I just got back from Indy where I spent nearly a week for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, one of NHRA’s most prestigious events. It was definitely a memorable weekend for me, as a lot of my Indy experiences have been over the years.

I remember the first time I had the good fortune of being able to go to O’Reilly Raceway Park was in 2001. My family and I made the haul out there from California to race Super Gas. We knew it was going to be a big event because it was NHRA’s 50th anniversary. I remember “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney raced one evening under the lights, and I snuck up to the starting line and stood as close as I could get to watch them run. To see them race in person, at Indy, was a dream come true for me. Then to be able to race my Super Gas car down that very same track the next day was unbelievable.

I never would have imagined back then, that the next time I would be there would be in 2005. That’s when I got my Top Fuel license in Scott Kalitta’s dragster. Then two weeks later I raced Top Alcohol Dragster with my family’s team. We qualified number 2 and went all the way to the final. We came so close to winning the Big Go. It was a huge deal for our team and our family, and a day I will never forget.

There’s so much history at the track. I love hearing about all the stories. I heard lots of stories on Sunday night at the roast for Connie Kalitta. It was an evening that Kalitta Motorsports had been planning for months to honor Connie’s 50th year in drag racing. Connie sat up on the stage in a king’s chair amongst many of his competitors past and present, his employees past and present, his friends, and fans. Bob Frey was the emcee of the event, while Alan Reinhart was in the audience with the mic. Then there was the panel of roasters: Don Garlits, Chris “The Greek” Karamesines, Jim Head, and the special guest, Frank Bradley. Everyone did a lot of laughing. It was cool to see Connie having such an enjoyable time. At the end, he had the opportunity throw some jabs back at all the roasters, but he didn’t. He thanked them for all the memories over the years. You could tell that he was just glad to be among friends, and he said so. It was an awesome night and such an honor for me to be a part of it.

Earlier in the evening as I was walking in, “Big Daddy” and his wife, Pat, just happened to be walking in at the same time. I wanted to meet them, but I was a little too intimidated or something to approach them. I just kind of stood back while they signed in. Then Pat turned around and happened to see me, and she said “You look like I know you from somewhere, what’s your name?” Once I told them, they both shook my hand, and we got to talk for a little bit. Of course I couldn’t let them get away without a photo op.

I did a lot of commentary with Bob Frey over the weekend. It’s good practice for me to speak in front of large audiences. I get really nervous because I think about who is listening. Bob has to remind me to just think of it as a conversation between him and me. It seems like it should be simple because all I have to do is talk about racing, which is a subject I could normally talk about endlessly. It’s just a little different in when I’m up there with the headphone on, the mic in my hand, and I’m looking down on about 50,000 people in the stands and thinking about all the thousands of people listening to the live audiocast over the Internet.

It was cool because I got to announce my latest good news while I was up there. I’m going to race in Top Alcohol Dragster at Las Vegas and Pomona this year. I’m really excited! I can’t wait to get back in a dragster again. I need to practice, I need to go fast, I need to do some winning. I’ll be driving Tom Conway’s dragster, so it’s definitely a car that can win. (Ironically, his car is the one that beat me in the final in Indy that I just mentioned) I also announced while I was in the booth that I’m going to be sponsored by Get Screened America for those races. I’ll be talking a lot about the company, which is owned by Roger Burgess, in the coming weeks. I spent a good portion of the weekend learning about it so I can better promote Get Screened America. I’m also going to utilize this opportunity to promote a cause that means a lot to me. I don’t want to give too much info away right now. We have to do it the professional way, so we are going to issue a press release today or tomorrow with all the details. All this came together about a week and a half ago, and I have been walking on air ever since. I get to race again!!

So today I’m back at the shop in Ypsilanti. Finding a sponsor for Top Fuel is still my main priority, so I’m working overtime on that. Life is good in my world. Enjoy the rest of your week. Talk to you again soon.