Two weeks ago we headed to Norwalk to race. I sponsored Angie for that race as a birthday gift. I know she loves racing more than anything so I thought it would be the best gift ever. I had to go to Schumacher’s the previous week so I wasn’t home to drive the truck up. Ang and Robby left around 4 a.m. to get to Norwalk by 2 p.m. We got everything set up and it was off to our hotel. The whole Schumacher gang stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. It had an indoor waterpark. It was awesome. Tristan was so excited. He couldn’t eat fast enough because he knew he got to go to the waterslides when he was done. Tristan ran around from slide to slide and Ang and I decided to go down a couple slides together. We decided to get into the hot tub soon after that until 9 p.m.

We got up Friday morning and headed to the track. Ang was excited she got to race. The first couple of bikes ran and I had determined it was going to be a slow session for all of us. I didn’t get down the track because something happened to my motor and Ang went a 7.24.  Second pass I did a lot better and she didn’t. I ran a 7.09 and her bike went straight to the centerline. I wasn’t happy to be qualified 7th and Ang wasn’t even in the show yet.

Saturday had arrived and I was convinced that it was going to be a better day. First pass for me was no improvement but second pass was. I was qualified 5th which is not were I want to be but I will take it. Ang improved some on the Q3 and a little more on Q4. We were just struggling with her bike. It got a little interesting Q3 in the shutdown area for Ang. In the shutdown area there are some bumps about 500 feet past the finish line. Sometimes it makes it hard for bikes because we have to get on the brakes hard at tracks like Norwalk. She was on the brakes too hard and when the bike hit the bumps her front tire locked up and the bike “washed out” on her. It scared her and me. I was just happy she reacted fast and left off the brakes for a moment for the bike to get straight. So needless to say Ang was pissed about qualifying 15th. She has a better bike than that and she is a better rider than that but you can win from any position as long as your there on Sunday.

Sunday was a little crazy because once again it rained. We didn’t get 1st round going until after 1 p.m. I had to race Junior Pippin and Ang had Hector Arana. I ran a 7.04, which was a good run. I was just hoping that Ang would do a good job on the tree because I knew she had a fast bike. She was qualified 15th and running Hector first round is a big match up. Thank God she did an awesome job and won the round when she went 7.05. She was really excited. Second round I had Guidera and she had Gann. I don’t know what happened. I went red and let me say I was PISSED!!! I have had three red lights in three years and I have already had 2 this year. I don’t know why but this has given me so much drive. Ang did great 2nd round by getting by Gann. She had Eddie 3rd round. She wanted to beat him more than anything. He has beaten her the last four times they have raced and she is mad about it. She has taken out some heavy contenders in NHRA but not him yet. Her time is coming. She had an .028 light but it wasn’t enough. All in all Ang did great racing in Norwalk despite how the weekend started. As for me I am going to get it together. I can’t stand to be defeated and this will not defeat me. We are going to Denver to kick ____. I will let you guys fill in the blank. Come by and see us if you are in Denver.

I would like to say thank you to Karl Klement for helping us out with Angie’s bike in Norwalk. Karl called me before the race and told me to let Angie run the motor. It’s a blessing to have people like Karl out here helping her to race as many races as possible. Again thank you to Karl and Kim Klement for helping us out.

As for the 4th of July we didn’t do much but spend time with each other. We are together a lot but we don’t get to spend quality time together. Ang and I went to the lake and cruised around on the boat. That night we went home and got on top of the house to watch fireworks in our town. I really think she enjoy us spending the day together. We are getting married on Oct. 16 in N.C. and she has been very busy planning our wedding. I am sure it’s going to be beautiful.