Hey guys!  I am going to write this blog and tell you guys about my wedding day. It was the greatest day of my life.

I have been planning this for 10 months. On Thursday, Oct. 15 we had the rehearsal dinner. I wanted to do something different. The usual places were not very appealing to me. I chose PF Changs in Greensboro, N.C. PF Changs is a gourmet Chinese restaurant. Matt and I had previously eaten at a PF Changs while in Charlotte with his sister. We went to the restaurant about two weeks before the rehearsal to choose the food we wanted to be served that night. We had several different entrées including everyone’s favorite, the lettuce wraps. We had about 30 people at our rehearsal dinner from our families to all the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The one surprise I had planned for Matthew was that I had a groom’s cake made with the MSR logo on it. It was beautiful. His favorite flavor is chocolate so it was chocolate with a big red MSR logo. Everyone sat around and talked after dinner. We passed out gifts for all the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Cara Marie, a special friend, made blankets for all my girls. All the girl’s names were embroidered on the blankets. They turned out really nice. All of the guys got gift cards to Best Buy. I am sure they liked that.  After rehearsal we went home and I actually slept. I didn’t think I would sleep a bit but I did.

On Oct. 16 I woke up very early. I felt like I had a lot to do but all I really had to do was load my car up and go down to the hotel. I couldn’t eat a thing. I loaded my car up with my long list of things that I had to take. I walked outside thinking my keys were in my purse and they were not. I had locked myself out of the house. I was talking to my sister on the phone and she kept telling me that was a sign of me being nervous.  I found another key and got back into the house to get my car keys.

I arrived at 12:30 at the hotel to check into my room. It was room 302 at Proximity Hotel. When I got there some of my bridesmaids were already waiting on me. I told them not to be late. Ha-ha. Christy had brought drinks and food for us to snack on while we were getting all dressed up. Before the hair and makeup people arrived we sat around telling stories of how I was in denial at first that I liked Matthew.  It was hilarious.

The hair and makeup crew arrived and now it was fun time. It only took them two hours to get nine girls ready. Those girls had it going on. Let me just tell you by the time we got everything done our room was a disaster. We all were beaming with great hair and makeup. All of the bridesmaids were dressed and then it was time for me to put on my wedding dress.

My dress was absolutely beautiful and I didn’t want anything messed up. I wanted it perfect, just like my hair and makeup. We decided that I couldn’t step into the dress because it laced up the back so we were going to put it over my head. Bad idea. We got it half way on and the dress got hung on my veil. The dress wouldn’t go up or down. I started yelling that my hair was getting messed up. Everyone was trying to calm me down. My dad heard me yelling and he wanted to know what was wrong with me. Nancy, Matt’s mother, told him that I was fine we were just having a dress crisis. After 30 minutes of unlacing and lacing we finally got the dress on. It was amazing. I bet I looked into the mirror 100 times before I went downstairs.

The photographer came up to get me because Matt and I decided to see each other before the wedding so the picture process would be faster after the wedding. It was going to be an intimate moment anyway. She took me down the spiral staircase and I saw Matthew waiting for me in the courtyard with his back turned where he couldn’t see me. I started crying. This is a day that I have dreamed of since I was a little girl and I was so excited to be marrying the man I love more than anything. As the tears were rolling down my face I walked out and they told him to turn around and the first thing he said was, “Oh my, you look so beautiful.” I was still crying and we just stood there holding one another and I got to give him a big kiss. I didn’t want to leave him at this point. I wanted to stay there forever. 

Our photographer positioned us for a couple of poses and then we were separated again. I went and had photos made with all the girls and this was a bunch of fun. We did lots of crazy things. I am sure the guys did to. By this time it was 5:45 and it was time. I was standing in the hallway with all my girls and then they left me. Reality hit when my sister kissed me and said she loved me and would see me soon. I took a quick peak of the audience. It was standing room only. It made me feel very special.

I met up with my daddy and I was nervous. I was taking a few deep breaths and he asked me if I was ready. I said absolutely. The music started to play and we started walking down the aisle. I had over 100 people looking at me and I was stunned. I saw Matthew waiting on me, smiling. My daddy was crying and there were a few tears in my eyes as well. We stood up there holding each other’s hands enjoying the best day of my life. I will say that I wrote my vows down because I wanted to say everything and not forget. I was so proud of Matthew. He didn’t write anything down and it was amazing what came from him. The whole audience was crying. Then my dad’s cell phone rang and broke the ice because a lot of people were in tears. He thought I was going to be so mad at him. I wasn’t. I actually thought it was funny.

They pronounced us husband and wife and we had our kiss. We were so happy to be married. We took a few more photos and then off to the reception. We did all of our dances and then it was surprise time for Matthew. I had been telling him that I had a surprise for him that no one knew about. It was a video put together from the last two years of us racing. It was awesome. Matthew loved it. We cut the cake and I was proud of him. I thought he was going to smear cake all over my face. He played nice. After that all we did all night was dance the night away. All of the girls I work with were there. We don’t get out much so needless to say it was a party on the dance floor. Around 10:30 we did the garter toss and bouquet toss. I was tired and ready to go to the room.

Everyone lined up outside of the hotel with bubbles and we ran through. We got into the car and took a short drive around the city. We came back to the hotel and ended our night after I got me some Pringles. I was starving and had to have a snack. It was so beautiful and it was a day I will always remember. I am so glad to be married to the best man in my world, Matthew Smith.

Just like to say thank you to all the bridesmaids and groomsmen that were in our wedding. If it wasn’t for each and every one of you it couldn’t have happened. To Cara Marie…Thank you so much for coming down to see your favorite couple get married and taking awesome photos while you were here. Mark and Marshall Stockseth for coming all the way from Texas. To Mike Earle, Tom Patsis, Jason Jones and Kim Kries for coming from out of town to celebrate our day with us. To Mr. And Mrs. Sonny Leonard for coming from Virginia.  To both of our parents for supporting us in everything we do. We love you guys. To everyone else that attended our wedding thank you so much for being a part of our special day. Thank you to everyone that sent gifts. We have so many new nice things for our new home.
 

What a busy month it has been! I will say first off that I am sorry I have not written sooner. Ang and I have been so busy with the house and the wedding that we can’t even see straight. I am here to give everyone an update on the racing program, the house and the wedding.

First off is the most important. I really feel like we have turned the corner with our NitroFish Suzuki. Every team goes through a slump every now and then and I think we did also. I think we have turned the corner at the right time.

In Indy not only did we have the normal race but we also had the Ringers Bike Battle. I have always wanted to win the shootout but I didn’t. I beat myself second round of the shootout against Hector. On Sunday we only got one pass because of rain but it was well worth it. I went to the top of the ladder. That is where all of our team’s momentum started. We didn’t have the Monday that we needed or wanted because I lost second round to Doug Horne.

The next race was Charlotte. It was our home race for both Ang and myself. All of our friends and family attended as usual. We also ran a second bike in Charlotte and L.E. Tonglet rode the bike. In Charlotte Ang made two awesome runs on Friday. She qualified 4th and I was 8th and L.E. was 11th. The bad news was that in first round of eliminations we all lost. It was devastating to say the least. Ang told me after the run that she watched me, and L.E. lose and she told herself all the pressure is on me. Well that’s where everything went wrong.

