At the end of last year, our team manager, Rachel Brunner, called the whole team together for a meeting. That is a common occurrence for us but this meeting was a little bit different because she passed out rolls of toilet paper for everyone. We all wrote down on the T.P things from the 2007 season that were forgettable. Then we flushed them down the toilet. I know for me, there was a lot of flushing. We all laughed about it, but I think it was beneficial for us. We put the struggles of our bad season behind us and decided to give ourselves a fresh start for 2008. Rachel also gave me a baseball bat with my name engraved on it. I wanted to be tough and come out swinging in 2008. When you swing a bat, you have to be focused on one thing. You have to be confident and sure of yourself. You go all or nothing when you swing the bat. Racing and swinging the bat are much the same way. The bat reminded me of this and it also reminded me to get tougher. I didn’t want my competitors to take me lightly. The bat sat in the window sill of my office all year and was a constant reminder to me to stay focused, confident, and tough.

I can definitely say 2008 was a successful season for us. We finished fourth in the POWERade points. The reason that is so significant is because our team made huge improvements over the previous two years. We finished 13th in 2007 and 10th in 2006. That was unacceptable to us. My crew chief, Jim Oberhofer, my KB Racing Top Fuel teammates, and I had a big meeting at the end of last year. We talked about a lot of things. We talked about our mistakes and how to fix them. We formulated a whole new list of goals that we needed to accomplish. I’m proud to say that we came together as a team and accomplished all of our goals this year. I’m so thankful for the hard work and dedication from each one of my teammates. Jim Oberhofer, Troy Fasching, Mac Savage, Chris Glass, Mike LaJoice, Jerry Cook, Tom Davis, and Colby Campbell all contributed so much to our team. We all worked really well together. My parents always taught me that when you set your mind to something you can accomplish anything. My grandpa tells me this all the time. He is right. Our team definitely proved that this year.

Our team has a lot to be proud of for what we accomplished in 2008. Unfortunately we don’t have a lot to look forward to in 2009 as a team. We have not secured a primary sponsor. Our team owner, Ken Black, has fully funded our team for the last three years. Palm Beach International Raceway helped us out for the final three races of 2007. Understandably, we need to bring in other sources of revenue if we are to continue. We have been working hard to put something together but so far nothing has materialized. I’m trying not to be down about it and I’m staying hopeful. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I love driving top fuel and I think my team has a real shot at winning championships. I don’t know what my future holds but my past tells me that I can accomplish what I put my mind to.

I live a very blessed life. The final 23 days of 2008 will be no exception. I’m fortunate enough to be able to do another tour to show support for our troops. Later this afternoon I will fly to Washington, D.C., where I’ll meet up with Geoff Bodine, Scott Wimmer, and Arie Luyendyk. Then we fly to Kuwait for a couple of days before we travel via military aircraft to Iraq. It will be similar to the tour I did earlier in the year when I traveled throughout Afghanistan. I’m not bringing my computer so I don’t know how often I’ll be able to update my blog. I’ll definitely have a lot to talk about when I get back.

I think it’s important that we all remember our troops and the sacrifices they are making for us. I’ll take lots of pictures and share them with you all. I get back on the 20th of December and then I leave for Australia the next day. I am going to race at Western Sydney International Dragway on December 26-27. It is the Fuch’s presents Shannon Insurance USA Top Fuel Showdown. I can’t wait. My dragster was shipped over there after Pomona. With Jim Oberhofer tuning, we hope to win the Scott Kalitta Memorial trophy. You can get more info from www.kalittamemorial.com. Our PR rep, Todd Myers, is going to Australia as well and will be giving online updates. Scott won the event at that very same track in 2005 and 2006. It will mean a lot for me to go race there in honor of Scott.