I was looking at Facebook on my phone, when one of our fellow longtime DW participants posted, "I just got popped for not having a trans shield or blanket, so now I'm limited to eleven flat!" He went on to complain that he didn't know that was a rule until 9.99, and how worried he was that he wouldn't make the quick 32 in SME if he had to slow the car down. I jumped out of the Valiant to warn Dale and his group. I knew Darren and Michelle didn't have one, and I doubted that Rick had time to consider it when he was slamming his Dart together in seven days. I didn't know if any of them would run in the tens, but I knew they wanted to, so they needed to be prepared to lie if questioned! Once I returned to my car, and moved it up in the line, I decided to go up to the front of tech to see what was different this year. In years past, we had dedicated lines, and the tech officials took each car as it came to them. So if a car required extra attention the line stopped moving. In 2017 the amount of NHRA Tech officials had doubled from two to four, and the cars were being brought into a triage area twenty or thirty at a time. This allowed one official to stay with a car that needed a cert or something while the other three could quickly work through the other cars without holding everyone up. It was definitely an improvement, but I wouldn't call it "awesome" like Lonnie had. It was kinda like when your Dentist tells you about an "awesome" new procedure to remove teeth, I mean you are still getting a tooth pulled regardless, so the procedure isn't your primary concern! I was much more relaxed about tech this year myself, I had my own gloves and neck collar, and the temporary license I had to run 9.99 and quicker even had my own name on it! If they didn't notice the rubber valve stems in my front wheels, I shouldn't have any problems passing!

The Drag Week Family Tree branches out every year it seems. One person goes nearly every year, brings his buddies as co-pilots, and soon they show up with their own rides to participate. Our own Ross Dudley has brought his 68 Road Runner from Canada every year since 2006, and this year he had two of his cohorts follow him across the border with a pair of nice A-bodies. Ron Maguire brought a beautiful 69 Dart with a mild small block, while Frank Perkins made his debut with a wild 69 Valiant for SSBBNA. It was clear that they had used all of Ross' experience to their advantage as both cars looked more than prepared for the trip ahead. While they worked their way through tech, Ross sat around and relaxed, until the "wait list" group got called up. In the photo below he's passing the time with fellow long time drag weeker and "wait list participant", Californian Rich Pedraza. Considering how far this pair had traveled, I sure hoped everyone made it into the show!

Clark Strong and his pro touring style 69 Road Runner was the last no-bar car to qualify for the SME Quick 32, qualifying 31st on the strength of an 11.501 on the last day in 2015. He didn't attend in 2016, but we noticed the 2017 entry list showed him in a Valiant, so we figured he didn't want to put a bar in the 69. We were surprised to see him show up with exactly that however, and not only a bar, but a decidedly more drag freindly feel to the yellow Plymouth. We in the Gebhart clan definitely approved.

As if I didn't have enough trouble keeping the yellow 68 and 69 of Ross and Clark separate, Lee Brooks debuted his yellow Satellite this year. The Yellow is screaming on his B-body however, and the big Plymouth on the quarter distinguishes his quickly from the rest.

1st: Clark's 69 in 2015
2nd: Clark's 69 in 2017
3rd: Ross' 68
4th: Lee's 69 Satellite

I could try to explain these pics, but it's best just to say this: For those 6 to 10 hours you spend in the Hot Rod Drag Week Tech and Registration line, the first liar has absolutely no chance!

Isn't that true any time two different brand of hot rod or race car owners get together

The Godfather, the OG of Plum Crazy Plymouths on Drag Week, Radar Watkins' 70 Plymouth Fury was back for a 6th Drag Week. This is the first appearance of the big block NA powered machine in DW competition since 2011.

We can be thankful that due to the pioneering efforts of Radar and the Fury as early as Drag Week 2006, Marty Gorman's (67autocross,Moparts) Manitoba based, small block NA powered 72 Plum Crazy Valiant could make it through tech without people saying, "We let Purple Plymouths do this?"

Got a chance to talk with Clark and his wife on Monday. Very nice people, and they have driven that Road Runner EVERYWHERE. I couldn't believe the Road trips that car has been on, and places it's been. Tech day might be a long drawn out process, but man is it fun being able to relax, and hang out with some of the greatest people you could ever meet.

In the picture with Squirrel, you have 5 Moparts members. Billy, Squirrel, KSJ, HEMI Joel, and myself. I'm laughing at one of Billy's tales about Dale and a garbage can I think...?

Carry on Billy!

Was a good time talking with you and your family, thanks for all the support and help
Hopefully next dragweek I will have more time to BS.

