So my mom, Ruth, came to visit last week from California. She took time off from her job where she works as a registered nurse at a hospital in Eureka. It was a nice time for her to come to Michigan because the fall colors are really pretty right now. We did a lot of driving around, sightseeing, and enjoying the scenery. She got the chance to see what I see every day. She got to see my condo, the Kalitta shop, etc. When we stopped into the Kalitta shop, Dave Grubnic happened to be there preparing for his upcoming race. He was nice enough to take a second and pose for a picture with us. My Mom also sat in the cockpit of a dragster for the first time when she sat in the one I use for my practice tree.

I’m not much of a cook so I couldn’t make my Mom good food while she was here, but at least I know where to find some. Right after she flew in, I took her to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner in Ann Arbor called Vinology. The food and wine are excellent. We ate somewhere good every night that she was here. One of my new favorites is a sushi place we went to in Royal Oak called Ronin Sushi. It was delicious too.

Another night we went to a March of Dimes Charity event in Dearborn. There were foods from all the best restaurants in the surrounding Detroit area and people could just go around and sample different things. There were some really great items there. The event was an auction that raised funds for March of Dimes. I didn’t know a whole lot about this organization prior to this event, but my Mom and I both learned about how they help families with babies that are born prematurely. It was neat event, and I was thankful to have been invited.

My mom and I also did a lot of shopping while she was here. There are a couple of good malls that aren’t too far from where I live. We also shopped in Royal Oak, which is about a 50 minute drive northeast from Ypsilanti. There are some cute little shops up there, some nice art galleries, and an interesting European wine shop. We’ve always liked shopping together.

However it didn’t really matter where we went or what we did, it was just nice spending time with my mom. I can’t even remember the last time we got to spend so much one-on-one time together. My schedule and my living so far away don’t make that very easy.

While we were shopping, my mom noticed all the purples that are in stores now. You may have noticed that it’s a popular color for fashion right now. It just happens to be my favorite color of all time and so my Top Alcohol Dragster design for the upcoming races has a lot of purple in it. Our uniforms are also going to have some purple too. I can’t wait for you all to see the specially designed wrap by 702 Graphics and the uniforms designed by Vicci. Needless to say, our team will be in fashion. J I’m going to write a blog on Thursday while I’m out at the track and the car is getting wrapped. I’ll introduce you to the entire team: crew chief, Tom Conway, and the crew of Ms. Stacey Beller, Ms. Sallie Knight, and Ms. Chanda Mills.

So my mom went back west to go home, and now I’m looking forward to going west too. I fly to Las Vegas tomorrow. I’ll be out at the track on Thursday, and then I get to actually go down the track for the first time all year on Friday when qualifying begins at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. I can’t even tell you how excited I am to get back in a dragster! The last time I drove was last December in Australia when we raced Top Fuel at the Scott Kalitta Memorial race.

I’ve never driven an injected nitro dragster before. When I raced in the Top Alcohol class in 2005 and half of 2004 with my family’s Bucky Austin-tuned car, we ran a blown alcohol combination. It will be fun to switch over to the A/Fuel combination. Procedurally, it’s just like driving a Top Fuel dragster. Of course I’ve been checking the weather conditions and the cooler conditions predicted are good news for the A/Fuel cars.

While I would like to be battling for a championship like some of the other drivers, I’m obviously not in the position this year, so I just get to go out there, try to be the spoiler to all the other racers, and win the event. I’m counting down the hours until I’ll be in my firesuit again, strapped in the dragster, and racing down the track. J

So in Thursday’s blog, I’ll also explain a little more to you about Get Screened America, which is my sponsor for the rest of the year. Get Screened America is all about trying to keep our fans and fellow racers healthy by encouraging health checks like blood pressure tests, blood glucose level tests , cholesterol level checks, and other tests. It’s a pretty neat deal that they have and even my mom, the nurse, was really glad to hear that I am helping to promote this cause. Anyway, enough for now. I will introduce you to my team and sponsor from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday!!

So the new National DRAGSTER just landed on my desk. Not only do I like the new look of the magazine, but I really like what’s on the cover: The late Scott Kalitta’s DHL Funny Car. This issue is definitely a keeper. The Funny Car team, with Connie Kalitta, Nick Boninfante, Jon Oberhofer, and Jeff Arend and all the guys finally did it. It was so awesome that they could get Scott’s car to the winner’s circle where it belongs, and where it will go many more times. That team has been through a lot, but they haven’t given up. They got the big win on Monday, Oct. 5 in Memphis. I was really thankful that I could be there to witness the big win that day. I know how much it means to all those guys, to Scott’s family, and to all the Kalittas. I was thankful that I happened to be at that race and could be there on the starting line for their win and also for the celebration afterward.

