Age-Old Debate Settled

I'm not a real hardcore rodder type.  I love just about any vehicle - new, old, rusty, shine, foreign, domestic, yadda-yadda-yadda.  But this is funny.  Ever wonder what the difference is between a hot rodder and a street rodder?

A hot rodder washes his hands BEFORE he pees.

A street rodder washes his hands AFTER he pees.

Brillant!

Lugnuts play Denton

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the next big name in rock-n-roll....
The Lugnuts!

Actually, playing from the bed of a flat-bed wrecker is pretty cool.

And playing Honky Tonk Woman to a crowd the SAME night that Mick and Keith were playing it in Dallas is bitchin! (Both sound and video quality are pretty low....  we'll do better in the future!)

Here's to Friday nights that don't suck!

PS -  Right now, the Lugnuts is just me (guitar and vocals) and my buddy Danny on drums.

The 99th Running of the Indy 500

Thanks to my friend Barry, I got to cross-off a bucket-list item this past weekend....   attending the Indy 500!!  It is difficult to appreciate how big the track is..... and how HUGE the crowd is... 250,000 people.  Amazing!

Here are our tickets.  We had the best seats in the house.

 

The cars were close enough that it seemed like you could reach out and touch them.

We were across from the pagoda on the start/finish line.  And had full-view of the pits.

The track just seemed to go on forever......

And here's the start:

Reminiscing

I was watching TV not too long ago, and a show about the Greatrace was on......

Third place.... not too shabby!

To Flip or Not to Flip.... that is the question.

So my wife challenged me to a friendly bet.  She said I couldn't make money flipping a car; I said I could.  So she said, "Prove it."  So I did.....

I decided to stick to something with wide appeal.  I live in Texas, so the natural choice was a pickup truck.  I started looking and quickly found this 1970 Chevy C-10.  I was in OUTSTANDING condition:

Long-bed, 350 V8, Auto trans, power steering, new interior, and best of all... no rust!

The problem was - I wanted to keep it!  It had the 5-lug conversion, front disk brakes, and did I mention no rust.  But I ended up meeting a guy who made me a good offer, so I sold it after owning it for three weeks.  I almost doubled my money.  And my wife was a good sport, conceding that I "won" the bet.  On to the next one... 

Another One Bites the Dust....

My 1928 Ford Model A Speedster is gone.  Sold.  Off to a new owner, to pamper and care for it....

Here's a highlight from the description on eBay:

"The car handles great and is a blast to drive.  The best description I can give you is driving this car is like flying a WWI Sopwith Camel or Fokker.  The wind in your face, the sound of the engine, the smells wafting by as you scramble down the road…..  AWESOME! You’ll feel like Mr. Toad of Toad Hall. 

I have rallied this car since 2010 in the following events:  2010 VCRA Ruffneck; 2010 Sugar Valley Rally (2nd in class; 2nd overall!); 2011 VCRA All Stars; and 2011 Great Race (2nd in class; 14th overall).  It has been a VERY reliable car – we’ve never had a DNS or DNF (Did-Not-Start-Finish).  The car starts every time and runs cool.  Engine temp is normally 160-190 and overheating has never been an issue.  The only problem we’ve ever had on-the-clock was a flat tire.  It took 10 minutes to change.  The worst repair we’ve had to make at night in the hotel parking lot was a bad fuel pump."

Ahhh.  I will miss this one........

My 1913 Yale 4HP Motorcycle (Tribute)

So this is what happens when you watch one too many episodes of "What's In The Barn?"  You convince yourself that buying and collecting cars is expensive and time consuming with all the registering, tagging, licensing, insuring, and paperwork involved.  You may even talk yourself into getting a vintage motorcycle... sorta.  Real vintage bikes are $50K and up.  Ugh!  This is my 1913 Yale 4HP Motorcycle.  It's really a tribute bike since the only part that's 100 years old is the carbide head-lamp.  And the only reason its a YALE is because of the sticker.  Real YALEs look different and I didn't want an Indian or Harley sticker on it.  Okay, really, its just a modified bicycle with a 66cc engine that's been added.  But boy is it FUN to ride!!!  I mean F-U-N!  Now I feel like Dale Walksler - but for a fraction of the price!!!  Happy motoring....

Before

Happy Birthday Mick!

Happy birthday to Mick Jagger, who is 70 years old today.  I know this, because Mick is exactly twenty years older than I am... and I turn 50 today.

The 2013 Greatrace in 10 Photos (plus one)

1)  Car loaded on U-Haul trailer.... ready to hit the road for St Paul.

2)  The largest and smallest vehicles in the race; a 1960 Fiat 600 and a 1955 firetruck.  Both cars made it to the end of the race!!!

