Sunday, March 23, 2008

Eric Medlen: 1 Year Missing You

It's been one year since Eric Medlen lost his life in a tragic Funny Car testing accident at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.


Losing such a young and talented driver and such a great personality is devastating, but so much has happened in the last year in his memory that is good for the sport. Eric left us a legacy in his father and John Force... their creation of The Eric Medlen Project researching how to make these cars safer for us all is something so important and such a great testament to his memory. They made safety developments to protect a driver's head as a result of Eric's accident that were tested with Ashley Force's Seattle accident (impact of 56 Gs) and John Force's Dallas crash. While both were scary, and the latter serious enough to see the 14x champ out of commission for the remainder of the season, both escaped without injury to their heads. Both incidents also provided the army of engineers even more data to continue their work on making the cars safer for us all.

John Force Racing has endured much in the 2007 season, and yet they all press on... watching the spirit of John Medlen and the rest of them is just inspiring. Today is dedicated to them... and to the memory of a man who will always be missed.

Eric,

We miss you and remember all you've done for us! You may have left us physically, but never in spirit. Here's to you, hope that you're enjoying that heavenly ice cream and watching over us all!





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Friday, March 21, 2008

New! Horsepower & Heels T-Shirt for MEN!


FINALLY!

For about two years now, I've had plenty of people asking when I was going to come out with something for the men in the Horsepower & Heels E-Store.

We've got plenty of great mens apparel ideas, but we're always a little short on time and money to get them designed and printed. But finally, we are very happy to introduce Men's Design #1:
Horsepower & Heels Silhouette.

The Horsepower & Heels Silhouette shirt proudly displays the trademarked Horsepower & Heels logo on the front in white outline, while the back showcases the white silhouette of a Horsepower & Heels girl standing at the starting line with her helmet. The t-shirt is a high quality black cotton shirt and comes in sizes Small, Medium, Large, XL, and XXL. The cost per shirt is $20 + shipping/handling, and can be bought online in the Horsepower & Heels E-Store(http://www.horsepowerandheels.com/estore/index.htm) or at select Horsepower & Heels racing events.

Keep stopping by as we plan to update and expand the E-Store in the next few months!

Remember, all proceeds go straight back to our racing program, so by shopping the E-Store, you'll be helping us get BACK ON TRACK!

Stop by and show your support today!

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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Hispanics Today TV Segment

Just a quick note to those who did not see the Horsepower & Heels segment on Hispanics Today from back in November.

Hispanics Today has revamped their website to add podcasts and video archives of each segment.
That means that if you missed the show when it aired nationally a few months ago, you can now check it out HERE.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Vote for Ashley Force!

Gotta show support for the ladies of NHRA!

I read online today that Ashley Force is seated #16 in the Q95 play on the NCAA tournament called the NCT&A. Her name in included with the likes of celebrities and other sports stars.

Her first round match up has her competing against Stacy Kiebler. As of this post, she's just shy of the lead! Let's get her the win, folks!



Please show your support and VOTE HERE for Ashley!

3/20 UPDATE: Ashley's made it to round 2, this time she's taking on Jennifer Anniston. She needs our support!

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Monday, March 17, 2008

Feeling Lucky

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just arrived at work straight from the NHRA Gator Nationals, and I'm definitely feeling lucky to have been present at such a great event. I am sunburned pretty badly, but I had a fantastic time at the races and got to meet and talk with many great people.

Luck seems to be starting to go my way... hoping that it continues, and 2008 turns out to be the breakthrough year for me!

Have a Guinness for Horsepower & Heels and we'll see you at the track!

Kisses from us to all you IRISH!




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Gator Nationals Day 4: Sunday Recap

Great eliminations day! More beautiful FL sunshine left me more than a little sunburned, but I still had a great time! Even though Melanie Troxel didn't qualify, the rest of the girls did pretty good! Gotta support that girl power!

We watched Scott Kalitta warming up the funny car, and it is surreal. You should see his face as he wops the throttle. Its the most intense thing.... he definitely gets pumped up!

Unfortunately, my good buddy Ben had some family emergencies come up, so he and Leanne ended up leaving early. I hitched a ride home with my friend Sarah and her dad, who live in Columbus, GA and then headed the rest of the way home Monday morning.





