End of the Road

As the checkered flag fell at the Dirt Track at Charlotte on the final night of the Lowes Foods World Finals, I noticed a collective “ahhhhhhh” coming from the pit area off turn 2. It was a sigh of relief from everyone that at long last, the 2011 World of Outlaws Sprint Car season was over. 65 race dates coast to coast (and twice into Canada) had taken its toll on racecars, rigs, drivers and crews. It’s an exhausting ordeal that kept me from my own bed over 160 times this year but I do have one thing to say: I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

When I began this blog a little over nine months ago, I was a motorsports and travel rookie. Fresh and wide eyed from Oklahoma, I plunged head first into the world of 900 horsepower winged chariots and the wheelmen that make their living entertaining fans coast to coast only inches from one another. I remember meeting the drivers for the first time. I was timid at best as I shook hands with legends that I had idolized growing up. Others I met were guys who were my own age, chasing their own dreams. 65 race nights is quite a way to get to know people. You see them day in and day out at times. You see them at their best and at their worst, in victory and in defeat. As I sit here now in an empty cubicle getting ready to post my last blog as the PR Coordinator for this amazing series, I can’t help but think of all the memories from 2011.

We started out in Florida for the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals presented by UNOH. Talk about being thrown to the Lions Den! From the get go, this was a job that very much was “learn as you go.” On my very first t-shirt throwing excursion, I was flashed by an elderly biker chick. Needless to say……. she got an Armor All shirt. Aside from seeing some interesting things, Florida was my proving grounds. Could I handle the job? Could I complete all the tasks? I left Florida with a renewed respect for what it takes to put on an event and for what all my job would entail.

From Florida, my next trip was to the gulf coast area and my first weekend excursion with series announcer, John Gibson. The most prominent memory from our first weekend traveling together was how good of a multi-tasker Gibson is behind the wheel. Somehow, he managed to eat a bowl of spicy gumbo, fire off a quick e-mail from his phone and select the appropriate playlist on his iPod all while dicing in an out of traffic on the Interstate. I was so awe struck that I barely noticed the near collisions and onslaught of high beams that seemed to be headed straight for our small Chevy HHR.

The adventures with Gibson would continue to get better as we picked up our program selling comrade, Cinnamon Stubb. The three of us went on to have more fun and antics than I can ever remember having. Perhaps the running gag that sustained itself the longest was when a hostess at a Japanese Steakhouse proclaimed us as a family (much to Gibson’s chargin.) Despite all the ragging and jokes, I have an immense respect for both Gibson and Cinnamon and count them among my closest friends.



The entire road crew is a special group of people in general. As the season rolled on through the spring and summer months, everyone came together to form a unit that is responsible for getting this traveling circus up and down the road. One of the funniest pranks of the year actually involved a good portion of the gang. During the rain out at the spring show at Knoxville, I had taped a nice sit down interview with Steve Kinser at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and had just made it back to the Command Center off of turn three when I realized that the audio track was screwed up. I was livid and stressed out when the series director, Carlton Reimers, called me outside where him and the Farleys, Jim and Luci, were standing. He was getting after me about the rain out release when he finally just said, “You know, we need some ice in the Command Center.” He motioned me over to an ice cooler directly behind me. Without thinking, I lifted the lid and Carlton’s son, Justin, leaped at me from inside the cooler, yelling “boo!” According to eye-witness reports, I jumped a foot in the air, yelled a few words that would’ve made a sailor blush and slammed the door shut. Everyone one else was in tears from laughing so hard as I started to laugh myself. Carlton, Donnie, Steve, Jim, Luci, Eloy, Mark, Donna and Justin are some of the finest people I know and I feel very lucky for getting the chance to work with them. Whether it was Carlton yelling at me to make homemade confetti for the confetti cannon or Justin and I laughing because Frank Carr was doing some “window shopping,” we had a great time everywhere we went.

The rest of the season rolled along with a bump here and bump there. Nothing is ever perfect and there were frustrations along the way. This didn’t work right or that didn’t work right, someone didn’t call back or so. Once I learned how to roll with the punches, things got better. I started enjoying the traveling more and it didn’t bother me to be gone from home for five weeks on end.

