TTM Success - Warren Johnson

These drag racing cards of Warren Johnson had been on my desk for a couple years.  I had picked them up, hoping he would come back to the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame event, but I haven't seen him there since that first time I had gone back in 2018.   So, I finally dropped the cards in the mail and tried him TTM.  The cards came back looking great.

Johnson (b. 1943) is the second-winningest driver in NHRA history.  His 97 national event wins are second only to John Force.  He won six championships in Pro Stock (1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2001) and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007.  Johnson also had some of the sharpest looking cars at the race track.

I mailed to Johnson on March 16 and got the cards back on March 24, for an 8-day TAT. 

Graphing the 2023 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame Induction

This weekend, I had the pleasure of going back to the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame induction during the Shriner's Expo in Greensboro.  This year, my childhood hero, Shirley Muldowney, was being inducted into the Hall, and I wanted to make sure I would be there.  My dad is Hall of Fame Class of 2018 for this group, and it is really cool to me to be able to say he is enshrined along Shirley, a drag racing legend.  There was some discussion as to why Shirley (who generally raced with the NHRA out in California, etc) would be inducted into the North Carolina Hall.  While she is famous for being the first woman to be licensed to drive a Top Fuel dragster; first woman to win a Top Fuel national event; first woman to win a Top Fuel World Championship, and the first driver of an gender to win multiple Top Fuel Championships, she is also the first woman to win a funny car national event.  She did this in 1974 at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina.  So, there's the connection to North Carolina.

I was able to get several cards signed by Shirley, along with several posters (a couple were for my mom) and a couple of the brochures for the ceremony.  Shirley was gracious as always, and I was very happy to be able to talk with here briefly.  I was also able to give her a good recommendation for some Chinese food close to where she is now living.

One of the folks in the autograph line (along with Shirley, my dad, and others) was Buddy Martin.  Martin was the other half of the famous Sox and Martin team that dominated the early days of Pro Stock.  Ronnie Sox is no longer with us, so I got Buddy to sign my two Sox cards from my 1990 IHRA set.  Buddy Martin wasn't really associated with this car, but I thought it was a good idea to go ahead and get him to sign the cards in recognition of how powerful that duo was in the history of drag racing.

Finally, I had undertaken a little project that began with an idea my coworker, Lisa, set me toward.  Last year, the son of a friend of mine that I have known for years followed me around the event.  He's a cool little dude, who is a talented racer in his own right.  Cameron Moore recently won a track championship locally, and is a big fan of cards (mostly Pokemon cards).  Lisa gave me the idea to make some custom cards on Topps's website and give them to Cam while I was at the event.  I did, but the condition with Cam was that he would have to sign one of the cards for me.  I got a big hug from Cam and a hand shake from his dad.  I think he is super happy about the cards (well, I know he is, because he thanked me about 6 or 7 times, and gave me 3 or 4 hugs).  I just thought it was really cool to give him something that he could hand out to his friends and family as he starts along his racing journey.  From everything that I've seen, he is very talented.

I had a great time at the Hall of Fame induction, and got to spend time with my Mom while Dad was signing.  I also went through the line a couple times and stopped to talk to Dad as he sat there.  It was kind of funny, but he seemed to enjoy the attention.  As long as I am able, I plan to attend the ceremonies as they happen annually.  I wonder who they will induct next year.

First Graphing of 2022 - North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame

Due to the MLB lockout, the usual graphing of the Wood Ducks Hot Stove event in January was canceled.  I had to wait until February to get some graphing in at the induction ceremony for the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.  The big name on this year's class was that of Pro Modified legend, Scotty Cannon.  One of my heroes when I was growing up, I had to be there for his induction.

I ordered some single cards off of COMC, and also a couple complete sets of 1990 Checkered Flag IHRA.  I ordered one for me, and one for my buddy, Gerard.  While I was at the event, a new friend convinced me to get one for him, as well.  I befriended the son of one of the guys who used to race against my dad and bought him a set, since he liked the one I had so much.  He got the set in the mail a few weeks later, along with an assortment of signed baseball cards and a Down East Wood Ducks team set from 2021.

