All Is Well Here!!

Hola my long lost friends. I hope all is well with everyone. It has been a while since we have talked. I think the last time I blogged was when I posted those delicious pics of my leg. Since then, the leg has improved a bunch. I can put full weight on it with out any boot or crutches. The only problem I do have is my ankle fills like a bad sprain and my knee hurts a little. There is also this old man limp I am trying to get rid off. But through it all, I have been blessed beyond measure and will tell you at random what my Lord has done for me.

Now what has the Flea been up to? From his last post he summarized the season for you. Everything is in one piece, so that is great. He is making some updates to the car for the upcoming season that should get your attention. As far as which association he will be running, I hope to post something in the near future. We are not happy with the direction the Nitro Circus is heading, but like a lot of people, it is hard not to run the races that are so close. We may run some division races and a Nitro Circus or two, but we are not going out of the way for that deal. Realistically, we will probably stay close to home and hit the Renegade series pretty hard next year.

This past weekend I met up with Sandy in the mountains to talk over the 2010 plans and to also take in a game. We ended up going to the first round of the play offs at Appalachian State University. It was a cold but exciting game with the Mountaineers pulling away with the win, 20 to 13. After the game, we met up with his family and I enjoyed some good fellowship with Lucien, Freda, Joel, Elise, Banks and the lovely Miss Lowman. It was great to see you guys again.

I forgot to mention that hopefully this weekend, Sandy will be bringing his truck and trailer up to Chuck Chapman’s Auto Body for a little freshen up of the stripes. Sandy says he is tired of the green stripe on his trailer. The car is yellow, orange and blue, not green. The rig will be in my area, so I hope to post some pics during the process. You guys take care and I will blog you soon.

Don

So.....what's new?

Well everyone it's the end of the racing season at Wilkins Motorsports and time to prepare for next year. So what's new for next year, hopefully a little more racing success and possibly a full year with Don heading up the crew chief position in full health!


But lets recap 2009. As far as IHRA racing i made it to one final round........ the rest of the year i was standing at the head of the suck line! Racing just wasn't the same without Don keeping me on track and in line! And with the chaos of the "so called" tournament of champions being a total disaster, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could have seen this coming, my IHRA season ended with the proverbial raspberry!

The good news is I tried out a new class at Piedmont dragway called the Piedmont Renegades. I went to Four races and qualified number 1 once, and won 2 races. This class is great for the top sportsman racer. The renegade cars have weight rules based on engine size and transmission type, but all cars can run only one nitrous system. This makes the competition fierce and many different combinations can be competitive.

Other good news is that I made my professional debut with ADRL in July at Dinwiddie VA. I qualified in my first attempt and even made it to the second round. In September I unveiled my new engine combination at the Rockingham ADRL race and ran a respectable 4.33 in the first round of competition.

All things considered, especially the economy, it was a great year for Wilkins Motorsports and Wilkins Racing Engines. The engine business has grown about 20% which is right on track with my business plan. And the race car and engines are in one piece at the end of the season. It would be hard to ask for more! Keep your eyes open for new things from us in the next couple of months including a NEW Wilkins Racing Engines website!

Enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Sandy

Sooo....What's been happening?

Well you have probably been wondering where we have been recently since the blog has been few and far between. To start Don has started back at work and is putting in his 40 every week, YAY for Don...congrats buddy!!!

Racing wise i deceided to take a couple of weeks off from drag racing and spent some time in the mountains with family. And of course i had to find something to race! The picture is of Dad's lotus on the starting line of the eagles nest hill climb in Banner Elk, NC. Actually i didnt race, they would not take my IHRA license, so i drove the lotus as the pace car for the event. And of course i made some hot laps up the mountain, FUN TIMES!!! Dad and i shared the driving duties while also crewing for John Finger, who is a multi time world champion hill climber!

The next week it was off to the Piedmont Renegades race again. This time we were number one qualifier with a string of 4.43 elapsed times. Unfortunately our day ended in the semi finals when a spark plug failed. Thanks to Brian, Doug, and Herb for all your help! We will get em next time!

This weekend were off to the Dunn Benson Renegades race for the first time. Come by and check out the Renegades and Top Dawgs on saturday, gates open at 12. See ya at the races!

Sandy