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After a three week lay off from racing, the finals had finally come. The previous weekend I meant to race on test and tune night for practice, but came down with the flu. So this was going to be the first time on the bike in awhile.
Friday night I went to make some test runs prior to the actual race on the 23rd. None were close to what I had been running in my last races. I was .2 seconds of my normal passes.
On Saturday my two time runs came up with my typical 1/8th mile times. This meant that my practice night was not a waste. Until my first race.
I red lighted in the first run by -.002. My Dad was there to watch me along with a bunch of my friends, this was not the performance I wanted to make. After I drove back to the trailer from that pass, my Dad was standing there with a ten dollar bill in his hand. He said, " Don`t do that again." So I took his money and I made the walk of shame to the timing tower and paid my 15 bucks to buy back in since I lost in the first round.
My next run I ran against Zack Hulsey who has been at just about every points race. He is not to be taken lightly. I got him on the light and tapped my brakes at the end of the 1/8th to make sure I did not break out. My next run I had to go up against 2nd place in the points Howard Bowman on his wife`s Harley. I got him on the light also, only because he cut a very uncharacteristic .277 light.
My last run was to be against last years track champion Jay "Bird" Rhyne. I have only had to race him once in the finals prior to this and I blew that from spinning the tire right off the line. Jay runs a nearly perfect pass every time. He rides a beautiful Kawasaki 500 wheelie bar, drag slick, electronics, kick starting, old school drag bike.
This race I really wanted to give him a good run because it was the last of the season. He got to leave first and cut a .045 light. I followed after and left with a .009 light. That was all fine until my front wheel came off the ground, not once, not twice, but three times. Jay got me again.
This pattern of 2nd places is really beginning to suck. Cumulatively they work great for a points season, but a 1st would be nice every once in awhile.
All the same I still won the points season and am going to the NHRA Division 2 finals in October.
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