Wrapping up the season with the Lowes Foods World Finals was truly a special thing. You have all three of the major dirt racing divisions in one area for one season ending event. As exciting as the sprint cars were, the late models stole the show. With Rick Eckert and Josh Richards being locked into a very tight points battle, the stage was set perfectly for Saturday night’s final race. With the cameras from SPEED TV capturing all of the action live, Eckert trailed Richards when they took the white flag. Richards blew a tire and Eckert sped past to claim the championship. If that type of finish can’t make you a race fan, I don’t know what will.

As the dust settles on 2011, it’s time to begin making preparations for 2012. The new year will mean a new job ole Gump. I will be moving over to Elite Racing to handle marketing and communications for the two-time World of Outlaws Champions. It was an opportunity that I couldn't turn down. I'm very excited about my new role and will use it to continue to provide awesome content to the fans of sprint car racing.

This season has been an absolute blast and very much a learning experience. What is amazing to me is that I still got a tingle in my spine when the field took the green flag at Charlotte. I’ve been to over 60 races this year and to still have gotten that feeling tells me that this is something I truly love and enjoy doing. Before I get out of here, I need to thank Chris Dolack and World Racing Group for the tremendous opportunity they afforded this rookie in 2011. They had enough belief and patience in me to see it through to the end and I really appreciate that. I also need to thank all of the media members and photographers around the country who made my job much easier by sharing their wonderful content with myself and the world. Additional thank you's goto the drivers and teams for putting up with me all year (and coming out for post race interviews after a tough loss.) Last, but certainly not least, I need to thank the fans and those of you who followed my adventures this season. I hope you had as much fun reading and watching as I did experiencing it.




Have a Happy Holiday season and see you at the track in 2012!

Gump

Temporary Groundskeeper at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park

From the time I was seven until I left home, one of my chief responsibilities was to cut the grass. Thats right, mowing the yard. Four years of college has taken me away from my greenskeeping duties but I was able to get back into the swing of things at this year's Super DIRT Week. In order to spare you all of the reading of what went on, I've posted a video below. We are really getting down to the final events of the year. Only 5 more to go until we crown a champion!

The end is near

We are coming down to the end of the season now. The leaf's are changing colors, Football is dominating the airwaves and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season is winding down. What a season so far. Steve Kinser and Craig Dollansky have won 9 a piece and niether one is leading the standings. That honor belongs to Jason Meyers. The 2010 Champ is looking to repeat and with a 180+ points lead, it appears he will do so. Even with that type of points lead, Meyers is still on edge a little bit, knowing that anything can happen in these final six (plus one qualifying night) races.

Since we were delayed in Pennsylvania, I am now up here in Syracuse, New York, helping out with the 40th edition of Super DIRT Week. It's amazing to see the miletrack at the N.Y. Fairgrounds and realize all the history that has taken place here. We start bright and early tomorrow morning so that's it for this blog but I'll post more as we go throughout the week.

A clear mind and long trail

Imagine for a second that it's a cool morning anywhere in the country. You've just laced up your best running sneakers, set the iPod to shuffle and set for wristwatch for 30 minutes. The next half hour is a time for you and the elements to work together to strengthen your body. I try to get these 30 minutes three times as week as we head up and down the road on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Between banner hanging, press release writing and video shooting, there is plenty of opprtunity to get stressed burnt out. Running is a way for this PR dude to get away from it all.

A lot of people don't realize that I was rather chunky growing up and aquired my love of running from a good friend of mine, Andy Aronson. The summer between my Junior and Senior year of Highschool, Andy joined the Army ROTC and I began running with him. It was those insanely hot days in Holcomb, Kansas that transformed me and my way of thinking. Through running (and later weight lifting) I realzied that anything truely was possible with enough will power and determination. By the time I rolled into the halls of Garden City High School for my finaly year, I was 50 pounds lighter and smiled more than ever. I couldn't believe how much more energy I had and how I didn't ache as much anymore. Since that summer, running and working out 3-4 times a week has been a staple of my daily life. I can't remember a week since there where I haven't atleast got three miles in.

Being out on the road this year has been a bit of a challenge since we're always moving and the geasey fast food at 2 am doesn't help. However, I've been able to keep it in check through running and get rid of the stress in the process. Am I in the greatest shape I could be in? No. I know what that would take and it's no fun. I enjoy just being healthy. I enjoy being able to pick up things a go for a run or get in a good weights session. I've run 5K's in the past with decent times. One day, I would like to try a 10K of an Urban-a-thon (Think of running thru downtown Chicago at rush hour and dodging everything.)

