Waterford dates confirmed

* The Waterford 2008 Season will consist of 7 dates, once per month. It will be easy to remember... All events will be the 3rd Sunday of each month from April to October.
* We are still working on Long Island venues and dates. We will know more after the 12th on next month.
* Keep checking our website at www.100footdrags.com for further news and info.

Waterford 2008 Dates

* Our website is up and running ( http://www.100footdrags.com/ ) ! We are still keeping the blog because we think there will be some use for it... we'll see. Meanwhile, we're new at putting together websites (it's our first one) so needless to say we are going through a learning curve. We posted a picture on it last night, and we're trying to learn how to put a pictures page in. Meanwhile, our plans are to change the one picture we have on right now frequently.
* WATERFORD DATES: We are still waiting for the Speedbowl to give us official dates, but it appears that every 3rd Sunday of the month from April to October will be available. When this is confirmed by Speedbowl management, we will pass it on to you. They are in the process of finishing their schedule.
* LONG ISLAND: We still are looking to get things going on Long Island... we haven't forgotten you!!! We have a concrete and credible lead. Check the website for more details.

2008 Season

* Just a quick note here... more to come later. We are waiting for the Speedbowl to give us available dates in 2008. We are looking at 7 events, once a month starting in April (that's only 5 months). We should know more by next week. We are also looking at additional dates at other locations.
* The thoughts right now are for each race to have a theme. One event would be a Mustang event, another could be a diesel shootout, another a street rod runoff, etc. We would include a car show (or truck show) for each "theme" . ALL CARS are eligible for the 100 foot drags... there would just be an additional race for whatever theme cars we have. Any clubs interested in getting tied in? Let us know.
* While this blog was helpful, we really need a website. I'm doing my best to put one together, again by next week. The address will be posted when that happens, but it looks to be www.100footdrags.com (basically the same as the blog, but without the "blogspot").

Thank you Everybody!

* To all of you that attended our shows, THANK YOU! This was a great start for the 100 foot drag racing concept. There is so much we accomplished, and you were all a part of it.
* We're coming back next season! We are discussing what our plans will be for next season, but our best guess is that we will be doing this once a month on Sundays at the Speedbowl starting in April (that's only 5 months away!) for about 7 events. This is only in the talking stages, dates are not cast in stone yet! We are always looking for other venues, so there could be more in CT besides the ones at the 'Bowl. We are also looking at some venues on Long Island, so we could be in for a busy summer.
* Stay in touch with us! Keep an eye on our blog for upcoming information and events. We are talking of getting together with all of you this January with some kind of a movie party. We're going to see if Dennis Tate can put together some old time drag movies, plus any footage from our two events. This would also be a good time to do some "bench racing", plus you could get a chance to ask us any questions about the upcoming season.
* Thanks again to everybody! Stay in touch! Happy Thanksgiving!

We're Racing Sunday!

* Mother Nature and the Weather Channel kicked us in the teeth! We apologize to those that showed today, but we had no choice but to cancel today's event. The forecast all week long calling for rain on Friday and Saturday took it's toll. With the rains actually coming last night, and in many places this morning as predicted, most people had assumed today's event was never going to happen and didn't want to make a trip only to be turned away. * So the good news! WE ARE RUNNING SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS SCHEDULED! CALL YOUR FRIENDS! * We will open the gates at 10am, test & tune at 12 noon, eliminations at 3pm. Judging by the phone calls and the feedback today, we expect a good turnout. The weather will be great, most people that worked today have off tomorrow. If you have any questions, call at 631-991-1614. Yes, it's a Long Island number, but the phone is with us! Jay

We're racing!

* Just a quick note. It's 7am as this is being written... the races are on, and the forecast seems to be ok. If there is any question, call the track at 860-442-1585, or our biz phone at 631-991-1614. We're hitting the road now to get the the track, so this may be the last posting for the weekend, as we will be away from the computer.
* TOMORROW LOOKS GREAT!
* Hope to see you all this weekend. Jay

Racing this weekend!

