So, since I am leading the PRA in points, we decided to hit Bakersfield to race. PRA is in some financial difficulties and said there would be no pay outs. I figured Im not racing for the money, i am racing for the fun of racing, Amanda has not seen me race this car yet so I thought this would be a great road trip to California with her. So we leave Wednesday at 1 pm and we arrive around 5 pm Thursday with an over night stay in California border the first day.
Jason from Paradise was not arriving till Friday night along with Cerny racing as he was taking my truck and trailer to his home for me, and then is going to take it to Sac for me so I can fly in from Nova Scotia. Friday was a free day so we thought we would tour Bakersfield California, too be honest, not realy much to see in this town. We decide to hit the Roadhouse restaurant for a lunch/dinner, It is a bar b q style place, I order the Chilli burger, well Jason and the Cerny crew arrive around 10 pm at the hotel. we say hi talk about what tiem we are leaving and then say good night.
About midnight i get massive pains, yup food poising has kicked in, for any of you that have had it you know where this is going. After a painful night. I am determined to still race, 9 am arrives and i am not capible of moving, the team tells me to take as much time as needed and they will wait. around 9:30 i drag my worn ass out of bed and head to the track. I am completey exhausted, however i really wanted to race, Amanda set up a bed in the trailer and they told me to relax and they would get the car ready. Being a west coast hot rod event with nitro cars and funny cars involved we would only get 2 qualifying runs and then eliminations. So first round is up and it is 100 degrees out, I am pouring water down my 15 layer fire suit to stay cool.
make my fast past solo since there was only 3 pro mod cars, I have a great burnout but I short shift the car and missed 4th, i do a 11.29. placing me third in qualifying, Bobby Mill runs a 9.54 and Eric Overland runs a 10.87. second round we pull up to staging, I am up against Eric Overland and the car wont start, wth, I need this run to qualify 2nd and get a few more points up on Eric. we tow the car back to the pits, Eric runs an easy 14 sec. Jason pulls the valve covers off and checks the valves, we pull the plugs and and have one burnt plug. Jason does his magic along with Danny Cerny and we are good to go again. There is a braek now to allow for more cars , This is a great time for me to take another nap. First round qualifying, Jason tells me we need to go to plan B, if it feels good hit the override button and wind up the turbo.
I am up against Eric 2 vs 3, we line up, again good burnout. I feel good, nerves are gone but fatigue is set in. We launch, wheels up for teh EH team, car feels good, 1,2, oh shit, wont go into 3rd, 3 tries, third time its in, as I watch Eric go byme, I am like oh shit, I hit the whammie button in 3rd and slam it into 4th a nd I drive around Eric for the win. I do a 10.99 at 128 and Eric runs an 11.11. I had no idea I had won.there is video on my facebook. Yes i move on to the finals, I got 2 for teh third time this year, Knowing I am points leader, Jason and Amanda roll up to grab me , Jason is like, You drove around taht guy, way not to give up... we now have a long break due to Nitro cars , Funny cars, Jet cars, dragster etc. Final round does not come until 12:30 am. I had actually fallen asleep in the golf cart in teh staging lanes waiting to go up. I am so drained at this point, I had only eaten 1/2 a sandwich all day and a few gatorades..Time to line up against Bobby Miller who's car comes in at 1600 pounds to my 1900 pound car, he had a 9.54 qualifying pass.
I know he has got this... Jason says to me, Plan D we know his car is faster but we gotta give him a run for his money....make him work for the win. Hit the Whammie at teh launch and hang on... We line up, I turn on my headlights and and we do our burnouts,Love a smoke filled car. Jason lines me up and gives me the signal for the whammie, I smile and nod my head, I grab the button and let the tree fall, I launch wheels up, grab second and then nail third, I cant see Bobby, I know I treed him but that car is fast, I hit fourth and cross the line, Bobby trying to chase me down blew his car up at the 1000 ft. Jason and Amanda come flying up on the golf cart, Jason gives me a huge hug , before my wife even, he was like, I knew you had that in you.. that was so awesome...I was like, What did I do> 10.08 at 134mph. We have not doen any adjustments to this car since i bought all we have done is change the oil once in 4 races. We head back to the pits and and I made sure I went and thanked Bobby for the great race. He said I surprised him out of the hole. This was my first pro mod win, and I am still the current pro mod leader in the PRA, the car is now in San Marcos and will recieve some love and changes for Sac. Amanda got to see my fasted past yet and see my addiction to this sport. I cant wait till Sac...
stay tuned
