Another month gone by...

Wow...It's been over a month.  I think about updating quite often, but it requires me to get the camera & cord out of the closet and actually upload pics to the computer, so I kinda put it off.  I usually putz on the computer at naptime, and once I sit down for that peace and quiet time, I really don't feel like getting up! :) Today I must have a little extra ambition!

So, like a month ago we had the Wissota national banquet here in St. Cloud (which is super handy for us). We had a good time, but sort-of were crunched on time because Shane had shot a deer that evening before we went and he left it lay, so we had to go it because it was rather warm out.  I never knew looking for a dead deer at 1am, after a few cocktails could be so entertaining. Thanks Scott for being our sober cab!

The Midwest Mod Group (minus the champ).

 The superstock Group (minus the champ)

 

Shane and Terri

 The Guys

The Gals

 Sidenote: I really liked my dress for the banquet, but boy was my hair awful.  I'm working on the annoying, difficult, never ending easy task of growing my hair out, but it is just taking FOREVER.  I really like pics of me with short hair, and it was so fast to dry and style, but for some reason I just want to wear a stinkin pony tail! I also darkened it more to my natural color so it makes it seem to grow even slower cause you can't see the change in color at the roots! lol :)

The kids haven't been up to a whole of new things.  Mason went on his first snowmobile ride while we had that nice snowstorm a few weeks back.  And I would sure like another one like that before Christmas! :) He's still loving school (and the fact that Grandpa takes him to get a happy meal afterwards), but doesn't like to wake up in the am.  He is into cartoons alot, which is wierd because he used to hate TV (unless it was a shooting movie), and gosh, the commercials are so annoying during Christmas time.  It doesn't matter what I'm doing, or how loud our house is, about every 8 minutes, I hear him yelling "I WANT THAT! MOM, I WANT THAT!" I told him to write down everything he wants, and Santa will pick a few.  He even wants the "Slushy Magic".  And if something comes on that he doesn't want, he blames it on me....for instance, some kind of foam that you spray on showers and it changes from blue to white?? He says "mom, don't you want that? Put it on your list!"  No, son, I don't want scrubbing bubbles for Christmas!!

Braelyn had a visit to the ER one day because she was vomiting ALOT and not eating, and I called the doctor office to see if it pays to bring her in, and they said to take her to the ER.  She had fluids via IV and perked up, so we went home that night.  It was probably some viral bug, and thankfully it only lasted a day.

She just loves to be outside! She doesn't care how cold it is, she will sneak out the back door if the kids leave it cracked open; freezing cement and no shoes (or socks) and doesn't bother her a bit.  Drives me nuts that she won't leave a hat & mittens on (or leave her ponytail in, or leave her shoes on in the carseat, and that she opens drawers and sits in them, and won't go in her carseat without a fight (like a wrestling match type fight) or that she still won't sleep through the night, and that she STILL finds entertainment in digging in toilets, and that she sat on my printer and broke it, and takes my jewelry and loses it), but otherwise she is just as sweet as can be!! :)

Shane did some rifle hunting and is now muzzle loading, and has got 2 doe so far.  Mason hasn't been interested in going with this year, but he likes to go shining if Brae & I go with. I'm hoping him or his dad get at least one more deer so that we can have some more venison for sausage and jerky!

I'd say have a good week, but I'm gonna say "Have a good MONTH, just so that way I"ll have ya covered til next time!! :)

October Recap

For some reason I just haven't been in the mood to blog lately, nor has there been a whole lot going on to write about.  The month of October was spent finishing up the 2011 race season, turning the big "30" for me, turning the big "1" for Brae, a small 4-wheeling trip, halloween, and house cleaning. 

We put our house up for sale two weeks ago (with mixed emotions on if we really want to leave this place or not).  But we found 8.5 acres not far from here and we have needed more land (room for all our crap/toys) for years. The house needs some remodeling, but we love the location/land and it's potential! If our house doesn't sell, we will look at tearing down our garage and building a decent shop (and continue to store stuff at my dads and Shane's grandpas :).  We go back and forth on what the best decision is, but truth is, we will be happy wherever we are!