From now on if I can pick when she runs it will be in front of me. I stayed in Charlotte on Monday and tested. We made 5 passes down the track and three of those we ran quarter-mile. Needless to say we figured some things out. I got home Monday evening with just enough time to get the Klement/Rush Racing/Doc’s HD bike together for the Dallas event. Robby left Wednesday morning with the bike in a van headed south. He arrived in Texas in less than 18 hours.

Ang raced for the Klements at their home track. Everyone was so excited to see Karl and Kim back at the races. They are truly wonderful people. Friday we struggled some with the bike. We had an inner hub clutch issue. Thank God we figured it out. On Saturday Ang’s glove got stuck in the lever and she had a bad light and 60-foot time. I knew right away what the problem was. Q4 we really shined. Ang went out there and made a really straight and fast run and we did our job as a team. She ran a 7.04 to go to the 9th spot. Her whole team made her feel awesome when she pulled the bike back into the pit area. Everyone was standing and waiting for her and cheered when she pulled in. It was awesome. She went on to win first round on Sunday and then of course had to race the Harley’s second round and got beat. She did her job on the Tree but it wasn’t quite enough. She had a really fun and exciting weekend with the Klements and riding for Rush and Doc’s Harley Davidson.

As for the NitroFish Suzuki team we did well. We qualified 4th and went to the semifinals. Ang and I were hoping to race each other in the semi’s but it just didn’t happen this time. She lost to the Harleys and so did I. We are headed to Memphis with the same momentum we have had the last several races. We want a Wally and we are going to get it.

As for our house, it is coming along fast. We have battled some rain issues here and there but we had the footers put in about three weeks ago. The next step was pouring walls for the basement. That took about three days for the guys to pour the walls, form the walls, and then take down all the forms. On Tuesday of this past week they poured the floor for the basement. On Monday they will start framing the house. This has been a roller coaster ride so far but it’s a fun ride.

Lastly our wedding is two weeks away. I am excited and ready to get it over with. I am ready to be married to my girl. At times she gets a little stressed about the wedding that is the only reason why I am ready to get it over with. I am sure it’s going to be a day she will never forget and that’s what I want for us. She will look beautiful and everyone will see pictures soon. I will write again soon.
 

The last week has been consumed with starting my new house. There are many things you have to do before you start building. We have been getting permits and doing the perk test so we can start the house. Last Friday was the first day we started digging for our house. My cousin Tyler came up to help Robby, Michael, and myself. We actually had a great time. It took us about 8 hours to have everything dug out. We had mounds of dirt sitting everywhere, so the next day we had to spread some on the lawn to level the yard out. Ang decided to help us do this. We had 2 skid steers there, and I showed her how to operate it. It was funny seeing her move dirt. She actually did a great job. Towards the end of the day I could tell she was getting tired. I looked over, and she had dumped a whole bucket of dirt on herself. I laughed so hard at her. She told me she was so tired that she needed to quit. We got a lot accomplished that day. Now we are in the process of getting the footers and walls complete. I am really excited about the house project. We have a lot of projects going on that we are really excited about.

After the last race, Steve and I went to Indy to test. We had a great day in testing. We ended up the 2nd fastest bike of the test session. I was very happy with that. Most of the runs we made at Indy were 1,000-foot runs. We mainly worked on the front-half numbers on the racetrack. We tried some new things with our clutch program, and they worked well. I am really excited to be racing the U.S. Nationals. It’s definitely my favorite race of the season. I have won Indy, and I want to do it again. Another thing that excites me for this weekend is that Ang is riding the Nitro Fish Buell, and we are actually going to have a 2nd bike for this race. Ang is running a Karl Klement motor that I built for him. Karl is involved with our program now and we are very thankful for that. L.E. Tonglet will ride the 2nd bike under the MSR camp. His sponsor is Frameworks out of Brownsburg, Ind. He is a small rider and seems to do a good job driving the bike. As I write this, we are on our way to Indy now, so if you come to the race come by and see us.

Lastly our wedding is right around the corner. I am excited to be getting married. I am even more excited about the honeymoon. I have planned a honeymoon for the last week in November. The best part about everything is that Ang has no idea where it will be. She will not find out until we get to the airport to check in for our flight. She wants to know, but she will not find out until then. Our wedding is scheduled for October 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C. I know she has spent many hours planning it, and it will be gorgeous.

Hope everyone is doing well. The last two weeks have been a good vacation from all the racing we have been doing. Everyone needs at least one vacation a year. Ang’s family goes to Myrtle Beach every year and last year we were unable to go because of the western swing. This year fortunately we were able to go and needless to say had a blast. Ang, Tristan, and I met her family down at the beach on Wednesday July 28.

The first night we got there we had to do a little grocery shopping and then back to the hotel for a little game of Scattergories. The next several days consisted of the girls working on their tan and the guys playing with all the children in the ocean and in the pool. Ang got in the ocean one time and the currents were so bad she couldn’t get out far enough to boogie board. She got frustrated because the waves kept taking her away and she just got out. Every evening we had dinner at different restaurants. My best friend Michael and his wife Carrie came down to hang out with us and enjoy a little vacation themselves. We had steak and pasta one night and then the final night we had “all you can eat crab legs.” Wow, they were amazing. I have never had so many crab legs in my life.

Taboo was the game of the weekend. At first the teams were divided into girls and guys. The girls were kicking our butt so then we decided to draw for teams. We did that for about two games and the girls wanted to be together and so did the guys. We switched the teams back and the girls absolutely DOMINATED! I was so mad because the girls kept winning by just a few points. I am such a competitive person that I wanted to win every single game just like racing. If I had to race my lawn mower I would want to win. The girls still won’t let us live it down. All in all, the beach trip was awesome and I can’t wait to go again next year.

This last week we have done a lot of new stuff with the Buells. Ang will be racing in Indy and I want to give her the absolute best motor program I can. So I spent two days dynoing all my motors and comparing them to one another. We tried some new parts and they seem to be some added power. I also repaired a motor for Karl Klement. We dynoed the motor and it also made the same amount of power that my best motor did. I was ecstatic about that. In drag racing you can build 10 motors and you will always have one or two that are a little better on the dyno. Well Karl’s motor and my best motor were within 1 horsepower of each other and I will say that is identical. Ang will be racing Indy with the help of Karl Klement.

The last three weeks of not racing have been good for me because I have taken some time to myself. I can say that I am ready to hit the track again. I can’t go long without riding my pro stock motorcycle. I am so eager to win this year. I want to do it for this team, Don Schumacher, myself and Nitrofish. I think we just need a little luck because I have a fast motorcycle thanks to all my guys and Steve. I hope the cards fall my way soon.

Saturday morning we had a fast lap to move us up a couple of positions. We ran a 6.91. I was happy with these results, and then for the last session we made a perfect pass. It was good enough only for the 2nd position. My team did an awesome job giving me a fast motorcycle. Saturday evening we didn’t have to do any work on the bike, so we decided to take up an offer from Matt Politto to have dinner in San Francisco. We followed him down to the city. It took us some time to get there. We got into traffic several times, but I think that is typical for out in California. We arrived at his place and picked him up so we only had to park one car. We rode around until we found a parking place that we didn’t have to pay $25.00 for the first 30 minutes. Matt Politto and the Nitro Fish gang had dinner at an Italian restaurant. The service was alright, but the food was really good. After dinner, we rode to Politto’s new house he had just purchased. It was one of your downtown houses on the big hills of San Francisco. The guys were teasing him about the amount of time it took Politto to mow his grass. Matt is remodeling the house, and I am sure when it’s done it will be beautiful.

