Well let's get up to speed on the last week or so. Our DHL Toyota team ended up going to West Palm Beach last Monday for a test session. Our crew chiefs had decided to go in a different direction as far as our clutch setup goes, to try and gain a little consistency and some better times. Monday was a long day for the guys, and we made our last run a little after 9 at night after getting there before 9 in the morning! Finally, on the last couple of laps, the car started to show us a little something. Tuesday the guys got everything all serviced and loaded, and after another 12-plus-hour day, they got a little rest. On Wednesday, Rick, Cave, Rob, and I decided to do a little fishing. We went out for four hours and relaxed in the beautiful Florida sunshine. We all caught a fish or two, Rick having the best one, about a 3-and-a-half-foot Kingfish. On the way back, we saw the "Virgin Money" racing sailboat. It was pretty cool, and it was kind of docked on this big wooden looking crate. The keel had to be at least 30-feet long and had a big torpedo-looking deal at the bottom. I think it has something to do with weight and stability because the boat itself is very shallow and the mast is very tall. After that, we went back to the track to pick up the hauler and make the 4-hour drive to Gainesville.
On Thursday we got everything parked and the pit and hospitality set up. The Kalittas' deal is top-notch, but it certainly doesn't set itself up! Many hours of hard work go into the preparation. On Friday we made the first qualifier. Alan Reinhart told me after we got out that we ran a 4.22. While it was nice it to go A-B on the first lap, it didn't sound very fast. Shows how much I know because it stood up for the No. 8 spot after 2 sessions! Saturday, we didn't make it down the track under full power but Jon O. and Nicky were starting to learn our new deal. On Sunday morning, we made a great 4.19 lap, but my old buddy Del put down a great lap as well as a nice reaction time to put us on the trailer. The good news is that our car ran as good as his from the 330-foot timer to the finish line, so we are all pretty jazzed going into Houston!
We ended up at the infamous Gainesville Ale House for dinner later and got to hang out with a lot of other race teams. We also got to see the shuttle take off from a distance and the word "awesome" barely describes it. It was also cool to see the Bob Tasca III show up with the ever elusive "Wally" in tow. I was very happy for him and especially the majority of his team, which was pretty well my team when I drove the "Blue car" for Del in 2007.
This weekend my wife and I are driving over to Vegas because our marketing guy, Ben Marshall, is getting married. Should be a great time! After that, I fly to Houston on Wednesday for a display that we are doing for the fine folks at DHL on Thursday. This will be my first display deal for DHL, and we even get to fire the car up for them. I am sure that there are going to be more than a few surprised people there!
As I said, we are all looking forward to Houston as I now feel we have a great "baseline tune-up" to go off of for our first lap. If you are in Houston make sure to drop by and say Hi.
Take care and thanks for reading,
Jeff