Hey blog readers!

Last weekend we had off and it was great because I got to spend a lot of time with Jessie having fun. On Saturday we had our second and third sessions of the B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School. They went really well. We had over a hundred people show up and I’m sure that everyone not only had a great time, but also learned a lot and made improvements in their driving skills. I had a lot of parents and teens tell me that the courses made them better drivers and it helped the communication between the parents and teens, for me this really makes all the effort worth while.

On Sunday we went to the Renaissance Festival, it is a big thing they have in Charlotte every year. All of the people that work the festival are dressed up like they’re from the Renaissance Period and there are a bunch of activities, shows and things to do. Jessie took Olivia with her and we all had a great time.

We rode on an elephant and Jessie and Olivia posed for a bunch of pictures. The tomato throw was really funny; the guy gave insults out to people throwing tomatoes and Jessie got a kick out of creaming that guy. She’s got a pretty good arm! Having a weekend off to spend time with Jessie was great and I value it more and more.

I got some bad news last Friday. I got a call from the folks at Snap-on and they let me know that they weren’t going to come back with my team in 2009. I was pretty bummed about it but we’ve had a great run together for 16 years. I have made a lot of friends at Snap-on over the years and I am sure that the friendships I have made will continue on. Now I look forward to beginning another long relationship with a new sponsor. I think we can find another company that can benefit from all of the great things that I have going on, a sponsor that will be able to benefit from the drag race team, the Bonneville land speed record car that we are building and B.R.A.K.E.S. We have a lot of irons in the fire right now and I feel confident that something will work out for us.

I’m sorry that this year has not been what we expected. I am thankful however that we were able to win the race in Norwalk earlier this year but I am disappointed that it was not the championship caliber-year that I was hoping for. I’ve been drag racing for a long time and I definitely want to make sure I’m back next year. I still have some unfinished business to take care of – winning the NHRA Championship.