Hey everyone, happy Thursday to y'all.

I tagged along with the Trick Tank Motocross team this past weekend for the next to last round of the Eastern region Arenacross series in near-by Greensboro, N.C. The event was held at the Greensboro Coliseum and right next door on Saturday was their annual winter car show they hold there every year. Besides the car show (which had a lot of drag cars) it was also the site of the induction ceremony for the North Carolina Racing Hall of Fame and they inducted two friends of mine into the Hall, the one and only Roy Hill and my favorite jet jockey, Dick Rosberg so that was way cool. Congrats guys.

Then Sunday it was time for the Arenacross finals and as I always do when I go to these events I morph into "Mr. Stats". I track every qualifier that the team's four riders compete in to make sure that the scorers don't screw up. The finish in these qualifying races means a lot as you get to pick your starting spot on the gate for the main event based on how you finish in the qualifier. Just like in drag racing a holeshot off the line can make or break your race. Riders read the starting line just like crew chiefs and drivers do at the drags to determine where they want to line up.

Anyway Gilby's son Jake won the qualifier in his primary class (85cc) and he got to pick his starting spot and he parlayed it into a great holeshot at the start of the Main and led the race wire-to-wire. Jake currently has a Tony Schumacher type of lead in the 85cc points chase with one race to go so it looks like he'll be in Vegas in October for the U.S. Open.

Dig Jake's uniform, pretty wild huh? Looks like it was made from a clown suit...LOL

The other guys on the team also did well. Here's Gilby and me with Jim Chester, the senior rider of the team and he's also the coach/mentor for Jake and the other members of the team, Justin Hopson and Tate Barr. Jim rides in the Senior classes and won all three of his qualifiers and all three of his main events for a hat trick.

Justin and Tate also rode well so it was a good weekend for the guys. They now have a little over a month off until the Eastern regional finals in Wilkes Barre, Pa. March 13-15 but they'll spend the time practicing at our training facility in Blacksburg, S.C.

Then after the races were over Sunday afternoon I headed back down I-85 for the 80 mile trip home to watch the Super Bowl. I had a lot riding on the game, my favorite bartender at my local pub went to Vegas for the weekend and I gave her some $$$ to bet on the game for me and she called last night after the game was over to inform me that I was now a hundredaire! Woo-Hoo!

In our last blog I mentioned the meat loaf sandwiches at the vendor's stand by the Top Eliminator club at Pomona. I got this email from Hugo from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif:

BB

Have you ever eaten at the Mexican joint behind the tower at Pomona? It's named "El Mercado" or something like that. Check it out

Hugo

Hugo...With out a doubt I've been there, not sure about the spelling but I love that place. [Ed. Note: It's El Merendero] When we race at the Fairplex we always stop by to get a breakfast burrito on the way to the track. We have lunch there occasionally but usually go for In-And-Out burgers. I once went to the In-And-Out in San Dimas and placed an order for over $300 to take back to the track for our guys and some friends. I backed our SUV rental to the side door and loaded up. I ate a double-double on the way back to the track and another when I got there. Wish I had one right now...

That's it for now, type at you soon...

BB