Jeff’s wife, Windy, made every member of the team beaded bracelets that say Scott’s name on it. It also has “319 forever,” which was his number. I wear the bracelet every day to remember Scott.

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I prefer to be busy though so this is a good thing. I’ve gone to all the races except Richmond. Plus I’m trying to get all the details worked out to drive the Get Screened America Top Alcohol Dragster at the end of the season. I’m trying to get everything done now so that when the race comes I don’t have to think about anything but driving. I want to do the best job I can of representing our sponsors. The Tom Conway-tuned dragster is going to have a nice-looking wrap put on it, the team will have brand new uniforms, and I’m having new hero cards made. This is all a bit challenging because I’m on a limited budget and I have a limited amount of time. It’s also fun trying to plan and figure out how to do all this. I can’t wait to show you what it’s all going to look like.

A big part of my goal for these races is to raise money for Operation Holiday Hope. During my time off this year, I decided that when I got back to driving I would be racing with more of a purpose. That’s why I’m now racing to raise money for a cause that means a lot to me. This organization is branch of Metro Ministries which was founded by Pastor Bill Wilson in Brooklyn, N.Y. I was introduced to Pastor Bill in my rookie season of Top Fuel and he invited me to the Metro Ministries headquarters in 2006. I saw children living in poverty like I’ve never seen before in this country. But then I got to see the hope and love that Pastor Bill’s organization provides for these kids. I got to hug them and laugh with them.

Pastor Bill has been a huge supporter of mine through some tough times over the last couple of years. I want to give back to him and his organization. I hope that I can get the racers and race fans to get behind me on this. All the money raised will go toward buying Christmas presents for the kids he reaches out to in his organization. There’s more information about it on my website. http://www.HillaryWillRace.com/Racing_For_Causes.html
There’s also an email address on the page you can click on if you have any questions or comments.

Of course I’m still working full on time on sponsorship for Top Fuel in 2010. It seems as though there has been a lot more interest and prospects lately which gives me hope, but I don’t have anything for sure yet. Things are definitely great for me right now. J My Mom is coming into town this weekend so I’m excited about that. I haven’t seen her since January, and it will be her first visit to Michigan so hopefully I’ll be a good host and find fun stuff for us to do. Maybe I’ll have good pics in my next blog.
 

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.

I’m really glad I decided to go to Maple Grove this passed weekend for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Pennsylvania. It’s really cool just being there, seeing everyone and interacting with my fans. I was at the track from Thursday to Monday and enjoyed every second.

I’m really thankful that my I have a pass that allows me to stand really, really close to the starting line. I took a picture when Ashley Force was running to show you the view that I had. I stood there pretty much all day on race day except during second round when I did some announcing with Bob Frey. I watch most of qualifying from there, too. Sometimes I go to the other side to change it up a little. I watched the Pro classes as well as Top Alcohol and some other Sportsman classes. I love to get as close as I possibly can to the starting line. It’s the best seat in the house. I love how it smells. I love the smoke getting in my eyes. The ground underneath me shakes my whole body. I can almost feel like I’m in the driver’s seat. It’s sort of like torture because I want to be in the driver’s seat so bad, but I just keep reminding myself that I will be back.

It actually helps me to stand there because I watch the Christmas Tree come down, and I practice my reaction times. With every pair that goes down the track, I visualize as if I’m actually leaving the starting line in my car. Also I like to watch the people on the teams and their reactions after a win or a loss. There’s a lot of raw emotion from people who don’t generally show any.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was hanging out with my teammates from 2006, ’07, and ’08. I went out to the track on Thursday after I flew into Philly, and the guys were just finishing with set up. They were going to dinner at Santino’s in Reading for some Italian food and asked me to go along. It was like old times hanging out with them on the road again. We used to always go out either on Thursday nights before the race or Sunday night after the race. In the picture is Troy, Chris (Beaker), Mac, Trucker Mike, and Tom. Those guys became like my brothers. We went through a lot in those three years, and I know they were really skeptical about me when I first came on the team. We all stuck together through my rookie ups and downs in ’06, the crash in the beginning of ’07 followed by a very disappointing season, but then we came back really strong in 2008. We had a lot of post-race pity parties in 2007 and a lot of post-race celebrations in 2008. I think it takes a special sort of group to pull together and stay determined to win like we did. We went from finishing 13th in 2007 to finishing 4th in 2008. We even capped off the season with a win in Australia. Needless to say, we always have a lot of good memories to talk about. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys. They are very hard working and extremely dedicated to what they do and just all around cool people. It was great hanging out with Troy, Beaker, Mac, Trucker Mike, and Tom and talking about all the “remember when’s.” There’s a few from that team who weren’t there and missing from the picture like Jim O., Scott, Dewey, and Jerry.