* Our second and final race event for the season is here! We're excited with all the response we're getting, and more importantly, the future of this venue of Drag Racing for next season. It has a very bright future!
* The weather forecast has been driving us nuts, but for right now we are told that the chances of rain have dropped to 10% each day, which virtually means we'll be racing both days. If there is any question, call the 'Bowl at 860-442-1585, or our biz phone at 631-991-1614.
* We fixed our glitches. Things should go smoother for racing. As mentioned in a previous posting, we fixed the timing problems. We found things reversed which screwed up timing slips, and for that we apologize. Most people knew it was teething problems for our event and had a great time anyway. Reaction times and lanes receiving wins and losses are now fixed.
* Racing format - We're going to run test and tune on both days from noon 'til 2:30. Eliminations start at 3pm. Everybody gets to run two events (except Mustangs on Sunday..they get a third). The first event is like the first... everybody runs heads-up in one of four indexes. They are still the same - 2.00, 2.50, 3.00, & 3.50. It seemed to make racing close, and it kept racing fair. When that event is done, all the cars will come back out and race in a bracket style event. All cars of different indexes will run against each other and be handicapped according to the index they ran before. Example: if a 2.50 car is lined up against a 3.50 car, the slower car will get a one second head start. The winners will stay on the track, the losers will go off until there are two cars left. Winner gets the trophy. The Mustang Shootout will run the same format. Some of them will be faster than others, so the slower ones will get a head start.
* Next year. While it's too soon to determine what's in store for next year, but the bottom line is that we plan on doing this on a regular basis at the 'Bowl next year. We also want to tie ourselves in with car clubs and their events. We feel this arrangement could be a great benefit for both parties. But first, let's get this weekend in!
* Directions: For those coming for the first time, directions to the track are pretty simple. You will most likely be coming from interstates 95 or 395. The track is located on route 85 in Waterford, CT. The simplest way to give directions is this: there is a route 85 exit on both interstates. Take that exit and go the opposite direction from New London. The track is right down the road.
* Looking forward to seeing all of you Saturday and Sunday!

Call your Friends!

* The next show is right around the corner! We had a great start for our first show, and we would like to end this season with a bang. We could use everybody's help. We're not a mega-million dollar corporation, but rather a grass-roots operation. We could use help from every one of you to help promote this event by phoning everybody you know to get cars and spectators. If our upcoming event is as successful as the last, we will definately be doing this on a regular basis next season (and spring is only 5 months away!). Please take the time to call anyone and everyone you know to help promote this event! Thank you.
* We have fixed the computer glitches, and we are most likely going to have "win" lights, solving alot of problems. We're also working on a better printer for the time slips.
* For those of you in Car Clubs, we are definately interested in doing a combo "Car Show/100 Foot Drag Event with you. We would be a tremendous draw for each other, and the combination would be a home run.
* Don't forget we will be on TV Friday in eastern NY, and southwestern CT on Monday! The show is "Cars & Us", and they will be filming our Nov 10th & 11th event which will be aired a week or two later. They are currently filing paperwork so that the show can be aired in the eastern part of CT. Regardless, DVD's will be available of both shows.
* Any questions? Call us at 631-991-1614, or write us at sparkymotorsports@yahoo.com .

We're going to be on TV!

* Randy Murray and I are invited to tape a 1/2 hour show called "Cars & Us". It is located and shown in Westchester County (also shown in southwestern CT) . It will be airing on Monday and Friday. This show is going to be devoted entirely to our 100 foot drag racing venture. Looking to get your 15 minutes of fame? The "Cars & Us" crew is looking to come out on the 10th & 11th event and taping it for a future show. If you are racing that weekend, you could end up on TV! We'll keep you posted.
* Remember those computer glitches we had had our first meet? They are resolved and we expect the timing system to operate completely as it should, speeding up the program more.
* Spread the word, and get all your friends to come out and race for the 10th & 11th. Everybody this time gets 4 chances to win a trophy over the 2 day period. And if you are a Mustang owner, you get to runa 3rd event on Sunday, exclusively for street legal Mustangs (see previous blogs below for info). Any questions or comments.. write us or call us. Thanks, Jay 631-991-1614