Finally, Chris went through the autograph line and got his grandpa to sign a couple of his cards (above).  I buy these off of Ebay when I see them.  I've given a few away to friends.  These two came out of the set that I bought for myself.  Chris also got Gerard's two cards signed.

In all, we got Dad x 4, Scotty Cannon x 8, Wally Stroupe x 2 and Harold Denton x 3, for 17 autographs on cards.  I had a great time at the ceremony and hope to go again next year.

2021 National Free Signer - Jack Clark

Jack Clark was another of the free signers, and another guy who I had already gotten through a paid signing for my 1987 set.  So, I selected a variety of cards to get him to sign, starting with the above 1992 Topps.  I had this card set aside for a while, since it was the next on my list of his cards that I wanted to add to my album.  1992 Topps has some really nice shots in the set, and this one is right at the top of them, I believe.

I also had Clark sign his 1988 Topps, 1989 Score and 1991 Fleer.  The card slid a bit on my scanner, so it turned out a bit crooked.

Clark was really nice, and when I mentioned to him that my dad drag raced for over 40 years (Clark, a former drag racer, himself), and when I told him who my dad is, Clark asked me to get Dad's autograph for him.  That was really cool, especially since Clark gave me his phone number to do so.

TTM Success - Mark Thomas

When I searched for 1989 IHRA Chrckered Flag cards, I was mainly looking for some of my dad, but I also picked up some of a couple other guys who I know from back then.  The goal was to get some that I could send TTM and add to my album.

Mark Thomas is considered the greatest Alcohol Funny Car driver in IHRA history, having won countless races and multiple championships. 

I met Mark as he was being towed back to his pit area at the Gateway Nationals in St. Louis in 1989.  I had ran up and asked him of he had any of these cards (since i had seen him win the Winternationals on TV earlier that year).  Obviously, he didn't run a race with the cards in his pocket, so he didn't have any on him.  The next morning, outside of the racetrack, Dad was getting fuel at a gas station and I was sitting in the truck.  Someone tapped on the window; it was Mark with a handful of cards.  

We have kept in touch since then, and I was able to watch his career play out.  Always a great guy, it was really awesome watching him, over time, become the legend that he is.

Mark has since retired to his farming operation, but we still keep in touch.  I've been trying to talk him into stepping into a gear jammer so he can come down and enter the race Dad puts on every year.

I mailed to Mark on January 25 and got the card back signed on March 11, for a 45-day TAT.  I sent two cards and gave one of the to Chris once they came back.  Mark also included a note asking me to tell Mom and Dad hello.  Thanks so much, Mark!

TTM Success - Danny Bastianelli

It took a brave 8-year old to walk up to a race car driver and ask him for his autograph.  I was nervous, but I recognized the car and had to ask the driver for his autograph.  I walked up to his trailer and told him "You beat my dad, so you must be good.  Can I have your autograph?"  That piece of paper that I got signed back then is still around here, in a frame among a bunch of my other signed photos and memorabilia.  The best part of it, though, is that my walking up to him and asking him for his autograph former a friendship that has lasted 30+ years.  Supposedly, he walked up to my mom later on and told her how much I impressed him with what I said.  After that, I became his honorary crew chief.

Danny Bastianelli beat my dad in the finals of the 1989 IHRA Winternationals in the Top Sportsman class at Darlington Dragway.  I had spent the weekend, pretty much in one spot, along the fence near our race trailer picking up bottle caps, spark plugs and other stuff I found on the ground.  I also befriended one of the race officials who was stationed on the other side of the wall and probably drove him nuts with all of my questions.  My brothers would come by and play a bit, then they would go off and do whatever.  Mom would come and check on me, or tell me it was time to eat; otherwise, I hung out that entire race by the wall.  I couldn't actually see what was going on; the race official would tell me "Your dad just won again."  Until the race was over, Dad had finished the best he ever finished at a National event.  That was big time for us.  We weren't even supposed to be there that weekend.

At the last minute, Dad decided we would go to Darlington.  I remember we left super early in the morning.  He didn't even qualify for the race; he was an "alternate", allowed in when one of the many top qualifiers ditched Sunday eliminations because the Quick Eight Shootout the night before was a bigger draw for some.

