Wednesday started off as a slow morning for us. Around noon, Mel went to get her hair and makeup done. She got back to the hotel room around 3:30 that afternoon. I was all dressed and ready to go. She put her dress on and we were out the door by 3:45 to head over to the Kodak Theater for the red carpet walk. It was only a two-mile drive, but it took between 30-40 minutes to get there. You gotta love that So Cal traffic!

We were escorted out of the limo to security and then on to the red carpet. Mel had to do a couple of interviews for ESPN 360 and the ESPYs red carpet show. We walked behind Janet Jackson and her beau Jermaine Dupree, so we were a little overshadowed. Everyone was yelling at Janet and pretty much didn’t pay any attention to us.

After we got inside, we hung out in the lobby for a bit before going to our seats for the show. Let me tell you, it was a really neat show. Make sure you check it out on ESPN on Sunday evening. I think you’ll enjoy the program. Melanie didn’t win, but what a neat experience it was to be a part of the event and see so many celebrities and athletes.

After the show was over, Mel had to go to the “athletes lounge.” I wasn’t allowed to go. It was just for the athletes. One of the ESPN folks noticed me and thought that was b.s., so he escorted me inside and gave me a “staff” pass so I could hang out with Mel in the lounge. That was really cool. I’m a race car driver, too, so I guess it’s fitting that I was allowed in with the “athletes.” Once I found Mel, we spent a long time chatting with Danica Patrick and her husband Paul. They’re really nice folks. They said they were aware of all the press that Melanie and I have been getting this season. That’s cool when stars from other forms of racing take notice to us. I also chatted with Kurt Warner for a bit. Him being an Iowa boy, I had to say hello. He was very down to earth and even knew where Ottumwa is. Most of the high-powered athletes live in a fantasy world. I guess to be politically correct; I’ll just say they’re not very grounded.

Then we headed up to The Highlands for the ESPY after party. The place was packed and loud. I guess it’s one of the hippest clubs in L.A. from what I’m told. We ran into Tom Compton and Jerry Archambeault of the NHRA. Tom flew in from Pittsburgh that day, so it was great that he could attend and support Melanie. I introduced them to Aaron Rowand, my new buddy from the Phillies. He’s really looking forward to coming out to the track later this year.

Around 11:30 p.m., we got in the limo and went back to our hotel for Lance Armstrong’s Host Party. We didn’t see Lance, but there were plenty of heavy hitters from both the sports world and Hollywood hanging out. We left about 1:30 a.m. We had to get up at 6:45 to get ready for our flight at LAX. We packed and then it was lights out for a few hours sleep.

We finally got to Bandimere Speedway around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. What a week. Finally, life is back to normal and we can go racing again. Once we got to the track, we dropped our stuff off at the motor home and changed clothes. Mel had appearances and PR Ted picked me up. We met Mel at the Golden Hotel for a quick interview with the local WB affiliate. Then, it was off to our Skoal Racing appearance in Littleton, Colo. We signed autographs and hung out from 6-9 p.m., and then I met Mel and her family at the Morrison Inn for dinner.

We just did an interview with the local CBS affiliate in Denver and I just finished decaling our new Skoal Racing Funny Car. The new silver paint scheme looks great. We’re getting ready to warm the car soon. It’s very, very warm here. The last time I looked, it was about 92 degrees and the adjusted altitude was, 9,300 feet, so don’t expect any great numbers. It’s supposed to be even hotter this weekend.

Life as a Hollywood celeb can be put to bed. Now, it’s back to going 300 mph, and I’m excited about that. Living the high life was fun for a few days, but I couldn’t do that for much longer. I’m happy being an everyday person in our little world of NHRA drag racing.