HES2Motorsports

New Year...New Opportunities

2012-01-20T16:12:00.001-06:00

2012. A brand new year. And hopefully the Mayans just ran out of space on their calendar. ;)

I have been busy putting together a letter and schedule for Hunter to deliver to some local businesses to solicit for sponsorship in exchange for mobile advertising. There have been some changes to the scheduling around here and one of our big race series that we can race with our current engine has been dropped. If we can pick up a different engine package (and preferably another chassis to go with it), we can add some National series races to his schedule.

He can continue to race at the club level, but as good as the kid is, we'd like to see what he can do in a more challenging arena and get more experience from that. We also have plans to travel to New Branfels and Katy to race with our friends from around the state as much as we can.

Hadyn will really get into her club level racing this year and we are excited to see what she will learn. She'll be propelled into a higher learning area as well, since she'll be with us on any travels we may take. Pretty good experience for a five year old!

If you know anyone that has a business they would like to advertise in exchange for some racing $$, let us know! Hunter is well worth the investment!

Embrace the Examples

2011-11-21T10:21:00.000-06:00

What a fantastic finish to a great NASCAR racing season. We watched the battle between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards come to conclusion last night and were totally impressed by both of them. With a 3 point deficit, Tony had the race of his life. Started further back in the field while Carl was on the pole, had some car issues during the race that set them further back and had to race to catch back up and for both to finish the race and season in 1st and 2nd was just icing on the cake.

Personally, I was cheering for Carl Edwards. And Hunter might not ever want to admit it again out loud, but at the end, he was too. We watched Carl do some catch up moves that took our breath away and we recognized some of those moves. When coming up on traffic, our instincts as observers are to think "slow down and be careful,", all the while yelling at the TV or race track for the slower traffic to "get out of the way!" But we have watched Hunter perform some of these moves on his own in his races, too. In Houston, while trying to catch back up to 1st place, he encountered traffic and had to thread the needle so to speak. It was risky and we were on pins and needles because that is a good (good? no, bad.) way to end your race day but apparently, when in the moment, all you see is an opening...and you take it.

When I got to race my Powder Puff heat, I saw that, too. I would come up on traffic and the desire, instinct, drive, whatever it is, to push through would be so great, I found openings. And for all of our inexperience, I probably shouldn't have taken, but I did and it worked for me. I see Hunter doing the same thing. I watched the NASCAR drivers doing it. It's just racing. It's a pretty incredible feeling, I have to admit.

But over all the racing skills, over all the excitement, over all the drive and determination, there are lessons to be learned and number one in my book is how you conduct yourself before, during and after the race. We've worked with Hunter all year long on how a true Champion is to conduct him or herself.

And to witness Carl Edwards exemplify that last night on my TV screen gave us all the credibility we might have been needing. Carl said that if he didn't win, he knew he wanted to be the best loser NASCAR has ever seen. I totally respect this guy. He has his human moments, but overall, this man is a true champion and everyone who saw him last night knows it, too.

So, thank you, Carl Edwards, for embracing the examples we have put before our racers. Keep on racing and we'll see you in Victory Lane again!!

Great Weekend to Close Out Great Year!

2011-11-14T20:22:00.001-06:00

Hunter, Jake and Ethan - the top 3 for the Year, too!

We raced our final race of the season at NTK on Saturday. And this time, I really mean "we"!

Hunter had a great showing on Saturday and with a great pass during the final, pulled away from the field to close out his year with a win and clinching the Year End Championship at North Texas Karters! We are so proud of him - and how much he has improved throughout this year.

Hadyn had her first race this weekend. I was just hoping for her to stay on the track, hold her line and finish the race - and she did all of that and had her best time to date! She was so excited. During the awards ceremony, she was given her medal (all Kid Karts receive 1st place awards), her 1st time driver trophy, a bag of candy, and her 1st time driver Teddy Bear from the Kid Kart sponsor, Polar Graphics. With her arms full of loot, I asked her if that was it - were we done with racing. She said "yes" and I asked if we could sell the Kid Kart now. The misunderstanding was mine, apparently, gauging by the appalled look on her face when she replied, "NO!" She meant, we were done for the day. Okay then. She really wants to do this.

Can't beat that smile!!

Then it was Mom's turn. The Chonda class allowed all of us Moms, wives, girlfriends, etc. to run a Powder Puff heat in their karts. I had a blast - too much fun, really. I think two karters in the family is enough right now. I got t-boned on the first lap and had to wait for the guys to pull our karts apart, but I was still able to catch up and finish in 3rd place (out of 10, I think).

Hunter #88, Kaleb #17, Michael #88, Riley #53 -
Photo by Stephanie Haseloff

On Sunday, we left home at 5AM and drove to New Braunfels, TX for Hill Country Karting Club's annual Enduro race. For Hunter's class, it's a 30 minute race to finish. And it was a chance for us to hang out with our SWRC friends for the afternoon. Hunter started the race in 4th position, and after our 2 friends dropped out due to engine troubles we thought that Hunter might have a good chance to finish in the top 3...until...he was penalized a lap for passing under a yellow flag. But even with that, he still finished 4th out of 12 and can now say he ran a 30 minute enduro race. And it was all fun. We'll definitely be going back there to race next year.

Throughout the entire year, we've had ups and downs and have learned valuable lessons at each turn. I love this sport and all the people we have around us have been so great to help us grow and learn. I am very excited to see what both our kids can do next year.

HES2 Motorsports will be very excited for 2012! Hope to see you all at the races!

Above All...Drive Smart

2011-11-05T11:51:00.000-05:00

After racing hard in the Fall 5 race and falling just short of a win, we were told by some friends that Hunter's kart just didn't sound like it was pulling the power it needed. We had the top end of the engine rebuilt before the first race of 2011 - which was in January.

So, after a short conversation with our engine builder, we shipped it off to have it done inside a weeks time. The engine was delivered to us on Friday before the race with the shock and wonderment of how Hunter could have possibly done as well as he had - winning the races in SWRC as he did and the championship - with the condition that motor is in. George had replaced the piston and rings, but told us that as soon as we completed our last races, he needs it back to do the bottom end of the motor. Again, the curiosity of how Hunter did it.

Guess he's just that good.

So, going into Fall 6, Hunter was able to get his fairly typical times and captured the pole position during qualifying rather effortlessly. During the pre-final heat, Hunter got out in front of the pack, which is something he hasn't been able to do regularly, but then his main competitor, Jake, was taken out by another racer running too close on a corner. If it was someone we didn't know well, it might have been a silent cheer, but we were upset to see it happen that way.

Jake had his kart up and ready for the final heat - minimal damage, so he was good to go. However, he would start at the back of our class. But anything can happen. And happen it did.

We were running in a group of three classes - the Rotax Mini Max's were in front of our TaG Gazelles, then the Yamaha Jr 1's. Upon leaving the grid for a warm up lap, the 2 Mini's, Hunter and one other Gazelle, made it through the first two turns and then the rest of the field piled up on top of each other. There was a spin out on a corner, three karts banged into each other sending a fourth through the air upside down into the grass. Thankfully, that young one was fine - a little sore, but fine. The other karts were rendered un-raceable and Jake's rear axle was bent.

The race continued and Hunter won without any challenges to his position. He would rather really race someone for the win, but we'll take it none-the-less! This puts him one win away from the NTK Year End Championship.

It is here that these kids learn to drive smart. Something that I think some of the professional drivers must have missed. Of course, I'm writing this in the wake of Kyle Busch being parked for the entire weekend in Texas for his actions in the Camping World Truck Series with Ron Hornaday. Sad that two championship contenders in their series had to be taken out in such a way.

Accidents happen, but above all...drive smart.

Where True Champions are Made

2011-10-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Hunter has had a great year in karting!! He finished 2nd in the North Texas Karters Winter Polar Bear Series, he won the Spring Championship at NTK, finished 1st in the NTK Summer Sidewinder Series, he won the Southwest Regional Cup Series Championship this year, and has had many, many podium finishes! But this Fall Series at NTK has turned out to be somewhat of a challenge for him and may cost him the year-end championship at NTK.

Knowing full well that the kids Hunter raced with in the Spring would be challenging him in the Fall and with our focus being more on the SWRC races, we didn't go into the Fall Series at NTK with the full focus and great equipment we should have. Result - a couple of bad finishes for Hunter and a lot of great finishes for one of his competitors.

Hunter raced as well as he felt he could have yesterday, and we thought we had everything set up as well as we could have. But I think we were all off target a bit. Hunter could have made some moves that would have required him to step out of his comfort zone and be more aggressive and we could have made some more set up changes that might have given him just a bit more in his engine. However, it is what it is and Hunter finished in 2nd place. Not a bad position to be in at all, but that finish did put a big dent in his possible year-end championship bid.

Race championships are not won on who is the faster or better driver (or both), but on who has the most points. We went through this last year. Gunnr was the faster and better driver in our class last year, but he missed a couple of races and had some bad luck in a couple more - and Hunter and Reilly were able to capitalize on that. All of that pushed Gunnr from the championship spot into 2nd for year-end. But he gladly accepted that and did not seem to be a poor loser at all - a champion in heart.

Which is where champions are made - in the heart. Points may say otherwise, but if you carry yourself with dignity and let your good character shine through, others will notice the champion in you regardless of what the points say. Let your mouth run or poor attitude show and others will notice and remember that as well - sadly, more so than the former.

Yesterday was a good lesson in that for all of us. Hunter still has a chance at the year-end championship, but overall, he has to be a champion at heart first - points won't matter if that isn't in place first.

Keep your fingers crossed and prayers lifted up for him....for all of us!!

We're Wired That Way

2011-10-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

Dan Wheldon and family after winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500

Motorsports. Racing. Danger.

Yeah, it all goes hand in hand, doesn't it. I've had so many moms ask me why in the world would I let my 10 year old son, Hunter, race a kart. They really freak out when I tell them I'm putting my almost 5 year old daughter, Hadyn, in one, too. But, it doesn't scare me.

