The route sheet showed a turn in the town of Forreston at 92 miles, and the next mention of a town was Mt. Carroll at 118 in, so I began to plot my next fuel stop. The Valiant features a Summit brand aluminum fuel cell advertised as a 15 gallon unit, but in all the time I've owned the car 13.1 is the most it will hold. I usually average between 10.5 and 12.5 observed MPG on Drag Week, so I should have an effective range over 130 miles, but I feel much more comfortable trying to stop every 100 for a little cushion. Forreston had a Mobile station in the heart of the little town, but it was roped off because they had just re-sealed the entire asphalt parking lot. Five miles later, I entered the even smaller town of Shannon, and was surprised to find a Casey's Country Store open, and functional. They don't carry 91 as a rule, so 89 would have to do. I was even more surprised to pull in, and find Tom Bailey and the Sick Seconds 2.0 Pro-Mod Camaro sitting at the pump.
"You guys doing OK?" I asked, as I crawled out of the Valiant.
"Yeah, pretty good...you?" Tom smiled, but it was clearly forced, both he and his trunk monkey looked worn completely out.
"Hanging in there!" I shot back with a smile, likely seen as forced as his, and stumbled off towards the store. By the time I poured a 24oz coffee and paid for my fuel, they were rumbling off into the early morning darkness, and I didn't see them the rest of the trip to Cordova.