You might be asking, what does all of this have to do with racing and traveling? I'm sharing this because it does make such a huge difference when it comes to coping with all of the traveling and working. What we do is difficult and sometimes the conditions make it even worse. I remember Williams Grove at the end of July and I-55 Raceway in August. Hot and humid conditions caused several people to faint and rush inside. Because of my health, I was able to stay outside and keep going. Think bout a race car driver. Stamina and endurance are key, espically during those long hot months. Many of the drivers engage in some type of exercise program to try to get a leg up on the competition.

Even though we all don't race or work 12-16 hours a day at the race track, a simple walk or so can benefit anyone. Healthy eating is also key but thats a subject for another blog (maybe when we talk about SuperDIRT week.) So the next time you need to make a quick trip to the store or what not, see if you can walk or ride a bike. And if you're out on the trail and see a dork with a Cameron University t-shirt on jogging along, wave me down and say "hi."

The West Coast....

So I know I haven't been around too much lately but the summer months mean we're pretty busy on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. From Knoxville to the West Coast, we've had quite a journey and instead of writing everything out, I figured I'd take a minute from our stop today to fill everyone in on our travels thus far. Check it out!

As the Odometer Rolls

“Welcome to Charlotte. The current time is 11:32 am and it’s a beautiful 83 degrees outside. On behalf of your New York based flight crew, we want to thank you for flying American Airlines.” These were the words that woke me from an uncomfortable (yet highly needed) slumber as a regional jet landed at Charlotte Douglas International airport on Sunday, July 31. For many, it was a routine flight but for me, it was the final port of call an exciting and epic twenty four day road trip that started in Minnesota and ended in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The busiest time of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series schedule meant that I would be living the “road life” so to speak, operating out of a suitcase and always counting the mile markers until the next race. Many more with the tour will be out on the highways longer than I was but it was still a pretty long and exciting stretch.

Picking up from my last blog, Johnny Gibson, Cinnamon Stubb and myself made our way over to Carlisle, Pa. for a few days. After watching Jason Meyers, Greg Hodnett and Jason Sides all claim victories at the track, it was off to Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York the following night. The five and half hour drive overnight is among the most brutal of the season but we made good time. As we cruised down the Interstate, I kept having flashbacks to victory lane and the #14 Elite Racing Team. You could tell the instant that Meyers crossed the finish line that it was big. For the Outlaws, it marked the first time that a touring driver had taken a win there since July of 2008. For the team, it was a way to give thanks to a man who was extremely responsible for their title run last year, Charlie Garrett. Meyers expressed his gratitude in victory lane to track announcer Bruce Ellis.

“This one is for Charlie Garrett,” said Meyers. “He was a big reason that we won the title last year because we never had an engine failure.’

Lebanon Valley Speedway presented a great opportunity to host the folks from STP. As one of the biggest sponsors of our series, STP is a valued partner and I hope they enjoyed their time at the track. They certainly saw an exciting race as Craig Dollansky took the checkers over Meyers and Kinser.

From there, it was across the Empire State and over to Buffalo for a relaxing night. A series of text messages led me to the cargo area of a Ford Escape and trip across the border with a group of friends. An elevator ride to the top of the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls gave us a breathtaking view as we settled down to dinner. Coming from Kansas, water is something of a scarce commodity when it comes to seeing it in large pools above ground. Seeing Niagara Falls was amazing as we sat down just as the laser lights were hitting the cascades of falling water. A quick bit of walking around downtown after the meal allowed us to burn off a few calories before heading back stateside.

The next day, Johnny, Cinnamon and I made our official crossing around 3 p.m. and enjoyed lunch at the Hard Rock Café. One thing I do enjoy about being on the road is the meals. At home, I’m normally going so fast that I tend to snack here and there as opposed to sitting down for a meal. Out on the road, there is time enough to set down and enjoy great cuisine. After lunch and a quick trip to see the falls during the day, we settled in for a ride to Ohsweken.