 We celebrated Braelyn's birthday this past weekend.  She got lots of nice gifts, and by the looks of it, enjoyed her cake!  And oddly, the Vikings won so that made it an even better day for those who continued to watch them after all those losses! 

 We got her a little 4-wheeler for birthday and she knows how to run the throttle, but has no clue how the steering works. So when she crashes into a wall, she keeps it pinned while the tires spin.  Soon she'll be riding with the big boys!

And for Halloween Mason wanted to be a cop (in the worst way), so we forced Brae to be the little Jailbird! Halloween always seems like such a fun and festive ocassion, but this year was pure stress (for Shane and I).  Braelyn whined every time we buckled her up, my shoe broke at the 2nd stop so I went barefoot (yes I was wearing flip flops because it was warm out!), and Mason never wanted to leave the houses when it was time to get going.  We only went to 6 houses, but I was exhausted at the end of the night.  And now we have a crap ton of candy (stuff that the kids got and leftovers from what I set outside for kids who came to our house) that I don't know what to do with.  Shane says "duh, eat it!" Well, Mason's teeth don't need it, nor does it need to sit there and tempt me everytime I walk by the bowl.  And the moms of the daycare kids probably don't appreciate their kids coming home with sugar highs! So if you missed trick or treating, you can come to our house, or it's going in the garbage.

Braelyn likes to grab things out of the fridge when I have it open, and this is how she eats the oranges! If I try to peel it she screams, and she sure is proving that girls are so much more whinier than boys.  But thankfully she's too cute to even care!! :)

Time to Catch Up

Sorry It's been a few weeks since I last wrote...just busy I guess.  The weeks seem short (but the day drags on), and the weekends are even shorter.  Lately my "to-do" list has looked much the same: grocery shop for the weekend, cook & pack for the weekend, go racing, come home, clean out hauler, do laundry...repeat the same for the following weekend.  This week, I added "update blog" so it actually gets done! I am such a "lists" person.  I used to keep a notepad on the counter, and have a list of jobs for each day.  Then when I had too much crossed off it started to look messy, so I'd re-write a new (cleaner looking) one. But then I felt unproductive that day cause I couldn't see all that I had done.  I ditched the notepad and got a whiteboard for the fridge.  Daily chores on one side and extras for this week on the other. Works great!

Ok, so now I'm sure you're thinking "I don't really care about your list obsession, get on with it".... but it got me to update this, and I'm sure you care about that or you wouldn't have read this far. :) Lol!

2 weeks ago we raced at Willmar for their fall festival and final race of the year. I know he won both nights with the superstock, and won 1 of the nights with the B-mod, but the rest I can't remember (must not have been too impressive).  I do remember everyone laughing after Shane raced his A-mod, cause he got out of his car and walked around the front and saw this....

 Look closely and you will see a wrench that rode there the whole race!  DJ must have thought he didn't get enough grief for leaving the fuel cap off! LOL :) I suppose after all his endless help, he's entitled to a few mistakes every now and again! :)

This past weekend we headed up to Good Ole' Bemidji for their final race of 2011.  There's something about the track that you just have to experience for yourself.  Though I wasn't too impressed with the place, I will give props to the pay.  It was below average (compared to other tracks we race) for the first place position, but the pay from 2nd on down, I was quite surprised with.  Compared to the previous weekend, Shane took home almost double from Bemidji, with similar finishes.  

Mason started school a few weeks back, and has really adjusted well and loves it! He cried at first because he didn't want me to leave, nor does he like waking up at 8am, but now he runs right in!  They emphasize on social & life skills rather than so much academic (which will be overwhelming come kindergarten anyway...so I appreciate that they let them be kids)! He really enjoys playing with his new friends and his favorite part of the day is songs and outside!