Also get the pic when I'm not blocking the pretty girl

There were plenty of pretty girls at Drag Week 2017...and a large number of them were far more concerned with getting their cars through registration than they were about what they looked like. Rookies Michelle and Kim ended up with their Plymouths in tandem through the process. Michelle quickly pulled the brand new seat belts out of the passenger's side of her Duster for another participant who was in danger of failing tech because of expired belts. The Spirit of Drag Week is contagious!

Cheryl Kaiser was looking forward to her second attempt at Drag Week, competing in the Hot Rod class with the 29 Ford pick up.

I was not planning on going to DW at all til I saw that Cordova was the starting point.My first year was 07 and started there.My son went all week in 2011 in my Roadrunner.Decided Id go to the start.My son (in the Slayer shirt) said hed go.Glad he came along.I worked Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday.Got home from work Thursday and looked at the results.Wife asked how everyone was doing.I updated her.She said Joe Barry is leading his class? Yep.She told me to call work and ask if they really needed me Friday.They didnt so I came back for the end of DW.LOL.Made to many great friends to not at least show up for a day or two.

The shadows were drifting long in the afternoon before we cleared tech and jumped in line for our credentials. We had told the right lies, crossed the "T"s, dotted the "I"s and pressed twenties into the proper palms to get our whole group through with the exception of one.

Rick and Sharma finally had the chance to present their 71 Dart along with the other people on the wait list. If it came to taking the cars earliest on the list they would be in trouble as they had only decided to come a week earlier. From our vantage point, it appeared discouraging. We couldn't believe how many cars pulled into the empty lanes when the final call went out.

The actual number turned out to be a whopping 38 cars who entered after the main group of preregistered entries. It's not a stat Boone and I have ever kept, but my recollection would be thirteen tops in the past!

We would find out the next morning in the driver's meeting that the grand total was 387 through tech, so HOT ROD kept the record of not turning anyone away from a full field for another year, but it would also mean we'd start Monday with 31 more cars than DW 16, and 80 more than in 14 and 15.

That was awesome of Michelle helping with the seat belt situation. I thought the guy was in trouble, just about everyone (including us) has a expired passenger belt.

I was a little concerned about taking the Valiant to drag week after it had just rolled out of Canada’s finest Mopar restoration shop after an extensive 5 figure make over. Luckily it made out through without a scratch....

With arrival and registration out of the way, the Sunday afternoon hours see everyone's focus splinter into different factions. One group can't wait to roll into the lanes as quickly as possible for the Test and Tune session. We've taken advantage of it in the past, when the starting track was Tulsa, but usually the long Saturday night drive precludes us from the desire to take part. An inordinate amount of breakage is also associated with that session, so for me, it carries the same kind of foreboding as, "the groom isn't supposed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding"! I mean, why test fate?

Others are focused squarely on the car, still having major work that needs to be finished before their entry is ready to make a representative pass, let alone roll down the highway towards Tuesday's destination. This seemed to be the mindset of the majority of our group.

Rachael and I were more mindful of the process which continues to catch people off guard. The Driver's meeting is Mandatory at 8AM Monday, and thirty minutes after that, all support rigs must be in impound, away from the cars and equipment that will be making the trip. We were basically pitted in the designated impound area, so like in 2013 at Bowling Green, we would be moving our cars and stuff to another location, instead of driving the trucks and trailers away to another part of the pits. Experience has taught us that the former requires more time to execute than the latter.

For what seemed like the tenth time on this adventure, we pulled all the stuff out of the 1 ton and started sorting through it on the trailer. We were shuttling some of the stuff directly to the interior of the Valiant, but once the sun was truly gone, I began to get frustrated with trying to pick through everything by flashlight.

I looked at my brothers, all moving around like zombies with flashlights, and decided that we would all be better served to get some sleep, and try to be back out to the track for first light. Convincing them wasn't hard, getting organized to make the trip was a little more difficult. Finally we decided to load everyone in my truck instead of Dale's because it would take too long to clean his out and secure everything once at the Motel. Darren and Dale stayed behind to keep wrenching, but Boone, Dad and I squeezed into the front of the '93, while Rachael, little Billy, and Dylan rode on the bed under the shell.

The Super 8 I had booked for Sunday night was in Clinton IA., according to Travelocity it was twelve miles to the north of the track, just across the Mississippi river. Travelocity didn't mention the pungent order from the wet corn processing plant next door however, or the large working rail yard that serviced the plant. The McDonald's was within walking distance and we were darn tired, so a meal, a hot shower, and a pillow more than took care of my needs.