The annual race at Ohsweken is a big deal. Bands, sponsor giveaways and more populate the track on the Six Nation’s Indian tribe reservation. Throw in the orange and white fence around the track and you would be hard pressed not to think that you were at a University of Tennessee football game. Ohsweken marked NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s very first Outlaws win. Some have made comments that the track conditions helped Stewart to the win. I will agree with that but Stewart earned that one as he had to hold off an ever strong Sammy Swindell. Interviewing Stewart was like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be a broadcaster in racing and interviewing a two-time NASCAR champion is about as big as it gets. The win was insanely popular with the fans and drivers alike. As I waited to do the website interview, several drivers and crew members came to congratulate the driver who said that his first Outlaws victory might eclipse another triumph in the Brickyard 400.

From Ohsweken it was over to Brockville for their inaugural race at Brockville-Ontario Speedway. Rain threatened to derail our trek through the Great North but eventually it stepped aside and allowed for an exciting nice of racing. Sammy Swindell led early on until his left rear tire came apart which handed the lead to his teammate, Craig Dollansky. Dollansky led until a damaged nose wing began flopping around and took the air off the nose of his Maxim which paved the way for Paul McMahan to take the lead. Meyers tried to a jaw dropping dive in turn three on the last lap to wrestle the lead away from McMahan as the two split a lap car coming to the checkers. Certainly was a thriller that kept the fans abuzz all night long and on Twitter.

The final stop on the road trip tour was to Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que. Quebec is a quirky area. They only speak French, have stick figures doing things on their road sign’s and love thrills. With three support classes, a fireworks spectacular and a motor cycle stunt, the Drummondville race didn’t disappoint. Another thing that was different was that I had a translator any time I was on the PA system. Alex, the tracks regular announcer, followed me around as I interviewed the drivers and then provided the translation for the crowd. It threw me off during the dash interviews but I finally got the hang of it come feature time. Speaking of the feature, Lucas Wolfe is getting dangerously close to his first WoO win. After dueling with Meyers again in a battle that brings up memories of last year’s Ironman 55, Wolfe faded to third but still received a thunderous ovation from the Canadians as he stood on the stage with race winner Meyers and runner up Steve Kinser.

So that was my great summer road trip. I went through eight states, two Canadian provinces, stayed in more motel rooms than I can remember, ended up going for a shopping cart ride to a bar, had late night swims, won a deal time trivia round or two and made memories that will last a life time. Now the only thing that is missing is that often used back to school assignment, “What did you do on your summer vacation.” I think I could have finally gotten an “A” for this one.

Sun Burns and Mile Markers

Sun burns are pesky problems you know it? They never show up right away as you are soaking up the rays outside. However, when you take a quick shower after that fun filled afternoon (or morning) you realize that stingy pain that will continue to bug you over the next few days or even week. It’s a small price to pay while you’re having fun though. As the summer road tour continues for me, I can’t believe the ground we have covered so far. I flew into Minneapolis, MN on July 7 and since then have traversed through Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

First up in the next leg on our journey was the Kings Royal weekend. I had been to Eldora Speedway once in 2009 for the Royal as a part of a documentary crew so I knew what to expect. Eldora gets transformed into miles and miles of campground filled with RV’s and tents of every shape and size. As you begin to get near the track, the rows and rows of white and yellow camper tops are visible over the track. Eldora is one of my favorite tracks by far and it’s not just the racing surface that gets me. The atmosphere is second only to the Knoxville Nationals in my opinion. People make this the focal point of their vacations. They come to camp and stay here on their time away from the grind of their jobs.

The Knight Before the Royal presented an awesome opportunity to see high speed shootout. Tim Shaffer and Jason Meyers dueled throughout the feature that night in one of the more impressive driving displays I’ve seen in awhile. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my T-shirt cannon firing abilities. Plagued by wheel packing push trucks and a rookie driver, (Boss Man Chris Dolack was behind the wheel of the golf kart) a few of the white cotton walking billboards ended up well short of making it over the steel catch fence. Arriving early the next day, Tech Man Steve Mahannah, Justin Reimers and I solved the mystery of the cannon and had it firing like a Howitzer. Sadly, the jam packed Kings Royal schedule prevented us from firing the shirts and testing our new shooting range.

The 28^th edition of the Kings Royal had all of the makings of an epic race. The night started out with the news that track founder Earl Baltes would crown the king himself at the end of the night. Into the heat races we went with drivers accusing each other of this and that. With the cameras from SPEED rolling for a tape delay broadcast, all of the drama was captured on tape (or Hard Drive.)

