We had a great test session in Palm Beach. We had beautiful weather and a nice smooth race track down there. We have made quite a few changes to the car so it was good to shake it down and make sure everything worked. One of the areas that needed improvement was the plumbing on the car. We redid everything on it and went through it with a finetooth comb and everything is ready to go. On our first full pass, which was our third run, we went an easy 4.06 at 310 mph. Then we came back the next day and ran a 4.09 so it was good to see consistent runs from the car. On Sunday we ran a 4.12 but the fuel delivery was off quite a bit so it was on its way to running another mid-high-4.0. All in all, it was a good event and we were able to get the team on the same page. We still have some areas to work out but it was good to get back on the track and get some data to review for the season especially after all the changes. The team worked really hard the whole weekend and we are more than ready for Pomona.

As far as the team, we added two new faces: Lee Beard (crew chief) and Chris Abbott (motors) which are a big addition to the team. They bring a ton of knowledge and I think that is what’s going to put us in the winner’s circle a lot more this year.

The guys got back to the shop and got everything unloaded and got back to work on Wednesday. We have our new car to put together still so they’re staying busy on that. The new chassis is awesome and the nicest one I’ve ever owned or driven. McKinney did a great job and it’s got a lot of titanium which obviously helps get the weight of the car down. Now we’ll have three complete cars with computer, plumbing, etc., so we don’t have to take from another car in case something happens to the primary car.

Before testing, I spent two weekends with the folks from Snap-on at their annual kick-off meetings in Augusta, Ga., and Scottsdale, Ariz. We got a lot of congratulations and many of the franchisees followed the results last year and watched us go down to the wire with Matt Hagan for the championship. We’ve got a lot of support from the franchisees and management teams and they’ll all be watching for our Snap-on Toyota to do great things again! They’re not bashful at all and they want that championship so we’re gonna give them something to look forward to this season!

The meetings were very motivating and interesting to see how Snap-on really gets behind the people who are out on the trucks selling tools and making sure the customers get the best product. It’s great to be involved with Snap-on and to renew our relationship with them as our primary sponsor for another three years! I can definitely see why they are the number one tool brand!

We’re all really looking forward to the 2012 season. Come by our pit and check out our new set-up with our tech trailer and all the polished parts on the race car. It’s got a fast, retro look so expect it to be on top! See ya at the track!

My week in Vegas started off at an NHRA press conference at the Stratosphere. It was cool to hang out with Hagan, Tron and Larry. On Thursday, the crew and I toured the Thunderbird facility at Nellis Air Force Base. It was neat to see what they do and the shows they put on.

At the track, our hospitality was full of Snap-on folks from the corporate office that were visiting Vegas for the SEMA Show. It was fun to hang out with our bosses. Herzog Contracting Corp also had a big presence as they always do on the west coast and we had a nice dinner with a group of their guests. Problem is I ate too many appetizers so I was full by the time the meal came. LOL. We always enjoy hanging out with the Herzog crew, they do everything first class! It’s great to have them on board and represent them on the track.

The race itself was good but was challenging because it was really dry and hard to tune the motors without hurting them. We got it together and qualified No. 4, in the top five which we always shoot for. We finally beat the DHL car in the first round and moved on to beat Hagan which was a pivotal race. In the semi’s against Capps, the light was long and I started to go before it was time but caught myself. We ran a 4.19 but they were ready for us with a 4.12. Everybody kept saying how bad the right lane was but it was definitely a myth and we gotta give those guys credit. We weren’t on our game in the semi’s but I guarantee that won’t happen in Pomona.

After the race, we hung out at the Snap-on booth at the SEMA Show on Tuesday and Wednesday with Sherman Paul and the group from Snap-on Equipment. They had a great booth with our show car on display. We had some dinners and gambled a little afterwards with some of the guys so we had a lot of fun.

Now we’re looking forward to getting to Pomona and getting a couple runs in. It’s supposed to be really cold and depending on how the car runs, we’ll decide if that’s a good thing. Lol. The good news is, the conditions are the same for everyone. We ran a 4.01 at Pomona early in the year so we’ll be looking to get near that performance again. It’s a home game for us but we’re not gonna treat it any different than any other race. It’s definitely great to be in the championship hunt but we want to keep the pressure minimal. I’m proud of the team and for Snap-on, Toyota, Herzog, Sioux City, WIX, UTI, Lucas Oil and everyone else that’s been on board. It’s been a heck of a year and we hope to finish it off with the biggest prize of them all: the world championship!
 

What’s up, blog fans? I’m just cruzin’ down to Tucson checking out the military planes in the Boneyard. I’m gonna hang out on the West Coast for a couple weeks so let’s catch up.

Reading had the potential to be an awesome race and we felt we had the setup right but everything that could go wrong, did. We broke a wheelie bar which punctured the tire and luckily it happened at the starting line so it wasn’t catastrophic. Next, we broke a piston but the car still ran a 4.06, but it was on its way to a 3.99-4.01. Then we had a malfunction and the clutch engaged so every run down the track, something went wrong. On Sunday, it was 48 degrees and there was mist on the windshield so we ended up with a loss there. The good news is, some of the other countdown competitors had a rough weekend too so we stayed close in the points.

I spent my weekend off hanging out with my good buddy Eric DeBord racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons race in Joliet, Ill. I caught the brakes on fire in his ’84 Mustang, other than that all went well. I had a great time and I don’t think they’ll let me live that one down and now they’re threatening to add a parachute to the car. LOL!

After the week off, we headed out west to El Paso, Texas, where we took our show car to MSD and our good buddy Joe Pando showed us around. MSD builds the ignitions for our cars. It’s an incredible company and on the cutting edge of technology.