It was also great seeing some my very loyal fans again. They are so encouraging. I’m so very thankful for their support. Lindsey was at the track on Saturday, and we got to catch up. I also got to see Donny, Kim, and Nyck for the second time this year. I saw them in Englishtown. I have to say hello to Danny and thanks for the support!

It’s a big week for my family. My brothers Austin and Kevin turn 16 tomorrow. I can’t believe it. Of course they have appointments with the DMV to get their driver’s license tomorrow, too. I’m sure they will do fine. When Austin was here visiting for the Norwalk race, he drove us to and from the track everyday, and he’s a really good driver. Kevin and Austin started school Monday and are sophomores now. My sister, Jessica, just started her senior year. She will turn 18 a week from today. That’s so crazy. I miss them and wish I could have been there for Jessica’s last first day of school. I wish I could be there when the boys get their licenses, when they turn 16, and when Jessica turns 18. I hope they have a great week, and I’m definitely thinking of them. I’m sure we will all see each other at a race soon.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week, too. I will be busy continuing my sponsor search, of course. My weekend at Maple Grove gave me extra motivation. I want to drive MORE THAN EVER. Then I’ll leave for Indy a week from today. Talk to you again soon.

I’ve been spending more time with friends and doing things I didn’t used to take the time to do. Like last weekend I drove northeast about two hours to Lake Huron with some friends. Being by that lake was so awesome; it reminded me of the ocean. I was born and raised in California so naturally I have a love for the ocean. I’ve really missed it since I’ve lived in Michigan. I’ve been missing out by not exploring this state and seeing the Great Lakes. Little did I know, Lake Huron looks, smells, feels, and sounds like the ocean. It doesn’t taste like it though because it’s fresh water, which might qualify it as being a little better than the ocean. Maybe. I even went swimming in it on Sunday. I can’t even remember the last time I swam in a lake, ocean, or river. It was so refreshing. I will definitely have to go again before summer is over.

After a fun and relaxing weekend, I came back recharged and motivated this week. What a concept. It’s really tough to measure progress in the sponsor hunt because obviously I’m not back out on the track, which is my ultimate goal, but I’m still plugging away. I’m increasing my contact list all the time. I’m building relationships. I’m learning. I’m doing research. I’m always sending letters. I had a number of conference calls and meetings this week. On Thursday, we participated in a webinar that focused on creating more effective sponsor proposals. It offered a lot of helpful advice and great tips. It also reinforced some things that we’re already doing. It seems like any company, any racer, any marketing firm, or even any fan I talk to has an opinion about the “right” way to do a sponsor proposal. Of course they’re all different. Of course I appreciate the advice. It reminds me of when I was first learning to drive Top Fuel. Everyone had the “right” way of doing it. I really appreciated all the advice. I tried to listen to everyone and learned that when you do that, you end up listening to no one. I should remember that. Obviously things eventually worked out with the driving part. I should apply what I learned with that to what I’m doing right now. Anyway, I just got off on a tangent here. Sorry about that.

I get relief from all this stuff by going up and using my practice Tree. It’s right upstairs from where I work, and it’s great to be able to just go freshen up on my reaction-time skills a couple of times a day.

If it were up to me, I would think about racing 24/7. But like I said before, it’s really not good for me. I’ve learned the hard way that I have to have other things in my life besides racing. And I think I’m much more pleasant to be around now. The irony is that I spend less time thinking about racing and sponsorship now, but the time that I do spend on it seems to be more productive and efficient. I’m not sure what’s in store for me this weekend. So far, I know I’m going to a Tigers baseball game on Saturday and enjoying the wonderful summer weather in Michigan. :) Have a good weekend!

Anyway, I’ve been in need of some advice and I thought Cristen would be a great person to talk to since she has had similar experiences in the sport that I have. I called around and got her number fairly easily. I wish I had called her earlier. I could have used her advice numerous times. It can be challenging being in a male-dominated field. She was very inspirational. She mentioned how her greatest motivation comes when people tell her she can’t do something. She was like, "Just TELL me I can’t do something,” in a provoking and challenging manner. I won’t get into everything we talked about but I’m so glad that there are people like her who have done this all before, who are willing to share their knowledge and give me helpful advice from what they have learned. That conversation helped me a lot.