Several cars missed the A-main including Jac Haudenschild. The “Wild Child,” sustained damage early but had nearly every free driver and crewman near his #6M hauler there helping to put a new front end on the car. The efforts were futile and eventually Haud just climbed out to watch his son, Sheldon, race.

In the A-main, it was all Sammy Swindell until the final corner of the last lap. A shredded right rear tire on Swindell’s machine was his downfall and opened the door for Tyler Walker to blast by for the biggest win of his career. Walker made it a Victory Lane to remember as he stopped right after the scales, high fiving and hugging everyone in sight. Eventually, I heard a call over the Outlaws official radio to get the winner to the stage. So I grabbed the winner by the shoulder and took off with him through the sea of race fans, drivers and teams. Eventually we made it to the stage and the rest of the pageantry took off from there.

From Eldora, we took off for Pennsylvania on Sunday. Pittsburgh was our port of call as we checked in to a Quality Inn. The next morning, I set off on an adventure to find a gym. Being out on the road is great but the lack of regular workout facilities forces you to get creative. I’ve caught many awkward glances as I have taken to jogging around motel parking lot. As crazy as it is, the running actually helps with stress levels. Drivers and crews obviously work long and strenuous days but so do the officials and being in shape helps keep you going during this record high heat we are experiencing. Anytime I can get a run or weight lifting session in is a plus.

I decided that I would find a gym nearby and take off on a hike. According to Map Quest, it was only a mile south west of my then current local. Needless to say, two and half miles later, I had found nothing and ended up in an area of town that wasn’t exactly “family friendly.” A quick exit and a trip to the motel’s weight room allowed me to get my fix. Some people enjoy wine, some enjoy good foods or cigars. For me, it’s working up a sweat and feeling a sense of accomplishment. My fellow blogger, Rick Eshelman, also wrote an article about fitness on the road. You can check it out here.

My first trip to Lernerville Speedway was truly spectacular. With help from fellow PR man, Eric Westendorf, I sampled the track’s excellent Italian dishes (Pizza and Pepperoni rolls.) This is possibly some of the best food I have ever had period. I still am on my quest for the ultimate track food and this certainly ranked high. The racing action was fast and torrid at the four-tenths mile oval. Dave Blaney and Tim Shaffer emerged as the victors with Shaffer claiming the overall Silver Cup. What a winner for a standing room only crowd! We packed up our gear and set off on a four and half hour drive to Carlise, Penn. which will be our base camp until Saturday morning when we check out before the final night of the Williams Grove Summer Nationals. It’s a 5 hour driver over night to Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York for a race Sunday night and then onto Canada! You never know where we might turn up next so stay tuned!

-Gump

Epic Road Trip

24 days. Almost three and a half weeks. Living literally out of a suitcase. Going from town to town like a circus act. When you space it out like that, it begins to sound more and more exciting. When I originally signed on for this job, I knew that travel would be a huge part of it. Until now, most of my journeys out across this vast country have been short. When making travel plans for the month of July, the prospect of staying out on the road sounded awesome.

With a large duffel bag in the back seat and the stereo cranked up, I drove the Jeep to the airport in Charlotte, parked, put the top up and took off for my month long excursion. Destinations? Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. An incredible swing of 12 races in 22 days (I needed the other two days to travel.) The first two stops were in the rolling hills of Wisconsin. There you will find Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond and Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam.

Cedar Lake was up first and the day was already off to a weird start for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Candidate Bill Rose. He and crewman Rodger Knapp ended up heading for Cedar Lake, Wis. instead of Cedar Lake Speedway. Needless to say, the #6R rig was a tad late and was unloaded in time for his heat race. The racing action was great all around but the night belonged to Jason Meyers. It was ironic that the 2010 Champ led the entire race and the song playing over the track’s public address was the theme to Richard Donner’s Superman from 1978. To hear John Williams epic score blare through the speakers as Meyers #14 sprinter headed for victory lane was truly awesome. Meyers was very excited to return to Victory Lane as he had his family there. There was no shortage of smiles in Victory Lane as the win snapped a 26 race winless streak.

