It's been awhile since my last blog. I've been hard at work still trying to get back on track for 2009. I've gotten to do a lot of stuff that I don't think I could have ever accomplished if I was racing. After 18 years of wear and tear, this break from racing has given me the opportunity to get physically fit. I'm not talking about muscles, but I'm talking about spiritually and inner-physically. This break has taught me that maybe you must first hit the bottom to achieve success.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." — Sir Winston Churchill. There are a lot of people who don't like me because they say I'm a drama queen. LOL Well maybe, but I'm true and real. I wear my heart on my sleeve, plain and simple. As far as physically, it was nice to let my knee heal properly. Last year, I only had two months to heal from my ACL and cartilage surgery. Normal rehab takes six months. Well right now I feel the best I have ever felt.

I've had some fun the last three weeks, starting with NASCAR being in town. I had a great time networking and seeing my friends. I hung out with Slugger Labbe, a good friend of mine. You've heard us blog about Slugger in the past. He's the crew chief of the 71 car that David Gilliland drives. I also ran into Jim Parker with Caterpillar. I told him how hopeful I was that the market will turn and we'll get that Caterpillar Top Fuel dragster back on track. After the race I also got to hangout with some of the Caterpillar employees that I've worked with during the last two years. As you know, I love NASCAR, and it was good to see the local Las Vegas racer Kyle Busch win at his home track.

The next week, I went to Sonoma, Calif., to race in a charity go-kart race at Infineon Raceway. Before I got to Infineon, I stopped by to see my good friends at Peterson Cat. I had lunch with Eric Martin and Rich Hasper, both of them big supporters of NHRA. My time at Infineon was great. I also got to spend my time with my fans and help with such a good cause. The staff at Infineon is second to none, and I always enjoy my time every time I get to go there. My racing performance wasn't the greatest on the go-kart. Maybe I should stick to straight lines. All day my lap times were better than David Baca but also out of control. In the feature race, I was ahead and spun out and got stuck in the mud. Like I said, I should probably stick to drag racing.

After the race was over, I headed over to Lodi for a wedding. It was Justine and Shawn's big day. Justine is like a sister to me, and her whole family, the Jefferys, are not only a long-time sponsor of mine but also family, too. They had it at a beautiful winery called Wine and Roses. It's a hotel and wedding chapel, too. The services weren't until 5:30 p.m., so being at a winery and nothing to do all day made for a fun day. Let's just say I need a nap before I went to the ceremony. The ceremony was so nice it couldn't have gone any better. Shawn is a great man, and he's marrying into a great family.

This past weekend, I needed to blow off some steam, so I went to my favorite hangout, the Lounge at the Palms Casino. They had a band that plays called Zowie Bowie on Friday and Saturday nights. Their two singers are Zowie Bowie and Marley Taylor. They are a married couple that rocks! It's a great place to go dancing and have some fun. While there, I got to meet a longtime hero of mine, Vince Neil, the lead singer of Motley Crue. It was Vince's birthday, and they brought him up on the stage and had a birthday cake and the whole club sang happy birthday to him. When I was introduced to him he looked at me and said, “Why aren't you racing?” How cool is that! My favorite song of all time is by Motley Crue called Home Sweet Home. There's a verse that’s totally me: "You know that I've seen too many romantic dreams up in lights, fallin' off the silver screen. My heart’s like an open book for the whole world to read. Sometimes nothing keeps me together at the seams. I'm on my way, I'm on my way, Home sweet home."

I think I was listening to that song when my Lamborghini burned last year. LOL

That's all for now. Thanks again for all the support. Oh yeah, I included a picture of a fan at the Gainesville race. Him and his friends were wearing a T-shirt that ead "Hire Rod Fuller" … how cool is that.

Rod