VIDEOS AVAILABLE

* We've been getting many request for videos and pictures of our last event. Lee Smith was video taping to his hearts content both days, and has about two hours put together on DVD. I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds like he did a good job editing and putting it together. He's making it available for $20.00. You can e-mail him at: redneck24@sbcglobal.net . Apparently there's already some stuff on Streetfire and MySpace, but we haven't seen it yet, Also, Lee's DVD will have far more content, and quality.

IT WAS A SUCCESS!

* What a weekend! Everybody had a good time, and it was a great success. Thank you to everybody that helped, because we couldn't have done it without you. We also would like to thank everyone who called and wrote. Most of the responses were that it was just great to be able to race in CT again. Many took alot of time to write with their suggestions, and they are all welcome. Some things we are already working on, but there some ideas we hadn't thought of.
* This concept has running around my head for 15 years (apparently there was alot of empty room up there), so it was very gratifying to us that we were finally able to prove that the 100 foot format was viable. This was something almost impossible to explain... you had to see it. Now, to settle any rumors, we don't have nor did we ever have intents on building an 1/8 or 1/4 mile venue. We are staying with the 100 foot format. It allows us to fit this in almost any venue, such as other stock car tracks, parking lots, fairgrounds, etc. This allows us to expand easier. If we can find a place with proper ventilation, we can even put this indoors during the winter! (Yes, we are looking!).
* Regarding the Speedbowl... what can I say. They did everything they could to help us get this event off the ground and make money. Thank you to both owners, particularly Bill Roth... we are grateful for all their help. We had (and continue to have) a great working relationship. We are looking to do this on a regular basis next year, but more importantly, we are doing this again!

Saturday & Sunday

November 10th & 11th

Both days start at 12 noon with test & tune.

Both days will feature eliminations with MORE events to race, MORE trophies to win!

* Our plans may change, but the plan right now is for everybody to be able to run not one, but TWO events for trophies EACH DAY! The first event would be what we ran before... Indexes running heads-up, with the fast cars running against the fast cars, the slower cars running against slower cars. While not perfect, the racing all of a sudden got real close in most races, so we feel it worked well. The second event will be all the cars, fast and slow, running against each other in a simplified bracket handicap system. For instance, if a 2.50 car and a 3.50 car come to the line together, the tree would give the slower car a one second head-start. This we feel could make for some real interesting racing! We plan to run these two events each day, so there are FOUR chances to win trophies for everybody, not just one.

THIRD EVENT! THIRD EVENT! THIRD EVENT!

* On Sunday, we may run a third event for MUSTANGS! We're working on the format right now, but basically it's the same street legal format we have for the rest of the cars. We are in the process of contacting Mustang clubs and Ford dealers, but we think this will be a winner. Keep your eyes posted on this blog for more updates.

* Now for the little sour notes. While the show was great, and everybody had a great time, it was not without it's problems. First, this was our first real test for the timing system, and we had some computer glitches which were driving us nuts. We are in the process of resolving them, but right now our troubleshooting is pointing in the direction of the manufacturer screwing up the wiring in the tree and the wiring harness. The bottom line is it appears to be shoddy workmanship. We will do our best to resolve them, but I can tell you right now, a new system from a different manufacturer is in the cards for next year.

* Closing the grandstands. We got caught with an ugly surprise the morning of our first day... if we opened the grandstands, the police were going to add a ridiculous number of officers to the payroll, and we had no say in the matter. We learned this Friday morning, and couldn't come up with a practical alternate solution. All we knew is that we were going to have to pay a four digit sum for no good reason. We apologize to all those expecting to pay $10, and got caught up paying double. We are working to solve this problem, but right now we may be forced to do the same thing until next year. Keep looking on this post. We'll do what we can.

