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Come on with it, now!

NHRA — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:24:00 GMT

Glad to be back! It is funny how the blog is so important. I get a lot of people telling me ‘update the blog, update the blog.’ So here I am finally updating the blog!

A lot has gone on! We had the Gatornationals, my home race. We did not fair very well, but it was really great to have my friends and family come down to the race. The fan turnout was outstanding. Our Race for Achievement Chevy Cobalt did not run as well as it should have run, thus we did not qualify. It was disappointing in front of the home crowd. You know what though; we gave it our all and learned some things going into the Houston event.

The Houston event was a tremendous event for us. We got a chance to test at Emerald Coastal Dragway before the event, which was very instrumental in our performance in Houston. The crew — Tomi, Dewayne, and Mike — is doing an excellent job, and we came out and ran well. But, the largest announcement at the Houston event, other than my birthday, was the fact that we signed the 8th District United States Marine Corps. We are excited about having the Marine Corps become a part of our program for a couple of races this season.

We also had a chance to do some Race for Achievement programs at James E Taylor High School, Miller Career & Technology Center, and The Imani School. Thank you to the schools for having us and coming out to the race on Friday. It was just a lot of fun! The Marines came along with us and got a chance to meet some kids and share their message along with our message! By the time we left, they were wondering when we were coming back!

At the Houston race, we ran pretty well. We qualified on the bump, which was not really indicative of our performance. My crew chief, Tomi Laine, and the crew stayed really late Saturday night and made wholesale changes to our Race for Achievement Chevy Cobalt presented by U.S. Marines. As a result, we came out and ran our career best on Sunday, event though I did red-light! This is something we have to rectify by slowing the clutch linkage down on the car.

It was a good weekend overall! It was my birthday, and I am 30 years old again! No matter what the year is, I am always 30 years old! LOL I guess the new 50 is 40, and the new 40 is 30… or something like that! What I do know is that I am forever 30! Regardless, I am still young at heart and looking forward to going to Vegas and having a great weekend!

Welcome to the“Twilight Zone and more fun!

NHRA — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:23:00 GMT

First of all, I am very excited to say we are one-for-one now in qualifying, obviously being a far cry in itself, especially when we only qualified for two races last year. I am very excited about what we have in store for this season, not only our performance on the track, but some of the things we have going on off the track with our Race for Achievement Program. This is going to be a great year for our team. We are really looking forward to going to Phoenix.

One of my favorite TV shows growing up was Twilight Zone, and, to be honest, that is what I felt like during the Pomona weekend. I was in the Twilight Zone and could never get out! We were ready to go run, and then we wouldn’t run. We would come the next morning, and it was cold and rainy. It felt the Twilight Zone all over again! Everyday was the same thing; either the Twilight Zone or that movie Groundhog Day. LOL

I really had some fun while I was in Pomona! Though we did not go past the first round, I think a lot of racers were in the same position, specifically because the track conditions were very trying on the crew chiefs. The fact the weather was so unpredictable really was a problem. But we still had fun in California, I got a chance to go to the 40th NAACP Image Awards Thursday night and saw a lot of the movie stars. I rubbed elbows with those people, and it was just a lot of fun. I’ve never attend any type of event like this in my life. Just to say I had a chance to do attend, I will always remember.

Now, we are in a position where we are getting ready to go to Phoenix. Looking forward to going out there to qualifying well. I am looking forward to Phoenix, because the weather is predicted to be to be great for racing all three days, which should get us four qualifying attempts in and a good idea of how our Race for Achievement Chevy Cobalt shakes out with the rest of the field. We will go out there and work hard, see if we have a chance to win this race. Until next time … see you at the track!

Thanks for welcoming me back!

NHRA — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:05:00 GMT

First of all I would like to welcome everyone from the blog world back for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Series. Feel the excitement!

There have been a lot of things to go on with our program in the off season. As you know at the end of the season, we got a brand new Jerry Bickel Chevrolet Cobalt before the Richmond race and ran it at Buds Creek and then the Richmond event. We did not qualify, but our Chevrolet Cobalt showed a lot of promise. From there we made the decision not to go to the last two races of the year, so that we can take time to regroup and get our program ready for 2009. That is exactly what we did!

We made some personnel changes (hired European Pro Stock Champion and noted Crew Chief Tomi Laine) and made sure our engines were running 110 percent. Overall, the program needed to be headed in the right direction to start the 2009 season with a fresh, clean slate. I mean, there were a lot of things we had to address in the off season, and I think we have done that!

I am very excited where our program is headed. Even though we still do not have a primary sponsor yet (please give us a call at the shop if you are interested! (LOL)), I really believe we are on the crest of a big partner because of what we have to offer. You all will be excited about our performance on the track this year, as well as some of the things we are going to be doing away from the track. I cannot tell you enough how I am really looking forward to a good year.

