Took mom to her first NHRA event

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Took my mom to the Saturday qualifying at the NHRA finals in Pomona. This was her first time at an NHRA event after going to NASCAR, IndyCar, and dirt racing. She really enjoyed it!! We were walking around the pit area and she was blown away at the access fans have. She really wanted to see John Force, but was excited to at least get to see them building the engine in his car. She got her "nitro baptism" when we were walking behind Leah Pritchett's pit and they started the engine up. She was coughing and crying but thought it was pretty cool. The weather was perfect and we will definitely be back. Next race we are going to is the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway on Thanksgiving night.

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Originally Posted by JC1
Cool,.never been to a drag strip. Gotta add it to the bucket list.


It is well worth going. Top Fuel is absolutely incredible. The burnouts are impressive and then when they both go and you not only hear the, but feel it in your chest and the stands shake like an earthquake, it is incredible.
 
Originally Posted by bdcardinal
Originally Posted by JC1
Cool,.never been to a drag strip. Gotta add it to the bucket list.


It is well worth going. Top Fuel is absolutely incredible. The burnouts are impressive and then when they both go and you not only hear the, but feel it in your chest and the stands shake like an earthquake, it is incredible.

Oh yeah! missed this year, my nephew races Pro Bike.

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I thought I read that you were going to the Winternationals? I would've invited you to our hospitality area if I had known. Maybe next year, if our services are still needed.
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
I thought I read that you were going to the Winternationals? I would've invited you to our hospitality area if I had known. Maybe next year, if our services are still needed.


Ya I wrote it wrong. We still might go since our usual trip to Florida in February might get moved to March to go to the NASCAR Homestead-Miami race. My older sister, who I just found out existed earlier this year, has never been. It would be awesome to get to go in a hospitality area if you can.

My only somewhat complaint about the whole thing, and this is an issue with other genres of motorsports, is the merchandise seemed scattered. They didn't have any Steve Torrence stuff in the NHRA tent and I didn't see a merchandise hauler specific to him. I ended up ordering some from the webpage after buying some shirts for Force and Capps and some diecasts at the NHRA tent.
 
Turkey night is on my bucket list. Being on Thanksgiving makes it extremely difficult to get out of family obligations. Maybe when I retire. Nothing like the smell of nitro-methane for a good cry and a chiropractic adjustment from those 11000 Horsepower beasts!
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
Turkey night is on my bucket list. Being on Thanksgiving makes it extremely difficult to get out of family obligations. Maybe when I retire. Nothing like the smell of nitro-methane for a good cry and a chiropractic adjustment from those 11000 Horsepower beasts!


It is pretty convenient having Ventura Raceway about 30 minutes from the house. Also it is just my mom and I out here. We end up doing Thanksgiving dinner the following weekend with my best friend and his family. He is a chef so he is usually working on Thanksgiving Day.
 
The Top Fuel and Funny Cars are fun to watch. I'm a bigger fan of Pro Stock though. This past year was the first time I didn't renew my pass at Atlanta dragway in over a decade because they cut Pro Stock out of the schedule. They called me asking if I was going to renew my pass. I said "No Pro Stock, no ticket." Pro Stock is back on the schedule for 2020 so I'll be back out there.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
The Top Fuel and Funny Cars are fun to watch. I'm a bigger fan of Pro Stock though. This past year was the first time I didn't renew my pass at Atlanta dragway in over a decade because they cut Pro Stock out of the schedule. They called me asking if I was going to renew my pass. I said "No Pro Stock, no ticket." Pro Stock is back on the schedule for 2020 so I'll be back out there.


I enjoy Pro Stock. I was happy for Erica Enders to get the championship. I totally understand why Greg Anderson did what he did, but I am glad it backfired.

As far as Steve Torrence's incident after the first round, I don't condone striking someone else, but I get it. I was a Tony Stewart fan in NASCAR so I am used to drivers I follow ruffling feathers.

Yesterday at work I looked out onto the 101 freeway and saw the CAPCO and Scrappers haulers driving along.
 
NICE! not far from maple grove + been there quite a bit + WITHOUT a doubt the fuel cars are without equal + MUST be seen in person to realize just how outrageous they are!!
 
Originally Posted by bdcardinal
Originally Posted by 02SE
I thought I read that you were going to the Winternationals? I would've invited you to our hospitality area if I had known. Maybe next year, if our services are still needed.


Ya I wrote it wrong. We still might go since our usual trip to Florida in February might get moved to March to go to the NASCAR Homestead-Miami race. My older sister, who I just found out existed earlier this year, has never been. It would be awesome to get to go in a hospitality area if you can.

My only somewhat complaint about the whole thing, and this is an issue with other genres of motorsports, is the merchandise seemed scattered. They didn't have any Steve Torrence stuff in the NHRA tent and I didn't see a merchandise hauler specific to him. I ended up ordering some from the webpage after buying some shirts for Force and Capps and some diecasts at the NHRA tent.


I definitely could have gotten you into the hospitality area, and given the 50 cent tour of each corporate Fuel team. As for what will be happening in the new year, remains to be seen. Eight years of running the full tour (and 10 or so on teams that didn't run the full tour) has been a good run. Been a part of a few championships. We'll see if we can come to an agreement, that makes it worth our while.

I can't recall the last time I bought any souvenirs from the Nitro Mall, or any other vendors, so I'm not much help on the merchandising front.
 
bdcardinal looks like you guys had a great time !!
TV doesn't do justice to speed of those cars, watching in person is amazing to see !!!!
 
The finals at Pomona were very exciting. That 1st round debacle with Greg vs Erica that backfired for him and his team was my favorite part. That made me so happy. Congratulations to Erica on her 3rd NHRA Pro Stock championship. Her, and runner-up Jeg Coughlin Jr., are both using HP Lubricants 0w-3 oil.

Congrats also to Jianna Salinas for winning her first Pro Stock Bike race. She scares me though. She jumped on a bike with no prior experience and it shows. Almost every pass she makes on that bike, she's all over the track, either fighting to keep it off the wall or off the center. It's not the bike either because when Karen rides it, it goes straight as an arrow. I fear her lack of experience and struggle in controlling that bike is going to get her or somebody else seriously hurt.

Robert Height's half track burnout was awesome. Congrats to him.

Doug Kallita started and ended the season with wins at Pomona.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR

Doug Kallita started and ended the season with wins at Pomona.


Doug is the consummate gentleman, and has class. As does Cameron Ferre.
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR

Doug Kallita started and ended the season with wins at Pomona.


Doug is the consummate gentleman, and has class. As does Cameron Ferre.


Agree on both counts. I just realized Cameron is in all of the RacePak videos on Youtube. I have been tossing around a RacePak or the Holley dash for the car I am building.
 
Originally Posted by CT Rob
Awesome.I love NHRA and want to go to a race one of these days.


It is so worth going. My first experience was when I went to Santa Barbara City College and took Automotive Technology. We went as a school and did the Army recruiting thing where Tony Schumacher gave a speech. I remember asking why they didn't use 4v heads and he got this huge grin and said "it would be cool, but the rules don't allow it." It was raining that day so we walked around the pits, then went to the NHRA Museum which was incredible.
 
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