* Back to good news. We have been invited to tape a 1/2 hour show next week in Westchester County, NY called "Cars & Us". It is a cable show aired in Westchester County, and Southwestern CT. Good news travels far and fast! They are very enthused about our concept, and heard great things. from the racers.

* To end this, again thank you to everybody for your help! Special thanks goes to too many people to list for now, but our core group deserves so much credit for getting this event off the ground:

Randy Murray, Jeff Shaw, Bob Shaw, & Ronnie Shea. they have been with me from Day 1. Special thanks goes to our CT contigent: Lee & Rene Smith, Les & Vicki Smith, Bud Ehrmann.

Thank you... this couldn't have done this without you!

* More to be posted later... Calls and e-mails always welcome!

p.s. We are looking for some extra help on race days... we were a little thin. Help is needed in lining up cars, timing slips (yes, that's being worked on too for improvements), and we need an announcer. Please let us know.

The Race is STILL ON!

* We're keeping our fingers crossed regarding the weather. Yesterday, the forecast for this upcoming weekend was all rain... but now Saturday looks good, and Friday night is now looking clear. We'll keep an eye on it, but it looks as though we'll squeak this one in. The forecast has been changing almost by the hour, and in our favor.
* In the event the weather is questionable, call us at 631-991-1614, or call the Waterford Speedbowl on race day at 860-442-1585.
* For those looking here for rules, times, etc., the info is on the October 7th posting just below this.

It's less than a week away!

* Racing is right around the corner, and the buzz is really building! Thanks to EVERYBODY in helping spread the word about the Holeshot Drags this coming weekend. It'll be because of you that this event will be successful. Please do your best to continue spreading the word. The more people and racers that come, the better chance we will have a second event at the end of Oct., and a weekly event next season (that'll be only 7 months away!).
* Start times: There are some that have questions regarding times and prices, so here goes: Friday: 4pm is sign-in, 5:30 is test & tune until no later than 10pm. Saturday: 9am sign-in starts, 12 noon is test & tune, 3pm is the start of eliminations for all classes. Admission: Pits are $20 per person per day, pits open to all both days. Grandstands are $10 per person, under 14 is free. Note: Grandstands are open only on Saturday, closed on Friday night, due to security issues. Entry fees: There are no entry fees for all cars running for trophies. The "Pro-Street" Shootout event is a $25 entry fee, payable on Saturday. Cars will be running a 0.400 "Pro-tree", heads-up.
* Rules are simple. Cars must be completely street legal, have a legitimate plate, DOT tires (ET Streets and the like are fine), mufflers in place, belts and harness to be used, helmets mandatory. The bottom line is that the cars competing should be able to be able to be legally driven on and off the property. Simple, right? All cars are welcome... FWD, RWD, AWD, trucks, motorcycles, imports, street rods, all-out modified cars, mildly modified cars, completely stock cars.
* Classes: All cars are competitive... we will be putting fast cars with fast cars, slow cars with slow cars. The trophy classes will actually be indexes. We may have to make some adjustments, but the indexes will probably be 2.00, 2.25, 2.50, 2.75, 3.00, 3.50. Experience has shown us that a wildly modified car will run low 2's, so they will run in the 2.00, 2.25, or 2.50 indexes. A stock FWD 4 cyl. car will run in the 3's, so therefore would run in the 3.00 or 3.50 index. Basically, this is how it works: Everybody will have a chance to do test & tune to see what time their car will do. You will then choose which index to run in. Fast cars cannot compete in the slower indexes because they . would be in danger of "breaking out" . In other words, if a car that runs in the 3.00 index, but runs 2.99 or faster, they "break out" and therefore automatically lose the race. You cannot run faster than your index, or else you run into the danger of losing the race. The "Pro-Street" Shootout is open to all that wish to pay the $25 entry fee, but we suggest only the faster cars enter. All Pro-Street cars are allowed to run for trophies also.
* Any other questions and concerns? Please write us or call at 631-991-1614. We look forward to seeing all of you this weekend! Jay

Want Drag Racing weekly? Read this!