My dad raced Stock Cars in his younger years. My family had a European style dirt enduro motocross track and held races the 2nd Sunday of every month for 13 of my growing up years. My husband loved to ride and tinker with anything motorized as a kid.

It's in the blood. We're wired that way.

In 2001, when NASCAR suffered a tragic blow with the passing of Dale Earnhardt due to a race day crash, Scott and I were not into racing yet - Hunter was still in the womb. But we saw the impact that took on the racing community and it was not lost on us.

Yesterday, the motorsports world suffered more tragedy. Indycar driver Dan Wheldon suffered unrecoverable injuries from a horrific wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and passed away. Hunter and I sat and watched the entire thing unfold on our TV screen. It was paralyzing. We felt as though a family member had left us. And in a way, it was family.

Not to be forgotten, but also yesterday, racing lost another driver - Toyota off road racing driver Rick Huseman, his brother Jeff and their pilot were lost in a plane accident.

Davey Hamilton, an Indycar driver who suffered his own near fatal accident while racing in Texas in 2001, said in an interview yesterday, "Whenver you put a helmet and a firesuit on, it's probably pretty dangerous. And we accept that as racing drivers."

And we accept that as parents, friends, loved ones. Drivers have been given a gift. Our gift is our ability to accept that. It's just the way we're wired.

Rest In Peace, Dan and Rick Your racing family will miss you.

Toyota Off Road driver Rick Huseman

Slug Bug....Rainbow?

2011-10-11T17:56:00.000-05:00

As a family, we like to have fun. So we taught the kids how to play "Slug Bug (Color)" while we are driving around. Of course, rules had to be amended when I started getting bruises on my arms from way too excited kids spotting one. So, now it is "Slug Bug (Color) - Virtual Punch". And we've had to cancel the game a few times when attitudes started going south from not getting to call it first.

All of which has taught the kids valuable lessons in "fun"...sometimes you lose. In racing, Hunter has had to learn the joys of winning and the agony of defeat for whatever reasons there might be. But the bottom line is always - are you having fun?

When the fun leaves a game or sport or really anything you enjoy doing, then is it worth it to keep doing it? I'm not advocating quitting, but perhaps, re-evaluating why you are doing whatever it might be. A karting friend told me basically the same thing this weekend regarding our "fun" sport - when it becomes a tiresome job, it's time to step back from it.

Hunter had a race this weekend, but he was the only one in his class to show up to race (other engagements, broken karts, etc). He was put in a group of two other classes, but all he had to do was take the Green Flag and then come back in - save the kart if he wanted to. But not our boy. No, he said he would race to the Checkers - because it's fun to be out there!

So, we learn game playing in the car with Slug Bug. Sometimes you are first to call it, sometimes you lose. And if you lose, you laugh and say, I'll get the next one!! And keep playing - as long as you are having fun!!

Angels Among Us

2011-10-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

The 2011 SWRC TAG Cadet Gazelle Boys

This is one of those blogs that I may have a hard time writing without tears in my eyes. Good tears, though. If you can't wait until the end...Hunter won the Southwest Regional Cup series championship!!!

Whether you are a believer or not, we had angels, in the form of friends blessing us this weekend. Hunter raced the last two races of the Southwest Regional Cup series in Caddo Mills, TX at the new Dallas Karting Complex.

Going into the weekend, we knew that Scott could not get off work. There is too much going on at the church right now with a current music set-up and they could not see not having Scott there. God calls and needs him there, he's there.

Which meant, until Scott could get to the track, which was about an hour away, it was the Mom show. But I wasn't worried. We went to the track on Friday to let Hunter practice and Scott got the kart tuned in and set up for this track. At the end of our practice, we found a brand new set of tires in our pit stall with a note that said, "Win this weekend!". We couldn't believe it! Some beautiful, precious angel gifted us with new tires. Tires, in a race like this can make the difference in winning and not. So, Hunter now had no choice but to go win! Ha!

Saturday morning came and the kids and I headed out to the track. We had planned on just running two practice sessions just so Hunter could get the track under him a bit more and save the kart for the race. During the first practice session, he didn't even make it half way around the first lap when he went off the track - got bumped and broke his chain. Great. Now what? Well, buy a chain and replace it. How? How do I replace a chain??? Pray...ask and you shall receive. Again, angels came flying to my rescue in the form of my brother-in-law Scott, and the NTK Vice President Bob. Both got to work on the kart and got the new chain on. Later on, both came back and mounted Hunter's new tires, too!

The 2nd practice session ended with a kart spinning out in front of Hunter and he had no where to go but slide to avoid the kart and hit the hard plastic barriers. *Sigh* Again? Really? But, I had another angel fly to my rescue. Our main competitors dad, Randy, ran down and got Hunter started and back on the track for me. Then later, he came to the trailer and worked on the front end of the kart to make sure it wasn't damaged. Everyone was so helpful and willing to help out.

Scott got there right before the qualifying heat and discovered the front right tie rod and the steering column was bent, but got that banged out enough for Hunter to race - and he got the pole! Some more work came to the kart afterwards and even though it is still bent, it didn't seem to make a difference to the boy. Hunter raced his little heart out and won the event for the night!

After our adventures on Saturday, I figured Sunday would be a piece of cake! I knew that whatever would happen, it would be okay. And it was. Hunter raced a great race and ended up winning on Sunday, too. He was bummed later that night after he realized that it would be a while before he saw these new friends again. Thankfully, it is still about having fun for him. Which makes it fun for us. We just keep reminding each other of that.

Finally, to our NTK friends (Chris & Lisa, Tim, Steve & Maria, Scott & Kim, Bob, DJ, and everyone else from NTK who have helped us through this far) and our SWRC new found friends (Randy & Mandi, Chris & Stephanie, Tommy & Tiffany, and all the other racers around us) and our awesome engine builder, George, we are forever blessed and grateful for these friendships and hope to work with you all for a long time to come.

And Hunter, who we are so very proud of, is now the 2011 Southwest Regional Cup series TAG Cadet Gazelle Champion!!!

Ummm...I Don't Think It's Supposed to Look Like That

2011-09-25T11:38:00.001-05:00

After missing the NTK Fall Series race #2 a couple of weeks ago Hunter was really ready to go race yesterday for the Fall 3 event at NTK. We were ready, too. Scott had put a new rear axle on the kart - one that due to design, should've given him a little more speed.

But, since we have finally received some rain lately, all the good grippy rubber on the track had been washed away and the track was producing slower than usual times. But that was okay. Hunter felt that the kart was handling great, so we left it all in our driver's hands.

After qualifying with the fastest time in the field, we failed the "weigh-in" by .4 lbs. What?!? So, he had to start the pre-final in the back of his class. But he made passes and caught up to the leader at the checkered flag and would start 2nd for the final. We discovered later that the scales are not working correctly, but what is done is done. *sigh*

However, it wouldn't have mattered. On the final heat, as Hunter was closing in on the 1st place ready to pass and take it...

Sparks. Spin. Fish tailing all over turn one. *sigh-again*

A broken axle. The "new" one.

Hunter was okay and many people told us how impressed they were with how well he controlled the kart when that happened. Later, when Hunter could really see it, he thought it was the coolest thing ever, and wants to hang the broken axle on his wall. Boys.

We'll get to work and get the kart ready for next weekend's final round of SWRC races.

But, all is good. Don't think his tire should be facing that way, though. ;-)

Character Building - For All of Us!

2011-08-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hunter's weekend has been pretty good...he had a great first week of school (what a Praise that was!) and on Friday we took him to see "Senna", the documentary movie about F1 racer Ayrton Senna. Awesome movie! That will be a DVD purchase for us when they release it in the US. He loved listening to Senna talk about his Faith and watching him race.

On Saturday, we headed out to the track with 108 degree heat to race our Fall Series race #1. It was scheduled to run on the "short track" to give the racers a change up and make them learn new things. And learn new things, we did!

Scott had made some changes to Hunter's kart. He put on a new axle, with longer wheel hubs, which set the rear tires out way further than what he usually runs. Also, in trying to keep from needing to spend more money for the next and final round of SWRC Regional races in a month, Scott had pulled off all the "new" stuff on the kart - the tires, drive sprocket, spark plug, and more that I just can't remember...it's in a box. So, without him really knowing it, Hunter was already running at a disadvantage - old stuff.

When they went out to qualify, there were 7 karts on this very short track all competing for the same space. Hunter got caught behind one of his buddies and could catch Jake in the corners, but Jake had the pull away on the small bit of straight and Hunter couldn't get around him. So we were prepared for Hunter to start in 2nd position. But somewhere back behind him, Ethan made a better lap time. And that's all it takes in qualifying - just one good lap. So, we started the pre-final in P3. Not something that I'm used to anymore. I didn't like it. And I admit...I'm spoiled to Hunter being in front. And yes, I know, that's not always going to happen, but I'm Mom and I like seeing my baby in front.

But the cool thing was...Hunter was having so much fun. He loved chasing Jake in qualifying, he loved having someone to race with. Scott made another gear change and we started the pre-final in 3P and immediately, Hunter got a bad start and dropped into 4th. With only 10 laps on the short track to catch up, he picked off one kart and moved back into 3rd. Then he went to work on Ethan and Jake. I'd like to think they knew Hunter "Blue Bolt" Stine was on their tails because those boys were racing!! At the very end, Hunter found an opening and was racing Ethan to the finish line and it was so close, but Ethan pulled out the 2nd place finish. Hunter came in laughing and high-fiving the others and just kept saying what a fun race it was!

I was blown away. Shame on me. I had been sulking over him starting in 3rd and finishing in 3rd, and here he was laughing and having fun. Oh, Mom. Lesson learned.

Starting in 3P for the final, I walked to the grid with Hunter. I leaned down to talk to him and he said, "Yeah, Mom, I know...get around them." I laughed and said, "Well, yeah, if you can, but the priority here is to have fun. I would love to see you win, but the important thing is that you have fun. I will be proud of you no matter where you finish if you get out there and have fun and do your best."