Hopefully I can and have been doing the same for other racers. I’m trying to be as supportive as I can, but not overly supportive and annoying, for my younger brothers and sisters who are just getting into racing. I have no idea what their future plans are in the sport. I don’t think they know yet. I do know they are having tons of fun right now. My two 15-year-old brothers, Kevin and Austin, are racing Jr. Dragsters right now. Both boys are winning rounds and Kevin is leading the points at our home track, Samoa Dragstrip in Eureka, Calif.

I mentioned my sister, Kim, a little while back, who just started racing Super Gas in our dad’s '71’Dodge Challenger back in April. She goes to about two races a month on the West Coast with my Dad, Grandpa, and brother Austin. She won her first race already! This was also at Samoa Dragstrip. It was so awesome when she called me on the Sunday night after she won. I could feel the excitement in her voice. No one can understand the feeling of that first win until you do it.

Then I got to see Kim race for the first time ever when I was at the Sonoma race a couple of weeks ago. It was so cool. She, my Dad, Grandpa, brother Austin, and cousin Trysten were there for the Fram Autolite Nationals. It was her first national event. It was definitely a different role for me to just back and be the observer/ supporter. I had a great time.

My other sister, Jessica, came the following weekend for the Division 7 race at Infineon. Jessica, is 17 and she got her super comp license last year. She’s been really busy with high school things so she hasn’t had a whole lot of time for racing, but she was able to come for this race. I couldn’t stay, but I did a lot of texting with Jessica before and after her runs. She did awesome.

With Kim and Jessica it was the first time that any of us girls have raced at the same event. With my Dad tuning, they both won first round. It was really cool. They all called me and were so excited. We were so happy, including my Grandpa and brother, Austin. I had the biggest smile on my face. The desire and love for racing must truly be an inherited gene.

I’m very grateful to be a racer. Like I always say, my Dad could have made me stay home and play with my dolls when I was growing up. Fortunately, when he went to the races, he took me too. Cristen said the same kind of thing. Like my parents, her parents supported whatever it was she wanted to do. My Dad took me to that race in Sonoma back in 1997. I was 17 and already hooked on racing, but had never actually been down the track. I definitely had some fear about it to be honest. Then I saw Cristen racing and succeeding that weekend at Sonoma; she was the “Worlds Quickest & Fastest Teenager.” It was right after that race, I remember, I asked my Dad if I could take my street car down the track to see what kind of numbers it would turn. I never imagined that 12 years later I would be where I am today. It’s so amazing the way life works out.

I’m excited to see where the next 12 will take me. I better get back to work, because I want it to be full of more racing and more great times. With all this racing in the family, somebody better be good at securing sponsorship. Back to work ?
 

So I’m a little sad today because my brother, Austin, flew back home to California after a two week vacation with me. It went by too fast. We had a lot of fun. We went to the race in Norwalk. We went to Rick Fischer’s annual fire works show in Brighton, Mich., which was awesome. We went to a Tigers game in Detroit. We went to places Austin can’t go to in Fortuna, Calif., where he lives, like Buffalo Wild Wings, Cold Stone Creamery, and Panera Bread.

Austin is almost 16 and has his driving permit so he did some of the driving whenever we went places. He’s a good driver. He doesn’t get us lost like I do. It does seem weird to have my little brother driving though. One day we were bored so we drove to Ohio to get some good fireworks. We lit a few every night around midnight for the enjoyment of my neighbors. Other than that, we just got to relax and enjoy the summer days of Michigan, which was really nice. His visits are my favorite part of summer.

Now it’s time to get back to focusing on my quest to get back driving. Lately, I’ve been working with someone who knows a lot about marketing. His name is David Lett, and he’s helping me out a lot. We sat down about two months ago and formulated some goals and sub-goals to accomplish with a particular time frame. Then we wrote out specific action steps about how we’re going to achieve these goals. It’s easy to stray from our goals but we meet regularly and try to stay on track.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I’m focusing on reaching out to companies and building relationships. I’m also learning how to build my brand. David has a well versed background in this subject matter. We are coming up with some new and innovative ideas. Today, for example we sent a video proposal to a potential sponsor in Brazil. We have a lot of exciting things that we’re doing. We have revamped my website. Go ahead and take a look www.HillaryWillRace.com

In 2006, Scott’s Funny Car team and my KB Racing Top Fuel team went to what is now Summit Motorsports Park for big event held by another drag race sanctioning body. The track is less than two hours from our shop in Ypsilanti so we all decided to go racing on our weekend off. It was a long weekend with a lot of rain delays. I think it took until well past midnight on Sunday, but both Scott and I both managed to advance to the final round. It was really cool because we had both struggled that season, he with the newly formed Funny Car team and me being new to Top Fuel. However, that day it seemed like both our teams were finally doing well and making progress.