*** It was great to be at the show in Orange... 1350 cars!!! Again we ran out of fliers, even though we printed more than last week. Thanks to Lee and his wife Rene in giving a big hand in passing them out. We're getting calls and e-mails from the Orange show, and we can see the interest growing.
*** Now the good news. If we have a good turnout on the 12th & 13th, we have a good chance of getting one more event in before the month is out!!! We would be looking at the 26th, 27th, or 28th. If you want racing to come back to CT., spread the word! Make phone calls, write e-mails, and tell them to do the same... keep passing this info on. A second event could possibly then lead to our own strip in the infield of the Speedbowl to run weekly starting next spring!
*** Give us a call at 631-991-1614, or e-mail us at sparkymotorsports@yahoo.com if you have anything to add.

PRO STREET SHOOTOUT UP TO $1500 TO WIN!

* As mentioned in our last posting, we will be at the car show in Orange CT, at the Orange Fairgrounds this Sunday, Sept. 30th. It's a big show, and there will be a film crew on hand for TV. Feel free to stop by our booth with any questions or comments. We really enjoy meeting everybody face-to-face. This show is presented by one of our sponsors, "G-Force Motorsports" out of Bridgeport, CT. It's sponsors like them, as well as KOOKS, Randy's Performance, and Swifts Motorsports that help make all of this possible.
* NEWS FLASH... we are in the process of clinching additional sponsors for the Pro-Street Shootout. We're confident to say that the Shootout will now be $1500 TO WIN!
Spread the word! More in a few days.

Show was Success

* It was great to meet all of you at the Car Show at Dodd Stadium this past Sunday. We will also be at the Car Show that G-Force is helping put on on the 30th. We'll have more info on directions, but we believe it will be at the Orange Fairgrounds in Orange, CT.
* Meanwhile, alot of interest was generated at this show. We ran out of fliers... twice! One thing we have to do a better job at is to make people realize that this is to be a fun event in which ANYBODY can participate. Yes, we want the fast cars, the modified cars, but we also want the guys with the stock daily drivers also. Anybody, and we mean anybody with any street car can enter and have a good time and be competitive. Some people were under the impression that if they didn't have a muscle car, they couldn't compete. Not true... we have classes where everybody has a place to race fairly and have a chance to win a trophy.
* Anyway, we still were pleased to the response we got from our upcoming event. Spread the word! the more successful this event is, the better our chances are that we can come back on a regular basis. More later... e-mail us with questions and comments. Jay

Pro-Street purse goes up!

* We are going to have a booth at the car show in Norwich Sunday, Sept. 16th at Dodd Stadium. We would be happy to meet all of you interested in the upcoming October event at Waterford. We'll have fliers, and all the info as to how we are going to run the event, and what you need to do to run. The whole format and rules are very, very simple.
* The "Pro-Street" class is the only class running for money. The $25 entry fee for that class goes to the purse, which will increase if there is more than 32 cars. The minimum to win guarantee is $500. THAT HAS CHANGED! We have had sponsors come on board to kick in some extra bucks...
***KOOKS Custom Headers added $500.
***G-Force out of Bridgeport kicked in $100.
***Randy's Performance Center out of W. Babylon, NY kicked in another $100.
* The minimum guaranteed "to win" for the Pros is now $1200! We are actively seeking extra sponsors, and fully expect that the 1st place money will continue to rise.
* More news in a few days... See you at the show!

Added Events!

* Just a quick note... We are looking at adding motorcycles and Jr. Dragsters to the program. Motorcycles are, like the cars, to be completely street legal and registered. It is to be a fun event, with trophies as prizes. The Jr. Dragsters are also to be a fun event, and again, trophies as prizes. We need to sort things out as to the format for them, so look for further announcements on this blog.