If you were following this weekend on the website and MySpace (www.tomhammondsracing.com or www.myspace.com/tomhammondsracing.com), it started off well so far at the Vegas Pro Stock Showdown. We ran petty well and had a chance to test for four days, about 18 to 20 runs on the new Chevrolet Cobalt, which gives us a lot of valuable information going into Pomona. Pomona is always a great event for us, because it is the first race of the season and everyone has a clean slate. So, it is important that we go out and start the season off strong. We will have a chance to show what we worked on over the winter, win some races, have a chance at the countdown, and possibly win the championship. That is the order we want reach our goal, qualifying consistently for a run at the championship and maybe a win, this year.

In closing, thank you very much for your patience with our race program and the blog! I look forward to some great results and great blogs for the 2009 season.

One last thing, my Super Bowl pick did not win! I was pulling for the Cardinals, and I thought they had a chance to win the game. I lost my small wager on the game I had with a friend. I had to pay up on my Coca Cola! LOL

Reaching for our full potential

NHRA — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Whew, what a week!http://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/9/24/32912/We’re back, and I am lovin it!http://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/9/4/32273/Almost readyhttp://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/8/15/31587/Summer is not all work and no playhttp://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/7/25/31013/It’s been a long time…http://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/7/10/30484/A great time in Bristol ... not so much at the airport, thoughhttp://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/5/30/29320/Wow, what a couple of weekshttp://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/5/7/28811/What goes on in Vegas … I have to tellhttp://www.nhra.com/blog/hammonds/2008/4/18/28246/

We are family!

NHRA — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:41:00 GMT

For the Vegas competition, I am looking forward to participating, but I am also looking forward to spending time with my boys. This is the first time they have been to a race in a long, long time

GAS, GAS! We are talking about GAS!

NHRA — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a price hunter! My experience driving from the Houston race was one that made me really think about gas prices. Yes, I am driving, and I smell fumes because the truck is just about empty. I spot a sign that reads the gas prices are two cents cheaper than what is just the next turn. All I was thinking was I'm going to try to make it. As a consumer and a racer, I am concerned about the state of our gas prices. Every time you go by a gas station there is someone on a ladder jacking the prices up! It really, really concerns me. I thought our government’s role is to regulate for the people, and gas prices are definitely what the government needs to regulate to help the people. You see the truckers have banned together to come up with some type of stand against rising prices through solidarity – staging a slowdown on the highways. Hopefully, these types of things will trickle down to the average consumer, where we ban together to not buy gas for two days. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the oil companies are in business to make money, which I have no problem with (because I would love to have one as a primary sponsor), but at the same time we as consumers must be savvy as well. Having said this, I understand that a lot of profits are going into research and development for oil companies to dig deeper and wider, but I would like to see them do R&D on oil alternatives so that prices are not so elevated. Taking it a step further, working with companies like GM that is introducing hybrid cars such as the 2008 Tahoe, can only help gas prices in the future. History has shown that the economy has taken a turn for the worst before (maybe not in relation to gas prices), but has turned itself around over time. I believe this too shall pass hopefully soon. Just something I have been thinking about since driving back from the Houston race I wanted to share. I really like this blog thing…

Off to a great start

NHRA — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:09:00 GMT

Hello everyone! I am excited to be a part of the NHRA blog family! As a racer, that is the one thing I do check on a weekly basis, the blogs that my fellow racers write each week. Hopefully it will let you know what I do on a weekly basis away from racing and basketball, sharing some of the things I enjoy. So the one thing I am enjoying is today, because it is a special day! Today is my 41st birthday. I thank God that I continue to have birthdays, which has been a lot better than the alternative. (smile) Other than my birthday, this trip for the Houston race has started off on a great note. We kicked off our school achievement program (Tom Hammonds Race for Achievement) at The Imani School yesterday. Thank you to them for allowing us to come! I got a chance to spend a lot of time with the kids, who were so energetic and eager to learn. I talked to them about the importance of an education as well as to stay away from those things that will take you off your path to achievement. They also toured the trailer to see some of the parts and pieces we use on a weekly basis. It was an honor to also have yesterday declared as Tom Hammonds Race for Achievement Day in the city of Houston by Mayor White! It was really a fun time! Lastly, congratulations to Dominick Savage for being chosen as our honorary crew chief for Friday! Keep up the good work. To round out the day, I had the funniest thing happen to me at dinner last night. Usually when I go into a restaurant, I am always head and shoulders above everyone else because of my height, and the obvious question is always 'Do you play basketball?' I always tell them no, I am an oversized horse jockey, but last night, when the hostess asked the question, I told her the truth and said yes, I did play basketball. She didn’t believe me! She then asked for what teams. I told her the teams, and she still did not believe me. She then asked my name, and I told her Michael Jordan to be funny. She really did not believe me! This went on throughout dinner. Eventually, I told her my real name, and she still was not convinced. Finally before leaving the restaurant, she believed I was a former basketball player! Why, you may ask? Only because her dad confirmed that I was actually Tom Hammonds and that I did indeed play. Funny!!! Until the next blog…