Dollar Dogs, Rain Showers and Karting Mayhem

Wow, the month of March has flown by. We kicked things off with a midweek show in Las Vegas where tempers flared and plug wires were pulled. We then moved westward to meet a HUGE rainstorm. I talk about that the last time I blogged so lets fast forward a bit. In the week between races, I made my way over to the coast and then back in land to the Fresno area to chat with Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing Team. A special thanks goes out to Jason and his crew. They really are top notch people and helped out quite a bit with some "set decorating."

From there it was on to Hanford for Friday night's racing action at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. The track and series officials did they best they could to speed up the nights list of events but the cloudy skies eventually opened up and large drops of rain began to pelt the tracks surface just as the nights' World of Outlaws Feature race was rolling onto the speedway. While everyone raced to clean up and put everything away, the rains continued to pour in and eventually the call was made to postpone the event to Thursday, March 31st. Slogging through the mud is usually fun but not in khackis and Nike running shoes.

The next day at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, the waiting game came into play. All eyes were glued to the radar screens to see if the rain would get the best of us, two nights in a row. Luckily, we worked out a deal with the promoter to start the nights racing earlier than scheduled. What occured in the A-main is the type of thing that is a writer/videographers dream. California state native Jason Meyers went wheel to wheel with Joey Saldana and ended up finishing second with Saldana picking up victory number two on the season. The Red Bull car really is a looker and I think Saldana stands a very good chance at bringing home the title for KKR.

After the racing action in Tulare, Johnny Gibson and I had a few days before we were due to head home so we went exploring in San Francisco again. We made our way down to Pier 39 when we spotted a man dressed in a cow suit with bowler hat. This crazy fellow also had three dogs dressed as jazz musicians sitting on a bench. Never one to pass up a 'photo opportunity,' Gibson starts to frame up a shot of the dogs when Cowman comes jumping in and hands Gibson one of the dogs and the bowler hat and has him sit on the bench for the perfect Kodak moment. Here's my angle of the whole deal:



Needless to say, the hilarity from this picture will not die anytime soon. We also ran into this on our excursion!


All I can say is that they had a gift store and I walked out with the best looking trucker hat ever and a great bumper sticker.

We took off Tuesday and it's been a relatively quiet week so far back in North Carolina save for some low speed drama today at lunch. I'm beginning to realize that there is a great competitive spirit in the home office. Also, if there are go karts to be had anywhere...........we will race them. For lunch, Boss Man Chris Dolack, Cubicle Neighbor Kellen Burns and myself made the quick trip over to the NASCAR Speedpark inside Concord Mills. First up? The outside track. Upon getting settled into the low speed, cramped quarters machine, I realized two things: Cowboy boots weren't the best choice when I was putting my shoes on today and that go karts are not really made for a person with a six foot frame. Out on the track, the experience and deceptive practices of Burns made him the winner while I was able outrun Dolack, mostly due to being a lightweight. However, the Boss Man got revenge as we went inside to tackle the two story indoor course. I'm not sure what my kart was running on but it was akin to electric steroids. Everywhere I went on the racing surface, I could pass the two seasoned veterans with ease. Eventually, Burns used his extensive Victory Lane Karting experience to take the lead once more. I dropped back to pick up the #29 Left Hook Perfection/Stewie Impersonator kart of Dollack and pushed him past #6 Hypocondriac/Metamucil entry that the University of Kentucky fanatic was driving (the hot rumor is he thought he had an electrical issue.) We really picked up speed heading down hill with Dolack in front, using weight as an advantage this time. Eventually, I tried to pull my best Dale Earnhardt and intimidate but Dolack channeled his inner Terry LaBonte (the Iceman) and held me off for quite a while. Dolack eventually was done in by my sneaky crossover move (you watch Burns pass you enough, you learn how he does it) as I brought the #24 Big Daddy Stats Inc./Mr. kluetters sponsored ride home in first.

All joking and kart racing aside, this has been an amazing month. I realized out in California that, in the span of 30 days, I had been in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with stops in Houston and Vegas. I've seen some of the best racing in the country as the drivers continue to battle fiercely and I have had my eyes opened to a whole new world. We have the weekend off and then it's back out to California for a visit to Merced Speedway and Calistoga Speedway. What does a racing junkie do with a weekend off? Find more racing! I will be following live updates from the 38th Annual Spring Nationals at Devils Bowl Speedway. The Edwards family really helped get my career in racing started and I love the track down there in Mesquite, Texas. Only difference this weekend is that I'm simply a fan.........with a couch......a pizza..........and a fridge full of "adult beverages."

