The next morning, Jessica woke me at about 9:00, saying something about the floor in our living room.

“I think there’s water under the floor,” she said.

“Come back to bed honey,” I muttered, half asleep.

“I think you need to look at this.”

“It’s not time to get up yet.”

“Get your &^*% up, we’ve got a problem.”

Good morning! Yea, she wasn’t imagining things. Our air conditioner developed a leak, and the leaking water had made its way underneath our laminate flooring. Within the next few hours our living room was a certifiable disaster zone; with trim pieces, base boards, and flooring scattered about. My soon-to-be father-in-law, Jack stopped by to lend assistance and the drying process began. When we were content that we’d done about all we could do on that day, we glanced at the clock… 4:00. If we hustle we can still make first round!

And such is the life of a racer. After a few precious hours of sleep, and an all day thrash, we were back at the track to jam the needle in a little deeper. After a pair of red lights, I loaded up early and watched Jess nearly pull off a “W” of her own before falling in the quarterfinals.

The Great American Bracket Race at No Problem Raceway always brings an exciting and hectic weekend for me, and the 2011 version was no different. I was joined by Britt and Slate Cummings to present our annual TIBR “Live” driving school at NPR preceding the race. Plus, I’m involved in promoting and overseeing the 32-car American Race Cars Dragster Shootout that is held within the event. On the track, I get race for three days of big purses, highlighted by a $50,000-to-win event on Saturday. During testing, my dragster developed an oil leak and I determined the culprit was the crankshaft seal on the Jesel cover. With some help, I began diligently replacing it. By Friday morning I had it back together and ready for action. I managed to win the “run for the money” on Friday, which paid about $500 for a nice start to the weekend. I was making pretty solid runs in the Friday event before I ran into Jason Folk in round 4 and he sent me packing.

As I began the burnout for my final time trial before Saturday’s $50,000-to-win main event, all hell broke loose on “Bruiser.” I immediately shut off, and pulled to the wall hoping that all that racket was a broken rocker arm. It turned out to be a little worse than that; she dropped a valve. Upon further examination, apparently I got the belt off by one tooth in my thrash the previous morning; which had all the exhaust valves crashing the pistons. Nice work kid!

I hopped into Mitch Clary’s machine and somehow managed to win the “Run for the Money” for a second consecutive day. I advanced to the 6^th round in Mitch’s car on the strength of five .00 reaction times. There, I was .00 again but eventual runner-up David Jones showed me a nice little trick at the finish line to end my day. If you’re keeping score, that was the third edition of the Great American $50,000 race. In year 1, I had two entries in at 11 cars… And none in at 6. Last season, I had two entries in at 5 cars… And none at 3. This year’s loss at 10 cars was yet another chapter in the saga that is my inability to close the deal at super buck events. Someday I’ll win this race (or some race that pays $50k or more)!

On Sunday, my buddy “Bones” (that’s Todd Ewing of Huntsville Engine fame) felt bad for me and let me drive his new dragster in the $7500 event. I thought that I was going to make him a little money (and maybe pay for my engine damage myself), but that all came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinal round when I turned it red alongside Troy Coughlin, Jr. 

The following weekend took me back to I-57 for a relaxing Saturday night event close to home. Of course, if you followed my last column, you know that my typical Saturday night at I-57 isn’t particularly relaxing: my standard procedure is to enter the Vega in every category they offer! That was once again the case, as the little Vega got triple entered and had her tongue hanging out by night’s end.

I managed to advance to the quarterfinal round in all three categories before turning it red that round in Footbrake. I made it to the final in both Super Pro and Pro (No Box), but despite making two pretty solid runs, I couldn’t make my win light glow in either category. In Pro, I was .020 and took .010 beside Corey Woods, but he was .020 and dead-on, so that didn’t work. 

I thought, “No big deal, I’ll just win Super Pro.” 

Problem was, I had to square off with eventual track champion Barry Greene. I turned it loose and thought “got it.” Then as we headed down the track it became pretty obvious that he was going to catch me. I tapped the nitrous button, then jumped on the brakes to feed him the stripe. I looked up to see that I went 6.101 on my 6.10 dial. Sweet! Wait, my win light wasn’t on.

I rode up the return road thoroughly confused. I wasn’t late. I got a good bit behind him. I went dead-on. What just happened? I was right. I wasn’t late: .010. And I did get a fair amount behind: .009. My .011 package will always be .009 behind his .002 package. Fantastic.