Another bad start and he was running in 5th place! One of our friends said that it was good character building. I said, "Yeah. For me!" We laughed and then watched Hunter go to work. Methodically picking his time, working the corners and then picking them off one by one. He was running faster lap times by 1/2 to 1 second than the other drivers, but with no good openings on the corners, trying to preserve his kart for the big races, and old parts, he just didn't force a pass until he was good and ready. He moved into 2nd, but the kart slid and left the door open for Ethan to pass him back, so we finished the night with a 3rd place. Still...a podium finish.

Hunter was bummed on that one. I felt horrible. Did my attitude create this in him? Did I show such poor character that he felt he had to win or nothing? But later on in his prayer time, he asked the Lord forgiveness for showing such a poor attitude after the final.

More character building...for me.

Hunter cheered for his friends as they stepped on the podium. I love this boy.

Hot for Racing

2011-08-14T21:01:00.001-05:00

And I mean it was a HOT day for racing! We wrapped up our Southwest Regional Cup series racing this weekend with another spectaular win from Hunter.

During practice, Hunter broke track records (not officially counted, though) and was running speeds of over 56mph. However, notably absent from practice and qualifying was his main competitor, Michael. We finally heard that Michael and his parents chose to go to church this morning...message received...racing isn't as important as making sure that God takes first place in your life. I love that.

But with Michael back in the mix - starting from the back of the class, we were back in racing action for pre-final. Michael worked his way up through the pack, but just didn't have anything for Hunter, so we got the pole for the final heat. And, with the times Hunter was running, all the Dad's were scrambling to make adjustments to see if they could catch him.

Starting the final on the pole, Hunter just didn't have the pickup and ended up 4th by the first turn. But within two laps, he had picked off all 3 and was blowing the doors off the field. It was the Blue Bolt in action. It was a weekend sweep for us and we are still trying to absorb and record all we learned this trip.

And yes, we survived the heat. Right as we were leaving a rain storm blew in and cooled us all off! But we're still hot for racing! ;-)

The 2 in HES2 Motorsports

2011-08-14T09:04:00.001-05:00

For almost 3 years I've been keeping this blog to follow Hunter's racing progress, but we named it HES2 because there are 2 of them...Hunter is 1 and Hadyn is 2.

Hadyn has been telling us for quite some time that Hunter's Kid Kart is HER kart. So it is. She'll be eligble to race at the end of October when she turns 5 and we've had her in the kart some, so more practice and maybe she can debut at the end of the year.

She is a trooper, though. She is at every race, every practice, just about every event we go to. She takes the heat and the cold. She has the heart of a racer. We'll see how far she wants to go.

She's my Warrior Princess!

Some Wins Are Hard to Take

2011-08-13T16:41:00.001-05:00

We are in Katy, TX this weekend for races 7 & 8 of the Southwest Regional Cup Series. It has been HOT, too!!! All of us here this weekend are walking around looking at each other thinking, "Oh! So that's what a crazy person looks like!"

Hunter and his racing friend Michael were back at it today. Michael took the pole for the pre-final and final heats. Before the final, Scott made some set-up changes and our friend Chris gave Hunter some corner coaching.

It paid off for him in that he was running some great times. He was reeling Michael in lap after lap. Then Hunter took a great pass on turn 1 but Michael took advantage of an opening and passed him back! Two laps later, Hunter was making his move again and took the corner, but it appeared that Michael came down on him a bit and something happened to Michael's kart and he came off the track leaving Hunter in the lead.

Hunter took the checkered flag, but was not celebrating. He said Michael is one of his best friends, and it hurt to get a win that way.

I love that boy. Let's see what tomorrow holds!

Summer Heat

2011-08-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

Proof that the kid can work on his own kart!! Under supervision, of course!

Hunter holding up his $winnings$ from Saturday night

NTK hosted the final Summer Sidewinder Series race this past Saturday night. And it was hot - 109 at some point in the afternoon/evening - and the digital read out in the truck said 100 at 10:00. Isn't it supposed to cool off when the sun goes down? Well, technically, I guess it did...a little.

We debated on the necessity of racing in this heat - and since Hunter ended up being the only one from his class in attendance, but given that he is racing in the next round of regional races this coming weekend, and Scott had just rebuilt the carburetor, he needed to get some time in on the kart. The race director coupled our class (and the Yamaha class we usually run with) with another class that have faster engines than ours. But Hunter loved it. It was unusual to see him start at the back of the pack, but even though his engine isn't as fast as the others in that class, that boy kept up pretty well! It was a good race for our Yamaha friend, Ryan, as well! Maybe they needed that extra challenge - don't get lapped!!

It was a good night to run some different set-ups and we feel ready to go to Katy and run the regional races. It will most certainly be hot there...not looking forward to that, but I am looking forward to seeing what Hunter can do on his 2nd trip to Katy!

Wish us all luck and to keep cool!!

Entitlements or Privilege

2011-07-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Hunter had another Summer race at NTK. We were hoping to have some more drivers in his class show up, but something must have happened - life - to prevent them from showing up. But that's okay...we had fun anyway! We're still trying to figure out some mechanical things with Hunter's kart, but he was still able to overcome our shortcomings and win anyway. The kid knows how to drive that kart!!

I read a blog from a Pastor friend of mine the other day regarding the spirit of entitlements that has seem to become such a cultural thing for us. In explaining this to Hunter, I asked him, "am I entitled to sleep in my nice, cushy bed each night?" And the answer is no, I am privileged to sleep in a bed, own a car, own my home, etc., but not entitled to it. Perhaps we should get back to that thinking.

In regards to our racing lives, we are not entitled to have a class full of drivers to race against, but view it as a privilege to be able to race at all. And there was a lot of great races going on Saturday night.

We'll be gearing up the rest of this month getting ready for the next round of regional racing for Hunter in August - all the while reminding ourselves of the privilege and blessing it is to have these opportunities!

Sometimes, You Serve

2011-07-09T23:37:00.001-05:00

Hunter was supposed to race yesterday, but due to family vacations, Summer heat, and broken parts, Hunter's class wasn't in force yesterday. One of his class mates was there, but was having some really bad breaking issues, and considering that brakes may be something you'd actually need in racing (read the sarcasm), we all made the decision to roll our entries over to next week's race instead of running last night.

So, instead, we served. Everything at our track is volunteer run. If we don't have volunteers, we don't run. I usually volunteer to work in registration before the race, but since Hunter ended up not running, instead of leaving and having an early evening home, Scott volunteered to work a corner for the race...so the other karters would be able to race.

Then during our break, we both helped out with all the guests (and we had a lot of new people) trying out the club Kid Kart, Cadet, and Adult demo karts. They all had a great time and LOVED the track and the karts.

Sometimes, you race, sometimes, you serve.

Stay After It

2011-06-30T22:38:00.000-05:00

Read in an interview with 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, regarding something 5 time Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson told him...

"He said, you've just got to stay hungry and stay after it," Bayne said. "And don't think that you don't have to work hard because you're good. Because there's somebody down the road that's working harder than you are, they might be better than you are eventually if they keep doing that. So you've got to keep working harder than the next guy, and I think he does a good job with that."

Hunter raced at NTK last Saturday night for the first of four Summer Sidewinder Series races. He decided before the race that he wanted to try to break the NTK club track record for his class. The record, as it stands, is 41.09 seconds (fastest lap time in TAG Cadet Gazelle), and in the regional series race we had at NTK, Hunter did run faster than that with a 40.5 lap time. But, since that race was not a "NTK Club" race, the time could not count for a club record.

The Sidewinder Series does not count for club records either, but that didn't stop him from wanting to try for the record. And with all the limitations put on him with his kart - worn tires, worn sprockets, no competitor on his tail pushing him or him drafting another kart, he was just 2 tenths of a second off the record.

He came out of his kart with a 1st place win, but disappointed in himself, saying "I know I can do better. I'll do better next time." We were proud of him for trying...for pushing himself with the equipment he had...for not giving up due to circumstances, but keeping on.

Because if he didn't keep trying, someone else would. Like "Mr. 5 Time" says, Stay After It!

Spring Champion!!

2011-06-13T18:05:00.001-05:00

We just wrapped up our Spring racing series with 7 races and Hunter has won the Spring Series Championship!! We are so proud of him - he has really learned a lot this season and improved his driving so much that he is getting a lot of attention from others around us.

When other friends were moving to another engine package for this year, we made the decision to stay where we are for now and in retrospect, it was such the right decision. Hunter has become the driver that the other younger drivers look up to - want to model themselves after. I've heard so many Dads telling their young drivers, "now, watch how Hunter takes that corner," or "see how smooth Hunter is driving," etc... The kids he races with have him as a target to reach, a goal to chase down and pass...eventually. And we know, that will come - we were in their position last year and now look at him!

We will start our four race Summer series this month. This series won't be for championship points, but for cash...maybe pay for some parts! We'll restart the points series back up at the end of August with our 7 race Fall series.

We'd love to have you come visit the track and watch Hunter (and all the others, too!) race. Next up: Saturday, June 25 at 6PM. Come see the Blue Bolt in action!

It's a Hot One!

2011-06-06T08:10:00.001-05:00

Happy 10th Birthday, Hunter!!!

So, I'm hearing that besides having a record breaking drought, the Houston area was also having record breaking heat this weekend. Great. Glad we could be here for it. But the scorching heat aside, we could not be more proud of our son! Hunter's character was really shining this weekend.

After a heartbreaking wreck to knock Hunter and Michael from the first place podium finish on Saturday, Hunter still ended up with a 2nd place trophy and points (thank you, God, for small classes this time out, right?) because during the back and forth battle with Michael, Hunter crossed the start/finish line ahead of Michael right before the wreck by .0014 of a second...or something really, really close like that.

So on Sunday, Michael's Dad was ready. He worked to find more power for Michael in that engine, changing out carburetors (said he went through 3 of them). On the other hand, we have one. One engine, one carb, one of just about everything. So I told Hunter that we had the engine as tuned as it was going to get...the rest was up to him. AND HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!

