I don't know how many of you are old enough to remember the two tunes mentioned in the title of this blog but back when I was a kid growing up in the 60s and the 70s both of those songs were big hits.  Reason I'm mentioning them is that those tunes have been swimming through my head all weekend as the "time has come" for us to return to racing the weekend after next at our home town track, zMax Dragway and your ole pal Bob will be flying out to Kansas City this weekend, more on that later.
 
To fill you guys in here's what's been going on.  It's Tuesday morning and as I type this the body is at Transport Graphics getting wrapped with our new Rinnai Tankless Water Heater livery.  It will be done this afternoon and we'll then haul it right up to zMax Dragway where we're going to test tomorrow and Thursday.  Most of our crew is returning and they're bringing the transporter up to the track this afternoon to set up.  Once again, as I type this, our crew chief Paul Smith is motoring his way from Indy to zMax arriving sometime this evening.
 
Plan is that we're going to make as many 1/8th mile laps as we can tomorrow and Thursday.  Our goal is 4 each day and hopefully, if all goes according to plan, and the car runs the early numbers, we might be able to cut back on that number.  After that we'll haul everything back to our race shop and tear the car completely apart and go over every part then put it back together and head back to zMAZ for the Carolinas Nationals next Wednesday.
 
Meanwhile I'll be at the test tomorrow but early Thursday morning I'm hopping on a plane for Kansas City (hence the title reference) as I'm announcing the 3rd Annual Muscle Car Reunion at Kansas City International Raceway.  This event is a very unique race as three of the nation's top nostalgia drag racing organizations will have a presence at the MCR as the National Hot Rod Association's "Hot Rod Heritage Series tour, the DragRacingOnline.com Nitro Funny Car circuit and the Nostalgia Pro Comp Association will all have their own qualifying and eliminations during the weekend making for three races in one event.  Other classes racing include the Midwest Nostalgia Super Stock, which will crown it's series champion at the race, the Hot Rod and Muscle Car divisions and the very popular "Geezer Gassers and I'm really looking forward to being a part of it.  If you're going to be there make it a point to come and find me and say hi.  I'll be the really good-looking guy on the mic...LOL.
 
For me it's going to be a big deal as I'm also hosting the press conference on Thursday afternoon and I get to introduce Don Garlits, Roland Leong and Larry Reyes to the media.  I've got a special surprise for Garlits that I'll tell you about next week.
 
I'll fly home Monday morning then switch right away to my PR flack mode, and take care of the last minute details for the Carolinas Nationals.  We'll park on Wednesday then it's WFO from then on.  We're doing hospitality for 50 Rinnai guests all weekend so there's a lot of details that need attention and I'm just the guy for the job.
 
If you're coming to the zMax race make it a point to join us at the Hampton Inn Charlotte University Thursday evening, Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. for our "Nitro Blast Off" party.  Scroll down to a previous blog for more details.
 
One last thing...
 
Ah the power of the internet.  Last week I got an email from a person who's name I recognized but couldn't place with the subject: Kansas City.  Turns out it was from a girl I went to high school with in N.J. who I had a big crush on and haven't seen or heard from since 1964!  She's a big drag racing fan, lives in Kansas City and saw on the internet that a dude named Bob Doerrer was announcing at the Muscle Car Reunion and wondered if it was me.  I was floored...To have one of the hottest girls I knew in high school contact me 45 years later freaked me out. She's coming to the race as my guest and I'm really looking forward to renewing old acquaintances.
 
Another last thing... Insert one of our stupid contests here:  The first person who shoots me an email at: blastoffbob@earthlink.net and tells me who the artists who recorded the hit songs in the title for this blog and the year they were released will win a very-special Rinnai Tankkless Water Heaters prize package.
 
Type at you tomorrow night.