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Intro New old guy

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Dolmetsch:
One of the things that is hard in life is the transition from work to play. It also applies to Drag Racing. For years I fielded several successful door slammers at local tracks and tracks west. Often we led the points most of the year. Always for at least ten years had a motor from my shop in the top 5  points race at the local track and a few big wins along the way. All of the sudden or so it seems you know in your heart it is time to back off. It could be health wealth eyesight or simply you run out of patience with the politics of racing. Still you aint dead. Would like to go out when you feel like it for some fun with the ol lads. This was my solution and it turned out to be a good one. It is not uncommon to have Bob Beazer (Mr NHRA Rain Dance) in my pits helping, visitng or sometimes he even helps my competition.  Old friends from years and years ago show up to chat and reminise. In between burgers and "baloney ; >) we race(three maybe four runs. ) There is always some idiot who trys to ruin the experience calling to attention some mythical thing we did wrong on the build or wheelbase or in my case the large rollbar. I tell you it is getting harder and harder for those comments to bother me.  I have nothing more to prove I guess. I no longer "spend money I dont have to buy things I dont need to impress people I dont like "  The funny thing is this car is more fun then the other projects ever were.
Now let me tell you about neg comments from others.
One day at the Shannonville Nostalgia Race on Canadian Thanksgiving I had the Sr Dragster pitted behing my Dodge truck mid pits. A old friend , Gary, who used to go racing with us in the early 90s happened to see my car and truck. Since we had not talked in about 8 or 10 years he asked where I was. Fortunately the guy next door knew I had gone for a burger and would be right back so Gary waited. Within minutes he said an "expert" (aka person WITHOUT a racecar) stopped by and asked him of it was his car. Gary said, "No it is Don's , why?" The guy said," Well he built the roll bar all wrong. It is too large. Gary smiling inside said" Don will be right back. Why dont you wait and explain it to him. I am sure he will want to know that. " The guy took the bait and stood around waiting. Within minutes I appeared around the corner plodding along munching on my burger. I am old but still a big feller at 306 lbs. "Ah there he comes now" Gary said. He said the guy took one look and said "I gotta go"!
Gary was still laughing when I got there.  As I age I get smarter. Now if I hear something like that I say, " Lets go and have a look at how you built yours." So far, in several years, no critic has had a car there.  Why? Because people who actually buildand maintain stuff know the effort and diffficulty involved and for the most part can appreciate that while it may not be the way they would do it, it is still here and running and that is no small thing. Critics are like Armchair quaterbacks. Having never thrown a pass or made a tackle they KNOW how it should be done. (yeah right!)  Ignore them Glenn. Eventually they will go away. Sometimes BTW announcers can be the worst offenders.
Don

ricci32:
Don any progress on your new car.

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