This post is a little long for the ML so use that delete key if you aren't interested in the ramblings of a sun-baked Midwesterner. I started writing this report on the long drive back from New Jersey. I had my Pocket PC with me but after a couple hours of staring at a 2"x3" screen my eyes were getting a little bugged out. Not to mention how difficult it was to hit the tiny touch pad keyboard while driving over bumps. I thought tollways were supposed to be smooth as glass. Where's all the money going?

   Our heads are still spinning from all the racing. Kevin Chesney and the rest of the VHORS folks put on a first class event. The best part about the weekend was meeting everyone I've come to know through ML posts and race reports.

   My 900 mile journey started Thursday evening with a 90 minute drive to southwest Chicago where Team NITRO members Bob Muys and Bill Deuser live. We would meet up with Mark Ferris and Andy Meyer at the Shootout.

   Bill had spent the afternoon napping in preparation for a night of driving. I claimed the back seat and settled in for a long trip of 12-13 hours. Somewhere in Indiana I managed to get some shut-eye. I felt like a circus contortionist trying to lay my 6'3" frame on the back seat. When I woke up I was pleasantly surprised to find we nearly in Pennsylvania. Bill ended his marathon driving stint when we stopped for breakfast. He'd been in the saddle for about eight hours. I offered to drive but when Bill and Bob found out what speed I normally average, I was relegated to co-pilot. I tried very hard to keep my comments about Chicago-style driving to a minimum. :^)

   ...and then...

   We arrived at Paperboy Raceway around 12:30pm Friday. We were a couple hours early for practice so we planned on doing a drive-by and heading to the hotel. We came to a screeching halt when we saw several racers already turning laps. We went inside and found Kevin who assured us it was OK to invade his house a little early. We cracked out the pit boxes and headed for the two tracks that were set up. We were quite a haggard bunch and probably smelled a little ripe after the long trip but nobody seemed to mind.

   Tom Bowman showed up a little later with his routed track and set it up with impressive speed. It's an Ed Bianchi track with magnetic braid. It would host the IROC race. I ran some of my own cars on it. The track was eerily quiet. It was a pleasant experience running through the huge sweeping curves wide open and getting on the brakes before the curves. I thought the wide slot would be noticeable but it wasn't. I saw some guys running magnet cars on it, too. Quite the versatile track.

   All three tracks were a blast to run on. We ran cars for a couple more hours Friday afternoon before heading to the hotel to freshen up and grab a bite to eat. We spent the evening tweaking our cars and practicing. I learned from my teammates that our cars might be overweight. Sure enough, my best car was too heavy. Arrgh! I set about putting it on a diet. A few cusswords and a broken windshield later I managed to cut the weight by swapping rear hubs, cutting out the side windows and shaving the gear plate rails.

...and then...

   Saturday dawned cold and rainy. The pit space was outside so we didn't waste any time when we had to tweak cars. The weather could have been a little more cooperative. I think everyone remembers the exact moment the front rolled through. A monstrous gust of wind came through and nearly blew the pit tents away. I was racing on the Paperboy at the time and felt the gust blow through the windows behind me. We could hear the cries outside. Oh, the humanity!

   The race day is somewhat of a blur. Something like 12 hours of racing, marshalling, eating and BS'ing. The sun even came out Saturday afternoon and took a little edge off the cold air. I know I already mentioned it but the best part of the weekend was meeting everyone in person. Words don't do some folks justice. You have to experience them in living color.

   Team NITRO was well represented in the individual races. Bill Deuser finished seventh in the overall rankings of the three races. The only other results I saw were for the timed heat racing on the Paperboy where the rest of us finished in the top half. The team event started late in the afternoon. We started our rotation on the Paperboy. By the time we got back from racing on the Hot Slotz table the sun had gone down. Team racing takes some getting used to. You don't race four straight heats. You race, sit around or marshall for about 5-10 minutes while the rest of the team races and then you're back in the fire. It gives the adrenal glands a real workout. The 10 lap races we ran left no room for error. One crash and you were in last place. Even so, there was still plenty of close racing. Team NITRO finished 5th out of 8 teams, a decent showing with room for improvement.

   Our race day ended with the awards ceremony, raffle and team photos. The Hoopes family made off with the lion's share of hardware. I think they had to leave their track at Kevin's house to fit it all in their vehicle. The Team NITRO photo should be good for a laugh. I think J.J. caught Bob and Mark playing grabass with Andy. The look on Andy's face should be priceless. It was the only time all day I saw him speechless. We wrapped up the evening running some oddball cars on the Paperboy and talking in Kevin's driveway until we got hypothermia.

   The trip back was relatively uneventful. We drooled over some of the cars leaving the big auto show in Carlisle, PA. That was after sitting at a dead stop in the middle of nowhere for 20 minutes. Once we got moving again we came around a bend to see a couple horses on the shoulder munching grass. Their handlers had brought them there to calm them down. Their truck and trailer had caught fire and basically burned to the ground. Yikes!

   All in all it was a great weekend. Well worth the trip. Mark your calendars for next year!

Kevin Kessler
Team NITRO
Bulldog Raceway

No and then!