Smiles were also in abundance the following night at Beaver Dam Raceway when Joey Saldana took the checkers. As I have gotten to know the guys and be around them, you learn that personalities and types of each. Joey is rather quiet but has a passion and intensity that rarely comes out. You can see in his eyes how badly he wants a championship. As strong as that desire is, Joey is more committed to his family. You’ll find a big, gorgeous tandem axle RV out on the road these days with the tour. It’s the Saldana traveling home. Joey and his family tour up and down the road and you can tell that having his family near (a wife and two boys) makes him much happier. Saldana hadn’t won since Eldora in May and had a rough June. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come for the #9 Kasey Kahne Racing bunch.

From Wisconsin, we made our way east to the state of Ohio to camp out until our next race. After finishing up our regular duties and then some, Johnny Gibson in I decided to take in some amusement part fun at Cedar Point.

Known as one of the best theme parks anywhere, Cedar Point boasts more roller coasters than just about anywhere in the world. A heavy afternoon rain shower soaked our plans a bit so we chose to remain in the hotel. When the skies cleared, we made our way over to the park and were lucky enough to score the twilight admission price of $30. For five hours, we set a torrid pace as we attempted to cover every major ride before the park closed at ten. First up was the Blue Streak, a solid yet rickety wooden rollercoaster that served as our warm up. First off some background on my roller coaster history: I enjoy the rides but I hadn’t been on one since the 8^th grade. With a loosely attached seat belt and lap bar, we began the slow, chain driven ride to the top. The drop wasn’t that long or steep but took my breath away. I’m normally a person who relishes in being a control freak. I’ll admit that. So to be flung around at high speeds with no control is an extremely scary concept. Needless to say, I made it through although Johnny got an earful of screams.

We proceeded to take on more rides and stopped for a snack (I got the funnel cake because what would a visit to an amusement park be without a fried piece of dough and powdered sugar.) We made our way to Gemini, Mean Streak, Magnum and more. Throughout our time there, we noticed a large ride that pierced the sky over the lake. It stands 420 feet tall, corkscrews you on the way up and down and fires you from 0 to 120 M.P.H. in 3.8 seconds.

Top Thrill Dragster is one of those rides that will intimidate even the most hardened of iron stomachs. We stood in line for about an hour, watching many people rocket to the heavens. When we finally made our way to the head of the line, seated ourselves in the open style cars and waiting to be rolled out for the launch. Since the ride was dragster themed, the start of our ride coincided with a triple tree (a.k.a. a Christmas tree with all the red, yellow and green lights) when the lights went green off we went. I was pretty sure that we took off so fast that my underwear would arrive back at the unloading area in the next car. It literally was like having your ears pinned back from the speed. We shot up the track and were eventually perpendicular to the ground. When we reached the crest, we were at the highest point in the park and things got very quiet. Then the longest, fastest and steepest drop in the park began. I was out of my seat literally while gravity forced my body down with only the seat belt and lap bar holding me. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. The total ride lasts less than 30 seconds but was well worth the wait. Take a look at this video:

After Top Thrill Dragster, we made our way to the last big coaster on our list, Millennium Force. The towering blue and silver coaster has been ranked either number one or two in the nation for steel coasters since its inception in 2000 and it was then that I saw a TV special about the ride. Another long wait marred our plans for a quick trip to the loading dock but we made good time. We settled into the cars and were cable pulled to the top of the 310 foot first drop. Since the coaster is situated right near the shores of the lake and with the impending sunset, the view was spectacular. Then we dropped 300 feet. I’ve included the video below to describe the ride:

After the Millennium Force, we made our way back to the other side of the park to get one last ride on the wooden giant known as Mean Streak, which ended up being our favorite coaster overall (hence we rode it twice.) I can describe it best by saying it was a lot like the sprint car test driver I took earlier this year. It was big, loud, fast and beats the heck out of you but you always have a smile on your face when you are done.

With the park closing in 10 minutes, we took off for the parking lot. A brisk walk through a laser light show kept the long walk interesting and we finally made it to our vehicle in row 19E. A quick stop on the way for Steak and Shake (They can keep the fries but the Mint Cookies and Cream shake is heaven) was the only thing that stood between us and bed after a great evening at the park.

All in all we took about seven coasters with one repeat ride, ate walking tacos and funnel cakes and left with a renewed dare devil streak…… not too bad for a day that started out with buckets full of rain, eh?

-Gump