Greetings, blog readers! LP here with a quick Sunday morning update from sunny Las Vegas! First let me back up a bit, and fill you on everything Doug has going on.

He has had a very busy few weeks making appearances for BRAKES. He spoke at the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Patrol “No Need 2 Speed” safety campaign out at Lowes Motor Speedway, then he was off again a few days later to speak to students at East Lincoln High School during their pre-prom safety program. He also did a few radio interviews, and each one of these appearances touched hundreds of people and spread the message of BRAKES. The program is really taking off, and if you haven’t done so already, make sure sit down with your teenager and fill out the Teen Driving Pledge and Parent Driving Pledge. You can download them from the website: www.putonthebrakes.com, and get a goodie bag for signing up to be a BRAKES member.

On the racing front of the things, we have had some special guests with us this weekend. Mary Stadick of New Ulm, Minnesota, won an online contest put together by Early Times Kentucky Whisky and Snap-on to be our assistant crew chief for the weekend. They flew out to Vegas on Thursday evening, and have been non-stop ever since. Warren Eulgen of High Velocity Communications and Allison Curtis of PriceWeber accompanied them on the trip, and from what I have seen, all have been thoroughly enjoying themselves. Doug spent some time with them, taking them through the trailers and giving them a quick lesson on just what these Top Fuel dragsters can do, and KP (Kevin Poynter) gave them a breakdown on what it takes to tune one of these 8,000 horsepower beasts. I told Mary that when we win the race today, she will have to come on the road with us full-time as our assistant crew chief!

On another note, I’m not certain how many of you have children in school, but I’m fairly confident that most of you have probably have heard tales of “Flat Stanley’s” and their trips around the world. I first learned of these guys a few years back when a coworker brought her niece’s Flat Stanley to work. Kids send their Flat Stanley’s to people they know, have their pictures taken in various cool places, and then have to write a report about all the things Flat Stanley got to see and do. Well, Marty the One Man Party’s daughter Deni has a Flat Stanley – aka Flat Princess – and Marty brought her with him to Vegas. She has had quite a time, posing in the staging lanes and even getting to sit in the Top Fuel dragster. I don’t know, but odds are pretty good Deni will probably be the only one in her class to write a report about how her Flat Stanley got to hang out in the pits and drive a Top Fuel dragster….

I also wanted to share a picture of the new awning on the t-shirt trailer. It looks absolutely great, and will help keep the girls cool and dry through the rest of the season. As if they didn’t before, Allison and Heather definitely stand out as you walk through all the merchandisers. One more quick note about the t-shirt trailer and BRAKES, if you are at the races and want a BRAKES decal, go see Allison and Heather. They have lots on hand, and all proceeds go back directly to BRAKES.

I’m afraid that’s it for now. It’s time to get ready for driver introductions! I love race day! We’ll have more for you soon.

Until then, be good, LP