The next weekend brought us to Nashville, TN where we got to attend the wedding of our good friends, Todd and Amber Thompson. On Sunday, the groom and I double entered the Vega in Super Pro at Music City Raceway‘s Southern Survival Shootout. Unfortunately, neither of us had any success, and Jess and I were pointed back to Illinois by late afternoon.

After a brief stop at home, it was off to Kokomo, Indiana and Bunker Hill Dragstrip. Jason Lynch and I had been summoned by Edd Harney to instruct the DragRaceLawyer.com Driving School that he put together at the track prior to a big bucks event over the weekend. Edd assembled a great class of racers and we had a ball working with everyone. We had to endure some rain and some really cold temperatures that followed that front, but we had a great time and I feel like everyone involved benefited from the experience.

On the track, my weekend wasn’t so great. I entered the Vega in every class they had, and I went a bunch of rounds, but I never got real close to the prize. I think Saturday’s $5,000 Super Pro race was my best effort; but I got cracked by fellow I-57 regular Phil Bryant (who went on to a runner-up finish, falling to Cory Mong) with about 12 cars remaining.

I got my motor back from the crew at Huntsville Engine, and got it stuck in a dragster in time for the following weekend’s Tenn-Tuck Triple Crown event at Bowling Green. I decided to change things up a little bit this time around, and I dropped my conventional head 582 into the “Rocket,” my 2010 American Dragster, rather than the “Bruiser” (my 2008 American Dragster) that it’s always ridden in. The Rocket is lighter, and I just had it in my head that the engine & converter combo would respond to a lighter chassis and make a more efficient combination. Plus, the Rocket had not gotten much work this season (It had left the shop 3 times to that point), and the 12 degree aluminum motor that normally resides between it’s frame rails was due for a freshen up.

So, with the Rocket and the Vega in tow, I set out for Bowling Green. My favorite facility once again treated me well. Although I didn’t have any success in the $10,000 main events, I managed to make it to the final in both $5,000-to-win “Little Buck” races with the dragster. On Friday, I lost in the final to Jeg Coughlin, Jr., and on Saturday I got the win over Buddy Ferrell. This is kind of embarrassing to say, but if you’ve been reading all season you already know it: that victory marked my first top bulb bracket triumph of 2011. Yes, it was mid-October. And no, you don’t have to rub it in!

With one weekend remaining before the annual Million Dollar Race, I decided to rest the fantastic combination I had “stumbled” upon in the dragster (it’s amazing how a year or two of work becomes an “overnight” success), and play a little bit in the crazy little Vega. I stayed close to home, with appearances at I-57 Dragstrip Saturday and Accelaquarter Cars for Kids Dragstrip in Harrisburg, IL on Sunday. I cracked the whip on my workhorse Vega to the tune of 35 passes on the weekend. I entered every class available: Super Pro, Pro, and Footbrake at I-57, then Super Pro and Footbrake at Harrisburg. The weekend proved both memorable and profitable: I left I-57 with a win (Pro), a runner-up (Footbrake), and a semi-final finish (Super Pro). Then on Sunday I was able to “double up,” with a pair of wins at Harrisburg! I never bought back, so the Vega posted a 28-2 record on the weekend. That’s a pretty sweet weekend anytime. Considering that it provided a little cash prior to the Million Dollar Race, the timing made it even sweeter!

 

About a month prior, Peter Biondo contacted me about the possibility of driving one of my cars at the Million. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Pete, but rumor has it he’s pretty good. My response was pretty obvious: “Pete, you just tell me which car(s) you want to drive, and I’ll get out of the way.”

He chose the “Rocket” (even though with the little motor it’s far from a rocket), so I focused on the Vega all weekend. My tally showed absolutely nothing. I got beat early every day of the event, including the big show. As a matter of fact, team Bogack didn’t look too strong throughout but Pete pulled through for me in the last $20,000 race on Sunday, where he made it to the semi-finals to salvage the weekend. I’ve had really good Millions and really bad ones. On the grand scale, I could have done a lot worse than essentially breaking even (thank goodness for Pete!).

I left my trailer in Montgomery (I was planning a trip back to Georgia in two weeks, and that saved some fuel money), and headed back home for a much needed weekend off. The weekend provided an opportunity to put the living room back together (yep, that was 2 months ago)… Let’s just say I have a whole new respect for the folks who lay flooring for a living.

Off to South Georgia and the annual 4-Day event that kicks off the “Winter Series!” This season, I had no intentions of continuing south for the events in Florida: I had a lot going on at home, and to be honest I’d had enough butt whippings for 2011 and was about ready to call it a year. In Georgia, the butt whippings continued. I had very little success in the first couple of events despite two good cars and very competitive reaction times.

