Hi, everyone,

I was so excited to see everyone at the race in Bristol. I think everyone I know was there and I got to see a lot of people that I have not seen In a long time, so it was great to catch up with everyone. I felt like everyone was rooting for me.

Qualifying went well and we ended up in the top half of the field. I just had a great feeling about this race. We had a fast car and it was like my hometown track, with Christianburg just a couple of hours' drive away. I felt for sure that a win was coming our way.

We were paired up against Tony P. and my record is not the greatest against this guy. It seems like he has my number this year and we are having a tough time putting him on the trailer. So, I knew it was our turn. Things just had to start going our way against him. We had lane choice so I felt confident about going down the track. 

We get up there to start the car, do the burn-out and, wouldn't you know it, we had an oil line break and there was oil every were. I knew we were going to get shut off. It felt like someone reached in and ripped my guts out, I was so sick. I got pushed back and had to watch Tony make a solo run. I could not believe it. There was nothing we could do. But, as the old saying goes, you can't cry over spilled milk. So we just have to keep our heads up and move to the next race. 

The next day we had a test session scheduled and I was looking forward to getting back in the shelor.com Funny Car after watching everyone race on Sunday. We ended up making six laps and had a really productive test on Monday.  It really got me excited about the race coming up this weekend and I know the guys are excited. They are working really hard and everyone seems like they are working well together. Tommy is really stepping into his own and trying new things and I think that is what is going to set us apart from everyone else.

I know I talk a lot about me and Tommy and my farm in these blogs. So, I want to take the time to let you know a little about all the guys on the crew. First their is Glenn Huszar. He is the assistant crew chief. He can do just about anything on the car. He and Tommy take a lot of that info on a run and hash it out in the lounge and come up with a plan for the next run. There sure is a lot of info to look at. Glenn comes from the Force camp and seems to be a real hands-on guy. He comes off as a hard ass, but he is a great guy when you get to know him. 

Terry Snyder does the clutch on the race car. He has lots of experience with everything on the car and can do just about anything Tommy wants. He was an assistant crew chief on Del Worsham's cars so he has lots of great ideas to throw at Tommy and Glenn. But his main job is the clutch. He is one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He always has a funny story to tell, but I know where he gets it from: his dad Dave Wallery. He is a sponsor on the car and owns Wallery's Pizza and is a great guy to hang out with at the races. I am trying to get him to come to more races. I enjoy hearing about his days racing with Del. Like I said before, I know were Terry gets it from.

Terry is training Smokey (Daniel Neal) who is the assistant clutch guy. I guess you can figure out why they call him Smokey, but he is taking the lead from Terry soon and has already started doing the clutch at some races. So I will look for him to be the clutch guy soon. Smokey's family has been coming to some of the races and they are great to hang out with also.

Then there's Haystack (Josh Wallace). He does the bottom end, and he comes from the DSR hospitality side. He is doing a great job and learning fast. This year is his first year working on a race car, so, as you can imagine, I was a little worried at first. But he jumped right in there and learned really fast. I have been really impressed with this guy. I look for him to move up through the ranks and learn other positions. He is another guy that will keep you laughing. He is quick to bust out some rhymes and do some off-the-wall stuff.

Then there is Ed Otto. He is the car chief and does blowers. He also oversees everything on the car, training the guys and keeping them straight. We call Eddy 'Gramps' because he has been there, done that, and there is no messing around when it comes to racing. He is doing a great job with all the guys, but don't let the fact that Eddy is the road boss fool you. Eddy can hang with any of the younger guys and knows how to have a good time. 

Todd Haas does cylinder heads on the car. He pulls a head and services it at the end of each night. He is really getting a handle on the heads. He seems like he is getting into a groove.  Plus, he did heads on my old team. So it was cool to have someone that I knew when I got to DSR. He also puts me in the car and if I pick on him too much he makes sure my belts are extra tight each run.

Joe Janisch does the other head and builds racks at the shop. He is doing a great job and seems to be getting faster every week. Joe and I have had about 100 conversations and I still have not figured out what he is saying. Just joking, Joe. He is from New York and has a thick accent, so I give him a hard time about it. He is a great guy and I think we will see lots of great things from him.

Then there's Gage Fairchild. He does our tire and body and he also helps me pack the parachutes. He's just doing a great job out here. He came form the Caterpillar team and he's been a great help out here servicing the car and turning it back around.

On the way to Topeka last Tuesday, five of the crew guys stopped off at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.,, to Osage Beach. They rented a boat and visited the various establishments and restaurants up and down the cove. Terry, Ed, Smokey, Josh (Haystack) and Joe made the trip. They visited one of those amusement arcade buildings and played video games. They made Josh ride one of those tiny kids' rides where they stuffed him inside a little truck, and he rode that. They played skeet ball and were in the batting cages all night. It was a good relaxing time for them before they got to Topeka. They deserved it.

So, that is why we are doing so well. It's because of all the great guys on the team.  

See you at the races