Dad ended up on ESPN after that race.  The car he drove was wildly popular.  It would pop wheelies and had injector pipes sticking out of the hood.  Danny beat him in the finals when Dad's rear end on the car broke and deposited the wheel tubs onto the track.  The little Corvette was falling apart, but man it was wild.

After meeting Danny in person at a race in Mooresville, we would see each other along the trail that season, and at tracks as the years went by.  He became one of the most colorful bracket racers that the sport of drag racing has ever seen.  He would keep in touch with me and my family with mewspaper clippings, photos and the like.  Finally, Facebook has helped us continue to keep in touch.

I got to looking on COMC recently for Dad's 1989 Checkered Flag card (same set as Danny's above) because it had the Vette on there with the injectors (my favorite of all of Dad's rides), and the version I had was beat up and tattered from 30+ years of love.  I bought the card of Dad listed on COMC, then I thought it might be cool to grab a couple others of some guys from back then.  I bought both cards listed of Danny, of course, and I also bought two of another driver who will be shown on here soon.  I thought it would be cool to add a couple of them to my TTM album, so I sent off a Facebook message to Danny and asked him if it would be ok if I sent a couple cards his way for TTM.  He agreed... and sent me 5 of his own cards, signed.

I've always had a short list of favorite drivers.  Dad, of course.  The legendary Shirley Muldowney, obviously.  Danny Bastianelli is and will always be another who I rank as one of my top all-time favorites.  I'm glad we kept in touch all of these years and I am super happy to add him to my autograph album.  Thanks for the signatures, Danny!

This picture was taken at St. Louis in 1989.  Darryl Pepper is on the left, I'm in the middle, of course, and Danny Bastianelli is on the right

TTM Success - Don Garlits

During my COMC buying run, I came across this card of drag racing legend, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. I saw that he had signed ttm back in 2014  I believe, so I took a shot and sent to him. The card cake back signed and looks really cool. I just wish I had found one with one of his cars.

Garlits (b. 1932) is considered the father of drag racing. His countless innovations have helped the sport to evolve to what it is today. He was able to engineer a rear-engined dragster which is now commonplace. It had been attempted prior, but he was able to engineer the design and immediately made it competitive. He was the NHRA Top Fuel World Champion in 1975, 1985 and 1986. He was the first driver to surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250 and 270mph barriers.

I actually met Garlits in 1992, and he was super nice. He signed his biography for me.

I mailed to Garlits on November 4 and got the card back on November 16, for a 12-day TAT. I paid a $10 fee.

TTM Success - Jack Clark

The second of the four players I got from my much delayed private signing was Jack Clark.  I needed him for the 87 set, and in the end the card turned out really well.

Clark (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1975 to 1992 for the Giants, Cardinals, Yankees, Padres and Red Sox.  He had 1,826 hits, 340 home runs and a .267 batting average.  He was a 4-time All Star (1978, 1979, 1985 and 1987) and finished a career-best 3rd in the NL MVP voting.  Clark appeared on the 1998 Hall of Fame ballot, but only received 1.8% of the vote.

Toward the end of his playing career, Clark tried his hand at drag racing.  He ran a Top Fuel team in 1991; a car that was driven by the late, great, Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen.  McEwen would win the final national event of his career in Clark's dragster.  In 1992, Clark took over driving, but didn't fare too well.  He wound up filing for bankruptcy and sold off his race team.

I sent to the private signing the same time as Ozzie Smith (March 3) and got the card back on August 29, for a 179-day TAT.

Dad is in The Hall of Fame

After 40+ years of drag racing, my dad was inducted in the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame this past Saturday.  I attended the ceremony and car show at the Greensboro Coliseum with most of my family.  It was a lot of fun, and it was really cool seeing Dad get some recognition.

In his career, he has never had the photo handouts that a lot of racers have at events.  Finally, some were made, and they turned out really great.  The front of the handout is at the top of the page.  Of course, I had Dad sign some of them, so I could hand them out to some of my trading partners.

The back of the card is the collage of photos shown above.  I'm actually on the card twice, which is really cool.  I think Mark Joyce of MJ Printing & Graphics did a great job on this.  He had designed Dad's t-shirts for years.