His times in the final heat were consistently faster than Michaels and he was reeling Michael in. If Hunter hadn't gotten a slow start - something going on with our clutch, we think - and if he could've gotten ahead of Michael at the start, I'm not sure M would've been able to catch him. But, it is what it is, and Hunter raced his heart out. The problem came when Michael and Hunter came upon lapped traffic of the other class of racers with us and Michael managed to get around them, but Hunter got bogged up in their traffic and lost valuable ground (the picture is the effect of close bumping and passing in that traffic). So, we joyfully took home a 2nd place finish.

Hunter told me later that he was okay with that. This was Michael's home track and just like Hunter got a win at NTK, his home track, Michael needed a win at his. The boys were all high-fiving each other and congratulating on the great racing and running off to hang out together.

When Hunter accepted his Saturday trophy, he was asked who he'd like to thank. At this time, we'd heard the obligatory "sponsor" and "team" thank you's being doled out, but Hunter thanked God. "I want to thank God for keeping us all safe out there."

I love that boy.

Tomorrow....

2011-06-04T17:27:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, tomorrow, how I love ya, tomorrow, you're only a day away!!

We are in Katy, TX for races #5 and #6 of the SWRC series. We practiced all day long yesterday in this hot, hot, heat trying out different setups- gearing mostly, since this is our first time at this track. As we are discovering more about our boy, he does not disappoint. He suited up and ran everything we threw at him. After practice, we ate pizza and went swimming with our racing buddies.

Today started good. Hunter had a good qualifying time and started 2nd in the pre-final. During the pre-final heat, he and his main competitor, Michael, battled it out for the lead, but with two laps to go, Hunter claimed the lead and kept it!

Starting the final heat on the pole, he got off to a bad start and Michael tool the lead. But Hunter would catch and pass him on the straight-away then Michael would get him back on the 1st corner. We thought we were in for 16 laps of this until...

Battling for the lead around that corner, neither of them were giving up space and they bumped, broke both their chains and split the track.

Hunter was okay with it...its just racin', he says, and they were racing hard, but Michael was devastated.

Of course, now, they are both hanging out together in someone's air conditioned trailer.

I wonder if they have room for Mom?

Blue Bolt

2011-05-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

Blue is often considered to be the safest global color.

Blue symbolizes peace, tranquility, stability, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, knowledge, power, integrity, security, cleanliness, sky, water and cold.

Blue can slow the pulse rate, lower body temperature and reduce appetite. Blue is considered a business color because it reflects reliability.
In China, blue is associated with immortality.
For the Jewish faith, blue symbolizes holiness.
The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore blue for protection against evil.
If you are "true blue" you are loyal and faithful.

Heard from our track announcer, Jim Hickerson, last night, "Listen for the thunder, because you just saw the lightning, Hunter "Blue Bolt" Stine!!"

Hunter had fun last night at our Spring 6 club race. What looked to be a light turnout due to looming stormy weather turned out to be pretty fun. Our new TAG Cadet drivers are really starting to dial in and will be challenging Hunter come this Fall, for sure. When we have light turn outs, the cadet classes might be grouped together and last night was one of those nights. We ran with our usual running buddies, the Yamaha Jr 1 class and we had a new Rotax Mini Max driver join us. Rotax is a faster engine than the TAG Gazelle or Yamaha Jr 1, but since he was new, he ran with us. However as the night wore on, he was learning that kart more and started picking drivers off one by one and was gunning for Hunter. Now, Hunter knows his Gazelle cannot out run a full speed Rotax, but he wasn't going to let this kid pass him without a fight and the newbie just couldn't keep up and ended up spinning out on a corner trying to keep up with the Blue Bolt!! So, Hunter finished 1st for his class and in front of everyone in the group of for the night!!

To top of the night, we had a Kona Ice shaved ice truck at the track.

Randy Brittain, the owner of this truck, asked Hunter how he did and in honor of Hunter's pre-final win and pending Final victory, named a snowcone after Hunter - The Blue Bolt - a mix of blue raspberry and pina-colada. Pretty cool getting a snowcone named for you!!

More than the win, I think that was the highlight of Hunter's night!

Next up is race #5 and #6 for the Southwest Regional Cup Series in Katy, TX June 3-5th. Wish him luck and good prayers for him!

Starting at the End

2011-05-15T21:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where to start, and since I'm extremely tired from this weekend and still and little stunned, I'll start at the end...

HUNTER WON!!!!

Needless to say, I'm a happy Mama. And yes, Daddy is very proud, too! And we could not have done it without the help of our NTK friends who advised, wrenched, and stood with me today while Scott was at work. I love being a part of this organization. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Usually, I'll take my readers through all 3 heats in detail, but today, all 3 heats were similar - mind blowingly "WOW!"

Hunter qualified on the pole with a time of 40.69, won the pre-final in a fight to the finish 10 lap showdown (and even faster lap times of 40.52) with last turn passes made by Hunter and his main competitor, Michael, then on to the final heat where things didn't start in our favor, but favor turned toward us and Hunter grabbed on to that and fought to take and keep that lead. I have never been so happy to see a checkered flag in my life. AND we passed post race tech inspections! *Whew*.

Next week - club race and hopefully the club record. Tonight - sleep.

Dark Day Afternoon

2011-05-14T17:33:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know...wrong title ("Dog" Day Afternoon), but it was in the afternoon that the darkness loomed.

Race #3 if the Southwest Regional Cup Series was today at NTK. Everything started out well for Hunter. He qualified in 2nd position with a great NTK time of 41.04 seconds. Then for his pre-final heat, the 4th place driver pushed Hunter and himself out in the lead and they stayed there! So Hunter finished 1st and was on the pole for the final. It was an awesome race and a fight to the finish!

But the RACE was during the final heat. Hunter took off like a flash and held the lead for quite a while. But he was finally passed on a turn and fought like crazy to get the lead back. The top 3 drivers were so close together they sounded like one engine. Needless to say, I was just a little stressed out! LOL! But the checkered flag flew and we finished 2nd place! GREAT RACE!!

Then the darkness fell. Tech time. Scott and I weren't concerned about passing post-race tech inspection - we had all the proper equipment and the things we might have been concerned about were good.

But. Yes, there's a but.

The clutch drum - that is the little round covering over the clutch - was .7 or .07 of some sort of measurement too wide on the inside. This means Hunter will not be awarded 2nd place awards or points and he was disqualified for this race. Disappointed does not begin to describe the feeling we had. We were crushed. How do we tell a kid that raced his heart out, raced so smoothly, running faster times than he ever had, racing with more experienced drivers and finishes that high up, "oh yeah, about that."

Lessons for Pit Crew Parents learned, and legal clutch drum borrowed for tomorrow. But in every dark day, there comes light. On our way home, Hunter said, "I can't wait until tomorrow's race. It's going to be great!"

Wow. Thank you, God. I needed that ray of sunshine.

The Good News and the Bad News

2011-05-13T18:23:00.001-05:00

We are at NTK today practicing for race #3 and #4 for the Southwest Regional Cup Series races. Hunter has been running really great times today and his Daddy has been told to LEAVE THE KART ALONE! LOL!!

Well, the kid went out for his last practice and set a record...40.94 second laptime. The current NTK record is 41.0. That's the good news. The bad news is that since this isn't a club race, the record won't stand.

Guess he'll just have to do it again next week.

On a Rail

2011-05-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

NTK hosted our Spring 5 race last night. This was the first race all season that Scott was able to be at the entire race - from practice to finish. He did get teased somewhat by some of the others at the track...asked if he knew what to do and did I need to go help him. Ha! We couldn't run without Dad!!

I knew Hunter was tired and a bit punchy from not going to sleep on time the night before, but this is racing and he needed to have his head in the game. The kids in this class are driving open wheel karts with a gas tank between their legs potentially reaching speeds of 60mph . You've got to be awake and focused.

His qualifying round was good, but he wasn't running as smooth as last time. After last race's "smooth" driving action from Hunter, I was expecting more of the same. He seemed to be over-driving a couple of the corners. He still was fast enough to qualify for the pole position, but he could run better. He told Scott that he was sliding a bit on those corners, so Scott made a tiny adjustment (so tiny it made me wonder if that really helped or was it just the mental aspect in Hunter's mind) and Hunter went back out for pre-final and laid out some great times and was running smooth again.

By the time the final heat rolled around, it was dark and the temp had dropped a little bit, so his times slowed up a fraction, but man, he was running smooth. Another win racked up for the "Blue Kid"'s camp!!

Another dad walked by us, smiled and simply said, "on a rail." Yeah, that's what he looked like he was running on. Let's pray he can look that way next weekend for the regional race.

Smooth

2011-05-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

One word...smooth. Another word...flyin'! Those are the words I heard about Hunter last night at North Texas Karters Spring 4 race. And yeah, from what I was watching, I think those are accurate words.

We had a pretty good sized class to race with yesterday. We had a couple of boys that raced with

us at the end of last year that came back in yesterday. Add to that Hunter and the usual two he races with and then grouped with a couple more classes, we had a group of 9 ready to go race together. The qualifying round got red flagged right off the bat due to a wreck that, well...I'm still not sure what happened...all I know is Hunter spun off the track - he said he took a corner too fast before his tires were warmed up - but it was a corner away from others who also must've taken one too fast and piled up. Still, it put Hunter back in the pack when they red flagged the heat. When they restarted, he was in 6th position. But one by one, he picked off the karts in front of him and got the best time in the heat.

During the pre-final AND final heats, he took off from the pack and eventually started picking off lapped karts one after another. We were there last year at this time...we know how it feels to see that front runner coming up behind your kid's kart...so we don't cheer for that, but pray that he is being very cautious when he is passing traffic. And he is. He is a very smart driver. And when he would pass two at one time on a corner, we would hear "whoooo!!!" coming from around the spectator area. It does make a parent proud to hear your child being cheered. We also were told later there was a dad and his sons watching "the blue kid" because he was doing so well.

We have another club race next week and we are getting ready for the next round of the Southwest Regional Cup Series racing the following weekend at our track. We're praying that "the blue kid" can keep running as smooth as he did yesterday!

Go, Hunter, Go!