In Saturday’s 64-car, $50,000 shootout, things turned around. I got in a good groove with the dragster and made it to the final round on the dragster side of the race that featured 32 dragsters and 32 door cars. Better yet, I squared off with my buddy Jason Lynch. Those of you that know me know that Jason and I are as tight as two fellas can be. And you know that if I can’t win, there’s no one I’d rather see hoist the trophy than my buddy JJ. Plus, in this instance we brokered a deal that made us both winners financially. But that round marked the third time I’d run Jason in the semi or quarterfinals of a $50,000 race… And I haven’t won yet.

This time around, I bumped it red to Jason’s conservative .024 bulb. Nice. Jason eventually lost to another good friend of mine, Jon Siegel in the final round. So I didn’t get the glory of a final round appearance, but we still went home with a nice payday. Sunday I closed the weekend with a semi-final finish in the $5,000 “Duck” race in the Vega. The crazy little Vega’s final pass of the year was probably it’s most memorable. Paired with Dave Connolly’s 4.40 dragster, the crazy little Vega went CRAZY little Vega on me. The story is long (and entertaining), but it includes a long, tall wheel stand with the left blinker on, a save that involved a pump of the throttle that would’ve made Gary Scelzi proud, and a healthy dose of make-up juice thanks to Nitrous Express. It ended with a 6.108 on a 6.11 dial. All things considered I did a pretty decent job; but it’s time for the Vega to get a little time off and a lot of TLC.

As the weekend came to a close, an interesting opportunity presented itself. Jason Lynch needed a car for Bradenton. He’s kind of like Peter; I think he’s won a race or two; so this wasn’t a bad business proposition. I threw my car in his trailer and my wheels got to turning… “If Jason takes my car to Bradenton, I could fly in and drive it at West Palm Beach.” Sweet… Except if I was going to stretch my legs on the long track, I’d much rather be going 7.10 than 7.60... So I unloaded the 12 degree motor and threw it into the trailer of DRR’s own Scott Lemen. With a lot lighter load, I set out for home.

That week I got to do something really cool: sit on the couch with my fiancée and make money watching Jason on DRR Live Timing! JJ went a ton of rounds and capped the weekend with a win in the Phantom Race Cars Dragster race. Awesome! Or as Jason would say, “Bam!”

That Friday, I flew to Abilene, TX for a weekend trip. In our TIBR “Live” school in Belle Rose, I met Neil, Joanna, and Joseph Tinsley. We struck up a friendship, and they invited me to come out to Texas and race with them for a weekend. I’ll get into the details later, but I also recently ordered a new ’63 Corvette Roadster from Charlie Stewart Race Cars out of Azle, TX to run in NHRA Super Gas next season. The weekend brought an opportunity to drive Charlie’s current car and get a feel for it, while hanging out with the Tinsley’s. It was all a chance I couldn’t pass up!

On Saturday, I drove the roadster and was really impressed with it. I made a couple 5.11 wide-open runs, then turned on the throttle stop and went 5.93 every time I staged. My fun ended in round four when my .011 induced dead-on lap wasn’t good enough. Joseph and Joanna both advanced to round 5, and I had a great time with some great people.

On Sunday, Joanna had a prior engagement (OK, she flew to Nevada to do some hardcore gambling), so I jumped into her dragster. It took some minor modifications (we moved the pedals from the adjustment closest to the driver to the adjustment the furthest away), but it fit me like a glove! I thought the weekend was going to have a storybook ending, but fate had other plans. I made it down to 10 cars, where I was .004 to my opponents .007. A potentially excellent race turned sour pretty quickly; as the car shook the tires a little bit and rattled the master cut-off switch to the off position, ending my day.

Monday morning, Neil drove me to the airport in San Angelo, and I was on my way to sunny Florida for the PBIR 5-Day. When I arrived, Jason had already swapped out motors so I was ready to roll with the “Rocket” back in original trim. When the action started on Tuesday I was quickly reminded that I was in Florida with the best racers in the world: My .006, take .008 got me a losing ticket in round 2.

I entered the 1/8^th mile race and things really began to click. The Rocket rattled off a string of 4.56 E.T.’s, and I did my part with a series of .00 reaction times. The next thing you know, we’re taking pictures with a $5,000 check!

Wednesday I kept the roll going briefly, and advanced to round three of the quarter mile race. There, I had another good light, but about 300 feet out I felt an eerily familiar vibration and shut off. My worst fears were confirmed when I climbed out of the car on the return round and saw a bulging diaper. I folded it back to see a couple windows in the oil pan. Talk about putting a damper on a good trip!

