We had a good weekend at St. Louis. It was another strong outing for our team. It was hot out, but not unbearable. There was a nice crowd, too. That’s great to see. A semifinal finish is nice. We like getting there, but we need to get to the winner’s circle soon. That kept us solidly in the points chase. Now, we’re less than three rounds out of third place. That’s not bad for the only single-car team in the top 10. Hopefully, we can keep our momentum going in the second half.



We were going to test our new car, but the older chassis is running so well, we elected not to run the new car and keep things status quo. We tested some new parts on Monday after St. Louis. Kurt Busch came out to the track on Monday during testing and Larry Dixon brought him over to see our pit. He was definitely a surprise visitor. He’s getting married in about a month and has some business to tend to in St. Louis. But, just like any racer, he went to the nearest race track. I hope his fiancée understands.



We tested and Melanie went shopping. She elected to go the malls rather than hang out at the track. She got back as we were finishing up, so we got in the motor home and drove back to Indy. We got to the shop about 9:30 p.m. Monday night. By the time we unloaded the motor home and filled up with water, we got home around 10:30. After the night schedule and extra day of testing, I was pretty tired.



We slept in until almost 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning. That still wasn’t enough sleep. I was still dragging. That was the most tired I’ve been in a long time. I mowed the yard before the afternoon rains came. I stopped by the shop and had to tend to some stuff. Mike Green had to fly to Detroit to have a meeting about our new Monte Carlo body. I also serviced the generator on the motor home. I went home about 4 p.m. and lay down on the couch. I watched TV for a bit and then we went grocery shopping. After being gone for three weeks, we didn’t have much to eat. Once we got home, we grilled out. I watched Last Comic Standing and my favorite TV show, Boston Legal.



Before we left for St. Louis I bought an Armani suit for the ESPY awards. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not true. I got it off the clearance rack. I couldn’t afford it at regular price. I had to get fitted for the suit and this morning. I figured if you’re going to attend an event like the ESPYs, you need a nice suit. Then, I came by the shop. I like hanging out here. I like being around the car and the team. I might go on a bike ride this afternoon. It’s pretty nice out. I doubt it’ll be a late night. We’re getting up at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning to drive up North to Monaco to have new tires put on the motor home. It’ll save us $600. Mel is going to follow me up and then we’re going to head over to Chicago so she can pick out a dress for the ESPYs. By the time we get home, it’ll probably be pretty late.



Oh by the way, if you haven’t, log on to ESPN.com and voted for Melanie for Driver of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year, go do it! It’s a fan vote, so help the cause.