3)  The car is tech'd, prepped, stickered, and ready to go!  I took the side panels off the hood to make it go faster......

4)  The starting line at Back to the '50s Carshow in St. Paul.  Over 12,000 cars were at the show.  It was overwhelming.  Cool start however.

5)  Chad, seconds from a restart, chowing down on a McDonald's hamburger!  

6)  An over-night stop.  Notice the two Ace stickers above the door?  Yeah, baby....

7)  We ended with five Aces.  Did I mention my nephew is a math major at TCU?

8)  Who is that crazy lady photo-bombing us?!?!?!  Hey, its mama duck.  Quack, quack, quack.  Nice knickers, eh!?!?  Who said the 1930's wasn't stylish?

9)  The finish line in Mobile, AL.  I was a little hot in my knickers.  I can't imagine how sweltering those "belles" were in their dresses.

10)  At the finish line:  1st in class and 16th overall.   Amazing!

11)  On the way home we passed through West Monroe, Louisiana - home of "Duck Dynasty."  We shopped, bought a t-shirt, and took a pic in front of the building.  No sign of Si....

Greatrace 2013 - Postscript

A few random thoughts:

1)  To recap - I bought the car in May and drove it from Casper WY to Denton TX; a total of 1,040 miles.  We then rallied the car from St. Paul, MN to Mobile, AL; a total of 2,200 miles.  I then drove the car home from Alabama; a total of 630 miles.  That's 3,870 trouble-free miles in a 78 year old car.  AMAZING!

2)  If you had asked me four months ago about the outcome of this years' Greatrace, I would've framed my answer:  worst case scenario, most likely scenario, and best case scenario.  The worst case was hard-break early and go home with the car on a trailer prior to finishing the race (about 10 cars ended up doing this).  The most likely scenario was break often (flat tires, vapor lock, toasted starter motor, etc.), repair car each night, and soldier on to the finish line mid-pack and out of the money.  The best case scenario was what happened:  flawless car, excellent performance, taking 1st in class.  Hollywood could not have scripted a better 2013 Greatrace for us!

3)  Funniest moment:  a few nights ago, my nephew bolted up in bed at 2AM in the morning.  He sat straight up and yelled, "Bryan!"  I groggily answered, "Preston, what's the matter?"  He paused and responded, "reduced speed for .7 seconds!"  He was navigating in his sleep!  I didn't answer. I just watched him stare straight ahead.  After a moment, he flopped over and went back to sleep.  Ha!  Sleep-rallying.  That has to be a first!

4)  Runner-up funniest moment:  We were checking into a hotel about day 4 and the girl behind the desk was frazzled.  She had just checked in 100+ guests and was disheveled, tired, and ready for a break.  She confirmed, "One room with two queen beds" and asked, "Is there anything else?"  I responded, "Nope, we should be good; oh by the way, we have seven monkeys and a case of champagne, is that a problem?"  She looked at me with a mixture of shock, horror, and disdain; and without missing a beat, my nephew added, "its okay, the champagne is for the monkeys."  Eh eh eh eh....  That kid is FUNNY!

5)  Joe and I often say, "Rallying is fun; its more fun when you win."  Its true.

6)  Next year's race is Maine to Florida.  Hey Joe, you ready?!?!?!

I'm not sure who actually reads this blog.  Aside from my wife, I don't imagine there are a lot of you.  My final thought:  cars were meant to be driven.  I don't understand keeping a car as a garage/trailer queen and never driving and enjoying it.  That's like being married to a super-model and never "gittin busy."  What's the point point of admiring your super-model wife and never enjoying anything else?  I love the Greatrace because it gives me a chance to drive my car and enjoy its' essence.  If you own a pre-war car and have never driven it 200 miles at one time, you have no idea what you are missing.  Get it out; clean it up; and drive it.

Cheers,

BSD

PS-  Dixie Racing's new motto is, "Its okay, the champagne is for the monkeys"

Ha!  That's funny, I don't care who you are.....

Greatrace 2013 - Day 9

Greatrace 2013 is in the bag.  And the winner is......

Barry and Irene Jason from Keller, Texas (grand-champion)!  Congrats to Barry and Irene.  BTW, they are repeat winners... they won last year too.

And the 2013 Sportsman class winner....

Dixie Racing!!!!  YEAH! WE WON!

Special thanks again to Danny Byington and Alan Calvert.  The car ran perfect.

And special, special thanks to my nephew Preston.  Awesome job buddy!

Greatrace 2013 - Day 8

I believe it was Charles Dickens who said, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."

