After returning home from the race in Bristol, Tenn., I received a phone call from my old friend, Richard Maskin of Dart Machinery. As things happen, he was looking to expand his engine rental program from one team to two teams. Well, put me in, coach! I didn’t have to think twice before accepting his offer. It has been a long tine since Richard and I have worked together but when we were teamed up from 1993 to 1997 we were a winning combination. It is funny how things come full circle and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to once again work with Richard and the entire Dart team.

Of course, coming to an agreement was the easy part. The week since has been crazy trying to coordinate everything and get our Wiley-X GXP ready for testing. Luckily, Jamie and I had time last week to drive the rig to Richard’s shop and work on our Pontiac for a few days. This gave us time to coordinate our two programs, get an engine in the racecar, and make sure that our Sunglass Machine was ready to race.

That brings us to the present. I am just pulling out of Chicagoland Speedway where we spent the entire day testing. No, I am not typing this as I drive, I am dictating and Toni is typing. Unfortunately, it’s a little bumpy so the typing part is a little more difficult than the dictating part, but I guess that is one of the advantages of driving. Anyway, we had a great day of testing. We made four runs in our GXP all between 6.63 and 6.64 and improved on every run. I was really pleased with my .971 60-foot times but I was impressed with my 207.60-mph speeds. The good part is, Richard says that there is more left in it and I can’t wait to Topeka to find out.

Running fast was great, but I think I had more fun just working with Richard once again. We shared a lot of success together but more importantly, we became good friends. Richard was one of Jamie’s first tutors and it was amazing watching him and Jamie work together to improve our performance with every pass. You have to remember that the last time Jamie worked with Richard he just 20 years old and just learning how to be a crewmember on a Pro Stock team. Now he is a successful crew chief having the opportunity to once again work with a great engine builder. Isn’t it funny how things evolve?

Well, we are on our way to Topeka and I am really excited for the opportunity to refine this combination of parts and people. If history repeats itself, 2008 may turn out to be a very exciting season after all.