Met Steve in 07 when Cordova was the host track and he had his red dually with spare transmissions in the bed.And he used them.To say he had a impact on my life? Yes he did.The Valiant was his CAR.Cant script this poooop.

I may have posted this before, but here it is again. You couldn't have scripted a better ending, it was meant to be. Awesome job John!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMl1G5hC-Bs

Great video Robert!

Jason,
My greatest regret from DW14 was just that we were behind all week, and it didn't allow for much interaction with other Drag Weekers. I told John he cut you loose too soon, and his comment was "I was just hoping I was so far back he couldn't find me!" Sounds like the car is coming along nicely, congrats!

When I walked outside Saturday morning, I decided to take a picture of the mess we had left on Dale's tailgate after we finished up the gear swap in the Dakota Monday night, and I noticed an orange square in the corner of the bed, when I picked it up, it was Darren's phone! Guess it was a good thing the brothers talked him out of going back home to get it, because he would have never found it there!

Great read Billy and congrats to all the contestants
of DW.. hope to see you guys next year if its closer

Right before we drove out to the track, Dale begged to borrow my NOS Double Cross plate that I had brought along to show off, apparently 300hp through one bar just wasn't whetting his appetite for nitrous enhancement.
"I need it for the Heads-Up Shootout, I really want to do well in that deal!"
I relented, shaking my head, "You aren't going to be happy until it's scattered all over the track!"

We were still in the pits, prepping our cars, when the time runs started, and the excitement was palpable as in the first 15 minutes several cars had already laid down best numbers of the week by more than a tenth! Sheldon Hefler pulled his green 32 Roadster into the water, and did a burnout with his tall skinny tires, it's a legit old school Hot Rod with a flat head and a stick. He started out the week at 15.53, and had whittled it down to 15.18, now in the splendid conditions, he ended his Drag Week with a 14.98-86.5! These are the victories that some might over look, but they are an integral part of what makes this event special!

Boone was the first of us to head to the lanes, and I followed him up about ten minutes later, once we figured out how they were pulling the cars out, it was apparent we were going to be there for a while, so we walked up to watch cars run.
"The DA was only 20 feet when they started, but it has crept up to about 60 now!" We overheard a conversation at the head of the lanes.
Boone looked at me, "Maybe I will get my ten after all!"
I had jetted up four sizes in the front over anything I had ran all week, and now I was hoping it was enough!
Addie Ross, in the gold Falcon Wagon, that I had been close in times all week with pulled up at 10:05AM, and went 10.68-127, and that was 13 hundredths and two mph faster than she had went all week!
Squirrel pulled up twenty minutes later in his Altered Wheel Base 62 Chevy II, and ran 9.96-134, and both Boone and I let out a whoop and a fist pump. Then I looked over at Boone and asked, "Wait a minute, doesn't he just have a bar?"
"Yeah, he can't turn it in!"
"That's Okay", I laughed, it will be framed and hanging on his wall!"

Boone and I finally made it to the head of the lanes about twenty-five minutes later, and the word was we were near 200 feet on the Density Altitude and climbing. Boone was fidgeting around like an early morning stock eliminator racer with a R on his window, dying to get a shot at the track.
David and Tina Pierce, who spent one season on Street Outlaws were both doing Drag Week, with her in the slammed S-10, and him in the Orange/Black 68 Camaro. He had been a couple of a tenths slower than Dale in the Modified Power Adder class all week, and they must've decided to step on it big time Friday, he was hauling until about 1100ft. then there was a large flash of flame, and steam boiling from the front of the car. The word from the top end was anti-freeze!
Boone jumped from the Barnyard, took his helmet off, and slammed the door. "Really? You have got to be kidding me!"
The clean-up took about thirty minutes, and it took another ten or so before Boone and I approached the water box. So all in all we ran nearly and hour after we had watched Squirrel's big nine second run.

For the first time on Drag Week, the Valiant left hard with no issues, front end in the air, and when I clicked second at 6400, the Barnyard was well behind me. I was in third around 6700, and had time to look around for Boone, and he was actually hanging around better than I had hoped!
The time slip was obviously best numbers for both of us, but Boone was left wondering what if. He came back after hunting someone down with a weather station.
"600 feet! My chance was there, if only we had ran earlier!"
"Well, you need to get out the Direct Connection Bible and put the super tune on that Weiand Hi-Ram and twin 750s!"
"Never have time to work on my truck, too busy baby sitting you three", He smiled.
"Let's head to the tower, and turn in one of these slips, I guess", I suggested.

We were in the tower, showing our pictures to Tara Fling, and getting our official day 5 and Final Average time slips from Tonya Turk, when Dale entered the water box with the Gremlin, beside Casey Cunningham and his long bed D-100.
Dale went his best numbers of the week, 9.217-142.03, while Casey ended his DW14 with a 12.41-107.

"You guys going to race the Heads-up Shootout?" Tonya asked as she handed us our final time slips.
"Yes, absolutely!" I assured her
"Just the two of you, or the whole crew?"
"No, all five cars, we are looking forward to it!"

Andy Reynolds pulled his wheel standing Malibu wagon up next. He had been making two or three runs per track, with at least one on the bumper at each facility. He currently had 3rd place in the most competitive Street Race Small Block Power Adder class nailed down, with bracket like 9.0 runs all four days. The car barely moved at the launch, then spit the drive shaft out on the pavement. He was unable to get it repaired in time for another shot, and had to take a 20-50 for the last day, destroying his average, and dropping him from 3rd to 21st in one fell swoop. Just another example of what a cruel mistress Drag Week can be, one minute you're up on the tight rope looking down at your admiring fans, the next step, falling through the air screaming like a little girl!

Darren ran the Dakota ten minutes after Dale's run, and ran a fat, black smoke rolling, 11.09-121.38, to finish up his first complete drag week. As soon as he returned to the pits it was up on jack stands, and the guys all went to wrenching on it. They tried to replace the bad intermediate shaft in the morning, but discovered that it had to be modified to fit, so they decided to try and get it in before the Heads-up Shootout.

While we put "all of our best minds" on the Dakota, Rachael fired up the grille for some lunchtime brats.

Professionally clearancing the oil pump shaft.

Lunch is served.

Your 60 foots are better than Crows.Kudos.

Like the five of us, John also stuck around for the Heads-up Shootout, and for his troubles was pitted against Jeff Lutz, the overall Champion, driving his old 57 Chevy, in the second pair of cars down the track!

There were around 90 cars that decided to stick around and partake in the Heads-up Shootout. Plenty of people had speculated that it would end up being 200 cars, and some thought they'd be lucky to get 20 cars, because street car guys don't like getting whooped by someone obviously faster.
I was actually surprised that with it happening so late in the day, that so many stuck around. They built the ladder based on everyone's quickest pass, and put us on a sportsman ladder. Dale's 9.21 and my 10.49 meant we were on the fast side of the ladder. John's 11.04 must've been near breaking point for the slow side, as he was paired with the number 2 car in the shootout, while Darren's 11.07 left him with number 3, and Boone's 11.11 moved him into the spot facing the number 4 car in the shootout, all unlimited rides.
They brought all the cars to the lanes and parked us on an angle at each side, then started pulling pairs into the middle. At first the lane directors attempted to do this on their own, but eventually asked us to come and find our pair on the sheet, and try to find who we were racing and fall in line.

Rachael decided to uncork the Belvedere, and try to run her best pass ever regardless of who she had to race.

The crisp morning air and cloud cover was gone, and as the shootout started in the afternoon sun, we wondered how much everyone would slow down. Boone and Barnyard managed an 11.185-118.95 while getting outrun by the unlimited Vega.