First round of qualifying at Indy was at 1 pm Friday, one hour earlier than scheduled. I usually set up to go a number slower on the first round, and then go for broke on the next two Qualifying. I felt like I had a good launch, so I lifted at the MPH cone.
Got a 9.768 on my 9.75 index. We calculated what I would have run without lifting, and it was a 9.753. Another bad decision. Tough crowd here, so I was number 8 of 53.
I have a street car on the lift, as I’m dropping the motorhome off at the factory and then driving to Western New York for my wife to visit her sister while the coach is being worked on. When walking under the lift fairly fast, I smacked my head on the landing puck on the underside of the lift. I got woozy and fell hitting my head on the trailer fender. When I rolled over and put my hand to my head, blood was gushing out. I had blood running down my hand and arm; and my face and gasses were covered in blood. I staggered to the coach to get my wife to wet down a towel to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile another racer in the staging lanes saw me and ran to the NMCA guy directing the staging lanes. He sat me down and called the ambulance, which stopped the race. They treated me, bandaged the head up, and had me sign a waiver refusing to go to hospital for stitches. I was going to go after the second round, which was suppose to be in another 15 minutes. However, they pushed us back another two hours and we were the last ones down the track – following Pro Thug and Radial Wars, which takes a different prep. I figured the starting line was going to be garbage, and set up expecting a 1.38 60′. Another bad decision, as I had a 1.36 60′ and broke out by that difference. That moved me down to 13, now with now 63 NSS racers.
After that round, we called the Urgent Cares in the area and was told I’d have to go to a Hospital Emergency Room. I didn’t feel like I wanted to pay a $400 deductible to spend a Friday night in an Indy Emergency Room. I self treated by rubbing some dirt on it and drinking heavily for pain management.
Didn’t sleep worth a damn last night. It was midnight when I went to bed and at 2 am I had to deal with the Carbon Monoxide detector blaring. We were to race at 8:30 am, which means they call us to the line at 7:45. I got out of bed at 6 am, got the weather station set up, generator running, and the car pushed out of the trailer. At 7 am I started the car, took it for a ride to warm it up. I parked the car in my pit and put the charger on.
The weather was thirty degrees cooler, calling for a lot of weight to be added.
At the line the car stuttered and bogged. Not sure if it was low fuel pressure, wrong jetting, or the car not being warm enough for the cold air. Maybe a combination of all. Anyway the bog caused a shitty light and a horrible 60′.
That caused me to get knocked out of the All Star Shootout. Worst yet, my back glass blew out at 136 mph.
There was a mandatory NSS driver’s meeting after Q3. I wasn’t wanting to go, as I knew I was out of the All Star Shootout, and that’s what it was about. Doug Duell insisted I go, and I thought maybe he was going to pick me as his “Champion’s” choice. The way the shootout works is that 16 NMCA racers go against 16 Victory Series racers. To get the best of each, they each take the Top Five from last year and the 9 best qualifiers (who’s hot this weekend) from this race. Then the past Champion picks one. While Doug and I are good Buds, we’re also strictly business when it comes to racing. Doug picked Doug Wright, who has been on fire this year. It was the right choice. So the rest of us NMCA racers (about 20) Each got a Raffle Ticket for the final “Lucky Dog” pick, and my number was called. I haven’t been feeling lucky this weekend, and debated giving it to someone else.
So now I’m in a race with a car that bogged, has no back window, and I have a screamer of a headache from the day before. Randy Stansbury, who installed the Pro Glass back window when he painted the car, started putting it back in. Barry Dorn, who has done a few came by to help him.
They had it in in less than an hour. Thank you very much Randy and Barry. I then put on some of my wife’s “Happy Camper” duct tape to hold it in until the new Pro Glass, NASCAR window tabs and molding clips arrive at the shop.
So right now I’m “Chillin”, trying to shake this killer headache, before they call the first of five rounds for the “All Star Shootout”. Sunday, NSS has the eliminations or all 63 racers at 8 am.