Here is my son, Chris, standing in front of the poster honoring this year's inductees.  All of the copies of this poster had sold out by the conclusion of the event.  I got a couple of them signed by this year's inductees, and the other former inductees who were in attendance.

It was a little weird being someone who pursues autographs watching people "graph" my dad.  He enjoyed it, and had quite a few people come up and ask for his autograph.

Dad had to give a speech accepting the induction, and at the conclusion, the folks there had all of our family stand (because our family is so huge).  They also had Dad bring my grandmother to the front of the room, which was a really cool moment.

Part of the deal was a car show, and Dad had his car on display.  I really enjoyed looking at some of the old race cars, and talking to some of the drivers.  In attendance was former multi-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion, Warren Johnson, whom I was able to speak with for a few minutes.  I also enjoyed a long conversation with former Pro Stock racer, Jerry Eckman.

Most of the family was able to attend, which turned it into a bit of a family reunion.  My wife was unable to attend, as she had to work.  I recorded Dad's induction speech so she would be able to see it.

Here is the YouTube video of Dad's speech.  I helped him prepare for it a bit, and he did really well.  I hope he was able to tell how proud I am that he received this honor.

The End of an Era

My mom just posted on the facebook page for my dad's racing operation, something I have known was inevitable for some time.  Dad has sold the Pro Mod car that he has had since it was built by Tommy Mauney Race Cars in 1998.  Dad got into the Classic Gear Jammer racing not too long after that time and has enjoyed that quite a lot more than he had with Pro Mod there toward the end.

Dad had been in the Pro Modified class since its inception in 1990, and is considered one of the founding fathers of that class, having been at the forefront of the late 80s doorslammer racing scene in North Carolina.  He won multiple championships locally, and was always a threat to put the "big names" on the trailer at any National Event that he attended.

Operating on with a limited budget and time, due to owning his own business, and the racing operation being self-funded, the time for him in the Pro Modified class was coming to an inevitable conclusion.  The high cost of maintaining the car and the grueling schedule caused him to cut back over the last few years.

The gear jammers (the one he is running is shown above) require much less maintenance, time and money, so Dad has enjoyed going back to his roots.  He has been able to run the same local tracks that I grew up at, and is even promoting a race himself, the Stick Shift Nationals at Farmington Dragway on May 28.  If you are in the Farmington, NC area that weekend, I highly recommend you come and check it out!

Since this is primarily a "card blog" I now leave you with a card from Dad's first season in the Pro Mod class.  Yes, these actually exist, and some can be found on Ebay from time to time.  I believe someone even sent one to him to sign TTM (although I had NOTHING to do with that, it was just a happy coincidence!).

So, I feel like I have lost a member of the family, somewhat.  He has had that car since 1998, and there are a lot of fond memories of it, but in reality, the time had come for Dad to scale things back.  With the recent horrific wrecks of Ronnie Davis (who later succumbed to his injuries) and Sidnei Frigo (who escaped luckily with only a broken arm), maybe it was a good time for Dad to hang it up, as far as that class goes.  I can't say I don't blame him at all.

I used to be really good with his stats, but as years have gone by, things have gotten fuzzy.  I'm sure he will read this and correct me, but I will at least give it a shot.  Dad leaves Pro Modified with:

• Approximately 5 local championships (I believe 3 in the local Quick 8 Racers Association and two more at a track in Virginia)
• He once had the track record at every track on the local circuit and still holds the records at the now defunct Shuffletown \(Charlotte, NC) and Princeton Dragways (Princeton, WV).
• He won 11 races in a row in 1992 and the only reason the streak stopped that year was because Dad was sick with the flu at a race.
• Nationally, he was tied for the World Speed Record in Pro Modified (with Michael Martin) at 214.24 miles an hour and once held the elapsed time record at Richmond Dragway in Dinwiddie Virginia.
• Has held the car designation number "1963" since the inception of Pro Modified.  At the time the class was initiated, all competition numbers for the class were four digit numbers, starting with a 1.  With his car being a 1963 Corvette, that number designation was fitting (even though none of us kids could guess the number when he asked us which one he picked),.  When the explosion of 1963 Corvettes entered the class in 1996, folks were clamoring for that number, but it was and has always been Dad's.  If IHRA were smart, they would retire the number... Just saying...
• YouTube videos exist of ESPN broadcasts showing Dad putting some of the top racers in the country on the trailer.  One of my all-time favorites is the 1992 Spring Nationals where he took on the blown Lamborghini of Randy Moore and outran him the entire quarter mile.  Look it up.

