So Mike pulls up on the golf cart, his Daughter Becky is smiling, but doesn't say anything. Joel, climes off the back, as Mike is handing me the time slip. Joel says "Well I don't think that run should count, as you do not have a certified cage, and your car needs to be pulled back to the pit." I'm like [censored]... Look at the slip, and it says 9.88... I'm thinking, Hold on a minute, we never made these rules? Joel, starts laughing, sticks out his hand, and says CONGRATULATIONS!!! So on the very second pass the car has made it, and runs 9's.

We get the car pulled back to the trailer, and I pull off the driver side valve cover. There it is.. The intake rocker on #5 had backed off, and the pushrod was just laying there next to it. Pulled out the pushrod, cleaned it up, then rolled it on the countertop in the trailer, and it looked like it wasn't bent. Reinstalled the pushrod, adjusted the lash, put on the valve cover, and fired the car up. Sounded great, so I waited around to be called back up, and got to think about my future dinner choice...