Pics:A bodies and the color of money.
Rick and Sharma's 71 Dart, and it's near twin, the 71 Swinger of Cody Walker.
Paul Cornman's 71 Demon was back after a one year hiatus.
Cory Pant was back for a second go in his small block 74 Duster.

That is a whole lot of GREEN!

Monday 9/11 Day 1 Cordova Dragway
The nervous energy, animated conversation, laughter, and anticipation is the same whether you are standing in the next to last starting corral of a huge city Marathon or sitting in the bleachers of the Driver's meeting for Hot Rod Drag Week. In both cases, you find yourself aware of the fact that some of the people near you in this sea of boundless enthusiasm, are about to set personal bests, or meet a goal that they've aspired to for a long time, while others will either not finish at all, or will be faced with disappointing results.

The other parallel is the certainty that at some point the MC is going to ask the question, "how many first-timers do we have with us today?" The hands shoot up and the crowd cheers, and in both cases, I'm always surprised that it seems near half of the people in the crowd. The hard numbers are actually very close to that, Drag Week on average has 46% new participants every year.

"Where's Rachael?" Boone asked from my left elbow.
"She's still moving stuff to our pit area, and sorting through everything. She said she didn't need to listen in since she's heard it before and she's just a trunk monkey this year."
"Sounded like she was scolding you this morning while you were adding tools to my trailer", he commented.
"Every time I pulled something out of the truck and told her to add it to the go pile, she would put her hand on her hips and explain to me that we only had one car this year, and it is small!"
"She's probably right, you know...you're used to loading up the Belvedere with all your spare parts, packing up this evening might get interesting!
"Fair point, but the Ruster Duster has Super Stock springs, so I'll just load you up!"

Great job of capturing the vibe Billy.

Graphics anyone? Larry Dixon couldn't hide in a plain white Chevy II at Drag Week 2016, so he decided to emulate the scheme of Da Grump for 2017. Leslie Robertson's 40 Willy's completely fooled me though, it wasn't until I came home and looked at pictures that I realized it was the same car from 2016! The Willy's also improved a half second and nine mph in 2017.

The loudest cheers in the driver's meeting came when it was announced that a Google maps link would be provided with our route sheets. For teams like Scott and Kim Abbott, or Squirrel and Dan DePew, who carry around Rand McNally Road Atlas' with slide rules, or guys like Boone and I who aren't as smart as our phones, that didn't seem like such a big deal, but everyone else seemed pleased.

After the microphone was handed around by ten different people, it finally settled into the hands of Brian Lohnes, master orator, who felt the meeting needed to end with a moment of silence, both in remembrance of 9/11, and to honor our friends Michael Wenzler and Monte Smith, who we had lost in the year since our last Drag Week adventure.

"I didn't even remember it was 9/11 today", Boone shook his head as we walked in the grass back towards our pits. "Did you tell Rachael happy birthday this morning?"
"Well, she slammed the passenger door on the Valiant, and then when she went to open it later, she pushed down instead of pulling up, so she locked it. I couldn't open it from the outside, so I yelled at her for abusing a fifty year old car and breaking the door mechanism. Then when I figured out that it was just locked, I apologized and told her happy birthday..."
"I bet THAT went over well, Boone laughed.
"She told me I was a big fat jerk, and the birthday salutations were null and void because I had already yelled at her!"
"Way to go old man", Dale added, a step behind us, "If Rachael ain't happy, none of us are going to be happy!"

I had chosen a pit spot for our cars just on the other side of the paved return road, so we wouldn't have to haul our stuff very far, but the brothers all vetoed that plan, because they wanted to pit next to the track, so they could see the scoreboards and watch everyone run while they were wrenching on their junk. Great idea, but about two football fields away from our rigs. The Valiant, both Dusters, and the Charger were already re-located, and everyone seemed to be using Derek's Chevy as a mule to haul stuff back and forth. That left Dale's Gremlin, and Rick's Dart.

We were down to twenty minutes left before impound would be closed when I walked over to see what Rick and Sharma were doing. They still seemed to be working out of their enclosed trailer like they would at any race.
"Guys, you need to get the car over to the other spot!"
"Yeah, we know", Rick looked around, "I guess we'll just get the rest of our stuff organized before we leave this afternoon."
"No, no no", I emphasized, "The truck and trailer are off limits until the event is over on Friday, or you are DQed!"
I could see panic in both of their eyes as the realization sat in. "So we have twenty minutes to get every thing we need?"
"Yeah, to the other side of that return road, after that this side is off limits to anyone still in the event!"