I was really excited for race day. I had qualified better than I had in several races. First round, I had low e.t. of the round with a 6.88. I was extremely happy. Steve and the guys did great. My lights were not great the first two rounds. I actually set up my clutch switch that way to see where I was. I tuned on it a little each pass. I got past the first two rounds, and I felt like it was a monkey off my back. I had lost second round the last couple of races, and I was tired of it. Third round I had Andrew Hines. I was so ready to race him. I had a .030 light but couldn’t produce the e.t. those guys are running. The Harley team is strong. They have new motors, and we just can’t compete with them. As of right now, we are racing for third place, which is where I finished the race.

Sunday evening, Ang and I just went back to the hotel and got in the hot tub for a little bit of relaxation. It was nice. We ordered pizza and watched the race on TV. We got up early to go to the airport on Monday morning to return home. Our plane got delayed several times in Houston, so we didn’t get home until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

I would like to say thank you to Matt Politto for taking us to dinner on Saturday evening. We always like to go to new and different restaurants. I want to say thank you to my team for giving me a great motorcycle. Steve did an awesome job tuning, and I think I did a great job riding. It was a great team effort this weekend. I don’t feel like I let my guys down. I had great lights when it counted, and it still wasn’t enough. Hopefully, by the end of the season we will get us a win. Also, I would like to say thank you to Don Schumacher and Kenny Koretsky for standing behind us.

Saturday July 18, 2009 was the day that my sister Amanda and Scott Speed decided to “tie the knot.” A lot transpired leading up to the wedding.

Rehearsal was scheduled for Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. Ang, Tristan and I arrived early on Friday at Graylynn. I wanted to go early so we could look around. I had never been in the beautiful castle that is located in Winston-Salem. The facility had so many different types rooms located on three different floors. Scott’s family had been traveling from all over the country to make it to the rehearsal. We rehearsed and everything went perfect as expected. We all loaded up in cars and headed to La Carreta, a Mexican restaurant located about three miles from Graylynn. It was awesome to have the two families come together and get to meet one another. Scott also had some friends and relatives from Austria over for the wedding.

After dinner Scott had a good idea and it was to play a game of kickball. I know it sounds crazy but it’s the latest and greatest thing now. Scott sent his brother to Dick's Sporting Goods to get everything we needed. Just as we were pulling back in the parking lot of Graylynn the rain came. It wasn’t raining light either. So we decided to go out and play anyway. Scott and Alex (Scott’s brother) were the captains of the teams. Ang and Melissa pulled the cars in the field so we could see because there was not any lighting for us to play. We played kickball for at least two hours and had a bunch of fun. Everyone was slipping and sliding on the wet grass. No one got hurt so the game was a success.

On Saturday the girls had to be at Graylynn at 2 p.m. and the guys had to be there at 4 p.m. Tristan and I decided to go with Ang early so we could hang out with Scott. Scott had decided that all the guys were going to play flag football. The game turned out great except for four guys getting hurt. All of them pulled hamstring muscles. I checked in with the girls before going to take my shower in Brandon and Melissa’s room. Ang was getting her hair done and getting ready to do the makeup thing. We all got dressed and the ceremony started.

When I saw Ang it actually took my breath away. She looked so beautiful. When my sister and Dad came down the aisle it was amazing. I started to shed a tear and I looked at Ang and she was sobbing. I could tell my sister was so happy and it was the best day of her life. Amanda and Scott wrote their own vows and I knew my sisters would be great.

When it was Scott’s turn I actually didn’t know what he would say. He got emotional and it was so great. I am so glad that they have found each other and have decided to be with one another forever.

The reception started soon after the wedding and it was so beautiful. There were flowers and candy everywhere. They also had a photo booth set up. Everyone went in the booth to take crazy photos and serious photos. It turned out to be such a success. The food was phenomenal.

Amanda and Scott danced the first dance to the Jordin Sparks song titled “No Air.” Then Amanda danced with dad and Scott danced with his mom. Then it was party time. Amanda, Ang, Melissa, and Dana (another bridesmaid) danced until midnight. After about two hours of dancing the shoes came off and the dancing was still going on. I ended the night with a slow dance with Ang. It was such an amazing wedding. I hope our wedding day is as successful as my sisters.

I just want to say thank you to Scott and Amanda for being there for me and having a blast along the way.

Two weeks ago we headed to Norwalk to race. I sponsored Angie for that race as a birthday gift. I know she loves racing more than anything so I thought it would be the best gift ever. I had to go to Schumacher’s the previous week so I wasn’t home to drive the truck up. Ang and Robby left around 4 a.m. to get to Norwalk by 2 p.m. We got everything set up and it was off to our hotel. The whole Schumacher gang stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. It had an indoor waterpark. It was awesome. Tristan was so excited. He couldn’t eat fast enough because he knew he got to go to the waterslides when he was done. Tristan ran around from slide to slide and Ang and I decided to go down a couple slides together. We decided to get into the hot tub soon after that until 9 p.m.

We got up Friday morning and headed to the track. Ang was excited she got to race. The first couple of bikes ran and I had determined it was going to be a slow session for all of us. I didn’t get down the track because something happened to my motor and Ang went a 7.24.  Second pass I did a lot better and she didn’t. I ran a 7.09 and her bike went straight to the centerline. I wasn’t happy to be qualified 7th and Ang wasn’t even in the show yet.

Saturday had arrived and I was convinced that it was going to be a better day. First pass for me was no improvement but second pass was. I was qualified 5th which is not were I want to be but I will take it. Ang improved some on the Q3 and a little more on Q4. We were just struggling with her bike. It got a little interesting Q3 in the shutdown area for Ang. In the shutdown area there are some bumps about 500 feet past the finish line. Sometimes it makes it hard for bikes because we have to get on the brakes hard at tracks like Norwalk. She was on the brakes too hard and when the bike hit the bumps her front tire locked up and the bike “washed out” on her. It scared her and me. I was just happy she reacted fast and left off the brakes for a moment for the bike to get straight. So needless to say Ang was pissed about qualifying 15th. She has a better bike than that and she is a better rider than that but you can win from any position as long as your there on Sunday.

Sunday was a little crazy because once again it rained. We didn’t get 1st round going until after 1 p.m. I had to race Junior Pippin and Ang had Hector Arana. I ran a 7.04, which was a good run. I was just hoping that Ang would do a good job on the tree because I knew she had a fast bike. She was qualified 15th and running Hector first round is a big match up. Thank God she did an awesome job and won the round when she went 7.05. She was really excited. Second round I had Guidera and she had Gann. I don’t know what happened. I went red and let me say I was PISSED!!! I have had three red lights in three years and I have already had 2 this year. I don’t know why but this has given me so much drive. Ang did great 2nd round by getting by Gann. She had Eddie 3rd round. She wanted to beat him more than anything. He has beaten her the last four times they have raced and she is mad about it. She has taken out some heavy contenders in NHRA but not him yet. Her time is coming. She had an .028 light but it wasn’t enough. All in all Ang did great racing in Norwalk despite how the weekend started. As for me I am going to get it together. I can’t stand to be defeated and this will not defeat me. We are going to Denver to kick ____. I will let you guys fill in the blank. Come by and see us if you are in Denver.

