Hi to all of my faithful blog readers. I am sorry I haven't given you anything to read about since our family ski trip but I have been going non-stop since the day our plane left Salt Lake City and landed in D.C. We have had a lot of things to accomplish since the announcement of our Wiley X sponsorship in October, and I am happy to report that everything is right on schedule and looking great for Pomona.

At the end of the season, Toni, Jamie, and I sat down and made up a detailed plan outlining everything that needed to be done, how long each project would take, and what date it needed to be completed in order to be ready for testing at the Pontiac Showdown in Las Vegas. We marked everything on a calendar and then started coordinating all of our efforts with everyone else who would be assisting us in accomplishing all that needed to be done, i.e. painting the rig, building new racecars, designing and painting the racecar and designing and wrapping the rig.

As you already know, the rig was painted white right after my trip to Germany and since then we have been busy cleaning, repairing, and replacing everything that was needed to update our rig to brand new. This has included replacing the floor, rebuilding the back door (not by choice but that is another long story), replacing motors that run the back door, re-doing trim and molding, reorganizing, and restocking. We almost have everything done on the trailer list and this weekend Fineline will be here to apply the new Wiley X graphics on the rig. Scott Brown (Scott Brown Designs) worked closely with Myles and Dan Freeman (Wiley X) and Jamie, and I have to say I think we are going to have one of the most awesome rigs in the pits. Wait until you see it. I think it will look even better through a pair of Wiley X Sunglasses.

Speaking of awesome, I am saving the best news for last. A few days after my ski trip, I left with my Denali and a small trailer and went to Jerry Haas Racecars to pick up my new Pontiac GXP. Jamie and already flown out to St. Louis and had been working with Jerry, John, Dan, Cory, and all the guys in the shop to put the finishing touches on my new racecar and I got there a couple of days later. I couldn't believe what an awesome job that Jerry Haas and all of his guys did. Not only did they complete the car ahead of schedule but I think that they built me one of slickest racecars I have ever had. I just want to say thanks to everyone at Jerry Haas Racecars for all of their hard work and especially for their un-tiring commitment to completing the first Pontiac GXP Pro Stock car.

Unfortunately, there was still one small obstacle; before I could get our new GXP to the racetrack, I would have to get it painted and that job was being done by Banshie Studios in Beltsville, Maryland. The good news was that it was Monday morning and Banshie Studios was close to home; the bad news was, I was in St. Louis and there were heavy snowstorms predicted all the way home. But I wasn't too worried, you know those weathermen are never right. As it ended up, Jerry Haas had some business to do in Maryland so he rode with me back to the shop. With two of us driving, we would be home in no time.

Wouldn't you know it, for once, the weatherman was correct and we ended up towing through blinding snow for 16 hours. Thankfully, we arrived safely at the shop about 4 a.m. Jerry headed on to his appointment and I, with the help of Jamie and Terry, got our GXP ready for the painters. By 11 a.m. Tuesday, the racecar was parked safe and sound at Banshie Studios and Jamie and I were headed back to the shop. Mark one more thing off of the list.

Well, that pretty much brings you up to date on what has been happening with Jim Yates Racing the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we didn't have the GXP in the shop long enough to even take a picture to share with you but we will have plenty when we get the car back to the shop on Sunday or Monday. I will promise you, it will be worth the wait.

Hey, I hear Jamie running the back door of the trailer up and down which means that it must finally be fixed. Not only did the steel beam across the bottom of the door break (thankfully while in the shop with no one on or under the door) but also Jamie had to replace the motor that makes it run. What do you do with a broken door that weighs thousands of pounds and is hanging by the safety chains? Luckily, a good friend of ours, Dickie Estevez, who owns Universal Metal Products, came to our rescue. After securing the door on the ground, he cut off the old beam, replaced it with a new one and welded everything back together. It looks as good as new. Now that Jamie has the new motor running I think we are finally back in business. I will make sure to take lots of pictures this weekend of the tractor trailer graphics coming together and share them with you next week. Have a great weekend!