Toni and I were scheduled to leave in the rig for the race in Bristol this Wednesday. But the race has been rescheduled to July 6, which gives us an extra unexpected week at the shop. With that in mind and Jon home from Clemson to lend a much needed extra hand at the shop, we (I guess the truth of the matter is "I") decided to do some spring cleaning at Jim Yates Racing. It started Monday with some exploratory surgery on the fuel tanks of my tractor. I guess I should explain so I'll give you the condensed version of the story.

While driving home from St. Louis last Monday, we encountered some issues with the fuel delivery system on our GMC Volvo tractor. After two stops on the side of the road in Washington, D.C., rush hour traffic where we had to siphon fuel from one tank to the other, it was obvious we had a huge problem. Luckily we were only an hour or so from the shop when the problem started so we were able to limp our way home. I spent most of last week talking to the GMC techs and trying different options to repair the problem, none of which worked.

We were down to the last option of draining all 200 gallons of fuel (at $3 a gallon) from the tanks, removing the tanks, and dissecting them to find the problem. Before doing that, however, Jamie decided to cover his hand and arm in plastic and stick his hand into the fuel tank to see if there was anything blocking the fuel line. He didn't feel a thing. Then we got the idea of blowing air into the lines to see if just maybe there was an obstruction in one of the fuel lines. Of course you can imagine how many things we had to take apart just to be able to do this. I had control of the air hose and everyone else looked on. I hit the air and it sounded like a bullet hitting the inside of the fuel tank, I hit the air again and the fuel started bubbling to the top of the tank. This time, when Jamie stuck his hand in the tank, he did find something. I took a picture of the three pipe screws that were jammed into our fuel line. How they got there, we don't have a clue, but I will tell you that they were the exact size to fit into our fuel line and completely block it off – how about that?

Well, since we had the tractor completely disassembled I figured we might as well disassemble the race shop and the trailer so we could clean everything up and put it all away, nice and neat, ready for our nine races in the next 11 weeks. As you can see from some of the pictures, things are really disassembled. Jamie and Terry have been working all day to put the tractor back together so we can get it back into the shop, Jon and I have been concentrating on pressure washing mats, scrubbing and cleaning the shop, fixing anything that is in need of repair, and sorting out all of the junk we continue to accumulate every week at the racetrack. The good news is we still have two weeks before I have to leave to go to Topeka. I can't imagine how organized I will be by then.

Though we have been very busy with our spring cleaning project at the shop, we did get a chance to celebrate a fun Mother's Day weekend. Melissa came home Thursday night, Jon was already here, and Cynthy's parents, Glen and Peggy, were visiting from New Hampshire. On Saturday, all of us got together for a game of golf. Most of you know I don't play golf very much – two or three times a year – so I think the guys drew straws to see who got stuck with me on their team. Oh well, Glen lost, but we had a great time anyway. My boys love the game of golf so I enjoy playing just because it gives me a chance to bond with them.

While we were hitting the links, the girls got to do their thing as well. Toni and Melissa went on a 30-mile bike ride, which I am happy to report, I did not participate in this time. On Sunday, Jamie and Cynthy had us all over to their house for a great Mother's Day brunch. It was really nice and we got the chance to visit with Glen and Peggy before they had to fly back to New Hampshire. We ended our Mother's Day with a quiet cookout at home. I did buy Toni a few "chick flicks" for Mother's Day and Jon and I even watched one of them with her Sunday night. I think the best part of the "chick flick present" is sitting down and watching the movie with her. Aren't we great guys!

Well, I hear Jamie yelling for me to come and help him with the tractor, so I am going to get this blog sent and head back out to the shop. I will check in with you soon and maybe will be able to share some better organized pictures with you. Thanks for stopping in.