I would like to say thank you to Karl Klement for helping us out with Angie’s bike in Norwalk. Karl called me before the race and told me to let Angie run the motor. It’s a blessing to have people like Karl out here helping her to race as many races as possible. Again thank you to Karl and Kim Klement for helping us out.

As for the 4th of July we didn’t do much but spend time with each other. We are together a lot but we don’t get to spend quality time together. Ang and I went to the lake and cruised around on the boat. That night we went home and got on top of the house to watch fireworks in our town. I really think she enjoy us spending the day together. We are getting married on Oct. 16 in N.C. and she has been very busy planning our wedding. I am sure it’s going to be beautiful.
 

Today, June 29, 2009, we lost a special part of our family. We lost Ms. Sassy Smith, which was the miniature dachshund that traveled the roads with Rickie Smith for 16 ½ years. No one could ever forget Sassy. We are going to reflect on Sassy’s life as we think she saw it.

I was born in Texas as a runt with lots of brothers and sisters. My owner at that time was Eddie Hill. About, 8 weeks later I was picked up by Matt Smith in Houston, Texas, at the NHRA drag race. I was taken from my Texas home to a new home in N.C. I went to the shop everyday with Matt and Rickie. It wasn’t long until I was on the road traveling almost every weekend to the dragstrip to do a little racing. There were a lot of joyful moments and some moments we probably want to forget. I always got to stay in the best hotels in the world. It was just a chore getting in there sometimes. I would crawl in my daddy’s bag and just wait to get off the elevator to my glamorous room. I always got any kind of food I wanted. I would always get a little bite of everything, even Larry would give me some beef jerky. I always knew when it was time to go racing again because dad would pack his bag, and I would be doing circles in the floor because I knew I was going too. I got to fly a lot of places also. Daddy would put me in a carry-on bag and here we would go to another race. The last two years, me and daddy drove the big truck more than we would fly to the races. I would always sit in his lap the whole way. I loved the races because I met so many people. Everyone would come by and see me. I always got toys and treats for Christmas presents. I know I was very special because all the other dogs had to stay outside. We would visit each other occasionally, but I always got to go back inside and sleep in the bed with my daddy. I did have a sister that stayed with us. Her name was Sally. She was brown, and I was black. We had some similar features but different colors. Sally enjoyed playing with her ball and I just enjoying hanging with daddy Rickie. I had the best life a dog could ever have. I enjoyed going racing all over the country. I love my family a lot and miss them dearly. I am in heaven now, and I know one day we will be together again.

Godspeed Sassy Smith January 1, 1993- June 29, 2009… You will never be forgotten… Rickie, Nancy, Matthew, Amanda, and Melissa.  

Sunday, June 14 was a special day. It was Ang’s 30th birthday. She has been struggling with the idea of her being 30. I don’t think I have helped any either. All of the guys and myself have been reminding her as frequent as we can that she is getting old. We do it because it bothers her. At 12 a.m. on her birthday, I gave her 2 cards. The 2nd card was the best. I wrote in the card that she could have the choice of a shopping spree or I would “sponsor” her to race Norwalk. It didn’t take her long to choose the 2nd option, which was to race. I know more than anything she wants to race just as bad as I do. I am so glad I can give her this opportunity.

On Friday we had an engagement party scheduled. June 19 was one of the only days we were going to be home and not have plans. Ang’s family had us an engagement party. It was a Hawaiian-themed luau. Her sister worked for two days getting everything together for a very successful party. Ang and I got to her sister’s house around 6:30 p.m. Everyone started showing up around 7 p.m. The whole wedding party was invited, and for the most part, everyone showed up. Michael and Carrie were on vacation and could not attend and my sisters were out of town. Chris (Ang’s brother-in-law) worked really hard on the grill preparing food while Christy worked hard inside doing the same. We had so much food. They made everything from kabobs to pasta. It was amazing. All of the girls decided to play volleyball. It was pretty fun watching how competitive Ang is at other things other than racing. She wants to be the very best. Ang and her daddy played corn hole and her dad beat her. She needs some practice. Everyone sat around and talked about the good ole days and talked about the future that is coming with us. I am pretty sure everyone had a blast. We didn’t get to celebrate Ang’s birthday at the racetrack because I was racing, so her family got her a really big birthday cake at the party. We lit the candles and she had to make her wish. I wonder what she wished for. I probably have a pretty good idea if I know her well enough. By the end of the night everyone was exhausted. I would like to say thank you to her entire family — Christy, Chris, Caliegh, Nicholas, Sophie, Ronnie, Dawn, and Mike — for having us an amazing party. I am so thankful to be joining such an awesome family. I would also like to say thank you to everyone that came to our party and celebrated with us. On October 16, we will be married in North Carolina. If I know Ang, it will be absolutely beautiful. I have let her plan all of the wedding because I want this to be the best day of her life. I want her to have everything she could possibly want and much more.

We are going to Norwalk with only 1 mission. It is for one of us to bring home a Wally. I actually get tired of writing about how much I want to win one this year. I have never been this long without winning a race. I want our luck to change. Please cheer me and Ang on this coming weekend in Norwalk. I am sure we will do well. If any of you are in Norwalk come by and see us.



















 

Well we have had 4 weeks off, and I can say that I got to do some relaxing in this time. Two weekends ago all of us decided to go to the lake and spend a few days. Ang and I went over on Saturday. We got the boat out, and she invited some of her friends over. We got the tubes out around 1 p.m. First on the tubes were Brandon, Michael, and myself. Dad was driving the boat. All of us got beat up pretty bad. Dad wasn’t very generous when he was driving the boat. At one point he went as fast as the boat would go. I knew if I fell off that it wasn’t going to feel good. We finally talked Angie into getting on the tube. Before she jumped in the water she told Dad that he better be easy when she is out there. He wasn’t too bad with her, which surprised me. The first time he turned the boat hard right and her tube went to the outside, when she came back over the wake I kicked the tube out from under her. She started yelling at me. She got on again, and we had some more fun with her. Ang fell off again, and Dad floored the boat and started going in circles to throw me off. He was successful.

After a couple of hours we went back to the house to eat dinner. It was someone’s birthday. Our crew guy Robby was having a birthday, so we got him a cake. Ang and I went back out on the lake again with her friends Chris and Jacklyn. Chris always talks smack to me, so I was going to get his butt off the tube if it was the last thing I did. So Ang was driving the boat, and the guys were in the water. She did a good job driving. Chris got thrown off several times. The funniest part of the evening was when Ang was driving the boat. We forgot to get the buoys off the outside of the boat. Ang went around a turn and water got under the buoy, and it slapped her in the face. She complained a little saying that her eye hurt, but I didn’t think anything about it. I thought she was just being a girl. Ha, ha. Well about 12 hours had passed and Ang had a black eye. I started laughing at her. She was freaking out.

The next day my son Tristan got to go to the lake with us. We got there earlier because we both wanted to try to wakeboard. Ang did it one week prior and got up the first time. I was proud of her. So she was first. The water was a little cool at first because it was morning. She got in the water and got ready. I just knew she was going to get right up. Well she didn’t. She tried about 7-8 times with no success. She was angry to say the least. She is a lot like me. She finally got into the boat, and Tristan was next. It took him a few times to get the hang of it, but he got up. So now it’s my turn. I got my board on and jumped in the water. It also took me a few times. After I got up I wanted to see if I could get over the wake, and I couldn’t. I fell. Wakeboarding is pretty challenging, but I am sure we will be practicing and will get the hang of it before too long. We had an awesome time at the lake.

