vaguelyaware.com

went really well. here is the run-down:
Practice:during practice all day i got the nick name ’spin cycle’ cuz of how much i was sideways or spinning. jeff, the guy who invited me, said he saw more of the side of the truck in his rear-view than the front, meaning i stayed pretty sideways through the turns. the truck was pretty loose through practice, we tightedned it up and it felt way better. it really shows how little changes in suspention make such a difference.
Qualifying: i didnt qualify for the main event; i got a 17.40 seconds and most of the competitive trucks were running 16.50-17.00 - not bad for first day of racing, but not good enough for the main event. so i went into a non-qualifyers race, 25 laps.
the race: since i was new i started at the back of 14 trucks and therefore, the two accidents were RIGHT in front of me. i avoided both of them, the first by going around it and the second was really right in front of me with trucks all over the track, so i spun the truck right before it and waited for it to clear up. with about 10 laps to go i dove for a position that i didnt quite have a chance for, the guy didnt give me any room and i was goin too fast for such a tight spot inside - well, i spun. got right back out though. but i did a few laps later get the position.
Overall: I finished 8th without any scratches on the truck or accidents, a reputation for being a bit too sideways, a huge smile on my face, and a new found respect for race-car drivers. i only did 25 laps and it was getting hot, i cant imagine the 500 lap races the nascar guys do. if it werent so damned expensive, i might do it more often. but it was definately the most fun ive had in a lonnng time.

Now to explain the pics of the school busses; they had school bus figure-eights. I still cant beleive none of the busses flipped. they got sideways, their brakes got red hot. they broke down quite frequently, and almost crashed at the intersection countless times, but never flipped, they were going fast too. it was hysterical.