 This was the first day as I was walking out...He was sad :(

 I walked around the corner of the hall, and peeked in through the window, and he was already fine, clapping and talking to the teacher!  I could sit and watch through that window all day if I could! It's so fun watching him answer questions, wait his turn, and play with others.  He's like a different kid when I'm not around, so it's fun to be there when he thinks I'm not there!

And on the way home!

Braelyn hasn't been doing much new... She turned 11 months last week.  We never put shoes on her before, but now that she is walking, I've been putting them on her, which she's had to adjust to walking with objects on her feet. She loves dancing and hates going on walks.  I always have good intentions of going on my 3 mile route, but she's done after a half mile, so we make the 1 mile loop and head home.  A new gym opened up in Rice, so I might have to take advantage of that! It's either that, or have another baby and breast feed til I die, because I'm really missing my breast-feeding body (ear muffs, dad...Lol!)...easy weight loss and big boobs. :)  And I've lost most motivation for at-home workouts.  I need a change of pace.

That's all for now...Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather! Hopefully it sticks around for the weekend!

Wissota 100

I will give a quick run-down of the Wissota 100 from this past week out in Huron, SD... Quick becuase I didn't snap a single pic and right now I'm too tired to think...I'm guessing I just still haven't caught up on sleep yet...And it didn't help any when we went to bed at 9pm on Sunday and Braelyn thought she should wake up at least 10 times throughout the night. (No, I'm not exaggerating!)  So I took her in Monday evening to have her ears checked, and the doc said everything looked good.  She woke up Monday morning with a bloody nose (probably from the dry air and furnace on), and she's had a stuffy/runny nose for a week, so I thought something was up, but NOPE! no ear infection, tubes looked great, and throat was fine.  So I put a humidifier in her room and she slept all night last night! Thank God!

But anyway, back to the Wissota 100... Let me just warn you that I could be wrong on some of these, and i'm too lazy to look it up! (scratch that-I can't even remember his heats) And besides, the format is so dang confusing for most people to understand, so I will just say that he made the feature with all 3 cars.  You race your heat, then a qualifying feature, then the top 12 from the qualifying feature (each night) go to the big feature.  He finished 4th in the mwm feature, 11th in the super, and DNF'd in the mod.  He did pick up a win in the Race Of Champions with the mwm, so at least we went home with a little money.  And by home, I mean, spent waayy more than we made :(  The weekend was hard on everyone's wallet (I think Buzzy Adams, Lance Matthees, & Tim Johnson made out alright though ;).  The track ate tires like candy, the 10 hour round trip does a number on hauler fuel, and there's ALOT of racing (wear and tear on car, fuel) that takes place just to try to earn a spot in the money-paying show.  We had fun and enjoyed our "mini vaca" (other than the cold temps), but are glad to be home!

Harvest Cup Weekend

Regular weekly racing has come to an end, and from Labor Day on, is weekend specials (or week long, as is the case this coming week).  This past weekend was racing at Ogilvie Raceway for their annual Harvest Cup.  It wasn't the best finishes, but it was an improvement compared to how he normally finishes there!  Shane has never done all that well at Ogilvie...Not sure if he just can't figure out how to set the car up for that track, or if he needs to change how he drives there, or maybe just more laps around it would help! But anyway...typically he goes backwards in the feature, so it was a nice change to actually move forward (or hold about the same position)!! It is good to make progress!!

Friday night he finished 4th with the mwm, 8th with the super, and 10th with the A-mod.  Saturday he finished 2nd with the mwm, 3rd in the super, and 11th with the A-mod. 

Mason and Braelyn both like helping on the cars now!!  Mason puts the axel caps back on, and Brae's favorite thing to do is to put lug-nuts in her mouth & play in the tire grinding dust...both YUCK! 

