Drag Week from a Wife's Angle

Official Hot Rod Drag Week 2016 Announcement of Dates and Tracks

It is Day Three of Drag Week 2016. I tuned in today to watch the Live Stream on the Hot Rod.com site. I already knew that my hubby, Jack Miller (or as he is known to the world of FE enthusiast, 68 Mustang with the FE engine and blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah, dinosaur, tank red & black beauty!) was out on his first run on the First Day at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. The good news:   our son, Scott, was still in the race. His 68 Red Cougar is the car that all three of our children drove to high school. But not as it is now; now it is another one of those cars with a FE engine and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah-blah!  Our youngest son, Shawn Miller, has not gotten the bug to participate behind the wheel, but he has been involved in some of the wrench twisting as well as being the navigator at several of the drag week and pump gas events. Our daughter Shelly grew up with car talk around the dinner table, yet she has no desire to drag race even though she has gotten more speeding tickets than her brothers!

Emotional Ending to Day Three
Tribute and Memorial to Jake Brenner

 As the car broke the laser light at the end of the track,
and the parachute opened, 
Jake's ashes were released.

Jake crossed The Finish Line.
Well done! 

My goal in writing this blog is first and foremost to say that I am extremely proud of Jack and our sons, Scott & Shawn. Their love of cars has been times of relationship building between father and sons. I am also thankful for Hot Rod Magazine for starting and continuing these events that pay homage to the men AND women who love the rumble, ear-holding noise, jet-fuel smell, and heart throbbing thrill of watching a 5.98 or 15.98 run down the drag strip at 189 mph or 89 mph run...the culmination of weeks and months of love affairs with their machines. 

My second goal for writing this blog is my desire to document not only my guy's continual tweaking and tuning on their cars with the goal of Drag Week, but my point of view in this process.

As wife, and mother, to these gear-heads, I have run the gamut of thoughts and feelings toward the car hobby that my guys have participated in since 1971, the year Jack acquired his first gas guzzling mistress! Scott was a one year old toddler. I hope I represent well, other wives, significant others, and car-widows who are along for the ride--whether they like it or not!!!!!!

My first time at drag week:
Hubby Jack and that's me, Juanita!

Listening to the live feed today. I found myself smiling as I remembered the couple of years that I tagged along and experienced Drag Week. My first time was at Cordova, IL in 2006. It wasn't anything I was expecting. The camaraderie by the end of the first day was tangible. There was an immediate connection when meeting other wives and girlfriends. I vividly remember meeting Keith and Tonya Turk. They could not have been nicer and an extremely interesting couple. Their own experiences and stories with their personal cars and speed at the Bonneville Salt Flats were fascinating.

David Freiberger wore many hats
in the early years of Drag Week.

I laughed and rolled my eyes today as I listened to Brian Lohnes and David Freiberger do commentary on the races. I am again in awe of the immense knowledge and trivia that these two have. They are just as entertaining as the races. My first memories of Dave Freiberger are of him standing by the lanes with his mac-daddy of a camera snapping away at the cars as they bulleted down the track. As much flack as Dave has taken thru the years during these events, I think he is the reason why Drag Week is where it is today. Kudos to you David Freiberger. 

It was thrilling the first day of drag week in 2007. This was no regular drag race experience. This was watching ingenuity, sweat, even blood at times, energy, frustrations, and expectations all culminate during one week in September. Jack's first pull up to the tree and stage was heart pounding. I don't know what he was feeling but I was one heart beat closer to needing blood pressure medicine!!!! I felt such pride in seeing that 'horse' prance into lane and hold back till that green light flashed on. And that baby leaped and galloped to the finish line before any realized someone left the barn door open! Being only one of just a few Mustangs in the event, alongside Jay Brown who has won this event, this day, Jack's red and black pony grabbed the attention of those who underestimated the old gal with the FE engine!

Cordova will always be my favorite track. Not only was that my first, it was where my appreciation and respect for all those who miss their supper, have lights burning very late into the night or wee hours of the morning, forgetting to eat, and suffering the irritations at times from a wife who wants a bit of that attention herself!!! But on this day, this wife, understood the need for speed in a whole different light. So to my hubby Jack Miller, I say well done and I want to go to Drag Week again.

The Mississippi River from our hotel room in LeClaire, Iowa, not far from Cordova, IL