Hey everyone. Testing went really well for both of our David Powers team. It actually went a lot better than I expected. We came into Phoenix with a new chassis and thought it would be a big variable to overcome. But Rob did a great job and got the car consistently down the track all week long.

From the get-go this new car was awesome. We made a few checkout runs and they were both mid 4.50 runs. We came out Monday after a day of rain and not a lot of guys were making it down the track. We ran 4.53 at 332, which was an unbelievable pass at the time. It was the fastest I had ever gone in Top Fuel. Later that night, I told Flynn to go for it. All the guys were excited and I hit the throttle and I could tell it was on a great run. They don’t have the best lighting at Phoenix, so you’re running in the dark into the black hole and we ran 4.468 at 331 and set low E.T. of the test. Schumacher was right behind us and they ran a 4.48 and anytime you outrun the Army car, you’ve accomplished something.

It was awesome to work with my new teammate, Antron Brown, at the track for the first time. There’s no reason he can’t contend for a championship too. They’ve got a bad ass team over there for Matco Tools. It’s going to be an awesome year for David Powers Motorsports. Antron says I need to learn the words to Ebony and Ivory so we can sing Karaoke. I’ve seen some predictions online and let me tell you, don’t underestimate that team. They’ll win races and make the Countdown.

We finished running on Tuesday and I got home on Wednesday. Trainer Dave was excited to put me through a rigorous training session. My knee held up well throughout testing. We’re ready to go at Pomona. Dave is stepping it up with the intensity. The workouts are getting tougher. We have to call him AT Dave, not PT Dave. He’s always telling us he’s an athletic trainer, not a personal trainer.



Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I went out to LVMS to work with the Jeffreys -- Ashley, Judy, and Justine -- with their Super Comp cars. Justine won the D7 race at Las Vegas last year and finished eighth in the world in Super Comp, so that was awesome for her. I helped them get dialed in. They had a successful test and they should be ready go some rounds at Pomona. We’ll have our annual pre-Pomona dinner at La Paloma on Wednesday night.



The highlight of my weekend was to see Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony at The Palms. I’m a big Van Halen fan. The Pearl at The Palms is probably the best small venue to see a concert. Jim Baker, who works at The Palms, invited me to the show. He’s a big-time NHRA fan and serves as the sponsor liaison between The Palms and the Pedregons. We got to sit in a private box real close the stage and the Baker Babes were there (see the attached photo.) That’ll put a big smile on anyone’s face. After the concert, we went to The Mint. I got to meet George Maloof, one of the owners of The Palms. I saw Derek Jeter, but didn’t talk to him. I usually don’t stay out that late, but when I was driving home, the sun was starting to shine.

Dave had me scheduled to train at 9 a.m. because he had a busy schedule. He could tell I was dragging, but we made it through it. He tortured me; it was a tough workout, maybe the hardest so far. I was pretty tired, so I blew off the Super Bowl parties and just hung out at home and watched the game on my couch. I didn’t care who won, but I guess I was pulling for the Pats because I wanted them to finish off what they started. It kind of reminded me of our season last year. I felt bad for some of those guys.

Now, we’re getting ready for Pomona. We have a great race car and we’re ready for the Winternationals. Hope to see you at Pomona.

Take care,
Rod