A Smashing Good Night!

On labor day weekend Alex and I headed down to the shore line for an evening of crashing and smashing. It was the back to school special at the Waterford Speedbowl which included Ski Car racing, figure 8 races, School Bus races and demo derby's.

 The night started off with the Ski Car races. Alex and I both agreed that these were the most exciting races of the night. If you are unfamiliar with what these are I will do my best to explain. This race is run with front wheel drive vehicles that have had their rear tires removed and replaced with rims welded to metal skid plates or ski's. As you can imagine they are difficult to control and create a lot of excitement when they begin to spin while running at full speed with other vehicles around them. It's also great to follow them as they go around the track while being mesmerized by the trail of sparks.

After the Ski car feature they held a figure 8 race which once again had us standing most of time due to the non stop carnage which included cars flipping over, getting set back on their wheels and continuing on and eventually ending up in the demo derby at the end of the night.

Many of the vehicles attempted to run in each event. I enjoyed watching Alex's face during each event and I was reminiscent of him being upset as a young child every time he saw a car with any body damage. He sure has come a long way - I just hope he doesn't look this happy when he has his first car accident as a teenager!

The bus races were rather boring but the drivers were determined to put on a good show. They decided to add a school bus demo derby into the schedule and did their best to make these full size school buses into back road short buses!

I think that they did a good job shortening them up quite a bit!

At the end of the end of the evening they finished off the remaining vehicles in a front stretch demo derby. 

 It was a fun guy's night out and Alex is convinced that Rebecca is going to let him turn her Hyundai into an X-car and finally a demo derby car when he finally gets his drivers license in a few years.

It was a great night to celebrate the end of summer and a fun way to usher in the school year. The night ended with a great fireworks display which we enjoyed from the comfort of the truck. I am very blessed that each of my kids enjoys the same things I do and as they grow up will have great memories of times spent together. I just pray that I am around to make many, many more memories with them well into my old age!

West Lebanon, NY and the Valley of Speed!

After a long week at work I was extremely grateful that I had a 3 day weekend for hanging with the family and enjoying some much deserved rest and relaxation. Saturday afternoon Rebecca, Alex and I packed up a cooler with cold drinks and salty snacks and headed off to Lebanon Valley Speedway for an evening of 1/2 mile, high banked oval, dirt track racing! We arrived at 5 PM and were immediately greeted with the roar of engines buzzing around the track and the smell of high octane fuel in the air. The action was non stop five and a half hours, well worth the $22.00 we spent for admission (adult admission $10 and Kids are $2.) The food at the track is a bargain compared to most outdoor events. There is a family section towards the entrance of turn #1 but from what we experienced I think it's safe to sit in any of the grandstand sections, we spent most of the evening sitting in the stands closest to turn #4 and the crowd was friendly and respectful throughout the speedway during our visit. Now I know many of my readers may have no interest in racing but I honestly think that anyone who goes to a dirt track will not only enjoy themselves they will go again. The pictures and video's don't do justice to the action of the speedway. The cars are fast down the straightaways and the action is amazing. I am always mesmerized watching multiple cars slide sideways through the corners in different grooves in what can only be described as synchronized chaos. Just when your are about to fall off the edge of your seat the vehicles come out of the corner with the drivers mashing the gas pedals to the floor and your body shakes as the pack goes blasting by you down the straightaway into the next set of corners. Unlike NASCAR the races at the local short tracks are usually between 5 - 40 laps and the excitement is non-stop. We may not know all the local racers at each track we visit but Alex and I always have a great time picking a car we like, sometimes because of their lap speeds, but more often because of their car number or cool looking paint scheme!
It was a great evening spent with my wife and my son and as always we will have memories from this evening that will last a lifetime!

Off to the Races!

The weekend of 5/13/11  we drove down to Dover, DE for our annual NASCAR race trip and this year Grandpa Roger went with us. We made the trip there in record time and were there in time to watch the practice sessions for all three series as well as the truck series qualifying. Of all the race tracks I have been to the Monster Mile is one of my favorites. As it's name suggests the track is a one mile track with plenty of banking and a concrete surface. So far every time we have made the trip my favorite driver, Kyle Busch has won at least one of the races during the weekend and this was the first time we were watching him race as an owner of the #18 truck.

Friday was a beautiful May day with lots of sunshine. We sat at the top of the grandstands so we could enjoy the cool breeze as well as the shade from the luxury suites behind us. Kyle started the race in position # 3 and Ariel's favorite driver (Kevin Harvick) started in position #2. Our family definitely likes the drivers who have colorful personalities and Kyle and Kevin lead that group!

