The day is long, and I’m feeling bloggy. I knew I was spry when I readied myself for the day and met my coworkers at the continental breakfast 10 minutes past our scheduled rendezvous time (I usually run 15-20 minutes late). I needed that energy and that omelet to fuel myself for a marathon day of shaking hands and engaging racers in conversation about the fine art of going really, really fast.

It wouldn’t feel like a big event if my weekend didn’t start by leaving tickets at will call for closely knit individuals with puppy-dog eyes. Shanna Snyder-Bell (sister and PR gal of Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Mick Snyder) was a fellow line-stander who graciously gave me a golf cart ride to the alcohol pits where I exchanged pleasantries with my Midwest mom (Bev Snyder). Northeast mom Michele Manzo was next on my list of people to see. It takes a village to raise an associate editor.

Anyway, I listed some notes from my beloved alky classes.

I’ll drink to that: Few people were as anxious to swap feet for the first time at this race as Alexis DeJoria (pictured). She hadn’t driven the Tequila Patron Top Alcohol Funny Car since her top-end incident in Englishtown this June in which her parachutes were ripped from her race car at the end of a 260 mph run and her car hit the sand trap at a very high rate of speed.  

“I’ve seen tape of the crash one too many times,” said DeJoria, as she tended to 6-year-old daughter Isabella, who was restless in the backseat of their tow vehicle in the staging lanes. “Nick [Bastiao, fiancé] and I went on a cruise, and the timing was perfect because I would have gone crazy sitting at home while all these races I was missing were going on."

The cruise she is referring to took place on the Italian Mediterranean. Shortly after her accident, she was informed by family members who were going on the fully-booked cruise that Roger Daltrey of legendary rock band The Who and his plus-one had to cancel, opening up spots for her and Nick.

The first runs in her new, S&W Race Cars-built Ford Mustang were made with checkout laps in Atco, N.J. prior to the race, and she opened up with a 5.71 that currently has her at No. 11 on the qualifying standings after two sessions. Crew chief Bob Newberry, who won the 50th anniversary of this race as a driver in 2004, mentioned that extra safety features were built into this car that are not mandatory by the NHRA Rulebook. DeJoria’s svelte frame (as compared to, um, stockier contemporaries like Frank Manzo and Jay Payne) allows her to add extra safety items to her car while still keeping it close to the 2,300-pound TAFC minimum weight.

Back in the saddle like Gene Autry, DeJoria hopes to pour it on in her shot at Indy glory. Her days of going bottoms-up are already behind her.

Payne relieved: Jay Payne bounced back quickly from his crash in Heartland Park Topeka last weekend. Though his FireIce Top Alcohol Funny Car is not in competition, it has already been front-halved at Murf McKinney’s shop, and crewmember extraordinaire J.R. Clark brought it to ORP at noon today. Payne will race at the Division 2 event in Atlanta next weekend and will go for his second Indy title in his Pro Modified entry.

Too cool for fuel: Top Alcohol Funny Car entries were banned from cooling their fuel in the staging lanes this July, and a rule was subsequently put in place that a team’s methanol must meet a minimum temperature when tested. 2008 runner-up Roger Bateman’s fuel was too cold before the first qualifying run, so he was forced to sit out. The Canadian team bounced back by beginning their weekend with a strong 5.62 in the second qualifying session. Though the fuel issue has been resolved, it leaves me to wonder how cold they keep their adult beverages in the pits.

Hutchmeier for hire? Dan Hutchmeier, who was an integral part of sidelined driver Cy Chesterman’s team along with Les Davenport, is lending a hand to veteran Vern Moats. Moats, one of the last known TAFC drivers to switch from shifting with handles to the conventional push-button setup (Bret Williamson still uses handles), entered the computer age by adding a RacePak data recorder this season.

Lewis is low: Though the Top Alcohol Dragsters only got one session today, Mike Lewis sits firmly on top with an outstanding 5.27 in Tom Conway’s A/Fueler. Lewis, a track manager for ORP in one of his many past lives, has a half-tenth on reigning world champ Bill Reichert. Lewis is a fairly new name as a TAD driver, but he has established an extensive drag racing pedigree. Part of the family that runs Maple Grove Raceway, Lewis currently holds the position of Sr. Vice President at Don Schumacher Racing. Additionally, his daughter Aly is the office manager at Alan Johnson/Al-Anabi Racing.

Blown crusaders: Blown alcohol drivers Jim Whiteley, Ken Perry, and Chris Demke take up the Nos. 3, 4, and 5 spots in the field with 5.3-second runs. All three drivers have something on the line. Whiteley, of course, is battling with Reichert in an attempt to win his first season title. Perry still owns the quickest timeslip among blown alcohol dragsters in history and wants to be the premier blown driver once more. Demke, whose Jerry Maddern-owned dragster won here with Darren Nicholson driving in 1998, is looking to earn his first win in a national event final on the biggest stage possible.

…and twins: Aussie twins Kate and Diana Harker are competing at the same event. They’ve done so before, but this is the first time that one of them is driving a family-owned entry. Diana is driving father Steve’s blown alcohol dragster, while Kate is driving Randy Meyer’s A/Fueler. Steve's Top Alcohol Funny Car and Diana's dragster are both tuned by Steve and run out of his trailer. Needless to say, Steve has his hands full. He also has the responsibility of preparing two race cars.