I just got off the phone with my grandma and she said she still feels like she is walking off the ground. She just got back home to Fortuna, Calif., after being at the races in Sonoma all weekend. I just got back to Ypsilanti, Mich. It was the first time my Grandma Marge has come to one of my races. She always watches on TV, but for this event, she made the four hour drive to Infineon with my Aunt Marsha. Before Sonoma, when I would talk to my Grandma on the phone she would always tell me it was time to retire from racing. Then I would always assure that I have a lot more winning to do. Today on the phone, she had a different tone. While reflecting on the weekend at the race track, she finally understands why I love to race. It was all a bit overwhelming for her, but she loved being there.
A lot of my friends and family made the drive down from the Fortuna and Eureka area. It was so cool having everyone there. My mom came. My dad and my stepmom, Chris, were there along with my sister, Jessica, and brothers, Kevin and Austin. My “Texas family” Steve and Risa Douglas were also there. My cousins Dee Dee, Trysten, and Elsie drove up from Hollister. Then to go to the final on race day made it pretty sweet. I couldn’t believe how many people were surrounding our pits and supporting us all day long. I’m so incredibly grateful for all the support.
I was really bummed that we didn’t get the big win. It would have been the perfect day to bring home the trophy and be in the winner’s circle with all my friends and family. Plus, it would have been a KB Racing Western Swing sweep. Greg Anderson won in Denver, and then Jason Line won in Seattle. Both Ken and Kenny Black were at this race. Also, I wanted to win for Scott like Robert Hight did for Eric. It wasn’t meant to be, though. We will have to wait. It’s tough not to be disappointed, but I also have to be pleased with making it to the final.
Jim O. and the guys did a great job as usual. There were some different things that went wrong throughout the day that gave my team some extra challenges. You would never know it from the outside because everyone stayed calm, cool, and collected and got the job done. One of the things that happened was we chunked a front tire going up to the staging lanes for the final. Mac had to go back to the trailer and pull a spare front wheel and tire down from the top storage area in our trailer. Then the guys changed it in the staging lanes with time to spare. I wish I would have done a better job off the starting line in the final. At least it would have been a little closer race. I wish like anything we could have that round to do again, but there’s no do overs in drag racing. All I can do is learn from it. I think it was a good learning experience for me to be in that situation and wanting to win SO bad. In the future, I will handle it better.
It’s been a tough couple of months for our team so that trip to the final was much needed. I know Scott was with me in the second round pedalfest and also in the semi’s when we barely beat Antron.
The previous race, my dad, my grandpa, my brothers, my cousin, Kade, and their friend Dylon made the drive up to Seattle from Northern California for the weekend. After the race on Sunday, we all piled in the motorhome and headed south so I could spend a couple of days in my hometown before Sonoma. It was really fun traveling with my family again. It was just like old times. We all did a lot of laughing. My grandpa drove most of the way. He has put a lot of miles on driving to and from my races over the years. My brothers played video games for almost the whole 12-hour drive. We stopped in Lacey, Wash., which is near Olympia, for dinner on Sunday night at Speedway Brewing Company. The races were on all the TVs. I highly recommend stopping there. They have great food and a great racing atmosphere. We got to Fortuna Monday night. I stayed at my mom’s house that night and visited with her, which is always nice. Then on Tuesday, I went on a bunch of local radio stations to help promote the race. That night my dad had a party at his house and all the family came over. We watched the Topeka race, which I had not seen yet. Before I left for Sonoma on Wednesday morning, my cousin Michelle talked me into doing her morning workout with her and my other cousins Kylee and Kenzie. We did this boot camp workout at 5:30, and then I drove to Sonoma. It was a great workout, and I was sore for days. I got a picture with some of my girl cousins at the race. From left is Tresyn, Michelle, me, Kylee, my aunt Marsha, and Kenzie.
Anyway, I could go on longer about all the stuff that’s happened the last couple of weeks, but I better end here. I have a week to recuperate even though I wish there was another race this weekend. Talk to you again soon.