The race was fast paced and full of action which kept us on the edge of our seats most of the race. To my delight Kyle won the race after leading 123 of the 200 laps. Kevin also had a great finish within the top 5. After leaving the track we went back to our Hotel and the kids and I went for a nice swim in the Hotel Pool. When we got back to the room we all enjoyed our annual treat of Domino's Pizza. For some strange reason we all crave it when we go to the races so I figure once a year it's allowed!

The next morning we woke up ready for another full day of racing! We had breakfast at the hotel then stopped at the store to fill up the cooler with treats. Just as we were getting off the highway next to the track it started to rain. By the time we parked and began making our way into the track the skies opened up and we all began to wonder if the remainder of the weekend would be washed out. Despite the rain we made the best of our time together and when the rain lightened up we took turns stomping in the puddles and worked our way around the souvenir haulers picking up miscellaneous goodies.

The sky was dark and gloomy but to our surprise we heard the jet driers fire up in the distance, the good thing about concrete and all the banking they can dry the track in about 90 minutes.  We made our way back to the grandstands which were much cooler than they were the day before. It actually felt like an early spring day which forced me and Alex to head back to the truck so we could change into some dry clothing. Thankfully I got an amazing deal on a fire suit style jacket so not only was I warm I was sporting my drivers colors!

Just like the day before the Nationwide race was full of action from start to finish. Kyle's car was good but didn't seem to have what it needed to get to the front and every time he made progress something would send him to the back of the field. At the end of the race there were several cautions which sent the race into overtime with multiple attempts at a "Green, White, Checkered finish" As the cars came out of turn 4 in front of us Carl Edwards and Joey Logano made contact which triggered a huge multi-car crash. I love racing and there is a part of me that enjoys watching cars beat and bang on each other but I had a lump in my chest after watching cars flip over at 150mph in front of me and I actually sat down and said a prayer for each of the drivers involved. Thankfully everyone was able to get out of their cars (more like wads of crumpled metal at this point) 

Once we knew all the drivers were okay we were able to celebrate the fact that even though he didn't win our driver ended up finishing 2nd! He managed to weave his way through the wreck and was challenging for the lead at the end of the race.

Throughout the summer we took several more trips to our local short tracks as well as trips to New Hampshire for the Cup and Truck races. While racing may not be everyone's idea of a good time I will tell you don't knock it till you try it. There is something about the smell of racing fuel in the air, the roar of the engines and the vibration you feel in your chest each time they speed past you! 

Weekend with Miles the Monster - Let's Go Racin!

Here is a slide show of pictures from our weekend at the races in Dover Delaware. It was a combination of NASCAR Truck Series and Nationwide Series Races as well as qualifying and Practice sessions from the Cup Series. We had great seats and our favorite drivers - Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick had their pit stalls right in front of our seats so we were able to catch all the action of their pit crews during the race! Kyle won the Pole Position for both of the races we attended and ended up wining the Cup race on Sunday as well! The kids really enjoyed the Hospitality Package that we purchased with our tickets. It's called "Take a Kid to the Races" and included games, rides, give aways, food and lots of other fun activities.

Below is a video of Kyle Bush's Victory Burnout after he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on Saturday!

I think we will be making a yearly trip to Dover for our NASCAR fix - the racing was great, we were able to see the entire track from our seats, the people at the track were great and we were able to exit the track in less than 20 minutes rather than the normal hour of grid lock!

Alex's Racing Career

It's that time of year again - Pinewood Derby Racing! Alex came home several weeks ago with the flier that announced the date for the Awanna Races. I made sure the next week he had the money to purchase a couple of the pinewood derby kits that they provide (one for race day and a couple to use as rainy day projects we can do together as a family.) I sat down with Alex the next night and we decided on the basic design he wanted for his finished car and then we shelved the kit and thanks to my work schedule being crazy I totally forgot about it! Thursday afternoon Alex asked me if we were going to work on his car and I ensured him that we would work on it Sunday afternoon. It was at this point that he informed me that the race was tomorrow (Friday) night and that Sunday would be to late! Thankfully with some 11th hour dedication we were able to finish most of the car Thursday night and with a final layer of clear coat Friday morning we were guaranteed a starting position Friday night!