Let's start with the "worst of times."  We got a 28 second leg.  Ugh!  We took a speed adjustment at the wrong sign.  We weren't sure exactly how much time to make up, so we "hacked" off the car in front of us.  Bad idea.  They were off too.  Nuff said.  As mentioned in an earlier post, no scores are dropped on days 8 and 9.  So we got what we got....

The Best of times:  three Aces!!!!!  The car was dialed in and we had an outstanding run.

Leg 1:  1 second early
Leg 2:  ACE
Leg 3:  2 second early
Leg 4:  3 second late
Leg 5:  ACE
Leg 6:  1 second late
Leg 7:  4 second early
Leg 8:  28 second late (uuuggghhhh!)
Leg 9:  ACE
Leg 10:  3 second late

That's a 42 second raw; 34.65 second adjusted.

I'm not sure of standing- they haven't been published.  My guess is that we dropped out of 1st.  But we should still be "in the hunt."

THIS JUST IN:  the results are out; and we're basically tied for 1st in class (16th overall).  Technically, we're 2nd in class.  The other team is 6/10th of a second ahead.  Whew!  Dodged a bullet today with the 28 second leg.  

Greatrace 2013 - Day 7

Day seven is in the bag.  It has been an amazing week.  We have watched the endless cornfields turn to cotton fields.  We have watched the weather go from 80's to 100's.  And the food is now all BBQ.  You know you're in a Southern gas station when they sell a rack of ribs and fried cat fish along with the gas!

Alas, our performance continues to slide:

Leg 1:  11 seconds early
Leg 2:  4 seconds late
Leg 3:  9 seconds early
Leg 4:  3 seconds late
Leg 5:  4 second late

We're still 1st in class by just hundredths of a second, and 15th overall.

Tomorrow is when the REAL race begins.  Until now, the worst 5 leg scores have been dropped.  Tomorrow and Sunday, no drops.  All leg scores count.  If the car breaks down, too bad.

Update day 6

We're still 1st in class and now 13th overall.  Go figure.

Greatrace 2013 - Day 6

We are now officially two-thirds of the way complete.  We finished yesterday 1st in class and 10th overall.  I'm sure we slipped a few more spots today.  It wasn't a steller performance.

Bottom-line:  lack of sleep + lack of caffine + warm car = sleepy driver

Leg 1:  14 seconds late (YGTBSM!!!!!)

Leg 2: 4 seconds early

Leg 3:  1 second late

It was a long, hot day.  Seven of our compatriots ended up on the trailer.  The 100 degree heat and hard running took its toll.

Three more days to go.

Greatrace 2013 - Day 5

Quick post tonight.  Long day.  Early start tomorrow.

Results:

Leg 1:  3 early
Leg 2:  Ace!
Leg 3:  3 late
Leg 4:  1 late
Leg 5: 6 early
Leg 6:  7 early

That two aces so far; but just a so-so score.  I haven't seen the standings, but we probably slipped a few spots.  There's always tomorrow.... and we are more than halfway through.

Greatrace 2013 - Day 4

The Good:  no flat tires, no over-heating, no rain (yeah!).

The Bad:  a hornet flew in the car and as I'm frantically swiping at it, a deer ran into the road, and then a tractor loaded with hay pulled in front of us.  Thankfully, nobody died.

The Ugly:  the next time it's 97 degrees out, drive around with ur windows down and the heater on full blast.  Yeah, baby!  That's what it's like great-racing in this car.

Actually, I really like my 1935 Ford.  Good torque.  Easy to drive.  A little hot, but hey.

We did okay:
Leg 1:  2 sec early
Leg 2:  2 sec early
Leg 3:  2 sec early
Leg 4:  7 sec early

Cumulative, we're still 1st in class and 7th overall.  But we're only on day 4.  The REAL competition is still five days away....

PS- yesterday, I left my gas cap at a fuel stop.  Preston and I smelled a strong gas odor as we raced down the road.  I stopped and fixed it with rubber bands and a plastic bag (southern engineering).  Someone found it and it made its way back to me....     :)

Greatrace 2013 - Day 3

[Hey Danny, no flat tires so far!]

In no particular order:

Ours friends Barry & Jule have had 3 flats in 4 days.  They had the tubes taken out of all four tires today.

We started the day with more rain.  Ugh!

Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri sure have a lot of corn.  I mean, as far as the eye can see....

We had a pretty good day:
Leg 1:  7 sec
Leg 2:  2 sec
Leg 3:  ACE!!
Leg: 4:  1 sec

Cumulative so far, we are 1st in class and 7th overall.

Day 2 Update

As of this morning, we're 1st in class and 8th overall.  A lot can change in the next seven days....