Hey, blog readers! LP here with a much overdue update on all things having to do with Doug Herbert and the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel team. Let me begin by apologizing for taking so long to update the blog. Somehow the unexpected off weekend turned into the week of Topeka before we knew it! I promise we’ll not let it go so long again.

One quick update on the Open House from the last blog. Our very own Brett Beasley, Vinyl Graphics Specialist, had his video camera running when we fired up the Snap-on Tools dragster. The video clip now resides on the internet, and you can check it out by clicking here. The speakers on my little Dell just don’t do it justice, but it’s still fun to watch. If you look close, you can see fellow blogger Berserko Bob filling up one of his Nitro Fume Collection Devices, and Doug whacked the throttle four times, much to the delight of the crowd! It was a fun day, and I’m glad Brett had his video camera rolling.



As most of you probably know, Lincolnton is only a few miles from Charlotte, the NASCAR capital of the world. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you know there has been lots of racing action going on over at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. With the Bristol race being moved, Doug and I had the chance to attend the Nextel All-Star Challenge held two weeks ago. It’s one of the best races to watch, in my opinion, because it’s all about the money and to heck with racing safe because of points! I hung out with some friends in the grandstands and snapped this shot with my phone.

While I was rubbing elbows with the avid NASCAR fans, Doug, Shelly and Carl from Snap-on were all guests in the Childress suite. Judy Childress and Bill Patterson took good care of them, and what better way to cap off the evening than for a Childress driver to win. Congrats to Kevin Harvick for taking home a million bucks!

After all the work was done on the dragster to get ready for this weekend at Topeka, the entire team headed in different directions for some much needed rest and relaxation. A couple of them went to their respective homes, ranging all the way from California to Tennessee to Pennsylvania to right down the road in South Carolina, while some hung around the shop and worked on their motorcycles or cars. Mike O and I headed back out to Lowe’s on Thursday night to watch qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600. I think Mike’s a fortune teller. He knew before they hit the track who was going to hit the wall! Good stuff, Mike.

Doug had a bit of a busy week, too. He headed down to Orlando for his annual pilot training, while the kids headed out to Universal Studios. Busy man that he is, Doug never stops working, but I’m glad he had the chance to get away for a few days himself. If anybody deserves a little R and R, it’s Doug!

So now it’s back to racing, and I do mean a bunch of racing. With eight races coming up in the next nine weeks, it’s going to be a grueling two months. Donna and Allison headed west yesterday in the motorhome, and the guys hit the road bright and early at six o’clock this morning. With the exception of Mike and Dan, that is. Apparently Dan had to finish up his game of computer mini-golf before they could leave. Everyone will have the chance to come back to North Carolina one last time after Chicago before heading out for six straight weeks. With the Western Swing now starting in Englishtown, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of things to blog about.

With three weeks off, I’ve got to knock the dust off my writing abilities and get to work on the press release for Topeka. I’ll check back in from the Heartland.

Until then, be good,


LP