Well I thought it would be a good time to let everyone know how Christmas was and clue everyone in on what we have been doing with my family.

First off I flew to California so I could see my mom and dad, Courtney, my sis Colleen, niece Amy, brother-in-law Ray, and don’t forget Tori and my grandmother.

We all met up for lunch at the Trump Hotel and golf course down by the beach. It was great; the food was excellent and the view across the water was unreal. Then we went back to my grandma’s house and just hung out for the rest of the afternoon. Courtney and I made her some lasagna so she could have some home-cooked food around the house; of course it was Deb’s recipe so it was yummy. And we got some good pictures of Courtney and my niece and, of course, Grandma trying on the slippers Deb and I got her.

I was able to see some friends and go to dinner the next day then I was off to the airport to head back to Indy because we had about 18 people coming for Christmas from Deb’s side of the family so there was lots of prep work and cooking to be done but we had a great Christmas day dinner ...not to mention a few adult beverages… ha-ha.

Well let’s get to racing. Looks like there has been lots of drivers and crew guys moving around. That’s not unusual at this time of year. But I did talk to Santo Rapisarda and he told me he would like me to drive his car in 2012  Our plan is to go to the first 12 races and see how things are going if we are doing well we hope to just keep on rolling.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a safe New Years. Bye for now.

Its blog time; how is everyone? It sure was nice to get back in a race car last weekend; I’m getting tired of watching everyone else on TV. But I have to say it would have been better to go a few rounds but it was hot and my buddy Brandon and I had a good race and Glenn and all the Rapisarda Gang did a great job so it wasn’t a bad weekend.

With the help of the DSR gang I think we are close to having a fast race car. And I can’t thank our sponsors enough: Up Lift Cranes and Titan Cranes, as well as Santo Rapisarda for letting me drive his race car. It’s been a lot of work to get to this point but the car is showing a lot of promise.

Before leaving Indy to go to the Phoenix race Jacob finished off his first season of tackle football and he did such a great job we are very proud of him. He was on the Vikings and they made it to the Super Bowl and lost by one point; I think that’s pretty damn good for his first year.

Deb has been at home working hard and taking care of the boys and I have been putting in some long trips going back and forth from Indy to Australia to race the start of the ANDRA season with the Santo’s Cranes Top Fuel car and we won and are leading the points. I have also been trying to spend some time in California with my mom and dad, Courtney, and, of course, Tori.

Well I guess I better go grab some more food at the store and stock up the motorhome. Here is a picture of my grocery getter …. hey it works for me. LOL.

And it’s going to be Courtney’s 21st birthday so we can have our first drink together. Yeah, I can’t believe it, but I keep telling myself I’m not getting older, I’m simply getting better. Ha-ha! See you in Vegas.
 

If James Brown was known as the hardest working man in show business, Cory Mac by comparison, has to be the hardest working man in motorsports. Every time I have stopped by the house to visit family, Cory has been conspicuously missing. The only good thing about him being gone is that the newest batch of M&M cookies last a lot longer! Cory and the gang have literally burned the midnight oil to get his new ride ready for “The Big Go.” I stopped by to visit on my way back from military duty at Ft. Bragg a couple of weeks ago hoping to spend some time with Cory and the rest of my family. Guess who was missing? Yeah, Mr. Mac. First he was supposed to return home at 6 p.m. Then it was pushed back to 9 p.m. Then 11... He didn’t get home until after 4 a.m. So when I say they have been burning the midnight oil, I’m not exaggerating in the least.

I was shocked to find that the car that will compete at Indy is a brand new car. It hasn’t even been down the track! So in essence, they will be testing at the same time they are qualifying during the U.S. Nationals. Talk about having to punch your way into the field! I’m not overly concerned because I know that the team has good backing and support from the best. The team owner, Santo Rapisarda, has jumped in, with help from DSR, to put this car together. So thanks to Santo and Don for partnering up and putting together this deal for Cory. In my opinion, Cory has a good decade (if not more) left in him, and at this stage of his career, I believe that he deserves to be in a car that is considered to be among the most competitive. So, Rapisarda Racing will have a new car, new paint job, experienced driver, and some of the best backing that exists in the sport of drag racing. Something tells me there is a spoiler on the grounds. It will be interesting.

