Looks like DK Racing will be starting out alone again this year with the emphasis on maybe having some fun, less work, less breakage, and maybe a few more rounds of racing in the win column. The last two years have really been a challenge. I now have two years on this new car so I am hoping all the little gremlins have been removed. One thing about racing: it is very humbling. One second things are going great, the next second, not so good. Well, I certainly have had more of the negative things happen, but all and all I do know that things could always be worse.

I am hoping to add a second car to the DK Racing stable as they say, but of course it is on a lot smaller scale. I purchased a junior dragster for my now 9 year old grandson, updated the chassis and all the safety equipment. It is a 1/25 scale of my car, same paint, same color, same graphics, just a different driver. About time you say! Well, maybe some day he will be driving my car, but that’s a few years away although six years goes by quickly. Talking his mother in to that one might be a bit of a problem. He probably won’t start until July as baseball continues until then, but with any luck at all grandpa will be smiling when he goes down the track competing for the first time. Maybe someone in this family can win a round or two of racing!

I also became a grandpa for the fifth time in February, yes, another boy named Chase. That makes 4 boys, one girl. Lets just hope they all don’t realize how much fun their cousin is having. I would definitely need a larger trailer! Thanks for reading, I’ll be back soon.

Food, prizes, giveaways and other drawings were present throughout the event. The line of people kept growing. It became obvious that I was soon going to be completely surrounded by people. So, I opted to move the INS Dragster back outside to keep little hands from drawing on the car. It was perfect outside. I talked to a bunch of customers and had a great time. Thanks to everyone at FMTCS, INS Business Representative Joe Craig, and again, my good friend Joe Notch. It was a great finish to the year. We may not be back for awhile, so I want to tell everyone to have a great winter, stay safe and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Take Care!

There was even an “Elvis sighting.” Yes, we had some great entertainment at the festival as there was an Elvis impersonator singing many of Elvis’s greatest hits. He looked like Elvis and had most of his moves figured out and definitely had the voice. He even stopped over to take a look at the car and visit. Thanks to Kevin Hranicka, General Manager of the Van Buren Telephone Co., for his excellent hospitality and company. Thanks also to Tim Earp, INS Business Representative, for his help and to my good friend, Joe Notch, for helping and riding along.

Between Vinton and Independence on the not-so-modern Hwy 150, I had my first trial of the weekend. Boom! I had a tire blow out on the trailer’s left side. I drove very slowly for a couple of miles until I could get turned into an abandoned farm lane to change the tire. I got the tire changed and was on my way in 30 minutes, which wasn’t bad.

I pulled into the race facility around 8:15 p.m. – just enough time to park, shower again (it was muggy and warm changing the tire), have an adult beverage and get some sleep. The evening was quiet until around 2:30 a.m. Then, the wind picked up and the rain started. We had it all – rain, wind, thunder, lightning. And, of course, trying to sleep in a tin box when it’s pouring down rain is not easy.

When I woke up around 7 a.m., the rain had stopped, but it certainly didn’t look promising for racing. Around 8:30 I unloaded the car and headed for the pay/registration area. It didn’t take long to realize more rain was on the way. I rounded up a couple of helpers and loaded the INS Dragster just in time as the rains came. They never completely stopped all day! The races were not officially called off until 11:30, so it made for a long morning.

The afternoon involved napping, watching a movie and then going out to eat at 7:30 p.m. It was still raining when I returned after dinner and it continued well into the morning hours. So much for Saturday race day!

Sunday morning was fantastic — cool, slight breeze and lots of sunshine! Along with the gorgeous weather came lots of race cars. With so many cars, the time runs were limited to two and there were no ½ hour of open time trials.

Time runs started at 9 a.m. and my turn came around 10:05. My first trip down the quarter mile in the left lane netted us a 7.576 at 178.17 mph. I was very happy as that was the first time the INS Dragster had been in the 7.50s. Our next pass came around 11:15. I was in the right-hand lane and netted a time of 7.582 @ 177.85 mph – our second quickest run ever. I felt good about going a few rounds that day. We were ready. They took a few minutes for lunch and started eliminations.

Our first run was around 1:15. I had a lane choice and I chose the left lane. My competition dialed a 7.67 and I dialed a 7.57. I was a tenth quicker, so he would be leaving sooner. I rolled into the staging beams, set the button (brake), released on the first sign of yellow, pushed the throttle pedal to the floor and hoped for the best. A millisecond later the car sort of shuddered, lurched forward and broke the beam! Yes, red light! I was so shocked I didn’t know how to react. We lost again. Although it was an obvious mechanical/electrical problem, it did’t help. When you red light at the start, there is no way to win. It was a lonely ride down the track and back to the trailer. There was nothing else to do other than ponder what might have been…which I had time to do since my cell phone had locked up and I couldn’t make any calls on the way home.