Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis IN (September 15 -
Hurry up, Now sit there
Thursday, September 15, 2005 -
Today had one running theme: Hurry up and wait! We were up well before the sun to make it to IRP before the gates opened at noon. Have to mention that we stopped by “Grandma’s” restaurant somewhere between here and there and it actually lived up to the “home cooking” that was on the sign, the biscuits and gravy wasn’t half bad. At 11:30 we are in line and waiting. By 1 PM we were in and parked. It seems that no matter how much planning goes into these things, nothing is ever easy. People are parking with the wrong tracks, which makes other people park in the wrong spots and it just snowballs from there. And again we wait. Three of the six bikes make it today and the others were planning on being here tomorrow so no surprise there. After some dinner it’s back to the Holiday Inn and basically to bed early.
Friday, September 16, 2005
We seem to be waiting so I thought id kill some time and make an entry. Its 1:15
and we’ve been here since the gates opened at 7 AM. I set the alarm for 6:30 but
apparently it was set for Michigan time so we were up and ready at 5:30. So that
gave us plenty of time for breakfast and a stop to Kroger’s for some lunch and dinner
food. It rained most of the night and this morning. Everyone got there brooms out
and started sweeping water wherever wasn’t in there pit spot. Dan got the worst of
it because he was basically swimming in 3 inches of water this 
morning. But we all
pitched in and got a lot of it moved across the road. At this point most of the main
roads are dry but all the low spots are still wet so you have to dodge them when
you’re riding about. I guess that’s it for now, hopefully only a few more hours until
we get our first time trial, and then our second is still (supposedly) scheduled
for tonight. I’ll check back in when we have some numbers…
It’s actually Saturday morning, but it was rather eventful for nothing happening. First time trial came about when it was supposed to, with us running a 9.972 @ 127.26. But it didn’t help us much with the humidity at almost 85% and the bike had some electrical problems that we had to fix. And at that point we continued to wait for the second round of time trials but as dusk came in so id the fog and humidity that turned into slow drizzle that never let up. So they called it for the evening and the schedule for tomorrow is for us to only get one time run. That means the we will only have one good run (if its good) to dial off of. As for everyone else: Dawn’s bike had some issues that I believe were electrical as well. McCarten dropped a piston and, as we left, was putting it back together for the third time. Donnie had a good smooth run. Paul seemed to be where he’s supposed to be. And Bill is going to the finals of the Race of Champions that is Saturday morning.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
We woke up to dry, cold air, which is great for racing! Gates were at 7AM and
we were there ready to wait. By 3 the progress had got to the bikes and their second
time run. The
electrical gremlins seem to be gone when it ran a 9.820 @ 130.17 MPH.
It drove through the tire-
Well, things didn't go quite as planned. Everyone of the bikes lost in the first
round except Dawn. I watched the humidity climb and the temp drop on the pager as
we were in staging. Not wanting to change our dial and second-
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Not having to be up early was kind of nice but not having to race isn't! Were here to pack up all our stuff and cheer on the few remaining members of our Route 66 team. Dawn was our last remaining bike entrant for Route 66. We cheered as loud as we could and she cut a .00 light but broke out by a hundredth more than her competitor (who just happened to beat us last night). So that was the end of that and we pickup our last few things and headed back to Michigan with only a couple of the whole team left standing. It wasn't a very good weekend for the Route 66 team. But I think we are kind of at a disadvantage because the Pro and Super Pro classes both run only 1/8 here while they run the full 1/4 mile at home in Chicago. Granted its not THAT big of a deal but when you get the best of the best in the division its defiantly doesn't help. Just that much makes a huge difference in drag racing (not to make excuses because we all lost on the same track as the winners)!
Route 66 Raceway, Joliet IL (August 19 -
No rain, No rain, Big Money, STOP
Friday, August 19, 2005 -
A short day at work, made for a longer day at the shop working on the cooling
fans of my Camaro (That is for sale!!!) I got a lot more done than I really expected.
I am trying to get it allsetup for next weekend in Stanton, and I'm sure it will
be all set. So, about 6 PM the rig leaves for our last trip to Chicago of the year.