When you are at a race and folks refer to your dad as a legend in the sport, it really is an eye-opening experience.  I never really realized it as it was happening, since I kind of saw it all transpire.  Now, having been removed from it, myself since I went off to college, it is really cool to go to a race and see all of the people come up and take pictures with my dad and ask for his autograph.  I can't wait to go to the Stick Shift race in May.  It will be a lot of fun.

Dad isn't retiring, he is just scaling back to something he can enjoy much more.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to reminisce.

What I Did For My Birthday

I'm sure you all have noticed that I have been absent from this blog over the last few days.  The reason was because I went out of town for my birthday, which was Saturday.  My wife, son and I went to ZMax Dragway in Charlotte for the NHRA Carolina Nationals.  I had been to ZMax one time before, back in April 2012 for the 4-WIde Nationals.

This time around, it was only 2-wide and the race was part of the NHRA's 'playoffs' or 'Countdown to the Championship.  This added a bit of drama to the event.  I'm not the biggest fan of this setup, as I was brought up in the era of "He who wins the most races is the Champion", but it makes it so that no one racer is dominating the class, so I guess that's ok.

As with any sporting event, I went with a goal in mind.  This time, it was to meet, again, my childhood idol, Shirley Muldowney, the First Lady of drag racing.  I had met her before in 1995 at Bristol, but was too nervous to pose for a picture with her, even though she offered.  I felt terrible about that, and wanted to redeem myself before it was too late.  Well, after about 15 minutes on-site...

We spotted Shirley in front of the Don Schumacher hospitality area recruiting fans to attend the benefit breakfast for B. R. A. K. E. S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) teen driving initiative, which was founded by fellow Top Fuel racer, Doug Herbert.  This is a good program which teaches teen drivers proper safe driving techniques and was founded by Herbert when he lost his two sons in a road accident a few years back.  I've known Doug Herbert for several years and I was happy to contribute to his program while I was there.

We talked to Shirley for a bit outside of the breakfast area and she was kind enough to pose for a picture with the 3 of us.  She was really, super nice, I couldn't have asked for a better time meeting her.  She has always been good to me.  As you can see, the photo turned out awesome.  I'm going to print it out and hang it up with my Brooks Robinson and Nolan Reimold pictures.  Meeting her on my birthday meant the world to me, so you know I was happy.

On Sunday, Chris met current Top Fuel dragster driver, Leah Pruett and got her autograph.  I think he was a big smitten by her as he wanted to go back and congratulate her after her round one win over Tony Schumacher.  She was really nice as well.  She took the time to thank Chris for coming back by her pits and congratulating her.  She said she won the round because he had brought her good luck.

We had a great time, but I am now feeling it.  I didn't get much sleep over the weekend and am now feeling like a zombie.  So, that being said, I will retire for the evening and will return to my regular blogging probably tomorrow.

Thoughts From the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals

When I called my mom on Tuesday to tell her that I met Cal Ripken, she made mention that my dad was taking my niece to Z-Max Dragway this weekend for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.  She said that Dad had said how nice it would be if I could come along with Christopher.  Initially, I told her that I didn't think I could go, since we would be getting home so late Sunday night with Chris having school today.  I called her back Wednesday and told her that I thought about it and we would go, regardless of what time we got home.  My thinking was, I hardly ever get to hang out with my dad because the both of us are so busy.  Plus, I thought it was a great idea to have Chris do something with his Paw Paw as well.

So, we all got up early Sunday morning and made the hour-hour and a half drive to Charlotte from my parents' house.  I stayed over the night before, having gone to a minor league game with my little brother.

