I have a good excuse for not blogging for two weeks. My schedule has been crazy hectic. It started last Friday afternoon when I flew into Oakland to participate in a charity go-karting event at Infineon Raceway.



I got in that afternoon, so I decided to make a surprise visit to Peterson CAT in San Leandro, which is close to the airport in Oaktown. When I walked in at Peterson, the receptionist said, “I know who you are.” I started laughing. She had a picture of our car at her desk. She called our main man at Peterson Rich Hasper. Rich was blown away that I was there. I had some spare time so they took me around the dealership to visit with the employees. During the tour, I think I met “the one,” Jennifer. LOL Then, Rich’s group took me to lunch at this really cool place right on the water.



I was nervous about the karting deal because I haven’t driven a go-kart in some time, plus my knee had me worried. Cory Mac and Matt Guidera also were there and they’re both pretty good in the go-karts. My idea was to show up early and make some practice laps, but that didn’t happen. We had some media engagements with the Nor Cal press before it was play time on the track. I finally got on the track and it was “hella” cool. Like a typical drag racer, I went down the main stretch too fast, spun and set the record speed for going backwards on the karting track. I promised Rob Flynn I wouldn’t do anything dumb on the go-kart, but I guess I lied. Matt had low E.T. of practice and qualifying and he took me out and led me around the track and showed me line. After that, I dropped two seconds off my lap time and was competitive with the rest of the group. The most important part of the day was spending time with the fans. They contributed to the Speedway Children’s Charities to spend the day and race with us. It was nice to visit with everyone on a personal level in a casual environment away from the drag strip. It was a great event. We helped raise more than $14,000. Everyone was very happy with the experience. John Cardinale, Diana Brennan – a former “the one” – and the entire Infineon staff are awesome.



I flew home to Vegas on Saturday night and wasn’t feeling all so well. I started losing my voice, which wasn’t a good thing because I had a big week ahead with CAT. The Con Expo was in town and it’s held just once every three years, so it’s a really big deal. It’s one of the biggest trade shows in Las Vegas. Did it mention it’s a big deal?



It was huge for me because it was basically my introduction to the entire corporate team from Caterpillar. It started off on Monday with an autograph session at the Caterpillar booth. We did a 20-minute Q&A also. That evening, I had a 22-minute speech to all the CAT employees at the event. There were more than 350 people there. We talked about working with CAT as a team. I barely had a voice, but we pulled off a good speech and pumped up a lot of people about our NHRA program.



I signed autographs and did two speaking engagements each day. The emcee, Dan, was one of the guys in those funny Coors Light commercials with the NFL coaches. He’s a really funny dude. Everyone remembered him as the Coors Light commercial guy and I was the dragster guy. The highlight of the week was Motorsports Madness at Caesar’s Palace on Tuesday and Wednesday night. It was in a ball room and when you walked into the room it was like going through the tunnel into a NASCAR track. In the right of the room, our CAT dragster show car was on display and a booth for us to sign autographs. On the other side of the room was Dave Blaney and the No.22 CAT Toyota. It was a really fun time with video games and food and loud music. We signed autographs for two hours each night. It was a jammed packed three days. The excitement level for the Caterpillar drag racing team is at an all-time high. Even though I was under the weather, the Con Expo was an awesome experience. I can’t wait until 2011.



Since it’s raining at Gainesville on Friday afternoon, we’re watching some cool videos on YouTube. My assistant crew chief Mike Guger is showing us some neat exotic cars on the internet. Now we’re watching a video on the SLR McLaren. I need to win a few more races to afford one of those bad boys, but I’d sure look good cruising The Strip in that. Ok, now we’re watching an Audi R8. It’s really cool too.



It’s been a low key day with the rain. Antron and I did the Army Y.E.S. program this morning, and then it started raining. I haven’t found “the one” yet, but there will be plenty of candidates in Florida this weekend. I’ll keep you posted. Have a great weekend.