In the words of my good friend and NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart, I love race day! Howdy folks and welcome to Sunday at Las Vegas where it is indeed…race day!

Yesterday was a whirlwind in the Team Kalitta pits and hospitality. First of all, big ups (as the younger generation likes to say) to Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools/Long Way Down team for their superlative 4.52-second blast down The Strip yesterday to earn them their highest qualifying spot of this season. As you all (y’all where I come from) are very aware, it’s been a really tough year for them and our whole Kalitta Motorsports team, but their win in Richmond and now their great effort yesterday has a lot more people smiling in Camp Kalitta, and it sure is nice to see.

Now, on to the celebs!

The first wave of famous folk came early yesterday morning with the arrival of two-time Indy 500 champ and open-wheel racing legendary surname Al Unser Jr. He was followed quickly by Long Way Down co-star Charley Boorman. Now, I knew of Charley from his Long Way Down adventure with friend and fellow actor Ewan McGregor (who will forever now be known as young Obi-Wan Kenobi) of course, but after doing a little research I found out this interesting tidbit…Did You Know? (Sorry, Bob) Charley Boorman has a small role in the 1972 film classic and Burt “the Bandit” Reynolds vehicle Deliverance. Well, he should be in it…his father, John Boorman directed it. Why can’t I get that dang banjo music out my head now? Anyway, moving on…Charley and Al and Doug Kalitta spent a long while talking about dragsters and motorcycles and all sorts of horsepower. Yesterday was the first time that Al had ever been to an NHRA national event and I can tell you this with all certainty…He was thoroughly impressed! Charley and the producers of Long Way Down, David Alexamian and Russ Malkin, took a trip up (sorry, unnecessary pun) to see the voice of NHRA drag racing Bob “Did You Know” Frey. Charley got to chat it up with Bob on the P.A. and then they presented Bob with a hard cover copy of the Long Way Down book

A little while later as I returned to our pits after what seemed like my 20th trip to the press room yesterday morning, I stopped over in Grubby’s pit just in time for the arrival of “Dangerous” Dan Henderson. Admittedly, I am not a big PRIDE fighting fan, but I was still anxious to meet the man whose face is on the side of Grubby’s car this weekend. I don’t think I was expecting him to be a brute, but I was still pleasantly surprised at what a laid back, funny man he is. I had heard some grumblings from some of my PR peers that fighters were a “handful”, but Dan has still not shown this PR guy any glimpses of that. Dan also took a trip up (I can’t help myself…) to the tower during nitro qualifying to meet the aforementioned Mr. Frey. He, too, bantered with Bob on the mic for a bit and then posed for my favorite pic of the weekend so far (sorry Buttercup).

Well, I see that the big hand and the little hand on my watch are telling me that it is very close to beginning of race day. Did I mention…I love race day!? Pretty sure I did…

See you again tomorrow for V-LOG: The Finale! Todd has left the building.