-Gump

I believe...............

Soooooooooooo still hanging out in the Golden State. I've been really lucky to get to travel around and see quite a bit of northern California. My travels began Sunday when I picked up a little red Dodge Caliber. Coming from a guy who grew up driving nothing smaller than a half ton pickup, holding the keys to this micro machine was a blow to my mid-western ego. After fighting with the seat for 15 minutes so I could fit in the thing, I was off down the road to Salinas, Calif. I spent a few days in the Monterrey Bay area and got to check out Santa Cruz and the like. In fact, the latest edition of the World of Outlaws podcast, "Outlaws Unleashed," was recorded on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz (a picture of nicer weather is posted below.) Check it out here...



After tooling for a few days, I made a stop just outside of Fresno to meet up with the Elite Racing team and driver Jason Meyers. We were able to shoot a lot of great video that everyone will be seeing soon. Now we're in Tulare, hoping and praying that the rains stay away for the next two nights. As we have a little time before we get ready for the races, I was listening to Blue Collar Radio on my way down here and heard the bit from one of the end of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour movies, entitled, "I believe." I got to thinking and here is my list (California Edition.)

I believe:

• That compact cars can be a great deal of fun despite only having four cylinders
  
• California is way larger in person than on a road atlas
• That if you label something as a "hot tub" the water inside it should at least be lukewarm
• If you see a nine year old smoking in a motel laundry room, switch motels
• Green beer is excellent
  
• Contrary to what Luke Bryan sings......Rain is a BAD thing
• Eating red vines and watching re-runs of 'Married with Children' is awesome

Just a few things from the trip so far. I've also decided to launch a search for the best taco salad in the country. I don't know why but I love a good taco salad so if anyone has idea's or suggestions........let me know. It's been a great week of sight seeing but there's only one thing I really want to see now.............exciting sprint car racing action.

-Gump

Hilly places and belly dancers

Let me start out by saying that San Francisco is a beautiful city. Between the majestic bay view to the unique building designs, the place truly is a photographers paradise. I arrived into the Bay area on Wednesday evening and spent the first night in the Golden State near the airport. Needless to say, I heard every red eye flight into the place but the great thing was that a 'Married with Children' happened to highlight the overnight hours on channel 47.

The next morning, Johnny and I took off for a scenic drive through the area and I was shocked to discover that Honda and Toyota had dealerships in downtown San Fran. Literally, dealerships a few stories high. It was great. Eventually we found a motel (the La Luna Inn) and met our intrepid program girls, Cinnamon and Maddie. We made our way down the curviest road in America which was a slalom course that would even make Motor Trend drivers scary.



A lunch at Fisherman's Wharf was up next and I had some amazing Shrimp pasta. We then took of for Joe's Crab Shack and the happy hour specials. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a great time of sharing stories and laugh's. Someone along the way, Johnny wound up singing "Wanted: Dead or Alive," and totally nailed the rendition on the karaoke bar stage that drew rave reviews from the locals.

Today, we made our way to Chico and I took off to enjoy the area. Chico State is a great looking campus and the town has a great main street district full of shop's, music scene's and ice cream stops. While I was at one, I noticed that a 5 year old boy was staring intently at a belly dancer in the store across the hall from the ice cream stop. The wide eyed young man looked up at his father and said "Daddy, what is that girl doing? It's AWESOME!" Without missing a beat, the boys dad replied, "Paying for college son, paying for college." Classic tale!

Tomorrow we race over at Silver Dollar Speedway which I am looking forward too intently. I keep hearing rave reviews about the place and am looking forward to my first race on the quarter mile.

The purpose of this blog is to mainly chronicle my travels with the World of Outlaws but it's also a way to let you guys get to know me a little bit more. I'd by lying if I had said my life has not changed tremendously in the past few months. My view of the world has greatly expanded and many of my views have changed. Unfortunately, you can sometimes get lost amidst all the changes. I haven't learned a a great deal in my 22 years on this planet but one of the few things I have picked up is that you should never, ever lose your core values and beliefs. Sometimes, I have to slow down and remember that. With some many things swirling around, having that base, that anchor, means a great deal. That all being said, I would like to share a song with you. It's about aspiring to be the type of person you can be proud of when you look into the mirror.