* Comments and suggestions are always welcome at: www.sparkymotorsports@yahoo.com

Phone calls are always welcome at the office: 631-991-1614. Jay

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

... Many of you that have not seen or heard of 100 foot drags are probably scratching your head and wondering how a race can be held in that short of a distance. Well, it works, and it works very well. However, as the old adage goes, seeing is believing.

... A month before our aborted Coliseum attempt (see our first July posting), we ran a one hour demo race at the Sterling Automotive Car Show in Hauppauge, Long Island. We set up the clocks behind the building of the show... nobody even knew we were there until we started to run a few cars. A half hour went by, and we looked... a line of cars had formed. People were all over the place. Nobody was at the show... everybody, and we mean everybody was with us watching cars doing time shots.

... The results? Once the drivers ran it, once the spectators saw it, they got it! Not one negative comment! Not one! Everybody loved it, and once they saw it, everything we said made sense. The end result for us is that we got more results than 10,000 fliers could ever do. The buzz it created all over the Island was nothing short of amazing. All comments were absolutely positive, and people were glad to see the possibility of drag racing coming back, and our 100 foot format was going to make that possible.

... So, where do we need your help? With our event coming up at the Speedbowl, it is imperative that we get a demo race in somewhere, at a car show, a cruise, a parking lot of a speed shop or automotive store, or anywhere. A one or two hour event in the near future is all we need. This will help us succeed in October. A successful event at that time could very well be a catalyst for more frequent (weekly?) events next year. Wouldn't it be great to bring back Drag Racing in Connecticut?

... If you know of anybody that has a lot or paved area that would allow us to use it for that brief time for a demo event, please contact us immediately. A car show or cruise would be best, but not by any means necessary. An airport, an industrial area, whatever.

... IMPORTANT!!! If we can do this at a Car show in the next few weeks, and there's enough time (a week or two at least) to promote it, this demo event could draw a few hundred extra people. We will supply the timing equip. and help at no charge. When we did this a Sterling, we were THE HIT OF THE SHOW (quote from "LI Rides" magazine). We could be the big hit of the next CT show, so please invite us!

...Thanks, Jay Office 631-991-1614.

Waterford Event date pushed to October

* When we did our last posting, we set the date for the Waterford event Sept. 16th. We found out later that there were conflicts with other events. Working with Bill at the Speedbowl, the best dates we could come up with are in October. The plan is Saturday the 13th with a rain date of the 20th. We are also looking at a test and tune session the night before on Friday the 12th.

* Word of mouth works great for an event like this. We would appreciate it if all of you spread the word about this event, as well as this blog. When we were promoting the July 13th event at Nassau Coliseum, it was amazing how many people were faxing entry forms, sending e-mails, and burning up the phone lines. We are looking for you to help us by doing the same. Your help will enable us to put on future events. Drag racing coming back to Connecticut on a regular basis could definately become a reality, and this October event will be the start of it.

* The rules for all participants will be posted soon, and they will be the same simple format we started with in Long Island. All cars have to be street legal, legitimately registered, insured, muffled, DOT tires (yes, ET Streets, etc. are acceptable) and inspected. In other words, all cars have to be able to be legally driven to and from the track. Big motors, NOS, Turbos, blowers, and whatever are fine as long as your car meets the "street legal" criteria.

* More in a couple days... phone calls and e-mails are always welcome. Sponsorship opportunities are available! Jay

Waterford, CT event is confirmed!