On Any Given Race Day

2011-04-17T11:46:00.000-05:00

In the 1999 movie, Any Given Sunday, Al Pacino's character said, "On any given Sunday, you're gonna win or you're gonna lose. The point is - can you win or lose like a man?"

Change that to, "On any given race day, you're gonna win or you're gonna lose. The point is - can you keep your helmet cool and win or lose with humility?"

North Texas Kartway held it's Spring 3 race yesterday. Hunter was running great and leaving the pack behind in his qualifying and pre-final races, however, his competitors are quickly gaining speed and experience and it won't be too much longer before they are really pushing him for those wins.

The final heat started and Hunter took off from the pack and didn't look back. I even had time to take a little video of him and a couple of pictures from my phone. I was actually enjoying the stress free racing, knowing that in another month or two, the other kids will be chasing him down like crazy and then the stress starts over again in club racing.

Then it happened.

As he passed in front of me, he slowed down. Way down. His motor sounded like it ran out of gas, but he had a full tank of gas, so it wasn't that. No thrown chain sound. No broken sidepod to give us a disqualification. What in the world could it be? And to top it off, Scott (Dad) had to leave early for work and didn't get to set up the kart for the final. So, on my way down the fence line to where the kart had stopped, I'm running through my head all that I had done and did I miss anything? What did I do???? Okay, Mom, it's not your fault. It's nothing you did. You did what you were supposed to do. Oh, wait a minute. It's not about me. How is Hunter holding up with this?

Fine. Fine and dandy. According to him, he didn't know what happened, but things happen and you know, this is just how it is.

Huh. I really figured he'd be mad for a while then cool off and realize that. But this was right out of the kart. We ended up with a 3rd place. Still a podium finish!!

Yeah, on any given race day, anything can happen, but how you react to it defines the character.

The kart? Well, here's a picture - notice the chain on the sprocket? Yeah, it's not supposed to look like that. We're thinking the clutch bearing went bad and threw things off enough to shake the chain to where it didn't pop off, but caught on the sprocket and locked up the back end. It took some work to get the engine mount loose enough to get that chain back to where it belongs. On any given race day.

Wow. Just, Wow!

2011-04-04T15:57:00.000-05:00

*Hunter on the front row to start a race on Saturday!*

Wow! What a weekend. We spent this past weekend in Norman, Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex for the first two races of the Southwest Regional Cup series kart races. This being our first big regional race and first time at this track, we really didn't know what to expect.

We arrived on Friday, set up and got ready to practice. Everyone was very helpful on giving Hunter advice on how to run this track and what to expect. He went out to get a feel for the track and after two practice sessions, started feeling sick...hot, dry, headache, stomach ache. We were familiar with this. Two years ago, we had a heat exhaustion run to the hospital with Hunter during a race. So we got him in the truck under a/c, ice packs, water, and meds for the headache. He was so excited that day, he woke up super earlyin the morning, didn't eat but a couple bites for breakfast, didn't slow down much during the afternoon to eat and just snacked and boom...it hit. So, we sat out the last two practice runs. But the good news is that he perked up later and felt great.

On Saturday, we had some more friends give him some coaching on how to run this track and fortunately for Hunter, he tends to listen to the advice given to him by experienced racers and coaches and then applies what he heard. We had 6 TaG Cadet/Gazelle's register for the Saturday race and Hunter qualified 2nd for the pre-final heat. Then he ran a great pre-final and finished 2nd to set up for the final. The final on Saturday finished with another great 2nd! Our first big race and first on this track...you betcha', we'll take it with joy!!!

*Boys hanging out at the trailer watching a DVD with Hadyn*

Afterwards, we met more of the racers' families and gleaned more driving info from them. I am always amazed at how friendly and helpful our competitors are. Perhaps as we move up and Hunter gets older, it may not always be that way, but for now, it's an awesome thing to experience.

*Big class on Sunday!*

Sunday came and so did the big winds. Ah, yes, I remember these winds from growing up in the Texas Panhandle. What I used to consider a mild breeze then was now hurricane winds! Okay, not quite, but it's good that those karts are so close to the ground!! Hunter got more advice and then poured it on. We had 3 more karts racing with us on Sunday making a 9 kart group (7 in our class, 2 from another). He qualified 4th overall (3rd in our class) for the pre-final then stuck to the front row racers like glue throughout the pre-final to finish 2nd in our class!! He was driving like he was meant to do this.

*making last minute adjustments*

It was final time. I find it amusing to watch all the dads/tuners/coaches pouring over the karts on the grid trying to find any last minute adjustments they may need to make - and then wondering if they should've done this or that or what. Finding that sweet spot in racing seems to ebb and flow with the weather - is the sun out on the track, is it cloudy, is it windy, what is the humidity level, the temp, and so on. And Sunday was giving us some weird weather to deal with. But ready or not, it was time to go and go he did! Although he stayed closer to the front runner in the pre-final, he still finished 2nd place for the final bringing our SWRC weekend to close with two 2nd place finishes!!

We are so appreciative of all the help and advice we received all weekend and most of all thankful that the Lord blessed us so much with a great weekend.

We're looking forward to our Spring 3 club race on April 16th. Maybe we'll see you there!

Oklahoma Bound!

2011-03-31T12:18:00.000-05:00

OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We are packed up and getting ready to head a short trip North for Hunter to race in his first Southwest Regional Cup Series race. We told him last year that if he showed improvement over the year and could be a real contender for this series, we would take him to these races. Well, he did. And we are. And we are praying for a really great weekend and some really good racing action.

The reigning SWRC TaG Cadet champion is racing against Hunter, but that hasn't phased him much...just learning a new track is where his focus is right now. That and the fact he isn't going to school tomorrow.

And just a note, my little prayer warrior was concerned that there wouldn't be anyone else in his class running, so he has been praying every night for at least 5 in his class. The other day, I got an email confirming a total of 5 drivers in his class for this race - and more could sign up at the track - this was just pre-registration. I just love to watch God at work!!

We'll be posting updates on Facebook and here as they happen.

New Season - Continuing Lessons

2011-03-15T19:24:00.000-05:00

Last year when we started in the TaG Cadet class at NTK, we were the "new kids" in the class. This year, Hunter is the seasoned pro in the class...said with a slight grin.

Last year, when Hunter and Reilly started this class, Gunnr was running away from the pack, leaving everyone behind and perhaps wondering if that was going to be the way it would be the entire year. Now that Gunnr and Reilly have moved to another class, Hunter is running with the "new kids" that he leaves behind. But as we know from last year, it won't be long before the others are chasing Hunter down and giving him a run for the championship. Nope. Not long at all. But until then...

Hunter finished Spring 1 waaaaaay in front of the field. However, we have learned, the hard way, that ANYTHING (sidepod) can happen in ANY race (sidepod) on any given day (sidepod). We've seen races lost due to broken chains, spinning out on corners, getting caught up in lapped traffic and of course the dreaded...sidepod.

So, until our competition is busy chasing us down, we will continue to work on building up a humble racer that Praises God for all things at all times!!

See you for Spring 2!

New Year...New Chances

2011-03-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

We just finished up the four race Winter Series at NTK. It was yet again a heartbreaking finish to give Hunter a 2nd place finish on the series. But, the lessons learned were invaluable.

With the fourth race being the deciding factor of 1st or 2nd place for him, we told Hunter that no matter how the race finished, we were so proud of him and what he had learned over the prior three races. His corner driving had improved beyond belief and after one race, he had many other adult drivers pull him aside to give him some coaching on drafting and passing on the corners and he had started applying that knowledge to his driving.

I read a quote to Hunter from an interview with Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne:

GOING FROM WHERE YOU WERE WHEN YOU WERE RELEASED FROM WALTRIP RACING AND NOT SURE IF YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO RACE AT KANSAS TO WINNING THE DAYTONA 500 A FEW MONTHS LATER, HOW DOES IT UNDERSCORE YOUR BELIEF THAT THIS IS BIGGER THAN RACING FOR YOU?
“You know, before this ever happened I had a meeting with some of the people that are running my business and financial stuff and my dad was involved and we sat down to figure out what was the goal of Trevor Bayne as a company, a person, anything. I told them that the goal was not to be the best race car driver or the most marketable or most popular, it is none of those things, it is to build a platform and let God use us on the platform that He is building which might require me to become the best race car driver or be the most marketable or most popular or whatever it is. I just want to stand on the platform that He is putting under me and that is our goal. If that is the goal then our highs and lows will be a lot more manageable.”

Racing is great. Winning is fantastic. Learning and growing is wonderful. But it's not the big picture. For Hunter to put God first in his life and to give Him glory no matter what - win or lose - is the highest priority. Hunter gets it. At 9 years old, the kid gets it.

Spinning out while about to make his move to pass the leader in the last race of the Winter series knocked Hunter out of the 1st place series win. Of course he was devastated. But he bounced back quickly and counted his blessings for all that he learned in this series and will learn to come.

He's ready to take on Spring 2011.

Go Hunter!

Great Year and Major Heartbreak

2010-11-15T11:32:00.001-06:00

Dale Ernhardt Sr. said, "You
win some, you lose some, you wreck
some."

Mama Lori says: "Racing. Gotta love it...or you wouldn't be paying
for it!"

Hunter had an absolutely fantastic racing year in TAG Cadet I at North Texas Kartway. Our 2010 racing season will go down for us as one of tremendous growth and maturity in racing. We watched this year as Hunter came out of his Kid Kart running consistently mid-pack, to being one of the three rotating front runners in this Cadet class. He won the Summer Series and was just mere points away from walking away with the Year End Championship at our last race yesterday. Mere points. A first place finish would've cleared it for him. A second place finish to Gunnr would have cleared it for him by 1 point. Anything else and he finishes with a 3rd place for the year. Nothing to sneeze at, ya know.

So, we start the day with a really good qualifying run - starts 2nd but on the front row. Move on to the pre-final heat and Hunter left the field behind...ran away with it...sets himself up on the pole for the final heat. Dad and I had checked the kart over...bolts tightened down, chain and bearings lubed up, air pressure right in the tires, carb jetting set just where it needed to be. We were all ready.

