Today is Wednesday, and I know that Jim had promised everyone that he would be reporting back with the results of our test sessions with Ryan Ondrejko and our race at Chicago. Well, as it turned out between the rainy test sessions, the traveling from one place to the next, and some engine woes, he had to put his blog writing on the back burner. So, I decided to take up the slack and fill everyone in on what has been going on for the past couple of weeks.

As Jim explained before, we had two test sessions planned with our new driver, Ryan Ondrejko. Our first session was at MIR where Ryan made about 10 hits in the Sunglass Machine, looking and acting as if he had been driving this GXP his entire life! Wow, he is an awesome driver! After two days at MIR, we all headed to St. Louis to test for a couple of more days before traveling to Chicago. As it turned out, it rained the entire time we were in St. Louis, so Ryan had to be content with two half-track passes and one full pass down the quarter-mile before making his debut at Chicago. No pressure!

Well, Ryan did an amazing job, qualifying our Wiley X GXP in the 14th spot on just his third full pass down the quarter-mile. Unfortunately, we had some engine issues during the weekend and had to put our back-up engine in for race day. Ryan’s first-round match up just happened to be the eventual event winner, Jeg Coughlin. Though he left on Jeggie by a substantial margin, it wasn’t enough to get the win and as they say, the rest is history. We still had a great weekend. Ryan qualified at his very first Pro Stock event and did a great job driving against a veteran driver; we could not be any prouder of him.

After the Chicago race, Jim decided to take the engines back to the engine shop to get them checked out and then headed to Englishtown. As it ended up, he didn’t get to the track until early Thursday morning, but we all had plenty of time to get ready for what promised to be another great race. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans? It seemed as if anything that could go wrong during the weekend went wrong! Between electrical gremlins, engine woes, and just plain bad luck, Ryan ended up falling short of the 16-car field. Welcome to the highs and lows of NHRA Pro Stock racing!

We did have a good time in Englishtown, however, despite the eventual outcome. Jamie was there to help us for the weekend, and Cynthy brought baby Ryan to the track for Saturday and Sunday. This was baby Ryan’s (too many Ryans!) first time at the racetrack, and he did great. He laughed and played and seemed to love all of the excitement. Jim and Jamie even had him sitting in the race car, and he looked like a natural. LOL

Having Jamie at the track this weekend was definitely nice. Jamie and Jon work together so well, and they bring so much experience to our team; they also love working with Ryan. They say that Ryan’s driving skills make all of us look good. I couldn’t agree more.

After Englishtown, Jim drove the rig back to the shop, unloaded the rig and once again returned to the engine shop to help out with some new engine ideas. Apparently, during the course of some extensive R & D they have found some exciting new things to try, and Jim wanted to be able to help out. The last time I talked to him, he was very excited about their progress and said he can’t wait for Ryan to race these new engines next weekend in Norwalk. Sounds good to me!

Well, Jim just called and all is going well. He hopes to be home by Friday — just in time to celebrate Father’s Day with the kids! Before I close, I want to say Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there — especially mine! (I love you Dad!!) I hope every one of you have a great weekend. Hopefully, you are able to spend lots of quality time with the people that are the most important to you! Here is a small tribute to all of you dads:
 

Dad is a person

Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.

He’s someone who listens,
suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!

He’s proud of your triumphs,
but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong

In all that you do,
a dad’s love plays a part.
There’s always a place for him
deep in your heart.

And each year that passes,
you’re even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!

Thank you, Dad...
for listening and caring,
for giving and sharing,
but, especially, for just being you!

Happy Father’s Day!