On the Road with Horsepower & Heels
Trip Meter: 1,083 miles
2008 Odometer: 2,985 miles

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Sunday, March 16, 2008

Gator Nationals Day 3: Saturday Recap

After the rain drenched day on Friday, all of us were ready for some Florida sunshine. When I woke up Saturday morning, the sun was just starting to poke through the clouds. It looked a little iffy with the overcast clouds looming most of the morning, but by noon, the sun was out in all its glory.

There is nothing more exciting than getting your first whiff of nitro for the year. Frankie had us all hooked up with hospitality passes at the Kalitta camp courtesey of DHL, so we had a little VIP treatment with the team. Its also great to be able to get in from out of the sun at times as well.

Debbie, my Horsepower & Heels partner in crime, showed up for a bit with her family, but since our seats were not located together, we lost each other early in the day and never could hook back up. Not sure what it is about all that broadcast equipment, but when ESPN was filming, no cell phones were working.

The 1st Jeg's Pro Mod Challenge event of the year kicks off in Gainesville as well, so of course I was excited to cheer on Mike Ashley's return to Pro Mod. His first round run had him in #16 position entering the last attempt, and he was bumped out early in the round. We were all on pins and needles as he made his attempt to get into the show, but in grand Gotham City style, they moved straight to the pole with a 5.94! YAY Gotham!

After the final round of qualifying, we headed over to Max Naylor's Vegas Fuel energy pit party. Max was kind enough to host the Nitromater.com meet-up at the Gators, and my sister and I had a great time meeting all the people who showed up from the Mater clan. They are all great people!

I really love what Max is able to do for VegasFuel. He's got a great program together, and makes his sponsor proud! We did get to try the new Energy drink, and it tastes great!

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Saturday, March 15, 2008

Gator Nationals Day 2: Friday Recap

Rain, Rain, Rain.

What every drag racer dreads. Friday ended up being a cold, rainy, muddy, miserable day at the track. They completely cancelled qualifying around 4pm, putting added pressure on racers to qualify in only two session on Saturday.

The only good to come of the rainy conditions, were that it gave plenty of time for the meetings I had set up this weekend with different folks. With the rain coming in around 10am and settling in all day, there wasn't much else to do but sit, talk, and strategize.

After mulling around in the rain all day trying to stay warm, we headed back to the hotel early for some food and sleep.

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Gator Nationals Day 1: Thursday Recap

Since I was riding with Ben & Leanne, I got up extra early to get ready, get Spike (my dog) to the boarder's, and get over to Ben's house by 8am. I was so excited, I showed up around 7:30, hyper and pumped to get going.

We pulled out of Grant around 9am and started our 10 hour journey to Gainesville. I got the back seat, which meant I had plenty of room to stretch out for a nap. Between packing and the company event I went to the night before, I didn't get into bed until after midnight, and had to get up extra early to finish off packing. Ben handled driving duty all the way until Gainesville.

We arrived at the hotel around 5:00pm in Gainesville. Leanne and I got changed to head over to the Ale House. The Ale House is always the unofficial hangout for drivers and crew since it is right across the street from the hotels that most all the teams stay with. We got there around 6pm to make sure we got seats, and waited for everyone else to show up.

Since I grew up in Orlando, the Gator Nationals have always felt like my "home" national event. The last couple of years, I use the event to meet up with and spend time with old high school friends, and my family. My sister, Melanie, has a birthday in March like mine, so I treat her to the event for her birthday. Frankie, Tommy, and Mikey are all my high school buds that love NHRA just as much as I do, so they were pumped to come up as well.


Around 9pm, the place got packed quickly, and with 5 dollar buckets of beer, our table had a blast. There were plenty of drivers and teams hanging around, and if you didn't make it, you really missed out. Just a few that we saw during the evening: Dave Connolley, Morgan Lucas, Ashley Force, Del Worsham, JR Todd, and several others.

Not wanting to ruin my Friday, I decided to call it a night early around 12:30am. Its off to the track for a good wake up whiff of NITRO!

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

NHRA Gator Nationals: Itinerary

Its been a long standing tradition for me since I lived in Orlando, to attend the NHRA Gator Nationals in Gainesville, FL every year. Even though I now live over 10 hours away in Alabama, I'm not letting it stop my tradition. I'm headed down first thing tomorrow with some friends and will be meeting up with hometown Orlando friends and family as well. Its always a great experience.... friends, family, Nitro, and tire smoke! Nothing better on Earth! An action packed weekend to the max!