The boys were lined up for the final, rolled off the grid and since we had a bunch of rookies in the back of the field, there was some confusion on the rolling start so they were waved off for another lap. That's when it happened.

Hunter's side-pod fell off. Well, it didn't just "fall" off...it broke off. And the rules we run under for safety state that we can not run without a side-pod. Hunter received a mechanical black flag and had to leave the track. Leave the track. Not race. His night and championship bid was over. An entire year of earning points to get to this race...gone with one broken bracket.

Heartbreak just barely begins to describe the emotions we all went through (and still going through). But we all are strong enough in our Christian faith walk to know that God will "prune" us like a gardener growing grapevines will prune a vine to produce the very best fruit. Pruning hurts, but we grow...in character...in faith..in Christ...we grow.

Hunter did great. He is our champion and we couldn't be more proud of him. We'll be back next year ready to make that championship run again. And this time...we'll be checking those side-pods, too!!

Summer Series Finale

2010-08-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm a blog slacker. Sorry about that. I think it's the heat. But our "cold front" came in today and the heat didn't get over 100*...just high 90's. So, here I am again!! LOL!

I rea

lly don't know if I can relive the last few races. They've been nail biters for us. But nothing compared to the last race of the summer series. In checking the points total for the series, Hunter was in the lead. But the last race would determine the Summer Series Champion. If Hunter won Summer 6, he would win the series. If he got 2nd place to his buddy Reilly, he would lose by only 1 point. Wow.

So, imagine my surprise when I found out on Friday night at practice that Reilly would not be racing on Saturday. A small part of me was elated that there would be no real pressure (Hunter could lose to the other kids and still win the series), but a larger part that was really bummed that he wouldn't be able to really "race" for the win.

Anyway, a couple of other parents agreed with us on that and put in a call to Reilly's parents to see if they co

uld help out in any way to get him to the track on Saturday to race. When they walked in to register on Saturday, I had to tease about my mixed emotions of them showing up (We really wanted them there), to which Reilly's dad teased back, "well, we couldn't let you walk away with it!" No, no you really couldn't!!

Heat 1 qualifying didn't go too well for Hunter. He was having some issues with the kart set up and was spinning off the track in some areas. Then came the Heat 2 pre-final race. He got behind Reilly for 2nd and just wasn't able to make a pass, so 2nd it was and 2nd was where he would start for the final.

For the Heat 3 Final, we told Hunter to go out and do his very best and if he could get ahead of Reilly at the start, he very well could hold him off for the race...hopefully. The boys rolled out on the track, lined up, came around the last corner toward the race director and....GREEN FLAG...Go! Go! Go!!!!

Hunter jumped out to the lead and for 11 3/4 of 12 laps held that lead. However, Reilly was on his tail and would nearly pass him on the same corner for many of those laps. Talk about stressed out parents watching!!!

Then it happened.

On the 2nd to last corner, Reilly made his move to pass. However, this is a banked turn and momentum will push a kart on the inside, low line, up higher...and who was in that high line? Yup. Hunter. The two collided and Hunter spun off the track. Fortunately, his kart was still running and he was able to get back on the track and finish the race. Hearts were broken, but that is racing.

Both boys were devastated. Reilly didn't want to win like that. Hunter didn't want to lose like that. But both are such good friends that it didn't take long to make up and hang out again.

But that wasn't the end. The Race Director decided (probably in the interest of safety and after hearing from corner marshals watching this corner) to penalize Reilly one race position and award Hunter 1st place.

So, we have a champion racer in the house, but more importantly were all the lessons learned that night:

GOOD Sportsmanship in ALL situations is paramount to being a great athlete.

SAFETY counts in ALL aspects of racing.

And GREAT friends can be GREAT competitors!

We're looking forward to the Fall Series season.

See you there!

Turning on the Heat!

2010-06-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a while. I've slacked off on the job of keeping Hunter's blog up. I guess it's because we went from "another 3rd place finish" to "HOLY COW! Where did THAT kid come from?!?"

We finished out the Spring season with a solid 3rd place finish. At least it's a podium trophy for the season, but this is what we looked like in Kid Karts, too...middle of the pack.

Our track hosted a benefit race for Kali's Cure for Paralysis over two days in mid-May. Scott and I decided to enter Hunter in these races. It was a decision because even though the Saturday race was for trophies, the Sunday race was for cash and we just didn't want to deal

with that kind of pressure - money races seem to be a little more intense. So come the Saturday race, we just sent him out there in pre-finals with a kiss, a high five and a "do your best". First place ran away from him, but oh, what a race it was with Hunter and the 3rd place driver. It was so close a finish, I was practically crawling over the fence, but it set Hunter up to start on the front line for the final heat.

Then it happened....

The final heat started and Hunter FLEW in front of the pack and STAYED there. I was down the fence line because I was nervous for him to hold on to 2nd place and the kid up and went in front to hold onto 1st!! The other boys were on his tail the entire time, but just couldn't find a way to get around him on the corners and Hunter would pull away from them on the straights. This Mommy was coming unglued at the fence watching this take

place.

I found out later that I was almost as much of the show as the drivers were - first time Mommy win and all! Well, my baby did it and held on to his 1st place finish. A first place trophy for Hunter - for real!!

Then on Sunday - the money race - we weren't that nervous. You know, we had the win on Saturday, so whatever happens on Sunday is fine. But do you know what? That little boy went out and won again - pre-final and final heats. And won $300 for his efforts! Where did this kid come from?

So all of that happened then we took him to the track to practice for the first Summer series race. At NTK, we reverse the direction of the track for our Summer races. So, picture it if you will - Mom and Dad coming of this high of Son winning two races back to back and we get him on the track again - in a different direction - and blah. Slow times and sloppy corners. *Sigh* It's like running a new track, so we figured it'd take him most of the season to come along.

Then last weekend at Summer 1 -- his times dropped to where they were for the Kali's Cure races, and he was keeping up with the leader and the others couldn't get around him. And for the final - Luck! The leader dropped his chain and was out of the race and Hunter ended up with another 1st place finish!

We've got a lot of work to do on his corners still, but wow! He is starting to really turn on the heat!!

NTK Spring 4 - Over and Done!

2010-04-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

It almost didn't happen for us on Saturday. At Friday night practice, we were ready to call it a night and get the kids home relatively early and in bed to rest for the busy Saturday that was coming. Scott and I picked up the kart, put in on the stand and rolled the back wheels to make sure the stand wasn't rubbing anywhere....when it happened.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG....

Not a good sound on a kart.

Turns out, it was the clutch we knew needed to be replaced, but were hoping that we'd get another race or two out of before replacing. And naturally, we didn't have a spare one just laying around. Fortunately for us, one of the racing Dads whose son just moved up from our class still had an old clutch laying around. He disclaimer'ed it saying it *may* make it through Saturday. After breaking a screw off in it and then working to get that out, replacing the clutch, and putting it all back together, we finally got home around 11pm. So much for an early bedtime for the kids. BUT, Hunter would get to race on Saturday.

Come Saturday's race, all was well and Hunter did a great job. He hung up there with the two faster kids in his class and raced his heart out. We brought home another 3rd place ribbon and some more experience.

We'll just keep practicing...and order a new clutch.

Oh....My....Gosh!!!! Spring 3

2010-03-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

The title says it all for me. I am completely in awe of my little boy. We had our Spring 3 race last night - our first Saturday night, under the lights, race of the season. And what promised to be a nice day weather-wise turned into a bitterly cold and windy evening. But that didn't matter to the action on the track in the TAG Cadet class.

We had 6 kids racing together last night in our group. For the 5-minute qualifying heat, Hunter got caught behind a kid who spun out and he ran into to kid. But he jumped back into the racing action and caught up with the back two and worked until he passed them both to get a good lap time and be able to start in 3rd position for the pre-final heat. But his kart suffered a bruise. The front nose cone was bashed in a bit. Oh, the drama of seeing his wrecked kart after he came back in to the pit area...but it got popped back out...racin' is rubbin' ya know!

Then came the pre-final heat. Hunter was gridded up to start in 3rd position, but all of a sudden, Reilly's kart stopped running...bad clutch. So that put Hunter up in 2nd position. But Gunnr is a seasoned veteran in the TAG Cadet class and we didn't think Hunter would be able to keep up with him. OH BUT GUESS AGAIN!!! At the drop of the green flag, Hunter took off and flew in front of Gunnr and STAYED THERE for half of the heat...but Gunnr was right on his tail the entire time. Finally, Gunnr managed to pass Hunter and took off for the win of heat 2. But my stress level was through the roof watching that. I've never been so proud of my son!!!

Finally came the Final heat of the night - this was the points race - the place ribbons race - all the marbles so to speak. Hunter was gridded in 2nd position right by Gunnr with Reilly now back in the race right behind Hunter (I'd tell you the other kids, but I don't know them yet). There was a confusion on the track as the kids were doing their warm up laps and then needing to slow down to line up together for their rolling start. We had one kart that was 1/2 a lap behind the pack so they had to go around the track again, but then that kart pulled off the track for problems. Then once we thought they were ready to go, another kart pulled in front of the pack away from his starting position and we thought we would have to do another lap, but the flagman chose to start the race anyway. With the exception that Gunnr, Hunter, and Reilly had to try to get around the stray kart in the front (again, he was not supposed to be there). Gunnr got the jump on the lead this time, but Hunter and Reilly were right there with him (see attached video). The they had the #57 to try to pass - this was our wayward kart, but they all three got around him and it looked like a good race brewing. But Gunnr finally pulled away for a comfortable lead.

But the race was for 2nd.

Hunter and Reilly stuck together like glue for the majority of the race. Their karts sounded like they were in perfect sync with each other. They looked GREAT! Reilly would try to pass Hunter on the straightaways, but Hunter would pull away from him. I was so stressed watching all this, yelling and clapping. I was beat, but excited. At last, Reilly caught and passed Hunter for 2nd and then we got to the checkered flag and 3rd place. But that still counts! He came home with a white ribbon and points for 3rd place.