This week we will be going to Huron, SD for the Wissota 100.  It's always a good time, but not too excited for the 5 hour drive...Oh, wait!.. a 5 hour nap...I can handle that!! The kids will be staying with my parents and sisters, because late nights and B's 7 o'clock wake up call make for a long day!  It's not unusual for racing to go from 5pm til midnight, and my kids don't even like watching the races.  They love to go with (play in the dirt & run around on the wheeler), but watching...not so much. Braelyn hates her earmuffs and won't leave them on, and Mason is always "boorrreedd" and wants to go back to the trailer!

On another note, Brae had tubes put in her ears a couple weeks ago, and as we IMPATIENTLY waited in our room, I decided to walk the halls (hoping to get her mind off of wanting a bottle/food, since you can't have anything after midnight).  As we were walking back I noticed what room we were in.......

Kinda funny!!

Mighty Axe Weekend

Sorry I forgot to do an update last week, kind-of slipped my mind, I guess! Yesterday would've been a good day to sit down and write, but we all sort-of slept the day away...T'was a long weekend of late nights! Friday we drove to Grand Rapids, MN for a special they had (my first time there since the short tracker days!).  Shane finished 2nd in the mwm, won with the super, and 14th with the A-mod.  We spent the night there and headed to Brainerd in the morning for their Mighty Axe Nationals.  Saturday, we won the feature in all three classes (mwm, super, and mod) and took home 3 axes (instead of the typical trophy, they give golden axes)! Sunday he ended up winning two of the features (mwm & super) and took 2nd in the A-mod! It turned out to be more than we ever expected, and we can't thank everyone who helped out enough!!  Thank you to all our crew! From changing trannys, drawing such good starting positions (which is half the battle), and getting the cars ready to go, you all are appreciated! 

 Mason won the pace car ride on Sunday night!

This was well after the races, but as you can see, the dirt particles are everywhere and pretty much ruins all the pics!

And the best part of the weekend was coming home and picking up Braelyn from my sister, and seeing that she had learned to walk! She was doing 5-6 steps before the weekend, but now she is walking the whole length of the house.  Mason was about the exact same age when he started walking (10 months), and hasn't been able to sit still since.  Let's hope she is a tad more mellow than him, but so far, no such luck!  (Not sure if the video will load)

One Last Camping Weekend!

We spent last weekend camping once again before we are back to racing full time.  This time we went to South Long Lake near Brainerd, which was a completely redone campground (we were there 10 years ago or so).  It had a brand new play area, a sand volleyball area, new docks, and was very clean.  The only downfall was that since it had been closed for, oh, 5 years, the swim area had grown some weeds from not being used.  The owner had just put loads of new sand on the beach the day we got there, so the beach was nice!

Mason caught LOTS of fish! He was so excited every time he reeled one in!

Sunday, we came home at about noon, cuz Shane was getting antsy to get back to racing.  (We went and spectated twice, and it's just not the same!)  He threw his B-mod in with the Superstock & crew and made the trek to Bemidji where he won both features!  The time off was was very refreshing, and we did enjoy our camping, county fair, & even a dinner & movie night... But it also made us realize that racing is where we belong!  It is where our friends are, it is what we love, and it is what we enjoy most!  SO WE ARE BACK! (and glad to be so! :)

Kids Update

Braelyn has been doing a lot of "new" things lately.  She was never good at eating baby food (except carrots) off a spoon...of course she'll take icecream from a spoon, but fruit or veggies...NOPE!  So I got this brilliant idea to put the baby food in a bottle with a super fast flow nipple, and she'll suck it right down!  I feel better knowing she's actually getting something nutritious, and not just eating snacks all day. Her all-time favorite food right now is cottage cheese! She also loves noodles (tuna noodle & ramen mostly), and is getting very good at a sippy cup! 