My trip kicks off at the Gainesville Ale House Thursday night. The Ale House in years past, has always welcomed race fans, and usually have a Pro Mod display in the parking lot. Not sure if they will be having that this year, but the Ale House is usually to Go-To hang out for drivers and crews of all the professional teams. Thursday night is also a big night because everyone has a ton of energy before the weekend kicks off. Expect big crowds and trouble finding tables though... but that's just part of it.


Friday, we head over to the racetrack and watch qualifying. If you've never been to an NHRA National event, you're really missing one heckuva experience. You can walk in the pits, meet the drivers and crew, get some upclose pictures, maybe even some autographs. You can also watch while they work on them, and during warm-ups, you can even experience your first Nitro Cloud (Take my advice and be sure and get a front row spot for that... you simply MUST experience it once in your life!)

This year on Saturday night, once qualifying is over, we'll be meeting up at Max Naylor's VegasFuel Pro Stock hospitality area for a Nitromater get-together. Max does a super job with the guys at VegasFuel Energy Drinks, and always has a rocking hospitality area for his fans.


Then on Sunday, after a long, exciting weekend, we'll cap it off with eliminations and head back home after the finals. I'm hoping to have some great photos and lots of great things to talk about after I return from my trip, and may even be able to sneek some updates from the hotel wi-fi.


If you'll be attending the Gator Nationals and want to meet up, please send me a comment below!


Have a great weekend!


WELCOME TO THE BIG SHOW!

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Friday, March 07, 2008

Race the Strip, Not the Street

The NHRA has started its own campaign against street racing that I think should be applauded.




I think they should be bringing this message to the schools to educate young teens on the dangers and tell them about the safe, responsible place to race.

So many good things happening in our sport, I hope that these counter all the negative press that these illegal street races have cast on legitimate drag racing.

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

Fired Up: Subconscious Triggers

There is no doubt that drag racing is an adrenaline junkie's dream: 3G's of Breathtaking, neck-breaking power and speed catapulting you across a 1/4 mile in just mere seconds. Its the ultimate adrenaline high... doing the burnout, staging the car, letting it loose at the drop of the tree, rowing through the gears and pulling the parachutes at the end.... but what gets you fired up the most for the run?

For some its listening to an ipod in the staging lanes to get amped up~ songs like Kid Rock's Bawitdaba or the Pro Mod anthem, Thunderstruck. I, personally, am a techno fan, and the break in DJ Tiesto's Silence gives me chills as I'm looking down the groove getting ready to run. Its like the quiet before the storm....

For others, it may be the act of suiting up and strapping into the car... the rumble of the engine when you fire it up.... or the deep breath you take as you pull into the lights.

Last night, I laughed a little as I realized a strange trigger for me as I was driving home from the gym. It was cold out, and I had just exited my Body Pump weights class, still wearing my little weight gloves. As I started up the car and put it in gear, I had a small, familiar feeling wash over me.

Maybe its withdrawals from not racing in so long.... but having that more desensitized feeling of the steering wheel and shifter through gloves definitely sparked that gut feeling you get when racing. My grip of the wheel and shifter changes, my posture in the seat is more erect. Even my sight becomes more laser-focused. Its odd how small triggers can subconsciously change the way your body reacts and behaves, as if it is pre-programmed to do what it does best.

I smiled.... and for a brief second, I could close my eyes and be inside the seat of my racecar, ready to stage. I revved my little street GT up a little and laughed, about 300 cubic inches of displacement and 176mm of turbo-whistle short.

What gets YOU fired up?

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Monday, March 03, 2008

Fiberglass

I'm not a fiberglass specialist... but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express one time!

This weekend I drove down to Columbus, GA to help with my car. The car is back down at Parker Chassis getting finished up and painted. Among the tasks were filling the cut outs for the door handles and extending the door edges to match/meet the body line. We also made templates around the turbo holes to get them fiberglassed and fitting correctly, so I could take the bare cylinder heads home to get assembled and over to Mr. Moody for the engine assembly.

Updated: WITH PHOTOS!




Trip Meter: 546 miles
2008 Odometer: 1,902 miles

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