There’s been a lot going on, so I’m back to blogging on a fairly regular basis.



Last Thursday morning we left the shop in Indy for our first show car visit at Linn State Technical College in Linn, Mo. I rode in the white Toyota Tundra with Cameron Beer of Forward Sports Marketing and his brother Joe, who was our CDL driver for the event. About an hour into the trip I was surprised that my phone wasn’t ringing. I thought I had accidentally left it in the rental car at the airport at Indy. I called the rental car company and it wasn’t there, so I called PR Ted and he said Antron found my phone in the black Sequoia. I left in there while returning my rental car.

So I had to get PR Ted to overnight my phone to Linn State for morning delivery on Friday. It was weird not having access to my phone, but it was kind of nice not having any calls for 24 hours too. My phone always rings non-stop, so it was a nice break for a day.



On the way to Linn State, we stopped at Fabick CAT and I met with Rose Dierker. I rode the rest of the way with Rose. She was one of the crucial players in us getting CAT and pushing the technician recruiting program. Fabick sponsored us twice last year in both St. Louis and Joliet. They were the only dealer to be on the car twice. On the way, she asked if we could stop in this little town named Union, Mo. Her grandson and a bunch of friends and family met us at a McDonald’s, so I got to sign autographs and meet with them.



From there, it was on to Linn. We got there before 6 p.m. and got to see the beautiful Carla MacDaniel, who works at Linn State. She showed us around the brand new facility they just opened at the school, which is where the display was scheduled for on Friday. We got the car unloaded and setup for the appearance on Friday. Then, we all packed up and headed to Jefferson City, where we were staying for the night.



We met up with Stan Deatherage of CAT in Jeff City and the group of us went to dinner at a nice steak restaurant near our hotel. We all had a fun time. I had been battling a cold and couldn’t stop coughing, so they talked me into doing a shot of Jack Daniels. I’m not a drinker. They also had me do a “Hot Toddie” too. It has a mixture of stuff in it. So, I did two shots, which is really, really rare for me. They stopped a Walgreens and got me some Vick’s Vapor Rub on the way back to the hotel. I actually woke up on Friday morning and felt great and wasn’t coughing. I guess I learned how to beat a cold -- booze and Vick’s.



As soon as we got to Linn State, there were about 60 people waiting to see us and the car. It was a great day to help promote Linn State and Fabick and Dean Machinery. Linn State is the “Think Big” educational partner for both Fabick and Dean. It was a great opportunity to tell the kids about what they can learn at Linn State and how I got started. I spoke to about six different groups of at least 100 kids. They were nearly 300 kids interested in attending Linn State, which gave them some great leads for prospective students. Overall, it was an awesome event and great beginning for our show car program. The show car next heads to the Matco Tools Expo in Orlando at the end of February. There will be no volleyball for me this year.



Linn State even promoted our visit in the media and we had some NHRA fans show up to see the new CAT dragster and get autographs. A couple fans, Denny Slusser and his daughter Savannah, stopped by to see us. Denny works at a place called Carved In Stone and they made me this awesome dragster with my name in marble. It will look nice in my house. Thanks guys! We always enjoy interacting with the students, fans and instructors.



Friday evening after the appearance, I left with Ryan Haas, our marketing guy, for Kansas City for the NHRA Division 5 banquet. It was at the Sheraton near the stadiums where the Chiefs and Royals play. That night I just relaxed and ordered room service and got to bed early.



I got up Saturday morning and did my PT at the hotel gym. Then I took a nap and watched the Seattle vs. Green Bay game. During the game, my family showed up from Arkansas and Tony flew in from Vegas, so we hung out before the banquet. It was an awesome experience to have my dad winning the Super Comp title. They recognized us at the banquet with me being a D5 boy. All the kids coming up and wanting autographs and pictures were really cool. It was good to see the D5 director Rob Park and Glen Cromwell from NHRA in Glendora, and a lot of friends from the race track. After the banquet, we all chit-chatted until about 12:30 a.m. I flew home to Vegas the next morning.



That’s about all I got, but Antron just jumped on the phone with me and says he’s decided to call me “Ivory.” He says we’re Ebony and Ivory like that old song from Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. AB is a funny guy and we’re glad he’s on our team. That’s all for now.



Take care,
Hot Rod