If you’ll reference an earlier comment in this column, you’ll remember I said I pulled the 12 degree motor out because it was in need of a freshen up… Yea, this is the same one. I decided to stick it in for one weekend before it went back to Huntsville Engine. Brilliant! But lets be realistic: it snapped an Oliver Rod in half. There was no indication of bearing or rod bolt failure, it just broke a rod. Seeing as I almost certainly wouldn’t have put new rods in at freshen, I convinced myself that I saved money by running it (and blowing it up). Hey, the only person I have to convince is myself! It’s just proof that the old saying sticks… You can buy the best products available and have the most knowledgeable and detail oriented people assemble them, but sometimes (stuff) happens.

At any rate, I got back to the pits and was amazed at the help I had waiting to change motors (especially considering it was much of the same crew that helped Jason swap the same two motors just two days prior). Jason and I were parked with the Tedesco Racing team. Mike Tedesco and his family own Pittsburg Raceway Park, one of the most racer friendly facilities I’ve ever attended. His daughter Mia was racing throughout the winter series, and their crew man/driver/Mr. Do everything, Richie Coury was also in the house. The three of them dove in headfirst on the motor swap project. What I figured would take all night was done in about an hour and a half: I even made first round of the 1/8^th mile race!

On Thursday I didn’t have any luck in the quarter mile race, but things started to click once again on the short track. I made the bye run with 11 cars remaining as the skies opened and rain began to fall, pushing the finish of the race back to Friday. On Friday, however, the rains didn’t let up at all, and we ended up finishing the race Saturday morning. There, I was able to wrap a pretty little bow around my 2011 season by finishing the job, and earning my second $5,000 victory of the weekend.

 

In Saturday’s $10,000 race, I went a few rounds before John Labbous, Jr. officially ended my season with a .003 package. John made it to the final, and clinched the prestigious 5-Day points title (his 2^nd) with the semi-final win. In the final round, he squared off with none other than Mia Tedesco. Mia, just 17, told Jason and I at SGMP that she had yet to win a bracket race, and that her goal was to get one under her belt by year’s end. Saturday at PBIR provided her final opportunity to do that, and did she ever shine!

 

Watching Mia win was a really cool experience. To see the expression on the faces of her, Mike, Richie, and even Jason after her first huge victory (and what better stage to do it on?) was priceless. It made me remember some of the things I love so much about this sport and the people involved in it.

I left West Palm Beach early Sunday morning behind the wheel of one of the Folk Family Racing toter homes. Brian, Nick and myself split driving duty on a non-stop trip back to Illinois. We exited I-57 in Marion and they kicked me out the door and continued home to Durand (by the time they shut the truck off, they’d been on the road for 24 hours straight!). Once home, I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving, attended the IMIS show in Indianapolis, and got thrown not one, but two great bachelor parties: one in Indy and another in Nashville. I‘ll leave the specifics to your imagination: the names, places, faces, and details will be withheld to protect the (innocent), but a good time was had by all! 

While the 2011 racing season didn’t live up to my expectations, it ended a whole lot better than it began and I feel like I’ve got some positive momentum going into the 2012 season. When it was all said and done, I appeared in 20 final rounds with 12 wins, 7 runner-ups and one split where we didn’t even race. All things considered, that’s not a bad year (but it sure looked that way a couple months ago!) I tore up a lot of parts in 2011, so hopefully that’s out of my system for the near future. 

It’s at this point each season that I like to take the time to thank some really special people. That list will always begin with my wonderful fiancée Jessica and her family. I also want to thank my Mom for being my #1 fan. A lot of people graciously offered me their racing vehicles throughout the season, so I want to once again say thanks to Justin Lamb and the Lamb family, Jason Lynch, Randy Powell, Jackie Rogers, Jeff Rucks, Mitch Clary, Todd Ewing, Charlie Stewart, and the Tinsley family for trusting me behind the wheel of their hot rods. 