When we got to the track, we made our way to the ticket office, planning on getting Reserved Seats for $55.00.  As we made our way to the line, a man stopped my dad and handed him 4 Reserved tickets (since he saw that there were 2 kids with us).  Turns out, they had friends who couldn't make it and decided to hand them to someone with kids.  Man, were we lucky!

We made our way into the racetrack and walked around for a while, taking in the sights.  Dad wanted to stop and talk to John Nobile, father of Pro Stock driver Vincent Nobile, since Dad knows him from way back to when they both ran the IHRA tour, Dad in Pro Modified and John in Pro Stock.  John is a really great guy, who talked to me just as much as he talked to my dad.

John had Vincent come out and talk to us as well, and Chris and I got both of their autographs on Vincent's 'hero card.'  You can barely see John's signature on the right in silver Sharpie.

 Here are John Nobile and my dad chatting before the race.  We hung out there for a good 15-20 minutes.  The Nobiles were really friendly and offered for us to come and chat with them anytime.  Chris and I actually took them up on it after the first round of eliminations when Chris saw Vincent chilling out on his golf cart.  Vincent was really good with kids.

 I took this shot before the first round of eliminations when Chris got his autograph.  The thing I really respect about Vincent Nobile is that he is only 19 and goes to college full-time.  He has his class schedule structured to support his race schedule, but he was due to fly back to New York this morning at 6AM.  That's a lot of hard work, but I'm glad he is able to manage and follow his dream.

After we were done chatting with the Nobiles, Dad, Grace, Chris and I made our way around the pits.  I had to take some pictures of a lot of the cars I haven't been able to see in person, since I hadn't been to a national event since 1998 and I had never been to an NHRA race.

I did get a John Force sighting.  Here he is signing a bunch of stuff as he was heading out to the racer introductions.  We didn't get anything signed by him because his crowd was MASSIVE.  Oh well, I got to see him at least.

Here is the first 4-Wide pass I witnessed.  I'm not going to repeat the one word I said after these cars went down.  Let's just say I'm glad it was loud because my Dad didn't hear it and Chris had his headphones on.  The word rhymed with truck...  It was amazing.  I shot a video, but something happened to it, it keeps starting and stopping like it added extra frames to it.  I need someone with video editing softwar to fix it for me.  Any takers?

Here's Chris' reaction after a couple 4-Wide passes from Top Fuel Dragsters.  He had only seen one top fueler go down a track, and that was a couple years ago at a local track.  This was far different.

I can now say that I saw John Force race in person.  I don't recall ever seeing him at the races I went to as a kid.  So, I'm counting this as the first time seeing him in person.

Here is our new favorite driver, Vincent Nobile, during the first round of Pro Stock.  Vincent would go on to the final round where he was done in by tire shake.  He would wind up finishing third, which isn't bad at all.  We wanted him to win, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Another car/driver that I wanted to see was Doug Kalitta.  His uncle Connie used to tour with Shirley Muldowney in the 1970s and is a drag racing legend.  We didn't get to meet him, which was something I really wanted to accomplish, but I just didn't get lucky.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.

Chris wanted to watch a lot of the Sportsman cars race, so he and I hung out in our seats while Dad and Grace walked around a while.  I thought this picture turned out pretty good.

Here is a good shot of Doug Kalitta doing a burnout.  My camera did a really good job taking the pictures during the event.  I just wish my video did better.

Here is Chris in front of one of the old cars they had on display.  I'm certain he was the only person there rocking the 1989 Scotty Cannon t-shirt.  That shirt is old.

Here is the final round of Pro Stock, which Vincent got 3rd.  Not too bad.  Greg Anderson second Summit car from left) won the race.

Here is the final round of Top Fuel.  Spencer Massey (far left) won, followed by Tony Schumacher.  Doug Kalitta got 4th, I think.

In all, we had a blast, and I really think I'll be heading back to ZMax Dragway in September when they return.  I'm glad I could spend some time with my dad and my son.  Oh yeah, Grace, too.  We now have a new favorite Pro Stock driver, which will make it more interesting for Chris.  Thanks for inviting us, Dad!

My First Ever TTM Success - Shirley Muldowney 8x10 Photo

Switching gears for a bit (see what I did there?), I thought I'd post something I found while getting all the pictures I intend on hanging on the wall in my new 'man cave' together.

