It’s hard to believe that some areas of the country are experiencing temperatures of 40 and 50 degrees below zero. My blood stops circulating every time I think about it! Attached you will find some photos taken in the frozen tundra to the north! I also find it difficult to adjust to the cold temperatures here in Indiana having grown up in Southern California, and living in Arizona for such a long time. Sometimes I can’t help but to sit back, close my eyes, and do a little California Dreamin'! I won’t be dreaming for much longer, and neither will NHRA fans: the Winternationals event is right around the corner!

Sunny weather and warm temperatures, here we come! Pomona is about to be invaded by nitro warriors as the 2009 Full Throttle season kicks off with a crackle that is sure to heat up the entire drag racing world. There are lots of changes throughout the Pro teams as usual and it’s going to be exciting to see how things will pan out. Most of all, the longawaited warm temperatures and sound of nitro engines firing at the starting line in the land where drag racing was born is sure to get drag racing fans pumped about the new season!

Pomona means so much to me personally; I grew up in Southern California. My family is still here and they come out to see the races as well. Can you imagine racing a Top Fuel dragster and having your mother tell you to eat your vegetables so that you have a good reaction time? When Mom and Dad are at the races, I am sure to get a little bit of advice to help me out there on the line! Isn’t it funny how parents seem to get smarter as the years go by? Now that I have scored a few points with my folks...he he he...

Oh, I want to welcome a new guy to the DSR team; Matt Hagan will pilot the BrakeSafe Rear-End Collision Avoidance System Funny Car. He’s a good guy and looks like he is going to be a very welcome addition to the team. Welcome Matt! (get it ...welcome matt....) Onward...

The Winternationals event is special and unique compared to other events in many ways. First of all, it is the opening event of the season and that’s always a rush after a couple of months without racing. Fans and racers alike marvel at all of the new paint jobs; teams realigned with new sponsors and drivers; the occasional absence of teams and drivers who raced in the previous season; new sponsors who are new to drag racing and occasionally a driver switching from top fuel to funny car or vice-versa. These are just a few of the things that make the Winternationals special to fans and racers alike. Nobody wants to miss the Winternationals! It’s nice to be among the first to see everything new for the season.

You know the feeling that you had when you went back to school after summer vacation? Okay, it’s not like that, it’s better! It’s a strange and surreal feeling in a very good way! The smell and sound of nitro in the air is an indicator that summer is on the way! So all of you in the upper Midwest suffering from frigid temperatures, tune in with the rest of the nation and watch the Winternationals and at least enjoy the anticipation of warmer weather that only professional drag racing can bring!

The first event of the year is also very unique to other events in that it is the only time of the year when the playing field is completely level. Everybody has the same shot at the gold Wally and nobody has a big points lead. Every team and race fan is hopeful! I’m going to have to stop writing now because I am getting myself so worked up!

The whole Fram team is pumped, hopeful, and ready. Pomona is looming on the horizon, how much better can it get? We are champing at the bit to go on the hunt for the gold Wally. Last year, we opened the season in the runner-up spot and are ready to take the first Wally of 2009. That’s our goal, our focus, and hopefully our destiny. Look out 2009, here comes the Fram Top Fuel dragster team! Full speed ahead!

See you in the fast lane...it’s the one we choose!