The other day I didn't see her anywhere in the house, so I asked the daycare kids "Where's Brae?"  Here the gate at the bottom of the stairway had been unlocked and she crawled up ALL of the steps (without falling) and was playing upstairs!  She hasn't had a tumble yet, but was very close one time when I heard her screaming, I ran over & her hands were on one step, and her feet were 2 steps above that...she had caught herself with her hands (belly down)!  She can also stand for a good while, but falls when she takes a step! 

Her hair is getting so long, that she almost always has to have a pony in or it hangs in her eyes!  I wanted to cut her bangs so bad, but Shane wanted it to grow out.  It's cute as long as it's in a pony or clip, otherwise she looks like a sheep dog! :)

 

Mason has learned how to ride bike without training wheels!  Shane and my brother, Paul, pushed him back and forth one evening in the grass (for a softer landing), and within a couple weeks, he was taking off on his own around the driveway!  He still has his fair share of diggers, but he's getting better! 

This one makes me literally LOL!! :)

 He is also sleeping ALL NIGHT in his own bed! He loved the security of being on the floor in our room, but was starting to complain that it wasn't very comfy anymore, so I started a "sticker chart" and if he wakes up in the morning in HIS bed, he gets a sticker, and after 10, he will get a reward (space aliens, bounce depot or a movie)!  It's taking a while to get 10, being that he's been at Heidi's, grandmas, currently camping for 3 days with my family, and this weekend we're going camping again!  The kid likes to bum! :)

Camping

It's been a week ago already, but I thought i'd post some pics of our camping weekend (last weekend)...  The weather was beautiful (except a short shower on Saturday), but the water was perfect temperature and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend!  Mason's favorite activities were making sandcastles and riding the jetski (which he was so afraid of at first that we couldn't get him on it).  Braelyn had her fifth tooth popping through so she was not quite her happy self.  She had a runny nose and light fever, so she kind-of slept alot.  It didn't seem to get any better as the week went on, so I took her to the doc and she had a double ear infection :(  It was a fun weekend that we all enjoyed for something different, but we did miss racing a little when everyone started sending results! :)  However, we are already half-way through the 30 days off, so it seems to be going by pretty quickly.  This week we've enjoyed going to the fair two evenings and tonight we'll go cheer on DJ in the demolition derby!

That's all for now.... Enjoy the weekend! (I can't believe I just posted on a Saturday...maybe I do have too much time on my hands without racing) :) LOL!

THE VERDICT IS IN...

….And we were told to continue enjoying our new boat and go ahead and make camping reservations! :) All jokes aside..Most of you have probably heard that Shane's A-mod motor was protested on Thursday night in Willmar. After tearing down the engine, the tech officials found that it did not meet Wissota's guidelines and they deemed his heads illegal. 

I debated whether or not to write our situation, as I know once all those 20/20 screen name hiders get wind of it, their keyboards will likely go up in smoke.  I don't mind a good old debate with an actual person, but some people feel empowered by writing, and put things they wouldn't normally say to your face. So that's why I don't post on 20/20...If you have a question or are just nosey and want some answers... Call me, find me, ask me! We have been honest with those that have called and came to us in person and have a ton respect for the fans/drivers that have wanted answers.

We bought this engine used from another Wissota racer. Our engine builder made us aware of the fact that these heads were borderline of following the Wissota rule book, but based on the cost to fix it we opted to leave it as it was. For safe measures, we had a local tech guy to our house to inspect it, and he ok'd it here in our garage. Scott's Engine shop did not do the work that was in question (as it was purchased that way) and we will continue to do business with him. We didn't fix what should have been fixed and realize it was a huge mistake on our part! But we will live, learn, and move on. The consequence is loss of points, a $1,000 fine, and a 30 day suspension from Wissota tracks. That last one could possibly be a blessing in disguise, as we have not been on a camping trip in over 10 years! We may possibly take a trip to Wisconsin Dells, and just do family things that we have sacrificed for the love of racing.