We didn’t get to run the final that night because it started to rain again. The weather forecast for the next few days looked really bad. Connie had some business to take care of so he decided to leave and send the Funny Car team back home so they could prepare for the next race. Our dragster team decided we could wait it out a couple days if we had to, to compete in the final.

Everyone was really tired from a long, exhausting weekend. The fans had to go home, our families had to get home, but we stayed to race. Scott stayed even though he wasn’t racing. The next day, it stopped raining just long enough for us to run the final. Scott was standing right up at the starting line with the rest of my team when we ran. We won the race. That was my very first Top Fuel win. Scott was always a huge supporter of me and my team. I definitely struggled a lot my first year, and he was always there like a big brother to offer advice and help me out. Scott was the one who taught me how taught me how to drive Top Fuel and he let me license in his dragster. I’m so thankful that Scott was there for my first win that day in Norwalk. I just kept thinking of that whenever I went to the starting line last weekend. I’m glad I have that memory of Scott and glad I could share it here.

I hope you all have a nice Fourth of July weekend. My brother, Austin, is here from California. We’re going to an awesome fireworks show on Saturday night, and we also got some of our own in Ohio. I’ll have some picture to share next week. Have a fun and safe holiday.

So I know I keep talking about how great my desire is to be back driving Top Fuel again. I haven’t really talked about what I’m doing to achieve my goal.

I come into the Kalitta Motorsports shop almost every morning. I have a nice office to spread my stuff out and work. My computer and the telephone are the most important tools for me right now. I start out my day by first going on Facebook and probably spending too much time on it. Then I check my e-mails and respond to fan mail and others. I always read the news to see how the economy is doing. Thankfully, there is starting to be some good news. In January and February, I stopped reading the news or watching it because it seemed to be all bad news and it was really depressing. It was also around that time that I was getting very little response from any companies when I inquired about them becoming a marketing partner.

Today things are looking a little better. I’ve noticed that the economic news is slowly starting to turn around, and I’m starting to generate more interest little by little with companies of all different types. It’s actually kind of exciting.

I went to Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago to the Licensing International Expo at Mandalay Bay. The expo was described as “the ultimate meeting place to build partnerships, preview what’s coming, and create the deals that move products off the shelves.” I knew I needed to be there from the minute I heard about it. I had the opportunity to talk with companies from all over the world — U.S., Canada, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Korea, and the list goes on. I talked with a lot of people and made some great contacts (The Smurfs were there and they took a photo with me, but they aren’t ready to go 300 mph just yet) I didn’t walk away with a signed deal, which wasn’t my objective, but I think it was definitely worth going. Now a lot of companies know about me and about NHRA Drag Racing that didn’t before.

I’m learning that raising money is about building relationships. A company doesn’t just want to hand over a given amount of money for me to go racing. They want to invest their money, trust in where it’s going, and see results from the investment.

I’ve been busy following up with all these new contacts. It’s process of contacting them via e-mail and or phone, finding out their marketing goals, and trying to find how we can meet their marketing goals, then conveying that to them in a clear and cogent presentation. The presentation, if we’re fortunate enough to even get the appointment, requires traveling to wherever this company is located. It’s process that takes time and patience.

I’m learning as I go here. I don’t know if it’s the right way, but I’ll keep plugging away. I have some great help too, so I tell you about that soon. I’m looking forward to being at the Norwalk race this weekend! I’ll be keeping updates on Twitter page https://twitter.com/HillaryWill and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hillary.will
 
 
 


 

It was really nice to be back at the track this last weekend. I went to the race in Englishtown, N.J. It was great being able to smell nitro again, hear the roar of a nitro motor, and feel the ground shake as a fuel car launched. I definitely know that my desire to be back in a Top Fuel dragster is stronger than EVER.

A lot of my friends, fans, and supporters asked me over the weekend when I’m going to be back behind the wheel. I still don’t have the exact answer. All I can tell everyone is that I WILL be back driving a Top Fuel dragster; I just don’t know when. I could be this year. It could be next year. I could be 40, I could be 60. The desire to drive and to win does not go away.
 
I went to the Englishtown race to honor Scott Kalitta. This was the place where he took his final lap down the race track nearly one year ago. I think I can speak for everyone at Team Kalitta when I say we miss him terribly.

We were sort of dreading the Englishtown race because of the inevitable memories it would bring. However we had a team meeting before the race and decided to use the race as a means to celebrate Scott’s life.

