Last week, I went to the Mac Tools Fair in Orlando, Fla., with some others from my team: Doug Kalitta, Rachel Brunner, Ben Marshall, Jim Oberhofer, and Jon Oberhofer. Mac Tools hosts an event every year in selected places around the country. It’s a place where Mac Tools distributors from around the world converge. I believe there was more than 3,000 of them this year.

We all stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort which is on Disney property. On the first night, we gathered for a casual meet and greet where country singer Daryl Whorley played. There were a lot Mac Tools people there plus a lot of racers supported by Mac Tools who go to the event. This year, the NHRA drivers in attendance were Brandon Bernstein, Ashley Force, Robert Hight, Tommy Johnson Jr., Doug Kalitta, Morgan Lucas, Mike Neff, Karen Stoffer, JR Todd, and Melanie Troxel. It’s fun to hang out with everyone at events like that.

The next day there was a kickoff meeting where the President of Mac Tools, Mike Murray, addresses everyone. He talked about the history of Mac Tools, the successes of the company, and what there goals are for the future. The kickoff meeting is always kind of inspiring.

Each day, all the drivers signed autographs on the show room floor. Doug’s dragster was on display in addition to the various vendor booths. Chip Foose spent the entire day signing autographs as well. He not only signs his name, but he draws detailed pictures for each autograph seeker. The occasional NASCAR driver would drop in for an hour or so while his chauffeur waited outside and then he would leave on his private jet.

We went to the awards banquet on Friday night. The distributors work really hard all year long selling Mac Tools through the wind, the ice, the extreme heat, and all imaginable conditions. The best of the best get rewarded at the annual Macademy Awards. It’s great that we can show our support of them the way they support our racing all year long.

On the last night, we all got to go to the MGM theme park. I had never been there before. We wandered around for the first hour enjoying the sights and trying to decide what to do. Then the weather hit. We were caught in torrential downpours, thunder and lightning. At first we hid under cover but then we got tough, bought some ponchos, and braved the storm. We hit the roller coasters and went on them over and over again. I have to admit that I cut out early because I got cold I’m kind of a baby about being cold, but I had a lot of fun while I was there. I got some photos before the rain came but not very many. One is of Brandon Bernstein, Rachel Brunner, me, and Karla Hauck. The other is of Karen Stoffer and I on one of the rides. It was some haunted house ride and it must have scared me because I look like I’m white as a ghost.

The whole Mac Tools Fair was a great event. I have to give Roger Spee, Tony Merritt, and Karla Hauck for everything they do to make the event fun for all of us.

Today I went to another event far away from Orlando. I drove my place near Ann Arbor to Cobo Arena in Detroit. I had an appearance at the North American International Auto Show to attend. This is the second year in a row that I have gone. I really like going. Sandy Herp who works at the Detroit Auto Dealers Association put contacted me a couple of years ago because she and her husband Dan are huge NHRA fans. She organizes a lot of the events during the show. One of them is Auto Education Day. They bring in thousands of high school age students from four surrounding states. The students learn about what types of job are available in the auto industry. I get to talk with a lot of them and sign autographs. I encourage the students to find a career doing something they are passionate about. As always, I emphasize how important education. I know that I am thankful for my education every day.

I’m also thankful that I get to drive my dragster in just a couple of days. It seems like it’s been forever. The car and my team are en route to Phoenix as I write this. Trucker Mike and Jerry Cook are trying to navigate our KB Racing 18-wheeler through the snow and ice across the country. I’m sure they will handle it just fine, but I would be very nervous if I had to drive that thing. I’ll write to you from Firebird Raceway this weekend.