I know that this may have tainted our reputation, but I think back at all racers that I know that have been found with illegal parts and know that with time & proving them wrong, they have come back and done great things and are still respected in the racing community. I've learned that people will think what they want, regardless of how little or much they know. And I've learned that all people will have an impression of you and it's hard to change their mind-good or bad! A facebook friend posted this the following day, and really has changed my outlook on the situation...[One year from today, will the stress of today be such a big thing?] My answer is NO! We have always tried to keep things in perspective and not take things for granted, and remember that who you are in racing, does not defy who you are in life. Yes, racing is our life, but it's not real life. Our home is happy. Our jobs are happy. Our family is happy, and we grateful for the things we have.  


We apologize to our fans, family, sponsors, and competitors for any ill will this may have caused. And we thank all of you who have continued to show their loyalty and support to us.

Have a great week!

Hot! Hot!

Good afternoon, all! I keep up with weather according to facebook...which apparently it's pretty warm out there.  One advantage of working from home, is just that...not leaving the house! :) The kids are required (by law) to go outside daily, "weather permitting"...I decided it was not permitting!  Shane, however, is required to work outdoors & work some more when he gets home!  Somehow he conned Mason into helping! :)

They managed to cool off with a water gun/pressure washer war! They say "it's all fun and games til someone gets hurt" and sure enough Mason ended up aiming the pressure washer at his foot and blowing the skin off the top of his foot.  I was in the house and Shane was doing something and he notice Mason throw the handle down and run away yelling "I don't wanna wash the cars anymore!" He wouldn't tell Shane why he quit, but just kept repeating "I don't wanna wash the cars anymore!" Finally Shane seen the red line across his foot...I bandaged him up and gave him the miracle medicine (tylenol or a teething tablet...heck, if they made a chewable vegetable tablet that'd work too)!  And he was better!

This past week Shane raced on Wednesday in Fargo, ND for a mwm special where he ended up 5th in the feature.  This was the only class they ran that night.  Thursday was rained out.  Friday, our usual Princeton was rained out so we headed to Fergus Falls, MN where Shane won with the MWM, took 2nd in the superstock, and only made a half a lap in the mod.  Saturday he finished 2nd in the MWM, DNF'd in the superstock (well, not really...he finished 4th but had a flat right rear tire for the last 2 1/2 laps and the flagman was pointing him to the infield.  He was holding a steady line so decided to stay racing, but later was docked at the payout window).  He won with the A-mod!

*reminder MWM = midwest mod & DNF = Did Not Finish (the race)

Kids News!!

I was so excited when Braelyn started crawling (as with any parent with any milestone!) because I thought this would give her some independence and not long to be held all the time and go everywhere I go.  She could now go where she wanted to go (or just follow me everywhere)!  Well, I found out real quick that it doesn't make things easier.  Now I long for the time I can set her down and she stays put while I get things done.  She definitely was occupied while I was getting chores done, little did I know she was only making another chore for me to do (clean her and the wet floor up!)......

 Mason always played in the toilets at this age too! Just as long as everyone flushes! :)

And speaking of making more chores for mom, I went to take her out of her carseat and found she got ahold of the puffs and dumped them all over herself and was eating them.  She usually hates the car ride and I thought she was awfully quiet, but figured she fell asleep. Thankfully she didn't choke on one (or on the plastic bag for that matter)! :)  The little turd still has a way of making me smile even when she's into mischeif!!

This video is several weeks old...It's when she first learned how to clap, but I'm mostly just trying to see if I know how to load videos to blogger! 