As with most of our trips this year, it includes a stop at the Big Boy in Stevensville
and fuel at the Pilot. This gas station is always busy, you would think there isn't
another one for hundreds of miles. After checking into the hotel I had been trying
to make a habit of jumping in the pool but today I was just too tired (even after
my nap on the way here) so it was right to bed.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
We were expecting rain for most of the night and at least up until 9 or 10 AM
but when I woke up, there was barely any traces. Some of the bigger potholes and
things were filled but nothing like what we expected. Quite the uneventful day was
being started and heading into second time trial Bob noticed a disparity from tire
pressure like it normal is which may have stumbled us into some good things, but
those will have to be tested! With all the hopes in the world the bulb absent from
the top of the score board after first round really hit me hard. You start to wonder
what you have to do to get a win. Aside from a win here and there its been quite
some time since any of us have had great confidence like we have had in the past.
But like I said, we may have found some things that can help and we have three weeks
to figure it out, and as silly as it sounds, I have confidence that we will find
our confidence!
Route 66 Raceway, Joliet IL (August 5-
King: No, Queen: YES!!!
Friday, August 5, 2005 -
After a hard day at work we leave the shop and head towards Illinois. Big Boy
for dinner and diesel (trailer loads of cigarettes for others) at "1-
Saturday, August 6, 2005
Wake-
down free food, let alone tables and tables of it! During
my shower everyone else always goes and gets breakfast and on the way out the door
I have to stop back in for my cinnamon buns that will get me through, at least, time
trials. We get right in the gate because we are a bit late because a crane just had
to park in front of us while putting up the new Holiday Inn sign. Unlike the last
couple of races, things came out of the box great and we put up two livable runs
during time trials and on we went to first round. Apparently the separation between
the two drivers dials was less that we planned for and things got completely out
of sync at the line which ended our day early. Today is the yearly "King of the Track"
event at Route 66 which basically takes the winners of each of the four categories
and runs them off until there is one "King" standing with a NHRA Wally. The bike
class seems to like showing up the rest of the classes because we took the top prize
again, only this year the king is a queen. Dawn Florey ran right through every car
and dragster they threw at her. So I personally would like to congratulate her on
a excellent job. She's only been racing a little over a year and it already looks
like we have some stiff competition in points next year. Look out!
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Again with the wake-
Indianapolis Raceway Park (July 29 -
Nice place you got here, Indy
Friday, June 29, 2005 -
We left a bit later then I had anticipated, but I guess it was right on time
for when Bob and Shelly were planning. As usual when they head south they call ahead
when they are in front of
the D&W by my house so I can start walking to meet them
there on a nearby road. (There is no where to to turn around the trailer) We made
our usual first stop for dinner, today was Cracker Barrel. This was the first time
I had ever been there and the food really didn't impress me, namely the mashed potatoes
that weren't even close to my Grandma's. But it wasn't by any means a total loss
as I found five new pez dispensers to add to my collection. After getting fuel at
the "usual" stop, which is Pilot in Lafayette, we headed on for the hotel. This time
it was a Ramada Inn and after making a couple turnarounds and switching to a different
room because of precarious smells, we should have knew it was going to be an off
weekend. After a dip in the pool, it was off to bed for our EARLY wake up call.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Up early to ride the last hour or so to the track, I grabbed a couple of the
donuts from the so called continental breakfast and we headed out. We stopped across
the street for a "real" breakfast of McDonalds and we hit the highway. Only a short
wait at the gates and the setup began after a couple slight adjustments of trailer
orientation. Everything started out like normal, but
I soon found out why everyone
says that Indy races are slow. Every time I would look over at the track, they had
stopped running for some reason. Some times I don't think they had reasons other
than not stopping in the last 20 minutes. But, we made it through the first time
trial and were trying to decipher the unusually slow numbers the bike ran. By the
time the second time trials began we believed we got everything under control and
just as Shelly expected it ran a 6.10 at 110.22 MPH. At that point, looking back,
we should have quit while we were ahead. As it came time for first round, the
sun
was out in full force. Not knowing how the lane and bike selection worked we planned
on being in the right lane because that was where our successful trial run came,
but that was not to be as we got switched at the last minute to the left and changed
the dial from a 6.09 to a 6.10 as the left lane is traditionally slower. Seeing the
win light in the opponents lane was bad enough but to look over and see the 6.09
on the board made everyone a little mad. Everyone calmed down and we packed up quite
quick and go on our way home. It had been a long night and day so everyone took turns
driving and sleeping. I got to drive the rig for about an hour just over the Michigan
border. I have never been so scared of driving in my life, and had so much fun at
the same time. I was having a hard time keeping a straight face and not smiling.
Overall it was a good weekend, as I had never been to Indy before. So it was a good
chance to get my feet wet before bracket finals in September. Oh well, back to the
points series in Chicago. We better be ready because two races in one weekend can
make or break a year, as the first double weekend started the year off with a LARGE
BANG!!!
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