On Wednesday, we went to the UTI campus in Avondale, Ariz. It was great to see all the techs working hard to get their education so they can move up, whether they’re going to work in a dealership or on a race team, knowledge is power. It’s always good to visit the folks at UTI who are great supporters of ours. They put on a great event with a dunk tank, race ticket give-a-ways, reaction time games, and Snap-on even gave away some tools. After that, we stopped by to hang out with our friends at Blue Media and check out their new facility. They do all our wraps on our trailers and race cars. We’re displaying our show car in their shop so stop by and check it out.

On Thursday, we rode along with Tom Hillock in the Scottsdale area. One of the best stops was at Dillon Aero where they make everything from miniguns to Gatling gun mounts for helicopters. They also do a lot with the movie industry-making props so it was neat to tour their place.

For the Phoenix race, we had a great turnout in the hospitality tent. We hosted the UTI marketing staff on Friday and had a full house of Snap-on guests on Saturday and Sunday. Even though it was really hot all weekend, everyone hung in there. I also want to thank all my family and friends that came out from El Paso to root us on!

As for the race itself, we were on it again and it was shaping up to be a good event for us. The pressure was on but I felt like the team handled it well. We ran 4th, 1st, and 2nd quick in three of the four qualifying sessions and picked up our sixth No. 1 qualifier of the year so the team did a great job. On Sunday first round, it spun the tires one second into the run. Bottom line is we were too aggressive. Tough lesson but when you have a fast car, that’s the price you pay. The good news is the track was tricky for everyone so a lot of people struggled. We moved down to fourth but are only two and a half rounds out of the lead going into Vegas so we’re still in the hunt.

Even though we felt our day in Phoenix was tough, things were put into perspective for everyone on our team when we heard about Indy car racer Dan Wheldon losing his life. We want to send out our condolences to his family and friends during this time of grieving.

We also want to remember and send our sympathies to the family of Rick Huseman. He and his brother Jeff passed away in a plane crash on Oct. 16. Rick was a part of the Toyota racing group and I sat with him earlier this year at an event at Toyota headquarters. He was a great Champion and a fun guy to talk to.

These are both tough losses to everyone in the racing community.

In terms of Vegas, it has been a great track for us so we’re looking forward to getting back there. We had a fast car in the spring and lost a close race to Robert Hight. We’re looking forward to getting back there and finishing the job. We’ll also be running a special paint scheme in Vegas so come check it out!
 

On Thursday before the race in Dallas, we visited JRB Carswell, a military base in the Ft. Worth area. This was a dream come true for me! I’ve always been a huge fan of fighter jets because they’re like race cars with wings! I spent the first part of the day flying the F-18 simulator which was absolutely exhilarating and made me want to join the Air Force.  I was flying in Southern California where I was familiar although the instructor said I was flying to low and busting out some windows, going 600-plus mph. Sorry San Clemente neighborhood. LOL! I saw some of the military weapons, tried out night vision goggles, and toured their all-terrain vehicles, which was very interesting. Terry McMillen’s team was also there with their car on display, so it was cool to hang out with them.

Later in the day, we had the first part of our “Crew Swap” where my crew came out to the base. We started off by hanging out with the Crew Chiefs and pilots of the F-16 planes in their hangar and then we went out to the flight line. I wore headsets along with the Crew Chief and listened to him and the pilot review the pre-flight check lists. After that, they took us all out to the runway to watch them take off with the after burners on. Our mouths were wide open and it sent chills up my spine to see them thundering by us…talk about a front row seat! It was great for me to see all my guys taking interest in everything and they even got to sit in a real F-16 plane. They had a pilot, named Hollywood, who explained all the functions to the guys and even took them into the Pilot’s lounge afterwards to hang out. Everyone at the base was extremely nice and took time to answer all of our questions.

Of all the people we met, one of the most unique was Lt. Col. Max Stitzer who gave me a Commander’s Award coin, which I carried in my pocket all weekend and I think it gave us some luck That was very neat and I will always cherish it.

One of the other gifts they gave me was a “Remove before flight” banner right off one of the
F-16s. I had some of the guys sign it and we hung it on the car during the warm-up.

The technology they had at that base, which was like a city, was amazing and I just can’t say enough about what these guys do for our country.

On Friday, for the second part of the “Crew Swap”, a group of the men and women from the base came out to the track to hang out with us. Overall, the whole team had an incredible time and we returned the favor by showing them a good time at the track. Not only did they enjoy seeing our operation and sitting in a funny car, it didn’t hurt that we qualified #1 with them there.

The race was great, one of those weekends we’ve been looking for all year. We were able to finish our job and bring home our first WIN of the year! I can’t say enough about the team and how hard they’ve worked to get here. I would say we were flawless in the pit area as well as on the race track. Except for the semi’s, we were one of the quickest cars every session. The Snap-on Toyota team was on it!

It was an incredible feeling to hoist the trophy in the Winners Circle and I even got a Stetson cowboy hat that fit my big old head. LOL! We had a lot of fans in Dallas along with a great group of Snap-on, Toyota, and Herzog folks all weekend. Even some of our team’s family members were at the race, so it was nice to win the Wally for all of them!

We did move up a spot in the points but we’ve still got a long way to go. It’s definitely nice to be sitting near the top and we hope to keep our momentum up going into the next event. Reading is a race we won last year. I love the race track and the team is ready to go back. It's in a neat part of the country with a great northeast crowd to root us on and we're looking forward to seeing everyone out there.

Over and out.