A train

I just wanted to take a minute to jot down a few thoughts about a trip for not mostly racing but a soul trip. My trip tp st Louis for nopi was not only for racing, it was a personal trip to say good bye to Darrell Russell. We arrived on sat morn to a gloomy rain outlook and decent track conditions for all motor cars, we rushed to get ready for qualifying and got in the lanes and said a prayer for Darrell and decided to make my first pass in the left lane, the lane he was in when he crashed . The pass went amazingly well the first ten my car has seen all year and i felt blessed to have even made a pass in the very lane any pro racer has trekked but something seemed special just being there. after the second pass another 10.70's pass the weather turned for the worst and almost washed out the event, Stu's hatch had consistent clutch probs so i decided to see if i could borrow a back up and low and behold 2 of our competitors put in together to lend a hand Lisa and Brent from L and b racing lent a bolt and Leslie and the durst's were kind enough to lend a tilton to use for the rest of the weekend, people like this don't come around everyday and i just wanted to say they are tops in my book and her mom is definaltley the race mom I would have love to have, and as for mike if my dad only cared enough to even show up to an event i'd be blessed, you folks are an inspiration and are great for this sport and family to us. thank you and god bless
After a long night in 2 inches of rain i changed the clutch and prayed for no rain in the morn. the minute i woke up i heard"we are sorry to report to you the 3rd round qualifier has been canceled and it was a a huge let down because we were one car short of a 16 car field and Stu was not in the top 8. so i took some time to walk the track and try to focus on the day ahead and say goodbye to Darrell in my
own way through prayer. my walk back for some reason was the longest 1/4 mile i have ever been on, very quiet and serene and i got back to my car and sat in it for a minute and for some reason the whole loss of Darell took over me and i began to ball my eye's out, the whole thought seems kinda whiney i know but for all pro racers that get to live that type of lifestyle that i'm coming to the end of experiencing, It makes me really realize how lucky I am to race with all of you and My partner and all my friends who come and support us, at the level were at now we couldn't do it with out you. After i finished clearing my head they made a call to pro racers to get the lanes and pair up! i recently found out my first race would be against Leslie which i knew she was down for the rest of the event even though i dam near threw a whole tranny at them but unfortunately the parts were not able to fit the custom apps. they needed. bummer i would have rather lost to a great competitor like her than get a bye. well dont count your chickens before they hatched, nopi came over to my car in the lanes and alerted me that Stu was the alternate car to take Leslie's spot and the car still didnt have trannie fluid or a clutch stop or the intake, so i hopped out of my car and ran to the pits to finish the car and just as i started the car up to set up the clutch stop the nopi photographer came over to tell us the made a mistake, Stu isn't the alt. Lisa f. is get back to your car there pulling you up! so after running back and having no one to adjust the tire pressure on the car we went from 1.4 60 fts to a 1.6 some thing and i had lost my focus after the car went into tire shake up to the 60 ft mark at least and hit limiter though 4th and missed 5th as she passes me by. I was so upset at everything. even at Lisa for beating me but you know what? she deserved the w and more respect from me for taking her lighlty at the light.
i wanted to be pissed at nopi for such a lame mistake but every one makes mistakes and if it was'nt for them I dont think we would have the luck to race for the best series and best paying out there. (hey Glenn you can send me that 100$ bucks later)lol. after all this drama i got back to the pits and still had to removed the clutch that i spent all night taking a bath to install, at the st louey track river to return to Leslie. Final thought Dont ever take racing lightly, even in the heat of things we all have to remember that one were blessed just to able race in such crazy times in the world and racers like Darrell who tragically lost there life doing what they loved most will never have chance to lay down another pass, see his first child which he and his wife were planning for soon, or to even pass on his most blessed talent, Being a true racer, person,and always positive! I will miss you Darrell and i am blessed to have had a chance to say goodbye!


May there be nitro in heaven
Equal lanes too!