I suppose with "Kid News" I should probably post something on Mason, but other than his foot mishap, nothing's real new.  I received an email of his preschool supply list today, and started to panic.  Not because it made me aware of the fact the summer is half over :(, but because I'm worried how he'll do in a different setting.  It's only 2 days a week for 3 hours a day...It can't be that bad, right?! If he can make it through the year without a trip to the principal's office, we should be in good shape for the next 13 years! :) 

Play-Rewind-Repeat

Our weekends seem to be on play-rewind-repeat mode....Which isn't a bad thing because it's been beautiful weather, fun on the water, and enjoying ourselves at the race track!  Thursday Shane and Mason went to Willmar, while Brae and I enjoyed the night at home.  He finished 3rd with the midwest mod, and won with both the mod and the superstock!

Friday we went back to Princeton (seems like it's been a month since we've been there), and ended up winning with the midwest mod and mod, and 2nd with the superstock!  Saturday we raced in Brainerd, and finished 3rd in the midwest mod, won with the superstock, and broke a ball joint in the A-mod so he was unable to finish the race. 

Braelyn hanging out at Princeton!

It's been a while (like last year) since we've won at Princeton, so it was a good feeling to finally get a win again there!

Sunday we debated on going to Bemidji racing because they were having an A-mod special with NASCAR driver Kenny Schrader racing there, but it was just too dang hot!  Shane's clothes were soaking wet from sweat every night after the races, and the boys were tired of working on the cars in the heat... So to the river we went!  Butch (the superstock owner) took us out on his boat & we did some tubing and relaxed on the sandbar. 

Bubba & Shane

Even Mason went tubing (on Shane's lap), and he gave orders to go slow, but even when we sped up he did great! Thankfully he never flipped off or he might've been afraid for next time!

TJ and DJ

Until next week.......

Mod Nationals Weekend

This weekend was the 7th annual MN Mod Nationals in Alexandria, MN.  The kids came with and I just have to say that they were quite the troopers!  When we debated buying a hauler (camper/semi thing that pulls the trailer), I was kind-of against the idea, but it has turned out to be the best thing ever (minus the fuel mileage)!  Especially with a baby needing to be fed, changed, and napped.

We had our kiddie pool at the track which we used 1 of the days, but the 2nd day we drove to a big pool to cool off for the day!

 Even Mason needed a 2 hour nap both days...I think the sunshine all day wore him out!

But back to racing... We have raced this show since Shane started racing A-mods in 2006 (the year he won it), and have been fortunate enough to qualify every year so far!  This year there was 58 modified in attendance and 44 midwest mods.  They used passing points to determine who transferred to the main event.  So the heat winners don't necessarily make the show, it's who passes the most cars. In the Midwest Mod, Shane went from 5th to 2nd in his heat, which was 6th best?? of all the drivers.  He won the qualifying feature so that earned him a front row start for the main feature.  He ended up winning after a good battle with Travis Saurer near the end of the race!   

This pic was taken by a track photographer (CRP photography); which you can view more of his photos here

The A-mods also went by the passing points system and Shane went from 8th to 4th in his heat.  That was 16th best of all drivers, which was extremely crucial because they only took the top 16 cars from the heats. We JUST MADE IT!  Had he done worse, he would've had to run a consi (b-feature) to try to make it in.  It's always a relief to make big shows from your heat, to take the pressure off for the next day!  The goal was to make the main event, so we were happy! He ended up 13th in the main event, with Ryan Gustin taking home the $7,000 check!

They also ran Superstocks on Saturday night, where Shane finished 2nd after a good race with Cody Lee, who picked up his first win ever!  He was so excited he hugged Shane when he came to thank him for racing him clean and congratulate him on a good race!  Whether it be your first win, a big win, or just a good hard race between 2 drivers, it's fun to see the joy and pride that the drivers experience, and really puts into perspective why we do this...Because we have fun doing it! And even losing is fun (sometimes...LOL! :)

Monday (the 4th) we spent the morning/early afternoon cleaning out the hauler and unpacking from the long weekend.  We then spent the late afternoon/evening out on the boat on the river with some friends on the sandbar, then watched the fireworks from the boat at dark!  It was the best weekend of July thus far! ;)  And a short week to boot...Doesn't get much better! :)