Two weekends ago, we raced in Chicago. On Thursday, Don Schumacher had a huge party at his house on the lake. It was beautiful. Ang met me there because she flew into Chicago, and I rode with Steve because I spent the week with the guys in Brownsburg. I really enjoyed the party because it gave us time to relax and hang out. On Friday and Saturday we struggled with the motor we had in the bike. It just didn’t like us, and we didn’t like it. Finally on Q4 it blew up. That’s not a good thing but better in qualifying than in eliminations. Steve and I talked about what motor to put in for Sunday. We have had great results with the “slimshady” motor, so we elected to put that one in. E1 we ran low e.t. of the round. I finally thought things were turning around. I also had a great light to go along with it. E2 I had to race Andrew Hines. I was ready, and I guess a little too much ready. I went -.044, which is very uncharacteristic for me. I have been racing a long time and in the last three years have only mange to have a hand full of red-lights. I think that is a pretty good record if you ask me. I was pissed and so was Steve. He had every right to be. Even though if I would have had a perfect light I still would not have won. Chicago was a weird race for the bikes. No one really shined as far as performance. The Guideras came over Friday night to ask me a few questions about the Buell. I gave them some advice then went over to their pits and helped them out with tune-up. I guess it worked considering they won the race.

I want to say that this DSR/Nitro Fish Suzuki team is ready to win. We go to every race to win. Those Wallys are getting harder to come by, but I can guarantee you this that we are trying and we are going to get one soon.
 

The day after arriving home from Qatar I flew to Indianapolis to help the guys mount the new Hayabusa bodywork. I got there Sunday night around 10p.m. and Tom Patsis picked me up from the airport. He took me to Jason Jones' house. We just hung out and chatted about what has been going on since the last race.
 
The next day we went to the shop bright and early. We got the second bike out of the trailer and we began stripping everything off of it. This was going to be a big project for us. About an hour after we arrived Steve Tartaglia come in and brought us all doughnuts. They were yummy. We soon got back to working. A couple of hours had passed and it was already time for lunch. We went to Jimmy Johns for lunch. It’s a little sub shop they have in Brownsburg. It was nice because it was just the guys and myself.

After lunch we went back to the shop and continued to mount the new body. We had a tough time mounting the belly pan and the front fairing. It's a lot of cutting, drawing and measuring every time you take on a project like this. Then it was about 6 p.m. and I went to Tom Patsis’ house for dinner. His girlfriend Amanda cooked us dinner. Jason and Kim came over so it was fun. After dinner we sat around and talked about old stories of racing. All of the guys lit a bonfire and we “played” in the fire. We were pretending to be teenagers again although Tom is not far from it now. Ha-ha. I went back to my Schumacher Suite at DSR. At the shop they have apartments for out of town people. That was a great idea whoever thought of it.

Tuesday had arrived and it was pretty much the same story. We continued mounting the body. After lunch we had it mocked up and we had the Aerodyne folks come over to check it out. We had got one of our measurements a quarter-inch off and we had to fix that.

By this time it was already 6 p.m. and I had to go to do some charity work for Riley’s Charity Hospital. They had a bowling tournament for several NHRA drivers. Fans were paired up with drivers so it gave them time to ask questions. It was a great thing. Cory Mac and I were on the same lanes. We bowled with eight other fans. One thing they did in the tournament was if you got nine pins on your first ball then it was a strike. Needless to say Cory and I battled. I beat Cory the first two games. I bowled a 206 and a 237 and Cory beat me the last game. He bowled a 227 to my 222. We had an auction at the end of the third game. I auctioned off a Nitrofish crewshirt. The auction raised over $9,000 so I am so happy to be a part of this.

The next day it took several hours to fix our quarter-inch screw up. We got everything right and we put a motor in the bike. After lunch the Aerodyne people came back to see what we had fixed. We had everything right and there were a few things that Aerodyne had to fix. We dynoed some new parts and we hurt the motor. I helped Steve disassemble the motor. He was not a happy man. Steve had plenty to do now for a couple of days.

On Thursday I made wheel spacers for all the different wheels we have. Not one single wheel takes the same amount of spacing so it took me a while to do this. I did it for both bikes. We made a new set of wheelie bars for the new bike. At the end of the day all of us got together including Steve and decided to make Jason’s car a convertible. Steve wanted to get some anger out and this is a good way. We had a very big cutter and we cut the top off. We had to clean up all the glass and then we went for a ride.

Friday had arrived and it was my last day at DSR. We made a new dash and an air box for the new bike. That project consumed the whole day. The bike is ready to go back to Aerodyne to make the necessary changes. After that is completed then it will be redone in carbon fiber. We are hoping to make some laps on the new bodywork after Norwalk so stay tuned for pictures. I had dinner with Steve and Janie at O’Charleys. I went back to Steve’s house and hung out. He has a really cool slot car track at his house. Steve and I played with it for a couple of hours. We also talked about our goals for the next couple of months. We watched the World of Outlaws on TV which was going on in Charlotte. I went back to get in bed because my flight left early.
 

The last race of the season had arrived for the guys overseas. My dad has been over there for three weeks racing with Balooshi. Dad called me and said that Sheik Khalid would like for me to come over to Qatar to race the last race of the season. As you all know I sold the bike Angie was riding to him a couple of months ago. The plan is for one of his guys to learn about the bike and begin racing it. So Ang and I headed out on Tuesday afternoon for Qatar.

We arrived on Wednesday evening in Doha. As we were coming in it looked really dusty. We went to the track and everyone was testing for the last race. The sand and wind were blowing really bad. I was happy with the way the bike performed last time so I didn’t test. Ang and I got in bed at a decent hour because we were exhausted from flying for 12 hours.

It was out of bed at 2:30 p.m. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy but that is how they operate over there. They get up late and stay up late. Its absolutely too hot to work or race during the day. We got up and did the usual morning routine and decided to take a walk next door to the mall. When we walked outside it took our breath away. It was already 100 degrees. That’s no exaggeration. The best description I have of it is opening an oven that is heated up to about 350degrees. That’s what it feels like outside. We walked around the mall to pass the time until it was ready to go to the track. We had pizza from sbarro for lunch. Ang and I headed to the track at 4pm. It took us an hour to get there because of traffic. First round of qualifying began around 7pm so we changed valve springs on the motor. It didn’t take us long to do that since I had an awesome crew girl. Ha-ha. I was number 1 qualifier with a 6.988 @ 305.70 kph, which is about 191 mph. I elected not to make the second qualifier. We got back to our room around 3:30 a.m.