-Gump

What a Dam Trip

As the jet lag begins to wear off and the empty Starbucks cups are littered everywhere, the trip to Vegas is in the books for 2011. I had never been to Vegas before this week. Despite making plans on top of plans, my friends and I could never seem to pull it all together to take it in for ourselves.

Seeing the lights from the plane on the way into town was probably one of those memories that will be burned into my mind for a long time. The vast expanse and sheer brightness of the lights was simply amazing. Upon landing and meeting up with Johnny, we realized that due to a credit card issue, we didn't have a rental car. Normally, this would pose a problem but the ever resourceful Johnny called up the girls he hired to sell the programs and we had a ride for the rest of our stay. You can never go wrong if one of the girls is named Cinnamon........

The first morning offered up a great chance to go out and explore the strip. We stayed at a Comfort Inn near the Hard Rock. After losing money in the museum of rock, I made my way down to the strip and was amazed. The pictures and video simply don't do it justice. To see all the lights and designs was truly amazing and I can't wait to go back. Before heading out to the track, I was able to snag a t-shirt from Caesars Palace.

Once at the track, we were in for a great night of racing. With the LVMS track crew prepping an awesome surface, the stars of the World of Outlaws put on a great side by side show with Joey Saldana taking the checkers. Saldana is one of the nicest guys in the pits and has won the most races the past two seasons. I think this could be a break out year for him to pick up that elusive first title.

The next morning, Tom Deery, Chris Morgan and myself all took off early for the Hoover Dam site. The following video chronicles our travels because the trip itself is beyond describing in words.



Another night of racing followed our Dam visit and the track took a little while to come around. Once it did, Steve Kinser put on a dominating show and held off Saldana, Schatz and Swindell to pick up his 4th victory of the season. I know Steve has won a ton of races and championships but I really think, just by talking to him and being around him this year, he is having the time of his life being this competitive.

So to sum up this trip, we had girls named Cinnamon and Mandy drive us around, saw a big chunk of concrete, had a set of plug wires go missing, someone rearended their boss, I learned that the PBR has it's own eatery and people ended up in a pool at 1:15 in the morning. Hmmm maybe the only thing missing was no one lost a tooth or we didn't end up with a tiger. I guess what they say is true.................What Happens in Vegas, STAYS IN VEGAS

- Gump

P.S. In honor of our trip to the Hoover Dam, I dug out this clip for you as well. Hilarious stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6oxhLz9l5s

A Quick Lesson on Air Travel

I've only flown one weekend so far but it seems that I have already learned a ton about air travel. Here's the list as follow's:

1. Slip on shoes make the security screening process easier.
2. Only take one lap top.
3. Stash many packs of fruit snacks in carry on bag because the peanuts are no longer free!
4. Always get an aisle seat on the left side of the plane.
   
5. Emergency Exit rows have WAY more leg room.
6. Chili's has a GREAT breakfast menu!

The past weekend we flew into Houston for a weekend full of races in the mid south. Pike County was up first and the area was pummeled by heavy rain. That made the track less than desirable but produced some amazing racing action. We saw wheelies courtesy of Cody Darrah and several cars were bouncing around with three wheels off the dirt in some cases!

The next night at Houston was pretty special for me. My girlfriend Maegan made her way down to the area to see her first dirt track race. It's safe to say that 'Lil Mae' enjoyed her experience a great deal and will be going to more races.



The action at Houston was great and a big shout out goes to Larry from SLS Promotions and his crew. They did an amazing job of working the track to be in great shape by the time the feature rolled around. Speaking of the feature, how about that bump and run by Sides? You have to give the guy credit; he held his ground and it wound up paying dividends by getting him his second runner up finish in a row.

I've now been on the job for a little bit and so far it's pretty cool. I still am learning how to do things but the people, the places and the racing have all been a treat. Our videos have been a big hit and I hope everyone continues to enjoy them.




We've also got our podcast rolling! You can check it out by searching "Outlaws Unleashed," in the iTunes store

Welp, I need to hit the road. I'm flying out to Vegas tonight for a two day show in Sin City..........maybe I'll get lucky and win some cash in the airport. I do like the looks of those new Dodge Chargers ;-)

-Gump