Although he isn’t physically here anymore, he is still very much in our hearts. We always laugh, when we tell stories about something he said or did. Telling Scott stories was the theme of our weekend.

On Saturday evening, a big crowd of storytellers gathered in the Kalitta pit for a feast.

The Poulin family, longtime Kalitta Racing supporters and Mac Tool Distributors, drove down from Maine and brought 100 lobsters with them. They served those, along with steak, salmon, tuna, chicken, fried cheese sticks, and garlic French Fries. (Special thanks to Joe, Donna, Jenica, and Logan Poulin!)

It seemed like just about every team in the pro pits stopped by at some point. Even though it was pouring down rain outside, a lot of people came by and huddled under the DHL awnings. Even some folks from ESPN came over.

We all feasted, laughed, remembered Scott, and had a good time.

I’m definitely grateful to know so many cool people and be part of such a great sport. I wish like anything that Scott was still physically here but I feel that remembering him and celebrating his life is the best thing we can do.

I’ll talk to you all again real soon.
 

My younger sister, Kim, lives in California and although we haven’t seen one another very much over the last several years, we talk on the phone a lot. Lately, our conversations have taken on a whole new sound. She has converted. She has caught the disease of which there is no cure called racing. Unlike me, she has been able to resist it for the first 24 years of life. Now she has started racing Super Gas and she’s hooked. She talks like a racer now. She says things like, “I won first round and I thought I would be able to relax a little because I was just happy to win my first round for the first time. But I realized it just made me want to win more. I didn’t think I could want it more, but I wanted to win second round more badly than the first.” Welcome to racing, Kim.

It’s fun to be able to talk about racing with her and what it’s like to be behind the wheel. I love how she describes what it’s like to stage and have the tree comes down. She talks about the feeling she gets when the car launches. Then she described the exhilaration and excitement after she won that first round. I can so relate. I really enjoy listening to her talk about it. She will often call or text me before during and after her races. She has had three or four so far. I’ll admit I’m sort of living vicariously through her. She reminds me how much I can’t wait to get back in the driver’s seat.

It is with that in mind that I realize I have to stay motivated to secure funding so that I can get back out there. To be honest with you though, I sometimes get frustrated when it comes to finding a sponsor. Rejection can be discouraging. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong, and I become unmotivated at times. Finding a sponsor is so much like being a salesperson. I’m selling myself, my team, and our sport. I’m selling a commodity to a company and trying to assure them what they will get in return. This doesn’t “seem” that difficult because it’s something I believe in SO much. I’m by nature, not a salesperson. I think it’s a great skill to have in life but it’s not something I excel at, especially when it comes to selling myself. I do think I’m getting better get though. Thankfully, I have great support around me, and I’m not giving up.

Last week I got reminded that I’m not just finding a sponsor so I can fulfill my need to be back on the track driving, competing, and winning. There are plenty more people who will benefit from it.

Definitely the people whose livelihoods depend on selling race car parts. I was reminded of this when I went up to Charlotte, Mich.,last week, where our chassis builder, Chuck Lett, builds our race cars. Now is a tough time for his company, Attac Race Cars, because people aren’t ordering as many race cars. He’s eager get back to the way things were when we had four race cars at Kalitta Motorsports.

I’m sure a lot of our vendors can share those sentiments. Obviously we rely on a lot of companies for our parts and pieces to make the cars run. Some of these companies really took a hit because there are fewer full time teams on the race track. Obviously the amount purchased from here is down significantly and I’m sure that’s tough on some of them. Helping out these companies and Chuck’s is a good motivator for me to keep pounding the pavement, and bring in some revenue.

I definitely got another motivator from the visit up North. I went with Chuck and his wife, Ann, to visit a couple elementary schools. Chuck explained to students the process of building a top fuel dragster and I talked about what I do. It’s always great to see how excited kids get about racing. First, we went to Springport Elementary School in Springport, MI where they were having a career day. Many of the students dressed up for the occasion. We gave presentations to four different classes. He brought a lot of the parts and pieces for the kids to touch. They liked it when Chuck let them try and pull a strand of carbon fiber, which is major component in top fuel dragster body, in two pieces and they could not. Chuck emphasized the importance of math skills and showed them blue prints of the chassis before it’s built. Then we showed some racing footage so they could see his creation on TV. I spoke to them about driving and answered any of their questions.

We did a similar presentation that same day at Potterville Elementary where Chuck and Ann’s son, Nicholas attends. We spoke to two classes of third graders. They were so attentive and well-mannered. At the end, we asked trivia questions about what we had talked about. The kids definitely paid attention because they answered all the questions correctly and the winners got KB Racing team uniforms. Then I got to have my picture taken with my newly recruited teammates. I was told they all wore the uniforms to school the next day which made me happy.

