August 24, 2007

The dictionary defines the word "thrash" as, "to beat soundly in punishment". We in the sport of drag racing use the word to mean "frantically repair or repair in a highly expeditious manner". In most cases it is definitely synonymous with the word punishment. Let me describe for you a thrash as I interpret the word.

Thursday night after work I loaded the trailer to take to work with me in preparation for the Friday night race at Sunshine. I had loaded everything except the car, which I drive down my driveway and into the trailer. It was 8:00pm when I sat in the seat, hit the starter button and all I heard was crunch, crunch, crunch whirrrrrr. I got out of the car and there were five or six flexplate teeth laying on my garage floor. If you read my last blog, you know that we had just put the transmission and torque converter back in the car etc., etc. Oh crap !!!! This feels like Deja Vu. That means I have to do it all over again and have the car ready to race in less than 24 hours.

Cough, cough...I was going to have to take a sick day to stay home from work on Friday and I was going to have to get the transmission out of the car Thursday night. All of which I did. I had the transmission out by 10:00pm and called it a night. Friday morning I went up to United Speed World, bought a new flexplate and had the car all back together again, loaded in the trailer race ready before 4:00pm Friday just in time to make it to Sunshine on time. Whew!! What a close one.

The dictionary defines the word "irony" as "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected". Let me describe for you irony as I interpret the word. No sooner had I loaded the car in the trailer than the sky opened up with a deluge of rain (3 or 4 inches worth), thunder and tons of lightning. The thunder was so loud it made my sliding glass door rattle. I have heard people use the expession "it's raining cats and dogs". Well, this afternoon it rained elephants and hippos. Looks like a hurricane doesn't it?

That's what it's like to be a drag racer. Maybe we can race tomorrow in Bradenton. As for tonight.... it's a Best NY pizza all the way and a couple Samuel Adams brewskies as I'm headed for my easy chair.