This will be on a Sunday, September 16th. We will have more info in the next week, but right now we will be running the same basic format as before, but with a twist. Our format had one open heads-up "Pro Street" money class, and one trophy division for all cars, running either in indexes or bracket style handicapping. We are now looking into a second money class for street legal front wheel drive imports. The current Pro-Street class heavily favors American Iron, rear wheel drive cars. We'll have more in the next few days and post it.
For those who have rumors about August events at the Coliseum, for now they are not happening. It could happen in the future, but we're not counting on it. They have to eliminate the "need" for $21,000 of extra union help that has no use to a parking lot event (I'm still waiting for an explanation). We are still looking diligently for a venue to do this on Long Island, and that day will come, but for right now we are concentrating on the CT event.
More in a new posting in a couple days... Jay

Office phone: 631-991-1614

Just an update on the possible Waterford Speedbowl event (Connecticut)... We still have to finalize details, but everything is looking good. Possible date will be September 9th or 16th (I'm shooting for the 16th).
For those of you unfamiliar with out racing format, we are looking at 2 divisions... a trophy class and a money class. Trophy cars will run either bracket style handicapping, or we will have classes divided into different "heads-up" indexes. The money class will be a "heads-up" open class, using a 0.400 Pro tree. All cars, trophy and money, will be under our completely street legal format.
More later.... e-mail me if you have any questions. Jay

Welcome to the 100 foot Drag Racing News blog site. This format will be used for now to keep you informed as to our upcoming events for the HDRA (Holeshot Drag Racing Association), and progress in locating sites on Long Island.



First, let's talk about the Nassau Coliseum events. There is no question these two events we had scheduled would have been a great success. We had racers lined up from all over the Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, New Jersey, and more. Over 400 cars would have shown up. People spent an incredible amount of money on their cars getting ready for for the 13th, only to be let down.



What happened? The reasons were not made clear to us, but the bottom line is that the Coliseum decided at the 11th hour that we needed $21,000+ extra in union labor help to run an event in a parking lot! Forklift operators, laborers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC personal, etc. I could not collect my own money... I had to let the ticket office collect the money at the tune of $4100, and another $4200 in security to make sure people went to buy the tickets! All of this just to run an event in a parking lot.



Nobody on their staff gave me the courtousy to spend 2 minutes to explain these idiotic charges. In fact, they were ducking me, and didn't have the guts to give me the breakdown sheets. I had to wait an hour before they finally gave in and handed them over, then they took off to "take care of a last minute event". Bull.



Anyway, we're moving on. We are working very hard on finding locations on the Island, and we do have a couple leads. We tried to get in last minute at the Balloonfest in Brookhaven, but it was too late. While this doesn't help us this year, they have a great interest in having us in next year's event. We do have some leads, but at the moment we are not disclosing any locations until we know 100% that we have them.



In the meantime, we are also looking off the Island. We have been in talks with the management at the Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut. We will know in a couple days if an event is going to go off; if it does it will most likely be in 7 or 8 weeks (September). Look for future postings.



Before I sign off for this posting, I need to give special thanks to a bunch of people that have been helping us along the way. If I miss anyone, forgive me... there's a long list of people.



KOOKS Headers... special thanks to everyone there. Everybody went out on a limb to help. They got us our VP traction compound, no questions asked. They made a ton of phone calls to get cars, and no question, much of the field would have comprised of racers they knew. We are hoping to have a long relationship with them as we move on.



Sterling Auto Parts... these guys helped us by letting us have a demo race during their car show in June. One of the problems we've had is making people understand that 100 feet is a viable distance for racing. That one hour we had letting guys run for times said it all... they got it! The racers loved it, the spectators loved it, and people understood that 100 feet was fine. That one hour said more than 10,000 fliers could ever do.



Randy's Performance Center. Randy has done more for this organization than I can even tell, fielding phone calls, tech questions, and overall promotions. I can't even begin to tell you how valuable he's been in getting our organization going, and I'm grateful for his help, and even more important, his friendship.



Ronnie Shea... the main guy at Don's East Coast. Ron has a habit of staying out of the limelight, but his organizational skills are amazing. He also is a big factor in promoting us, and will be one of the key people as HDRA grows. Another friend I'm grateful to have.



Jeff Shaw... Jeff has been actively searching leads of sites for future events. He's also been the "go-to" guy when the all important "odds n ends" have to get done. His brother Bob has also been a great help, and like Randy and Ronnie, it's great to have them as friends.



We'll have another posting soon as we know more. Stay tuned!



Jay