Last weekend marked the beginning of NHRA's new season of drag racing, and three of us were there for all the action! bo-mar's Vice President Mark, his daughter Kelly, and laser operator David all made the trip to Pomona, California last week for the Winternationals. This is a trip that Mark and David have made for many years and a trip that Kelly certainly loved as well.
Here's a little break down of their trip:
After their plane arrived in Southern California on Thursday, Mark, David, and Kelly drove over to Carroll Shelby Engine Company to pick up a couple of car parts. While they were in the shop, they were given a tour of Carroll Shelby's impressive personal car collection. Later, they headed over to Capitol Records to watch Sir Paul McCartney receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! With so many McCartney fans around, Kelly and David were able to get fairly close but had trouble seeing Paul over the huge crowd.
Friday afternoon, Mark, David, and Kelly went out to the race track for round two of qualifying. The weather was beautiful and the qualifying session wasn't too bad either! Saturday, the weather completely changed. The sun was hidden behind clouds all day, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit. This was good news for the cars trying to qualify because the weather helped them get down the track even quicker! However, it started to rain (pour, rather) by the afternoon, and the final round of qualifying had to be cancelled. Mark, David, and Kelly waited out the worse of the rain underneath the Morgan Lucas hospitality tent. Afterwards, they headed over to 'Big Daddy' Don Garlits' 80th birthday Rat Roast! This was a special fundraiser presented by The Quarter Mile Foundation. It consisted of seven "Roasters" from the racing world, including Tommy "TV" Ivo and Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, telling old stories about Garlits. It was a nice evening, and Mark even had a chat with his former employer ("Big Daddy") at the end of the night.
Sunday was, of course, race day--the first race of the season! It was an exciting day of close racing, and we're looking forward to seeing how the rest of the year turns out.
Monday morning, Mark woke up to a call from 2009 Funny Car World Champion Robert Hight! Robert wanted bo-mar to make a part for his funny car and called to see if Mark would be up for fabricating it before their next drag race. Of course, Mark agreed to the job offer. A little later, before heading back to the airport to come home, Mark, David, and Kelly decided to stop over at John Force Racing's shop in Yorba Linda. When they got there, the sign said the shop/museum was closed on Mondays. Mark called Robert Hight to see if he was around. Not only was Robert there, but he came outside to open the gates for Mark. He then proceeded to give Mark, David, and Kelly a personal tour of the facility! Not a bad way to spend your last day in California, getting a personal tour from a World Champion. :-)
Even when Mark is away from bo-mar, he continues to talk fabrication and cars! He spends much of his time at the race track walking around in the pits to chat with his customers on the different race teams. He's always asking questions about car parts and continually gets new fabrication jobs for the business. While the motorsports sector is a small portion of our business, it's a fraction that everyone here enjoys.