On the lighter side of the news, I mentioned that I stopped by to see Cory and my sister on my way back from military duty at Ft. Bragg. Even though Cory wasn’t there, I had a nice visit with my sister and nephews. I also picked up a couple of little “tidbits” about Cory that you might find to be interesting. For example, I noticed an iPad2 sitting conspicuously on the floor — in the bathroom! I went over to pick it up off the floor and place it in a more “appropriate” spot, like on a table, and was told by my sister that was where it belongs. On the floor in the bathroom? Next to the...? Yes. As it turns out, that is apparently where Mr. Mac does some of his best thinking. Oh I want to say something sooooo badly right now, but I will try to maintain some sense of journalistic decorum here and keep it clean (it’s killin’ me though!).

Still marveling at the sight of the iPad in the bathroom, my sister and I headed down to the kitchen for some coffee. While chatting, Debi decided to make some cookies. She rarely just sits and talks without doing something with her hands, so I didn’t pay any special attention to what she was doing. I did notice, however, that the M&M cookies were being strategically separated. The biggest ones were going to a colorful plate set off to the side. Naturally I wanted to “snarf” one of those cookies. As I attempted to grab one of the fresh cookies, my knuckles met with a crack of a wooden spoon that would have made “Sister Mary Discipline” stand tall and proud! When I looked at my sister like she had just kicked my truck, I realized what I had just done. The colorful plate that I had just attempted to pilfer a cookie from was “exclusive territory.” After a closer look at the plate, I realized that it said, “Cory’s Cookies.” You have got to be kidding me... Oh I knew that this story wasn’t to be believed, so you will notice the attached: a pic of the potty room iPad, and the plate in question. Cory’s going to kill me, but at least I will die having had the last shot! There’s more, though. If I am still alive after the U.S. Nationals, I have more dirt on him. See you then — hopefully...

I suppose I will continue to guest-blog until things calm down for Cory. There’s no end in sight as the crew continues to prepare for Indy and beyond. So please, stop by the pit and say hello to Cory and welcome him back. Maybe even say hello to his new team owner, Santo Rapisarda. Something tells me that he is going to be on the American drag racing scene for a long time. Welcome Santo! So stop on by and say hi. A word of warning — if you see a colorful plate of cookies, spare your knuckles and steer clear! See you in the pits. It’s Big Go time!!!

My trusty iPhone rang and the caller ID indicated to me that it was Cory. I concluded that a blog entry was needed and I was right. So here I am, your humble guest blogger. Cory wanted me to update all of his Mac fan base as to what he was up to this week. He’s headed for the land down under!

Yup, Cory’s back in Australia for a 10-day stint driving a Top Fueler for Santo Rapisarda. Santo has been racing in Australia for over 40 years and is the owner of a successful business. His company is called Uplift Crane and it is the largest mobile crane company in Sydney. He has called on our very own Cory McClenathan to pilot his Top Fuel dragster down an Australian quarter-mile.

Cory was pretty excited when he told me about it on the phone. He misses being in the seat and is looking forward to the opportunity to race with Santo. Cory is accompanied by crew chief Tony Shortall on the trip to help with tuning duties on the dragster. I was hoping to get the nod to accompany him on the trip but seeing as how I can’t tune a dragster I’ll have to settle for a trip to Joliet for the upcoming Route 66 Nationals. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Cory will be racing in Chicago, too. How I will continue to type with my fingers crossed will be a slick accomplishment but if it will help get Cory a ride...

One major difference between the NHRA and Australian Top Fuel drag racing is that they still run a full quarter-mile in Australia. When Cory reminded me of that little tidbit I cautioned him to resist the temptation to lift at the 1000-foot. mark! He said that he it’s probably going to feel like the throttle is stuck when he crosses the finish line at the full 1320 feet. As most drag racing fans know, it only takes a fraction of a second to cover the last 320 feet but I’m sure it can feel a lot longer at 330 mph when the driver isn’t used to it.

Before we concluded our call I made Cory promise to send me some pictures from over there when he got the chance. Of course if I was with him he wouldn’t have to worry about taking pictures but I’m not with him, so I’m at his mercy for visual aids! As soon as he sends me some pictures, I promise to pass them on to all of you Mac fans out there. I haven’t been to any races this year yet so I don’t have any recent ones to share with you. So keep your fingers crossed (I’m still typing with mine crossed...) or whatever you can do to conjure a good mojo for Cory. I will keep you updated. In the mean time, if you hear a distant thunder from the land down under, it’s probably the sound of our own Cory Mac puttin’ an Aussie on the trailer!