Everyone always ask “what is so special about Indy”. To be honest I’m not sure. It is just another drag strip and you do the same things you do at any other track. It’s just that special feeling and the history that goes along with it, that makes you anxious to get to the track in the morning and the desire to win the big one.

I didn’t want to miss Indy this year and thankfully Bill Evans gave me the opportunity to drive his A/Fuel car this weekend. I have run a couple of divisional races so far, but with weather issues I have only made five runs in the car before this Friday.

Since this is my first race in Alcohol Dragster this season I was right at the front of the line for the first session of qualifying. With all eyes watching I rolled forward for the burnout and hit the throttle. That’s when the day kind of started to change for us. A heim joint on the throttle linkage began to pull out and there wasn’t enough throttle to do a burnout, but a bigger issue was it had the throttle hung open. I yanked the brake and buried the clutch pedal to stop the car while the guys ran out and got the throttle UN-stuck. No harm no foul.  We got back to the line and continued like nothing happened. The car left the line nice and was on a great run until it dropped a cylinder and began to slow.

Everyone always ask “what is so special about Indy”. To be honest I’m not sure. It is just another drag strip and you do the same things you do at any other track. It’s just that special feeling and the history that goes along with it, that makes you anxious to get to the track in the morning and the desire to win the big one.

I didn’t want to miss Indy this year and thankfully Bill Evans gave me the opportunity to drive his A/Fuel car this weekend. I have run a couple of divisional races so far, but with weather issues I have only made five runs in the car before this Friday.

Since this is my first race in Alcohol Dragster this season I was right at the front of the line for the first session of qualifying. With all eyes watching I rolled forward for the burnout and hit the throttle. That’s when the day kind of started to change for us. A heim joint on the throttle linkage began to pull out and there wasn’t enough throttle to do a burnout, but a bigger issue was it had the throttle hung open. I yanked the brake and buried the clutch pedal to stop the car while the guys ran out and got the throttle UN-stuck. No harm no foul.  We got back to the line and continued like nothing happened. The car left the line nice and was on a great run until it dropped a cylinder and began to slow.

Now, I am not bragging or trying to sound cool, but people have asked me how driving an A Fuel Car feels. I have to be honest and tell them it feels really slow. You can’t believe how much slower things seem after you have driven a car that is much quicker and faster. I’m telling you this because I’m having a really hard time telling whether the car is on a good run or a bad run. I just don’t have enough runs in the car yet to know a good run feeling. They all feel slow to me right now. I looked over and saw the car next to me and knew it was a blown car so it probably didn’t have a cylinder out as well and should be on a pretty good pass. I was right next to them so maybe I was just thinking it had a hole out when actually it wasn’t that bad of a run. Go figure all the above was right. It did have a hole out, and no for having a hole out it wasn’t a bad run. We ran a 5.63 at 242 to end the session in the 18th position.

I guess for all the issues we had it wasn’t a bad first run. It hurt a few parts so we had a little bigger service that we were expecting. I’m kind of lucky this weekend because helping out crew chief Anthony Dicero is a couple of fuel crew guys I’ve worked with in the past that are both currently unemployed like myself, Chris Kullberg and Tony Woodside. If you love racing you’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the sport. None of us are getting paid, but hey we are at Indy and we are racing, what more can you ask for.

My welcoming back to sportsman racing came just after the service and as the Alcohol Funny Cars were pulling to the lanes for our second run. The notice came that since they were so far behind schedule the second session of dragster was cancelled. Oh yeah, I remember now, there are pro cars at this race and I am not one of them. I do remember how that feels though to make that first session on Friday night with it getting dark and you go to number one and the crowd goes wild. That’s why I headed up to watch the pro session and hopefully we will get to make up our second session that we missed some time today.

Even though the sportsman guys might get runs cancelled or be told you have to run at 7 in the morning, you are still having a lot of fun and you are racing at Indy. I also remember what it’s like to smoke the tires that first pro session and have the pressure to get in the show from sponsors, team owners, and such. I miss it, but this weekend I’m a sportsman racer missing sessions, up early and on my way to the track to have FUN!
 

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