By not writing for so long, I found out who is paying attention to my blog. I appreciate everyone who likes to read about what’s going on in my world. The last month and a half has been the most eventful time of my whole life. I can’t help but think back to my days as a financial analyst where I sat in my cubicle all day every day working on Excel spreadsheets. My life is so different yet so cool now. Enough stuff has happened that I could have written a blog every day. I really enjoy writing my blog and always look forward to telling you about all the stuff going on. I don’t even know where to begin but I have to start somewhere so I’ve locked myself in my hotel and now I’m just typing.

Right now I’m in Sonoma, our eighth race in nine weeks. I’ve never been able to race so much and so often in my life. For me as a driver, it helps to get so much seat time. I know it’s trying on the team though. It’s not easy keeping up on the parts and maintenance and I know it’s not easy for them to be away from their families.

Our season hasn’t exactly been a cakewalk. My KB Racing team never gets down about anything. Sure, we get disappointed and frustrated but we have to put it all behind us. I don’t let it affect my driving and my team doesn’t let it affect their work. When times get tough, my team works harder. I’ve been around racing long enough to know that not all teams are like that so I’m thankful for each member of my team and wouldn’t replace any of them. Our goal is to make the Elite Eight so we can be in the Countdown for the Championship. We are not far out of the eighth position and are definitely capable of getting there.

The toughest part about the last month and a half has been the passing of Doug Kalitta Sr., or more commonly known as Senior. I remember him being so upbeat and in a great mood all the time. He was really uplifting to the whole team. When I saw him at races, he was always working hard and loving every second of it. He is definitely missed by our entire team.

Also, James Holifield on my team, lost his mother, Joyce, a couple of weeks ago. I can’t even imagine losing a parent. He took a couple of weeks away from the track to be with his family. Our team worked extra hard to get the job done while he was away and we really missed him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his whole family.

I’m sure some of the family members of my teammates miss them. The guys left the shop on July Fourth and have not been home since. Mac and Beaker each have daughters who are not yet one year old. Trucker Mike and Troy also have sons who are very young. They will finally be able to go home after this race. I want so badly for them to be able to take a Wally home.

I will also go home after this race but I’m in no hurry. I love all the travel and the busy schedule. It does get kind of hectic and overwhelming sometimes but then I just look forward to getting in my dragster. Being strapped in and driving is the best part of my job. It’s almost like it’s peaceful in the car. It’s really nice when I get to get in and forget about everything else and just focus on driving. I savor the time I get to spend in it yet I hope it goes by really fast.

I’ve been traveling a lot not only to races but to different PR and promotional events. It’s important for our sport, our team, and our sponsors that I take advantage of every media opportunity that I can. In between our race in New Jersey and Ohio, I flew out to Southern California to appear on a TV series that will air on Fox Sports Net this fall. The series should be interesting. It’s about the science of sports. A production company called Sport Science filmed athletes from MLB, NFL, NHL, NHRA, and various other arenas. They talked to me about the physics of racing, the mechanics of being able to handle a 330-mph race car, and other aspects of what it takes to make a machine travel nearly five football fields in under five seconds. They were amazed by what we do. I was honored to be the NHRA representative and was glad they recognized our sport. I hope you will watch it. I’ll let you know when it will air.

After we taped that show, I took the red eye back to Michigan and then drove to Cleveland. I went on a local morning talk show aired before the Norwalk race so I tried to promote the event. I think that has been my favorite TV appearance because throughout the weekend I had ladies of all ages come up and tell me they weren’t planning on attending the race but came after they saw me on TV. I thought that was cool.

Speaking of TV, I know I said in a recent ESPN interview that I eat, sleep, and breathe drag racing. While that’s true, I do also take some much needed time to have fun away from the track. I’ve had the opportunity to do some cool things like go to Rick Fischer’s Fourth of July party. The fireworks display that he put on was amazing. Then the pontoon where they launched the fireworks caught fire so that added some unexpected entertainment. The Technicoat Cowboys, Bob and Glenn, came to visit us in Michigan. Glenn’s fiancé Leslie and Bob’s wife, Sherri also came. Then we had a girls lunch in Ann Arbor. Doug Kalitta’s wife, Josie, went. Jim Oberhofer’s wife, Tammy went. David Grubnic’s girlfriend, Brandy, also went.

I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends lately. If it weren’t for my travel schedule I might not be able to do that. I was able to spend some time with my good friend, Brea, who was my roommate in college and teammate on the diving team. She now lives in Denver with her husband so I hung out with them before and after our race.

I actually spent a whole week in Colorado. My Dad, Grandpa, and brother, Austin, came to the race so on Monday Grandpa took us on a tour to see where he used to live. We had to drive way out in the middle of nowhere to see the ranch where he grew up. We drove for miles on a dirt road that took us through acres of farmland. I got to hear some good stories from my Grandpa.

After the race in Seattle, I rented a car on a whim and just drove. I was by myself on the open road with the radio blasting. This is going to make me sound like a real dork but I heard that Sunscreen song and it made feel a lot better. I drove well into the wee hours of Tuesday morning and ended up at my Mom’s doorstep in Eureka, at 2 a.m. I slept really well and then she and I went for a long walk in the fresh air of the Redwoods.

It was great being back in my hometown for a short while. The people there have been unbelievably supportive of my career. I did a couple of radio and TV appearances. I spent Tuesday evening doing a meet and greet/autograph signing at a popular pizza place called Big Louie’s. Family, friends, and fans came to say hi. I’m so thankful for their support.

There’s a lot of good stuff on the horizon for my team. It makes me excited and it also makes me a little nervous as well. I feel so fortunate to be doing what I’m doing and living the life I have. My team and I are tough, resilient, and determined. The more we go through, the more we confirm this. I know we have what it takes to be winners in this sport. Please keep cheering and supporting us. I promise I will write again soon.