We arrived and registered Alex's car which he named the "Mach 18" and weighed in at 3.1 ounces. Alex was up against some serious competition but was all smiles as he realized that they were all friends. He ran a total of 4 race heats and finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd (there are 4 cars that run each heat.) Despite his great runs they have moved into the 21st century and have begun to track the times/speeds of the cars which determines who moves into the finals now rather than the average of each cars heat race results so his race career ended early which actually worked out well as I had to go to work.

We all had a great night despite the disappointment of not being one of the top 3 finishers. On the ride home we talked about the different cars everyone had built and the excitement of finishing each of his heat races without a single crash, we also reflected on how well his car ran despite the limited time we invested in its construction. I think what stood out in my mind from the evening was the fact that despite wanting to win all of the kids were cheering for each other and the good sportsmanship that was showed all evening between all the competitors.

An Autumn Afternoon Race

One of the nice things about homeschooling is the ability to allow the children to take a break and organize an afternoon race on a beautiful autumn day. Alex took the time to make the tinker toy race flags which would be used during the race. Here is the green flag, red flag and caution (yellow) flag.

The contestants during pre-race ceremonies (we were hoping for our normal afternoon f-15 flyover - it ended up being about an hour late!)
The green flag came out and #212 took the lead #18 is closing back in after getting loose coming out of turn # 2 due to Navarre crashing into him causing a 3 lap caution.

The Jolly flag man displaying the green flag.

And the winner is...#212 Beautiful Blue Star (aka. Ariel)

#18 performing his post race interview he may have lost the race but still in contention for the championship

NOT LAME!

So on my way home tonight a co-worker called to tell me he saw a NASCAR vehicle parked in town and knowing I was a fan thought I might want to take the kids to check it out. I picked up the kids and after running our errands I took a detour to check out the car without ever telling the kids where we were going. About 5 minutes into the trip Alex pipped up and asked where we were going as I rarely take the back road we were driving on. I told him it was a surprise, to which he responded "It's not going to be LAME is it?" Ahh they grow up so fast! I assured him if he thought is was lame I would drive past and continue home - I was pleased to hear the cheers as I pulled into the parking lot of "Cool, dad this is NOT Lame!" We got to see Carl Edwards NASCAR Nationwide Car last year so it was nice for the kids to get a close up of a NASCAR CUP Series Race Car this time around.

And just to clarify he is pointing at the Duck - we all know that Kyle Busch is #1 NOT Carl Edwards!

Neither of them route for Ford drivers but its all about the Aflac commercials!

Below is a picture of the FORD powerplant

Multiple ignition modules

Fire suppression system

The Main cockpit


My little car chiefs discussing sabotage - You know they are Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick fans after all!
Carl Edward's 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Race Car that we got to check out at the local Home Depot last year

Family fun on the 4th of July

For our Fourth of July we spent the day together as a family and after a late lunch we packed up some goodies and went off to enjoy a night at the races! We went to the speedway and arrived just in time for the first heat laps but were unsure of how long our outing would last due to all the storms we've been getting in the area.

Thankfully the weather was cooperative all evening long - no rain - not too hot - not too cold, and most importantly no bugs! We got to watch almost 4 hours of non stop racing action and after the conclusion of all the races we were treated to our very own fireworks show. Both kids enjoyed the up close racing action and I look forward to many more family race trips - local short track and eventually some of the major NASCAR series races in surrounding states.

Let's go racin' boys...

Tonight was the Awana Grand Prix for the Sparky's. Alex and I tested out several different Hot Wheels prior to the race but underestimated the competition this year. Alex came in second in the first heat, third in the second heat, and second in his third heat. Even though he didn't get to advance into the finals he still had a great time shouting encouragement to his friends.

My favorite memory of the evening was several of the boy's (who obviously live in Nascar watching families) lining up their Hot Wheels and announcing "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity...LET"S GO RACIN' BOYS!"
I am thankful that both of my children are humble and accept the fact that there are winners and thus always losers in competition. Alex was just glad to have taken part in the race and was excited to get a participant ribbon, although a matching trophy to his sisters would have been nice.

They are trucks...Not cars!

We had Alex's birthday party with his school friends today and after the kids left; Alex, Noah and I watched the last 20 laps of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. It was funny to listen to the boys debate about the type of vehicles on the track and when I made a comment about Kyle's car being in the lead they corrected me in unison by stating..."They are driving race trucks, Not cars!" It was great to have the boys cheering along with me at the end of the race and the excitement the two of them expressed as Kyle crossed the finish line in 1st place. Hopefully the rain will hold off so the other 2 races can be run this weekend and who knows, Kyle just might go 3 for 3!