Ah....racing. Love it!! And OH....MY....GOODNESS!!!!

Spring 1 - Done and Movin' On

2010-03-15T12:58:00.000-05:00

So, we decided for Hunter to go ahead and race the first race of the season at NTK on Sunday. He was super excited!!

He didn't have his times down to where we wanted them on Saturday, but he did get down to :47 second laps on Sunday.

And he finished 2nd!!

Okay, okay, there were only two karts racing in his class, but it's still 2nd place points!

One boy had an accident during practice and banged up his elbow pretty badly and damaged his kart, so he was out, then another racer did something to her kart during practice, so they packed up and left, which left Hunter and another boy to race. The other kid is in his 2nd season in this kart so he had at least a 4-5 second lead on Hunter per lap. But that was okay. We got seat time.

I took a little video of the first lap on the final heat of the day for Hunter. Boy, he looked good on the start...he jumped up front and looked like he wanted to stay there...until...well, we have some corner work to do as you'll see, but bless his little heart he did good!! We are so proud of him.

We're not racing in Spring 2 next week...Dad is working the race so Hunter will just collect the 1st place points for that (cool deal, huh!). But we'll get some corner work down for Spring 3 on Saturday, March 27th at 6PM. Come on out!

Back in the Saddle...or Kart Seat, that is...

2010-03-13T08:40:00.000-06:00

We are racing again!! The track re-opened in January from our paving and weather delay adventure and Hunter raced one last race in his Kid Kart in January.

Now we are moving up to the next class: TAG Cadet 1. (pic - we haven't put his # on it yet) This kart is bigger and faster for him and we thought it would take a long time for him to get to speed. After all, his first time out in this kart had him running slower times than he did his first time out in his Kid Kart. Yipes!

And with more weather delays during January and February, it wasn't easy to just run to the track for some practice. So, with the Spring racing season starting this Sunday, March 14th, we jumped on the good weather this week and took him to the track. We were really not expecting to be able to race this Sunday or even maybe next Sunday...possibly if he really worked hard, we might make it for Spring 3 race. But Hunter told Daddy that he would do whatever it takes to get up to speed so he could race in Spring 1. Uh-huh. Hunter has always been such an overly cautious boy - holding on to fear - that we really didn't see it happening too quickly, but we were willing to work with him.

So we went out Wednesday to the track and he brought his time up from 1:10 a lap to 1:02 a lap....he needs to be at :47 seconds a lap to race - and this will be on the low side of his class. Then we pulled Hunter out of school a little early yesterday and went to the track to practice. A Kid Kart friend of his showed up to practice and with that little bit of competition to push him...

Oh...My...Goodness...!!!

The boy started running :56, then :54, then, :52, then consistent :51 second laps. We were thrilled and told him how great that was and how proud we were of him, but that it had to get faster still to race on Sunday. Before we left, he clocked in consistent :49 second laps.

We are ALMOST there! He has shown us he is determined to get this down and race. And I think one he is out with the even faster karts in his class, that will push him even more to get it down. So, we are going to the track today for more practice....

I think we'll be racing on Sunday. Maybe we'll see you there!!

Been Too Long....

2009-10-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes, it has been way too long since our last update on Hunter's karting "career". But alas, the scheduled race for October 17th has been canceled. Our track is undergoing a repaving, but Mother Nature has not cooperated with the proposed schedule. The base is too wet to pave right now, so we have to wait...and pray...for a few days of drying weather. And according to the nightly news, I don't know if we have that coming.

Funny thing about the rain, though, in my pre-school class, we've been teaching the kids about Noah and the Ark. In discussing the constant rain for 40 days and nights, I've noticed some worried four year old faces- no, don't worry kiddos, our rain does stop occasionally and God did promise not to do that again.

Anyway...North Texas Kartways will be represented at Texas Motor Speedway during the weekend of the Dickies 500- November 5-8 on the Midway. Come by and see us if you are out there. Special race day to inagurate our newly paved track is on the schedule for November 15th.

Summer 6 - Complete with Motor

2009-08-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

I've been getting emails and phone calls, so I figured I'd better post something about the boy's run the other night.

We were able to borrow a motor for the race...two actually. Scott and Hunter took off for the track in hopes that a spare motor would be available to use for the night. Hadyn and I followed a little later to find out that yes, there was a motor to borrow and that there were TEN Kid Karters running that night. Wow!! I was told later that in the days of old (you know, a few years back) this was the norm. We've had five or max of six this year, but ten?? Awesome!! So we were even more thrilled to have such a great networks of families at the track to tap into in a time of need. Yes, needing a motor to race is a great time of need.

So, with motor one mounted, Hunter took off for practice and ran pitiful times. His first qualifying heat was pretty pathetic, too, given where he was getting up to before his engine went caput. But we all kept reminding ourselves how grateful we ALL were that he was even able to race.

Our friend Steve, who is the go-to guy for parts at the track, offered up the second motor (first being his, too). He knew the second one was a fast motor, so let's just see what Hunter could do with it. So his next two heats were a bit better - he ended up middle of the pack in 5th. However, we know that with that motor, he could've led the pack, so he still needs a lot of seat time (practice).

Today, Scott tore the motor apart and discovered ugly ruts/grooves in the piston and head - looks like we'll be pouring more money into the pit. But we have time. The track is closed for September for repaving. We'll be ready for October.

Racing...gotta love it!

Here's a pic of lil' sis "driving" the kart. I'll bet that we'll be seeing more of this in a few years.

Ah, Man! Again?

2009-08-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I was going to post something last week about Hunter's last race and I didn't get around to it, then I was planning to post an update tonight for tomorrow's race after what I was hoping to be an awesome practice.

But, the best laid plans....

Okay, last race, we had to run on a borrowed motor. Actually, we ran on two borrowed motors. We started out with one and when another dad took pity on our horrible lap times and brought us another one, we changed out and ran a little bit better (like how I say "we" as if I'm actually in the kart myself? - It's a family activity - I can say "we"). But we were anxious to get Hunter's motor back. We did, and Scott got it put back on the kart, got the new carburetor put on, worked the motor to break in the new piston and rings, basically, did everything we were supposed to do.

So, we took off for the track tonight for a little practice and "make sure" everything was in place. I was just expecting Hunter to fly on his new stuff. And fly he did. To the first turn where a loud "POP!" ended his run for this weekend. The piston, the new piston, broke. Literally. Broke. Looks like someone carved a big chunk right off the top of it. Even I knew that didn't look good. Guys were coming over to look at it with a flash light and make "ewww", "ouch", and "wow" noises.

I'm bummed. Dad is bummed. I don't think it has sunk in for Hunter yet. It will tomorrow if we can't find a motor to borrow to race. And this is the last race of the season. The track will be closed for a month to repave.

*sigh* I know. This is racing. I don't think I'm liking this part of racing right now.

Summer 5 - Only 2 More Until Repaving!

2009-08-13T08:55:00.001-05:00

We have two more races this Summer before the track is closed for repaving. Our Fall Series schedule has been disrupted by this, but it needs to be done and ohhhhh, won't the racers enjoy a nice, new, sleek track to race on!!

So, this Saturday, August 15th and Saturday, August 29th will round out the Summer Series races at NTK. They'll pick back up with some non-points racing in October after the paving is finished.

I heard at the club members meeting that there is a special benefit race for next Spring in the works. This race will be to benefit Kali's Cure for Paralysis. There is a lot of buzz generating on getting country stars and racing stars to come to our track for this benefit. The organizer of this benefit will be at the race this Saturday selling raffle tickets for a car giveaway. There is a Jaguar of some kind up for giveaway for Kali's Cure. Tickets are $50 each or 6 for $250. Come on out and find Jim Hickerson for your tickets to help Kali's Cure and have a chance at a baby blue Jaguar (again, can't remember what year/model/etc.).

Race starts at 6PM!

The Thrill of Victory....The Agony of Defeat

2009-08-02T10:04:00.001-05:00

Wow!! Wow!! Wow!!

Summer 4 at North Texas Kartways started out GREAT for our Speed Racer, Hunter. Now that he is out of rookie status, he doesn't have to start at the back of the pack and try to catch up. Well, starting on the front row worked well for him during the qualifying heat. Hunter took off like a flash and stayed out in front for the entire 8 laps! He even pulled ahead of the other 4 karts and put a great deal of cushion between him and them for a fantastic finish. There was a delayed reaction when he took the checkered flag...one that almost said, "who's that for? Oh YEAH, MEEEEE!!"

However, the thrill of victory was short lived. Last night was also the last race for the Red River Regional Series race, so when we went out to qualify for that race, things did not go so well for Hunter. With no set up change from the first heat to this one, we lost on average 4 seconds a lap which put him dead last. The only thing that changed was the weather. It went from hot to cooler and cloudy. And Scott and I are not experienced or knowledgable enough to know how to change the set up according to weather.

With there being a club race and a regional race last night, Hunter ended up running a total of 6 heats last night, broke a chain, lost some set screws on the rear axel, passed some karts, got passed by others and we didn't leave until 11:30 last night. By the time the last couple of heats came up, we had made enough changes to get some of his time back, but nothing like he ran in the first heat. I guess we'll be experimenting with his fuel mixture based on weather. Anyone really good at formulaic equations for stuff like this?

We are so proud of how well he is doing with all of this. Even with the bad runs he had, he never quit, he kept running until he crossed that line. That's racing, folks.

On another note, we are so very proud of our little NTK friends who went to Kid Kart Nationals in St. Louis this past weekend. Reilly won 2nd place in nationals in the unrestricted class!!! His trophy is almost as big as he is. Our Tulsa friend Paige, placed well too, in nationals. Ryan and James placed 1st and 8th in the restricted class. Way to go kiddos!! We are so very proud of all of you!!!

Diagnosis: Heat Exhaustion

2009-07-12T10:41:00.001-05:00

Saturday night's race did not end the way we imagined. We imagined his last rookie race to go great and then he would be awarded not only his ribbon for competing, but also his white plate to replace his orange rookie number plate. But no. Not this Saturday.