It was race day and they always give you another qualifying pass in the afternoon. I once again elected not to make the pass. Von Smith went to the number 1 spot on the last qualifying pass and we were all pumped up. He had to do well and beat the blower car for the Bahrain team to win the championship. First round Von Smith and Balooshi won. That was exciting because that meant he was one round away from the championship. I won first round but I was disappointed because the bike slowed to a 7.09. The weather conditions had changed from the previous day as far as the amount of water in the air. I think I just missed the tune up a little. Second round Balooshi lost to the Bahrain blower car and Von Smith got a bye round. So Von and the Bahrain blower had to race for the Championship title. Von had already somewhat clinched the Championship but if the Bahrain blower car won the race and set the record then he would win the Championship. Von Smith had a .020 light and never looked back. The Al-Anabi team won the Championship. Congrats to them. I ran the finals and it wasn’t so great. I had an awesome light (.009) and 1.05 60-foot time and the bike wouldn’t shift. One pass out of 50 the Buells will not shift and I guess it was pass number 50. I was pissed to say the least. I wanted to bring another win home for Sheik Khalid. I did my job it but its just one of the things that happens sometimes. The track had a lot of oil downs so we didn’t finish the race until 4 a.m. We had to leave to go to the airport at 5:30. One thing that was really ironic was it starts to get daylight at 4:15 a.m. When Ang and I left to go to the airport the sun was up but wasn’t 100 degrees yet. It was about 85. We got a ride to the airport. Ang decided to talk to the driver asking him about a building she was looking at. As he is talking to her he floors the car. He thought the light had turned green but it was the lane beside us. He immediately slams on brakes and now we are laughing. He puts the car in reverse and backs up. I told her not to talk to him anymore. He leaves the car in reverse so when the light turns green he floors it again. He slams on brakes again and finally we make it safe to the airport. By this time Ang and I are laughing hysterically. We checked in and got on our plane. Dad, Ang and I arrived in NYC a little late. Our next plane left at 4:15p.m. We got off Qatar airways around 3:30 p.m. We literally ran as fast as we could to make it through customs. If our plane would not had been delayed 15 minutes we would not have made it home.

Dad and I discussed dropping by the All-Star race on the way home. My sister Amanda had already put all of us on the list to get in. Mom came down and met us and we all got there about 10 laps to go in the pre-race. Scott Speed finished 20th but he said they made a lot of progress on the car. Amanda and Scott came to the Red Bull Energy Station and met us. We all had a great time. We left the race when the first 20-lap race was over. We got home around 11pm and we were exhausted.

We had a great time in Qatar and would like to say thank you to Sheik Khalid for having us once again over there. Thanks to Amanda for getting us in the All-Star race. I can’t wait for Chicago. I am still eager to win my first race this season for my Schumacher Team. Ang still doesn’t have anything until Indy so we hope to change that. She is 11th in points and I would really like to see her in the Top 10 by the end of the year. If anyone would like to help us get her out there please contact one of us. We need to keep her out there racing.
 

Hi everyone!!! We got home from St. Louis on Monday. The weekend was great for Angie, and I wish it could have been better for me. One week before leaving for St. Louis, I had an interview with Kevin McKenna in regards to my new team and also about Angie’s racing program this year. In the interview I had made a statement that a little bit of money could go a long way for us. We got the call from Steve Nichols that Haltech wanted to sponsor her for St. Louis. I tried to keep it a secret from her for as long as I could and then she figured it out. She was going crazy at the house. She was so ready to race St. Louis. Ang was not happy about her performance in Atlanta and everyday she mentioned something about it. She needed to redeem herself, and I was glad that Haltech and I could give her the opportunity. I would like to say thank you to Haltech for supporting her in St. Louis.

On Friday, the bikes were the only Pro class to get down the track before calling the race due to rain. After they called it, me and the guys decided to go to TGIFridays for dinner. During dinner we watched Scott Speed race the Nationwide race. We got in bed early because Saturday is always an early day of qualifying.

Saturday morning had arrived, and we were ready to lay down some fast numbers. Conditions were fantastic for setting records. The first pass no one really improved their positions, but the second pass was a different story. I improved to a 6.92, and Ang improved to a 6.95. Andrew Hines reset the national e.t. record beside me. I think the Buells and the Suzukis are at a disadvantage in the game right now. So at the end of the day I was not the best person to be around. I was aggravated that I qualified 4th and was mad that I didn’t have the record anymore. Ang ended up qualifying 6th, which I was pleased with. Anything can happen on race day.

It was Sunday, and I am still mad. I want the record back. Sunday’s conditions were not good enough to do anything about it, so I’ll just have to take advantage of the next time we get in good air. First round, I had Steve Johnson. It was the second race in a row that I had to race him. I got the win and was glad to be in second round. Ang had to race Matt Guidera. I just told her to go up there and do a good job and have fun. She did just that. She had a .021 light and never looked back. Both bikes were in second round. That’s exciting. I had to race Craig Treble, and she had Hector Arana. I had a bad light. The bike crept on me, and I was trying to hold it back. It’s no excuse — I was late, and it’s my fault. I feel bad for my guys because they work so hard on my bike. Sorry guys. Ang did awesome against Hector. I actually ran in front of her and was at the end of the track watching the monitor when she was running. I knew she won and she didn’t. She didn’t see the light at the end of the track. She was probably beating herself up pretty bad in the shutdown area. I know how she is. She made the turn, and I had a smile on my face because she did a good job. She got excited really fast. It was so funny to hear her interview on TV. She had Eddie in the semi’s. He cut a perfect light against her and never looked back. He ran a 6.95 to her 6.97. She had a .032 light, which is where I want her lights to be. I don’t want her to be perfect on the Tree. That’s too close to red-lighting. All in all, Ang did a great job racing on Sunday in St. Louis. I was very proud of her. That’s the first time she had gone further in eliminations than I had.

Just want to say thank you to my guys for fixing my bike and that I am sorry for doing a bad job of driving on Sunday. I promise I will do better. I have a lot of things to prove in the next couple of races. I hope the air is phenomenal in Englishtown because this DSR team is going for the record again. All I can say is everybody else better pray for hot and humid conditions because this Nitro Fish/DSR team has a statement to make.

So it’s been three weeks since I wrote a blog. Wow, how time gets away from us. Ang and I both raced Atlanta and we were looking for a win and still didn’t get the first one of the season. I qualified third and just couldn’t get past the semi’s again. The electrical gremlin bit us again. I have so much confidence in my team so I know they have worked many long hours to find it. Ang went to Atlanta with the same motivation to win a race. On Fri we had transmission problems again and on Saturday she qualified 13th. She made a six-second run but only was good for 13th. On race day she hit the bump in the left lane and she shifted the bike early, which cost her the round. She was really angry at herself about it but that’s racing. She has to put it behind her and move on to the next race. We are really excited to announce that Steve Nichols from Haltech and Thomas Goss from XXX Racing Fuels stepped up to sponsor Angie at the next race in St. Louis. We would like to say thank you to both of these companies for letting Angie continue to live her dream. I am trying so hard to get that first win for my new team. Ang is looking for her first win in NHRA. We have goals and are ready for St. Louis. Come by and see us if you are coming to the race.

That’s the racing update and now for what we have been doing at home. I have purchased some land and we have been doing work on it. My parents also bought some of it. The land has a pond on it that sits adjacent to my parent’s house. The pond had grown up over the years so me and the guys went in and cleared it out. This took quite a bit of time. I decided that with all the work that had to be done I went and bought me a tractor. It’s very handy. I had to rent an excavator to dig several holes and to clean the bank around the pond. Chris and Robby came over to do that for me. Before they got there I decided to get on it and play. Ang and I were down at the pond and I got it stuck. It was hilarious. It was about 45 minutes until I got it out. Michael has also helped me a lot. We had to dig a ditch for the water runoff on the land. That was an all day job. We put some drainpipe in and made it really nice. We cleared a path in the woods to get to the pond. My long-term goal is to build a go-kart track several years from now.

