus, we are preparing for battle and look forward to this continuing, especially for the fans. I have a few tune-up tricks up my sleeve and expect the car to run even quicker. I did used to tune a blown alcohol dragster pretty good back in my Top Alcohol Dragster days, ya’ know. So I am really enjoying the driving and tuning of this beast. It reminds me of the good old days of 2001 and 2002.
Speaking of recognition, I want to congratulate my BME Boys for their recent semifinal finish. I know they work as hard as any other team out there and a finish like that is like a shot of energy and encouragement in the arm.
I also want to say kudos to my bud, Antron Brown, and his team for their domination this year in Top Fuel. I am ecstatic that he is on track to a potential Top Fuel Championship and I can’t think of a more deserving guy. After all, anyone with the initials AB is top shelf with me! And if it can’t be me, it should be the “other AB.” Ever time I see Antron I remind him I was the first AB in Top Fuel. We have fun with that but honestly, I am very happy for Team Matco and hope they carry the torch all the way to the end with a championship. It would be refreshing to see another team win a championship in Top Fuel and I am betting others would agree.
Closer to home, I have had a handful of opportunities present themselves but it seems the elusive “deal” has yet to materialize. The good news is that I am currently involved in the development of a new team which intends to debut a nitro coupe in the NHRA next year and that is definitely something I look forward to. I would love to pull up next to John Force, one of my all time favorites, and race him. Talk about a surreal moment!
During one of our earlier team meetings, I was asked if I had a Funny Car license and I couldn’t help but laugh a little bit because I hold a license in almost every class from Rotax go karts to IMCA open wheel Modifieds to NHRA Comp eliminator all the way to Top Fuel. I even hold current IHRA Top Fuel, Pro Mod, and Top Sportsman licenses. I assured them I was more than happy to add one more category to my license résumé, so to speak. So, hopefully this all comes to fruition as planned and I look forward to seeing all the teams and especially the race fans soon. Meanwhile, I am off to work now to fix a few bummed up backs and make the world a better place. Until then…AB out!