I had a really great day visiting the schools. All the kids were so excited and full of life. It’s fun for me to go into schools and be in that atmosphere. I love that my job allows me to do things like that. So I think that talking to my sister about her newly acquired “hobby,” the trip to Charlotte, and the school visits have come at just the right time for me and have given me just the inspiration and motivation I need to work hard to get us back out racing. I am hopeful good things will happen.

Speaking of motivation, Alan Reinhart sent me a text message urging me to get a blog done since I’ve been procrastinating so long. Thanks for the encouragement Alan ;-) Sometimes everybody needs a little kick in the butt.

I’ll be rooting for my teammates this weekend racing in Bristol. I think it’s g to be a great weekend for them. I’m excited for the season finales of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars next week. I think that Kris Allen is going to pull off the upset win in AI even though Adam is my favorite. I’m hoping fellow, former gymnast Shawn Johnson gets the win in the dancing show next week. OK, enough of my rambling. Have a great weekend!
 

Hello from Michigan. I appreciate everyone who has been so encouraging. I’ve received some cards, hand-written letters, and e-mails that mean a lot to me and I’m really thankful for the support. I am writing to you today from the Kalitta Motorsports shop where I gladly spend most of my week days. Believe it or not, I haven’t traveled anywhere in over six weeks. I think this is the longest stretch of time I have stayed at home since I can remember. All the traveling over the past several years has been great for me, especially because winters here can be so brutal, but I’ve actually found it really nice to stay in one place for awhile. I’ve found it’s cheaper now since I can buy eggs by the dozen now and milk by the gallon and not have it go bad. And I’ve even discovered there is sunshine to be found here in Michigan, I just have to get up early in the morning to see it.

While I’ve finally learned to relax and enjoy the comforts of home, I’m definitely ready to go racing. I know my KB dragster is, too. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to spend time with him just about every day. He is just sitting at the shop, patiently waiting to go back on the road. I took a photo of him today. I sit in him sometimes, I clean him, talk to him. He is ready to race! I keep telling him I’m doing my best to make that happen because I know we have a lot more winning left in us.

In the meantime, I have been trying to stay busy. The Webelos Cub Scouts of Pack 9, Fortis Academy of Ypsilanti came to our shop the other day, so I was happy to talk about racing with them. I led the six scouts, their leader, Christian Overland, and some parents through the Kalitta shop. I showed them Doug’s dragster, Jeff Arend’s Funny Car, the machine shop, and of course I took them to the quiet side of the shop where my KB team and David Grubnic’s team used to work. My dragster appreciated the visitors.

I explained how the cars work, I described drag racing, and I talked about what it takes to drive. I also sprinkled in some inspirational words about the importance of education and working hard in school. The boys were very attentive and enthusiastic. They asked really great questions.

It seemed liked the scouts really liked being able to see our crew members hard at work getting ready for the next race. Rob, from the DHL team took the time to explain about his job doing cylinder heads. Jason, from the DHL team, demonstrated how to change a Funny Car tire. Then one of the scouts, Zach, proudly tightened a lug nut to 100 pounds torque. The boys were excited that they would then be able to watch that very same tire go down the track in a race on TV. It worked out perfect because the scouts need to learn tire changing skills to earn their Handyman Badge. It was fun having the Webelos Cub Scouts at our shop.

I almost asked them if I could qualify for the Handywoman Badge because I ended up changing the tire on my everyday car the week before. I got a flat while I was driving along on a busy street in Ypsilanti. It was quite the scene, but I didn’t tell the scouts about the incident.

When it first went flat, I tried to pretend it didn’t happen, and I drove along for a little bit and listened to the rubber flap around hitting the fender well while my wheel clanged against the pavement and the car went lopsided. I finally came to terms with the fact that I had a flat and cautiously pulled over on a side street.

{GALLERY_tire}I don’t have AAA and I generally don’t like asking for help so I decided to fix it myself. I searched around and dug out the jack and all the tools which I hadn’t come across once in the three years I’ve had the car. I didn’t even know where they were. Once I took out all the junk I had piled inside my car, I was able to find the tools I needed. That was actually the hardest part. I lowered the spare, loosened the lug nuts, jacked the car up and went through the steps. I thought the poor little jack they gave me was going to bust, but it held up okay. It’s a good thing I remembered to fully tighten the lug nuts once it was fully on the ground because surely my mighty strength would have knocked the car off the jack … ha-ha.