Dad has been really busy also. He has been overseas several times. He came home and raced the ADRL and IHRA race. He is back over there now for two weeks of racing. My sister’s fiancé Scott Speed has been doing well in NASCAR. He finished 5th in the race this past weekend in Talladega. I think his luck is finally turning around. Congrats to the Red Bull team. I am sorry it has been so long and I will get back with everyone after St. Louis. Cheer Ang and me on this weekend.

Friday was a crazy day as far as weather. The meteorologist was calling for rain all day. They said we had a window of about two hours that we could race. Bikes were scheduled to run at that time. When we got up to the line to make our passes it started to rain. They attempted three different times to run the bikes. We finally got the session in after about 30 minutes of waiting. We qualified No. 7 place and I was not happy. I knew I had a fast motorcycle and I know I can drive it to the No. 1 spot but we just didn’t make a good pass. The rain came again and we were done for the day.  We went out to dinner and back to the hotel. I had a lot on my mind because I was not happy with my performance.

Saturday was blistering COLD!! When we arrived at the track it was 800 feet below. I don’t know if all of you know what that means but that means go-fast conditions. It was almost too cold to race. The air temperature was in the 40s and the wind was gusty at about 30  mph. Not good for motorcycles. On our second pass Andrew Hines made a great pass to take the No. 1 spot. We stepped up a few positions with 6.99 but not enough for his 6.88. For the third pass we made a few changes but still improved our time. Our Nitrofish/DSR Suzuki went a 6.93. It was a good pass but we didn’t improve in position for race day.

Sunday was another cold day. Not as bad in the sun but still cold. First round of eliminations I didn’t want to go and push the Tree. I remember two years ago when everyone red lighted first round. I was a victim of that. I had that in my head and I left the starting line with a .150 light. That was absolutely horrible. I really can’t believe I won but I can tell you the only way I did is because Steve gave me the horsepower to win. I was really aggravated at myself and Steve came down to the end of the track to get me and all I did was apologize. He said it was alright and for me to just get it out of my head.  Second round I had an .021 light but that was not the highlight of the round. The highlight was my 6.865 @ 193mph. Words can’t describe what I felt when Gary Gerould told me that I set the national e.t. record.

I have been racing NHRA for four years and one thing I want to be known for is setting records. I was so happy that we as a team set the e.t. record. I will say it takes all of us on this team to do it. I want to say thank you to all the guys and Steve for working hard to get me an awesome bike. Third round I raced Craig Treble. We both ran 6.91s but his was a little faster. My crank trigger broke at 5.9 seconds into the run and we still went a 6.91. I was bummed that it broke and we didn’t win the round. I know we had the best bike we just didn’t have the luck. Another positive thing that came out of the race was we took the points lead. Last year I didn’t take the points lead until Atlanta. This year I am one race early and I will take it and happy with it.

I am very hungry to win a race. We have really shined with my new Nitrofish/DSR Suzuki team. I know we have the best bike out there. Our main objective for Atlanta is to WIN. Ang will be racing Atlanta also. We know she has a fast bike. I am happy that we have secured funding for her to race Atlanta but if we do not secure anymore funding then she will not race until the U.S. Nationals. The best scenario I would be happy with is Ang and I in the finals together. I don’t think it could be any better than that.

The Monday after Gainesville, Ang and I had plans to fly to Qatar to help some folks over there. We shipped Ang’s orange bike overseas. She was a little disappointed at first, but after her outing at Gainesville, I think she is perfectly happy with the decision. Our flight was 12 hours long, and I must say that we made it fun. It was Dad, Ang, Melissa, myself, and some others from the Al-Anabi Pro Mod team. We landed at 8 p.m. Qatar time. Immediately, we went to the shop to work on the guy’s bike I had been helping out. We finally got to the hotel about 2 a.m., and we were so tired. We checked into the Millennium Hotel in Doha, and let me just say WOW!!! It was so beautiful.

The next day was test day. We arrived at the track around 3 p.m. It’s usually so hot that you don’t race until nighttime. I decided to make two passes on the Pro Stock. Ang was my crew girl. She was responsible for taking the clutch out and putting it in, starting me, and lining me up. The first pass it went 6.99, and second pass it went 6.97. I was ready for race day. I helped the other guy with his bike. We put new wheelie bars on it because the bike was hard to control after the 330’. I think he loved them after his first pass. He went 7.29 first pass out of the trailer. His times continued to get faster every pass.

Thursday was qualifying. We had two qualifying passes on Thursday and one on Friday afternoon. Both of the Al-Anabi bikes were qualified No. 1 in each class. I think Sheik Khalid was happy with those results. I ran 6.99 and 6.95 at 306 kilometers. Yeah you read it right. I went 306. Ha, ha!! Everything was in kilometers, so we had to calculate the mph out. It was about 190 mph. We had dinner with all the Pro Mod guys at Applebee’s. The food was very similar. There is nothing the same as our good ole’ American food. I was very cautious what I ordered. I only had chicken. We went back to the hotel for a good nights rest. Race day was the next day.

It was race day, and it was hotter than it had been all week. The air temp was 96 degrees, but it felt about 110. It was so hot they contemplated canceling the third session of qualifying. They didn’t, so Ang and I decided to sit out the “hot pass.” Racing started about 5p.m. First round, I had a little mishap. One of the wires arched off the carbon fiber and started shutting off the bike half way through the run. I looked over and didn’t see the other bike, so I stayed in the gas. Needless to say, I won the round. That was some sweat off my back. I would have been devastated if I would have lost over a problem that small. Ang and I got the bike back to the pits and repaired the wire. We had a bye to the final. Second round I was just hoping that we fixed the problem and that I didn’t hurt the transmission on the first run. I went a 6.98, and I was stoked that the bike was fixed. Third round I had to race an Outlaw bike like Ang and I used to ride several years ago. He had made some great passes, going two 7.0s. I knew I had to just do my job. I had a good light and never looked back. I went 6.96 to his 7.47. The whole Al-Anabi team was happy. Everyone was so nice, and everyone celebrated with us. I did multiple interviews for TV stations. It was great. They had a winner’s circle and everything. It was very similar to NHRA stage. I got a large trophy and some Royals. What are Royals? That is the type of money they have over in Qatar. We got back at the hotel around 3 a.m. Everyone told us to not go to sleep. We stayed up all night until we had to leave for the airport at 6 a.m. We boarded our plane and arrived in the good ole’ U S of A around 3 p.m.

We had a great time in Qatar. It was my first experience in Qatar. Ang was happy she went also. Their customs are different over there, but both of us felt very safe. They are truly good people. We visited the mall one day before the track, and it was huge. One mall over there is equivalent to 5 malls here. It had everything from low-end stores to Tiffany & Co., Gucci, and Harry Winston. Ang and Melissa were in heaven, but Ang didn’t buy anything. Another thing that is unique to their country is that the people are not shy about blowing their horns. They do it at stoplights, leaving the hotel, and anywhere else they feel it’s necessary. If they did that here in America there would be some very mad Americans. Mike Castellano and Ang decided to get in a beeping horn match in the cab. It was quite comical. Their public restrooms were extremely clean. They had a facility similar to our hospitality at the race that was for those people with Sheik Khalid. It was air conditioned and had long white drapes, TVs, food, drinks, and very fancy chairs. We had a great time and hopefully will get to go back again. Everyone was so nice to every single one of us. Just want to say thank you to Sheik Khalid for flying us over and taking care of us during our stay in Qatar.