I used to watch the movie 'Heart Like a Wheel' every chance I could get when I was little. The movie came out when I was 3 and it was the only drag racing movie I had ever heard of, so it worked for me on a few levels. Since my dad drag raced, I was around it my whole life. I became a HUGE Shirley Muldowney fan because of the movie. Being the first woman to ascend the professional ranks in drag racing was a tremendous feat, and she was the perfect woman to do it. She has always had the type of 'Take no Sh*t off of anyone' attitude that served her well in being able to send the boys home on raceday.

Something else about Shirley is that she has always been very accommodating to her many fans around the world. When I was 10 years old, having seen the movie probably a billion times, my mom found me a way that I could write Shirley a letter. I wish I could remember what I said in the letter. Probably that my dad also drag raced, I loved the movie, etc. I also included my 5th grade school picture and a card of my dad's racecar.

Shirley was racing exclusively on the NHRA circuit at that time, so I didn't have a chance to see her race in person, since we were in IHRA territory. I had always longed to go to a race and watch her, but at that time, I didn't have the chance.

Fast forward 5 years (1995), I'm walking along the pits at Bristol Dragway for the 1995 Spring Nationals with my cousin's girlfriend. As we are walking, a top fuel dragster was being rolled out of its transporter. As the car rolls out and I see the name on the car, I flip out and run straight back to our pits and scream at my mom 'MOM OH MY GOD SHIRLEY IS HERE SHES HERE SHES HERE...' (Yeah Im a dork). She had decided to try the IHRA tour that year, so made a (then) rare trip out east.

Later on that day when I calmed down, I went up to Shirley to meet her in person. She was sitting at the end of her transporter signing autographs for the people who came by and I was the last one there for that moment. This meant I didn't have anyone waiting behind me so I could talk as long as she allowed. So, I nervously approached the woman I had only read about and seen on TV and told her 'Hello, Ms. Muldowney, I'm a big fan, I loved your movie and I wrote you a letter when I was 10...' She stopped me right there and said 'Your name is William and you sent me a school picture.' I was floored. This awesome lady REMEMBERED me! She REMEMBERED MY NAME! How awesome is that? I will never forget that as long as I live. She is and will always be one of my sports heroes.

I hope you all enjoyed this story, as I enjoyed re-telling it. Please leave me some comments and let me know what you think.

Went Racing Again This Weekend

My dad decided to go racing again this weekend, and I was able to take off from the card shop so I could help out. My wife was also afforded a rare weekend off, so we were able to make a family deal out of it. Dad decided to race both his Pro Modified (the Yellow car) and his 'Classic Gear Jammer' (a Red 1967 Corvette). Because of the task of managing both cars, I decided to help out with the Gear Jammer.

Here we are pushing Dad along the staging lanes for his practice run in the car. We have his crew man Paul checking tire pressure, my brother Andy in the orange t-shirt, me with my handy dandy Lookouts hat and my brother Kenny by the door.

I had never seen dad race this car before, but I realized this weekend that I really enjoyed watching it. The car is LOUD and pops wheelies as it launches, which is really cool and brings back memories of how things used to be way back when.

Dad lost in the second round of eliminations in the red car and made it to the semi-final round with the yellow one. Both cars ran very consistently all day long. My aunt and grandma also made the trip, here is a picture of my grandma watching the action with my son, Christopher.

Here is a cool picture of Dad prepping for a run in the red car (I should have taken one of him in the yellow car too, but didn't think of it at the time).



I did shoot a video, however. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Not to be forgotten, my brother, Kenny, raced his dragster. My wife took this picture, which I thought turned out pretty well. Kenny lost in the first round, bought back in and lost in the second as well. He ran well, it just wasn't his night.

We were at Farmington Dragway for their Chick-Fil-A Family Fun Day, and one of the promotions was for a couple exhibition runs of a Top Fuel dragster. It had been 12 years since I have seen a top fueler in person. It was pretty bad ass. My wife and son had never seen one, and the look on their faces after the run was priceless.

It ended up raining once the semi-final round of Pro Modified was completed, so we didn't get to see the conclusion of the race, or another pass by the Top Fueler.