The whole process took me a good hour and a half from start to finish. I only got a little dirty and, thankfully, no strangers offered to help. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I called both my parents after I was done. I knew my mom would have fixed the tire herself if she had been in my position. I knew my dad raised me to be the type of person who could change her tire by herself if she needs to. I’ve been driving around on that spare for about two weeks, and it hasn’t fallen off, so I must have done something right.

This weekend I should probably go get a new tire since I’m driving around on a spare without a spare. But in all honestly, I’ll probably procrastinate that a little longer. I don’t really have a lot planned this weekend. I’m getting my hair highlighted; maybe she can make it little more orange this time. Just kidding.

Also this weekend, I’ll be doing some cheering from home. The Michigan gymnastics team is traveling to Arkansas for their NCAA Regionals. I’m a big fan and have gone to a lot of their home meets so I’ll be following the results online. I wish them luck and hopefully they qualify for nationals. Of course I’ll also be cheering for my teammates who are racing in Las Vegas this weekend. I’ll be following via the NHRA audio broadcast, ESPN2, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Good luck guys and have fun!!

Right now, I’m sitting with my laptop, staring out the window and I mostly all I see is snow and ice. I’m hibernating in my house right now because I'm told that it’s minus zero with the wind chill right now. It’s actually kind of pretty out there. Did I just say that snow was pretty? Maybe I’m getting used to it. I have spent more time than usual in this frigid Michigan weather this January. I’m fortunate because I don’t have to leave my condo a lot. The things I need to do just require a phone and a computer, right now. My main goal is to secure funding and go Top Fuel racing. That requires a lot of phone calls, emails, research, and whatever else this is going to take.

It’s going to be an interesting journey. I guess this is part of the life of a professional race car driver. There are a lot of highs and lows. I was on a great high from winning in Australia a little over a month ago. Now it’s a new kind of low having the first race of the season start and I’m not on the entry list. I’ll still keep blogging and fill you in on as many details as I can, because I will be back out racing again. I just can’t tell you when. I have some great fans and great supporters that I am eternally thankful for. I pray that everyone will stick with me through this journey. I need my supporters more than ever.

I’ll be out at the Winternationals this weekend. I couldn’t stay away if you paid me. I miss driving already and I can’t imagine how much I’m going to miss it the first time I hear a top fuel dragster fire up, or the first time a smell one. I’m not going to lie; it’s going to be tough being on the sidelines because driving is my passion. It’s what I do. It’s what I love. Believe me, I’ve done a lot of thinking and considered a lot of careers. All I really want to do is drive top fuel. I will stay positive and stay determined so I can be back out there.

I think it’s going to be an interesting season. I’m predicting that Doug Kalitta wins the championship. Some of the guys from my team that made us so successful last year, are now on Doug’s teams: crew chief Jim Oberhofer, assistant crew chief Troy Fasching, Mac Savage, Mike LaJoice, and Tom Davis. I think those guys will do really well again this year.

This was the first time in a long time, that I didn’t have any preseason testing. Instead of being too down about it, I decided to spend some time with my mom, Ruth, and my sister, Kim. I hadn’t seen my sister in over a year. Since I apparently like snow now, we decided to go on a little ski trip. I laughed so much on the entire trip. I needed it. It didn’t matter if we were driving in the car, at a restaurant, on the lift, going down the mountain. I was so happy to be with them, I just laughed.

We had two days of skiing. I was a little rusty at first. Since I became a professional driver in 2005, I wouldn’t go skiing because I didn’t want to break something and have to sit out any races. I’m not one who can do something half way. Skiing carefully isn’t really an option for me because I tend to go all out. I came away from this trip, thankfully, with only a few minor bruises. I had a couple wipe outs but I actually relaxed and kind of took my time. I had to remind myself that it’s not a race to get down the mountain.

My mom, Kim, and I did a lot of reminiscing about old times. I made fun of and laughed at my little sister like old times. One night in the hotel, I tried to teach them the dance moves Beyonce does in the video to her song, "Single Ladies." It was so funny. Too bad I don’t even know how to do the dance, but it was hilarious trying.

Recently, I came across a passage by Joel Osteen that said, “One of the greatest stress relievers God has given us is laughter. It not only makes us feel better, but it actually releases healing throughout our system. When we laugh, it restores and rejuvenates what the pressures of life have taken out.” I definitely found that to be true.

I’ll write a blog again soon. I know that I really have no excuse for the procrastination. One fan wrote to me and said, “C’mon Hillary write a blog. How busy can you really be? “ I laughed, but then I wrote. I’ll talk to you again soon. Thanx for reading  :)