Friday was qualifying, and I was excited. This was my first race with my new team. My new team is awesome and top notch. DSR has everything organized and ready. This is also my first race without Angie being in the same pit area. We got to park beside one another, so that was really convenient. I showed Ang a lot of the fuel injection things with the Buell so I could focus on doing a great job for my new team. First pass, Ang was four pairs in front of me. No one had gone a 6 second pass yet. I really didn’t know how she would do. I saw a 6.96 at189 come up, and I was pumped up. She did a good job. Then it was my turn, and I went a 6.94 at 189, so I was No. 1 qualifier first pass. I was happy with that. Each session after that, the conditions got worse so not many people improved. Ang ended up qualifying No. 4, and I was No. 1. It was fabulous. That is the highest she has ever qualified at an NHRA race. I was proud of her.

Sunday was race day. I was ready for us to go some rounds. We both had fast motorcycles. Both of us got past first round. Second round was good for me but not for Angie. She had to race Andrew Hines, and I thought she had a pretty good shot at beating him. She did her burnout and couldn’t get the bike in first gear. She was really heartbroken, but she managed to be alright. Something broke in the transmission preventing it from going into first gear. I really wanted to race her in the semifinals. Instead, I raced Andrew Hines. I got the win, and I was happy. Last year, I was winless against him. My luck had finally turned around. I had Hector Arana in the final. Hector had a fast motorcycle all weekend. We lost lane choice in the final, so I had to race in the left lane. I didn’t think it was as good as the right lane. When I dropped the clutch I knew I left on him, and he just drove around me. Congrats to Hector!!! He did a great job.

All in all, we had a spectacular weekend at the Gatornationals. My new DSR Nitro Fish Suzuki was putting down some numbers. I want to say thank you to Don Schumacher, Kenny Koretsky, Steve Tartaglia, Jason Jones, and Tom Patsis. Those guys did an awesome job, and we are going to be a force to reckon with this year. Angie did well on the Nitro Fish Buell. Her next race might be Atlanta. We are still trying to decide at this time. Hope all is well with everyone and thanks to everyone that came by the pit area in Gainesville. I will write again soon.

The good news is we sold the Pro Stock Bike that Angie rode last year. We have been working diligently to get everything ready to ship to Qatar. The hardest thing for Angie is parting with her bike. She has lots of good and bad memories with that bike. The bike will be shipped out this week and will arrive in time for the race, which is the weekend after Gainesville. I will be riding the bike over in Qatar and Ang gets to go with me. She gets to play crew girl and crew chief. We will see how she likes that. I am sure she will do a good job, but I know she likes racing much better. We will fly out on March 16 and return just in time to get on another plane to go to Houston.

We are really excited that the season starts very soon. I am very eager to do an awesome job for Schumacher/Nitro Fish racing. We will be testing in Valdosta on Monday and Tuesday before the Gators. If you come out to the Gators come by and see us.

Saturday we spent the day at the show. Angie and I did get a chance to walk around and talk to some of the business partners that are involved in drag racing. That evening we decided to go back to Rockbottom again. The food was so awesome that we went back to get something different. After dinner we all went to the bar in our hotel and watched the Bud Shootout. Scott Speed ran well in practice and he was starting in the fourth position. On lap 4 Kyle Busch bumped him to the middle and it wasn’t good for him. He ended up near the back and then got involved in a crash with Robby Gordon and a few others. I really wanted Scott to do well but it will be fine. He has a lot more races this year. I wanted Dale Jr to win then but as we all know that didn’t happen either. He also was involved in a crash. At this point I didn’t care who won. We finished watching the race and then turned over to NHRA. I can say that I am glad I am not out there in Pomona. It has rained for days out there literally.

Sunday was the final full day of the show. We mostly stayed at the CP booth and hung out with Snake, Cindy, Scott, and Scott. We had a blast with these guys. Charles Barkley attended the show and he stopped by the CP booth. I got him to sit on the bike and the guy with him said he had only been on 3 bikes his whole life. Ang got her picture made with him. He was very down to earth and very nice. Scott Valetti asked all of us to go to dinner. We went to an awesome place on the Cincinnati River called the Boathouse. They had “melt in your mouth” ribs. I can say I will going back there if I am ever in the Ohio area again. Ang and I were pretty tired so we went to the room and watched NHRA and had a peaceful evening.

Monday we loaded up and headed home. We had a great time with everyone from CP. We are very thankful to have people in the industry such as CP Pistons.
 

It's Super Bowl Sunday and Ang decided to throw a party. She invited all her crazy friends from work over and I invited a few of mine as well. She basically stayed in the kitchen all day fixing up some party snacks for the guest. The Super Bowl has arrived and I can say that I am excited. I really wanted the Carolina Panthers to be in the super Bowl but they didn’t play so well that last game.

Everyone started coming over about 5 p.m. At one point I think we had about 20 people at the house. All of the girls were in the other room some drinking wine and chatting while all the guys were in the new home theatre room watching pre-game activities. So I decided that I wanted Pittsburgh to win. I feel like they really played well through the season.

Kickoff started and it was so funny that some of the girls didn’t even know who was playing. I found that funny considering they were at a Super Bowl party. You know how girls are. During the commercials I would go to the “girls room” and see what was happening. Not much just still being women. Snack time was every commercial break for the guys. All of us decided to have some cake during the half time show. Of course all of the girls got a little camera happy. So we did several photos.

Ang and I never get to have many social parties like this during the race season because we are so busy. I was very happy that everyone got to come over for at least half the game. Third quarter began and all the girls decided to raid our room. We almost had to kick them out because they were being chatty. We had to threaten them a couple of times. They were giving us a hard time as well. We named the theatre the no talking room just for the girls. I was getting a little worried about the Steelers when the Cardinals scored the touchdown. I didn’t know if they had it in them to come from behind and score. Well as you all know they did and we were pumped. Even the girls were too. A few of our friends that came over were Cardinal fans so we had to harass them a bit about that last awesome touchdown those Steelers pulled off. It was amazing. Everyone knew it was over and we were proud of the Steelers. We had to say goodbye to everyone. Our Super Bowl party was a blast and hopefully we will be able to do it again next year.

On another note dad is in Bahrain and Qatar with the Al-Anabi team. Dad tested in Palm Beach for several days before shipping a car over to Qatar. He has been over there for almost two weeks. I think they had to race two races. Not sure of the outcome but I am sure they will do well.

This weekend Ang and I are attending the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio. The NitroFish Buell will be on display at the CP Pistons booth. If anyone is going to attend please come by and say hello. We are looking forward to an awesome race this year. Its right around the corner. Thanks everyone for the support. I will write again soon.

The next week not a lot of was going on in the Carolinas. Its been very cold and rainy. It actually snowed a little one day. My main objective has been to put a home theatre system in our house. I did just that. I ordered all the electronics and was going to have someone install it. I said, "What the heck I can do this."  Three days later I had every single thing installed and let me just tell you it rocks. It rocks the house literally. Ang says its so loud she has to yell at everyone if she is talking to them. All I have done since I got it installed was watch movies and Lost. I decided to go and buy every series so I could catch up.

For the last five days I have stayed home day and night to catch up. I should be caught up by the end of the week. The Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday. Ang decided she wanted to have a party. We went to get food and yummy treats for everyone.  It will be here soon so I will take lots of photos and write another blog then. Until then I hope everyone has a safe and fun Super Bowl.