Plus, I have to say thanks to my marketing partners: ThisIsBracketRacing.com, Bill Taylor Enterprises, Mickey Thompson Tires, American Race Cars, JEGS, K&N Engineering, and Huntsville Engine & Performance. I also depend on the following components week after week: Advanced Product Design carburetors and fuel pumps; Hedman Hedders; Nitroplate coatings; Milodon oil pans and accessories; Moser Engineering axles, rear ends, and brakes; Todd’s Extreme Paint; Auto Meter gauges and data acquisition; Lucas Oil Products; Figspeed.com components; J&J Engine Diapers; Ohlins Shocks; Dixie Racing Products electric shift solenoids; Sparco safety equipment; K&R Performance Engineering delay boxes and switch panels; Nitrous Express nitrous systems; BRODIX cylinder heads; Goza Racing Products; ISC Racers Tape; B&M shifters and trans coolers; Sunset Racecraft throttle stops; Wiseco pistons; Frankenstein Racing Heads porting; Rockett Brand Racing Fuels; and PimpMyCrew.com crew shirts. Those are all vital parts of our racing operation. 

I also want to thank the folks at DragRaceResults.com, Tinsley Drilling & Company, C.A.R.S. Protection Plus, Charlie Stewart Race Cars, and OK Motorsports.

The big day is under a month away. I’ll be a married man on January 21. Wedding plans have come together very nicely (let’s be honest, that has very little to do with me). It will be a special night, and we’re going to throw a helluva party. I’m so fortunate to have stumbled into a great woman that has changed my life dramatically for the better. She’s my rock and she’s my hero. I look forward to calling her my wife and spending the rest of our days hand in hand.

On the track, I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited coming into a racing season than I am for 2012. I’ve been hard at work for the past several months and all I can say at this point is that I’m going to hit the track next season with the best racing program that I’ve ever had. My focus has returned to the NHRA tour, as I’ll compete for the NHRA Lucas Oil Championship in Super Comp and Super Gas. I’ll be driving my familiar American Race Cars dragster in Super Comp, and I will take delivery of a brand new ‘63 Corvette Roadster from Charlie Stewart Race Cars next month that I’ll drive in Super Gas. I’ve still got a couple irons in the fire before we make our big announcement; but we’ve signed several associate sponsors for 2012 and beyond. The bottom line is that I will enter the season with better equipment and greater resources than I’ve ever enjoyed. Combine that with the talent and experience within our team and the people that are directly involved, and you can see why I’m so excited. My 2012 schedule will include 9 NHRA national events and 8 Lucas Oil Division Series races. I’ll mix in a handful of big buck bracket races along the way, but my focus will be on the NHRA tour. It’s something I’ve always wanted to pursue; and everything has come together to allow me to pursue it with vigor. It’s going to be a great year; we’ll make an announcement with all the details sometime in January.

If you read my last column, you’ll recall that in my account of yet another butt kicking (if they’re beginning to run together for you, then try for a moment to imagine how I feel), this one at Sand Mountain Dragway back in July. Within the column, I made the following statement:

The young man that I was paired with is named Danny Weaver. He is of legal driving age; and obviously he’s very capable behind the wheel. I raced with his father occasionally when I lived in Alabama, and if Danny can apply half of his Dad’s knowledge and experience he’s going to be a handful on the race track for years to come. 

I wanted to give Danny some credit for a couple reasons. First off, he made a great run and beat me like a drum. Second, he reached out to me and politely pointed out that he did have a driver’s license, didn’t feel like he looked like he was 14, and, well, I kinda felt bad. But the whole experience made me remember a National Dragster column that Dan Fletcher wrote back in 1998 or 1999. When racing Edmond Richardson’s dragster in Super Comp, he made the mistake of forgetting to open the C02 bottle in an early elimination round that in his words “should have been an easy victory.” Obviously his mistake created an easy win for the guy in the other lane. The guy sitting in the opposite lane on that particular round? Yea, that was me at about 17. 

In the years since, I’ve got to know Dan and I have a ton of respect for him. In addition to being the winningest sportsman driver in NHRA history, he’s also a really good guy. But I’ll admit that for several years that quote was bulletin board material for me. Obviously, I didn’t think that the round was going to be quite as easy as Mr. Fletcher had in mind. And while I know that he was just making the column more interesting for his readers, I kind of took it as a personal shot. I don’t want to be bulletin board material for Danny. The kid is good. He kicked my butt. And if he continues on the path that he’s on and remains passionate about this sport, he’ll kick a lot more.

This time of year provides a break from the race track, and allows me to focus a lot of attention on my second love: NCAA basketball! 

As most of you know, Jess and I are big Southern Illinois Saluki fans. To put it kindly, our Salukis are not very good this season. As a fan, I can say that. But the Missouri Valley Conference looks really strong in 2011-2012. Between Creighton, Wichita State, Indiana State, and Northern Iowa (and maybe a team like Missouri State), hopefully the Valley makes some noise in March with 3-4 bids in the big dance.