We have coached Hunter repeatedly on drinking a lot of water and have provided him with bottles of water and replenishing drinks as well as insisting he peel out of his firesuit as soon as he is off the track.

The problem with coaching is that sometimes the coach-ee does not always apply the teaching. I was working in the gatehouse (in the air-conditioning) doing registrations yesterday so I was not on hand to enforce the rules and Scott was working on the kart and had repeated the rules but apparently, they were not applied. I think Hunter was drinking, but not enough, and he and his friends were running between from trailer to trailer and goofing off inside the trailers (although they were air-conditioned). And he was only dropping his suit down to his waist - all the boys were doing the same - and not taking it completely off.

As the first heat was ready to start in the 109* heat, Hunter told me his tummy was hurting. At this time, my Mom senses were telling me it was heat, but I also knew he had not had dinner yet, so I ran back to the truck to get a cool neck wrap for him and his poweraide drink. I cooled his neck down and he wanted to go race. He completed the first heat, but when we pulled him out of his kart, I could tell, it was not good.

He was taken to an air cooled room and then Brad, our track paramedic came in to look at him. He put ice bags under Hunter arms. The child I was listening to was not our Hunter. He was sick, tired, weak, eye hurting, just wanting to lay down, and just generally, not well. After a while, Brad advised us not to have him in the heat any more today and we might want to consider taking him to the hospital for evaluation and possibly IV fluids. After getting him back to the car and watching him for a few minutes, we did take him to the hospital in Denton.

At the hospital he was given an IV for fluids and a popcicle for a treat. After getting the fluids into his little body, he was a new kid. Our sweet little boy was back and better than ever.

Lesson learned for sure - HYDRATE 3 days before an outdoor activity, keep cool, and get that suit off!!

But the good news is: since he took the green flag for one heat, he was signed out of rookie status and has his white plate!!

Last Rookie Race?

2009-07-09T09:36:00.001-05:00

This coming Saturday is the Summer 3 race at North Texas Kartway. It could actually be Hunter's last race as a Kid Kart rookie. Possibly.

I say possibly because NTK is a member run club dependent on the club members, family, and friends to volunteer to work each race. And from what I've seen on the forum so far, we have scoring, registration, scales, and gatehouse covered - all moms/wives positions. And as great as this is, unless the corners are covered on the track with volunteers, we don't race.

The Race Director can cancel the race if he does not have enough volunteers up to 24 hours in advance of the race - which means by 6pm tomorrow night (Friday), but may allow us all to get there on Saturday, register, then beg for volunteers - the "if you want to race, you'll get out and work" tactic.

However it has to work, I just hope and pray we can race so we can finally be rid of that orange rookie plate and Hunter can start in the position he qualifies in.

Praying. Keep you informed.

Kid Kart Volunteer Day at the Races

2009-06-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

Well, Hunter didn't lose his rookie status orange number plate this weekend. He didn't run a race. There was a call for the Kid Karts as a class to not race and to instead work the race. I volunteered to work registration and Scott was on standby as a corner worker, but was not needed. There was another dad who was also on standby, but was also not needed, so we thought maybe the two boys could run the race, but it was decided to pull out as a whole class.

So, we got to watch some awesome karting in 103 degree heat until the sun started to set. Hunter and all his Kid Kart friends were running and playing all night long. So he had fun anyway.

In addition to the great Kart racing, there is the Northstar Dragway right by North Texas Kartway. So we can hear the drag racing and see the end of their strip from our track. A skidding-braking sound caught our attention and we looked over at the dragway just in time to see a car tumbling over and over and over before coming to rest. Our paramedic heard the radio chatter that the driver was complaining of only a sore side. Ambulances were called in for what we assumed to be just procedural checking for an accident of that magnitude. But then finally we saw CareFlight coming in. We pray that this driver is okay today. It looked like a nasty wreck - I imagine it was a lot worse close up!!

Next race - July 11th.

Hot. Just Too Hot.

2009-06-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

We have a race on Saturday. The weather is predicting 100+ temps all this week and weekend. And Hunter will be practicing and racing in the heat of the day. So, even though we would love for you to come out and cheer him on, we will certainly understand if you choose to sit in your nice air conditioned homes drinking nice iced down cool beverages. Just please think of Hunter often!

I have two nephews serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Andrew, the Marine in Afghanistan, was able to acquire a few precious minutes on a satellite phone to call home. His one request/desire: a refrigerator. They are tired of warm/hot drinks in that heat. Can you imagine?

So, yeah, I'll whine a bit about the heat and my little bitty being in full racing gear, but at least I can cool him off and give him iced down drinks and then we can go home to our cool house.

Post more after the race!

Birthday Run

2009-06-08T09:09:00.001-05:00

Hunter had a great birthday yesterday! He had a choice of having a birthday party at home or racing (with a smallish party at the track) and he chose racing.

Even with the heat, it wasn't too bad. We had a nice breeze blowing all day, so it was bearable for a daytime race. Hunter broke his carburetor on Friday night during practice, so we were using a borrowed carb. He was turning some really good times during practice. Then we had some other issues and thankfully for the good sports of other dads (Scott was still at work), those problems were fixed and we were good to go.

He had a really good qualifying run and then he and his race buddies met at our pit stall for birthday cake. Hunter opened his box of NASCAR's from Mom and Dad (he collects and plays with the 1:64 diecast cars). Seems that all the karting boys like NASCAR and Lego's, which was what Hunter was getting for his day.

Heat 2 - Pre Final went pretty good for Hunter. It would have been better, but one of the kiddos was black flagged for blocking another racer and had to leave the track. In leaving the track, he slowed down right in front of Hunter, which made him slow down and he ended up losing a position in that race, but up until then, he was flying!

Heat 3 - Final. For some reason, Hunter was not prepared to leave the start/finish line at the green flag and did not get his good start. He was in fourth place keeping up with the pack and then he spun out at a corner and dropped even further back from the pack. He knew he could not catch up but he did not quit. He raced hard to finish strong. Of course he was so bummed out when he came off the track, but it didn't last long. Once the boys hit the tech barn for the awards, he had cheered up and was goofing off with all of them.

I told Hunter I was so proud of him. He raced even though he knew he would not win. He was bummed, but he knows this is just part of racing.

Yeah, I think I have a racer on my hands. Love it!!

Hunter's 8th Birthday - Sunday Race

2009-06-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

If you are anywhere near North Texas Kartways this Sunday, June 7th, starting at 1PM, please come join us for a great Sunday afternoon of kart racing and to celebrate Hunter's 8th birthday.

His birthday is Sunday and we decided to have his cake and "eat it, too!" so to speak at the race track. He was excited about having a race on his day and sharing it with his family and friends at the track.

We hope you will be able to join us!

Whoo! What a Race!!

2009-05-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

Wow! I haven't seen a race this close in a while!! Our little karter, Hunter, did great last night. He was running 55 second laps during qualifying and running really good. This was his fourth race under rookie status, so we have two more to go and then he'll be out of rookie in this class for the rest of the year. Which means, he'll be able to start where he qualifies instead of a the back of the pack. But with Hunter, that doesn't seem to make too much of a difference.

For some reason, even though he doesn't have the speed on the straightaways that some of the others do, he has the speed and pickup on the starting line. During the pre-final heat, Hunter bolted off the starting line and caught up with the others and was in 3rd position for a while, but eventually got caught by another and ended up in 4th.

But the final heat was the race. It was under the lights and was a real race! Hunter, starting from the back, bolted off the line and passed 1, 2, 3 kiddos to get up to 3rd position and held on to it for the entire race! Reilly and Parker were battling out 1st and 2nd and that was a good show to watch, but a couple of seconds back from them was the battle for 3rd between, Hunter, Aryton, and James. Oh my goodness! These three boys were stuck to each other like glue and Hunter was not giving up his spot. They couldn't catch and pass him on the straights and he owned the corners with them. I was so excited for him!! I became that mom standing at the fence yelling "tuck down, tuck down, faster, faster, go faster!!!!" And when he crossed the finish line in 3rd I jumped in the air cheering along with several others around me who were cheering for our boys!

Wow! All Kid Kart class kids are awarded first place ribbons and trophies so we have a new ribbon to add to the wall. It was so cool to see him run like that. I hope more of you can make it out sometime to watch him run!

Oh, yeah, one of the coolest things is watching the boys (and girls) before and after the races. They are the best of buddies. They all can't wait to get to the track to see each other and play together all day. But when it is time to race, they are competitors. But they aren't out of the tech barn and their karts before they are high-fiving each other and off to run and play again.

I love this sport.

(picture: Ella, Parker, Reilly, Hunter, Aryton, and James - Kid Kart class 5/30/09)

Countdown to Saturday and NO RAIN???

2009-05-27T15:06:00.001-05:00

Saturday, May 30th is coming up and hopefully we will have no rain on that day. Way far out extended forecasts are showing a clear day, but we'll see. If you are in the area and can make it, we'll start racing at 6PM. Hunter's class is always first up.

Also, Sunday, June 7th is Hunter's 8th birthday!! We will be having his "party" at the track this year. Just cake and melted ice cream, good company and great kart racing. Come on out and support our local track and our 8 year old little boy!!

That's the Way it Works

2009-05-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

For any of those that are really following our blog, you may have noticed that we included a race date for today in Waco. But after watching the local weather all this week and even up to last night, the potential for rain here and in Waco was just too high for us to load everything up and drive 2 hours to "maybe" get to race.

Of course, now that I look at the weather and forecast, there is no rain here or there right now and there may be some rain late tonight in Waco.

Bummer.

But on the bright side, we been having a great family day and are watching the NASCAR All-Star Race on TV tonight.

Silver linings, baby, silver linings.

Rain, Rain, Go Around NTK Please???

2009-05-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

Eech. Well, it started out to be a good race day. It was nice and warm, a little humid and overcast, but no rain. There was a threat of rain in the afternoon forecast, but Hunter had been praying fervently all day, so he was pretty sure it wouldn't rain.

By the time we got to the track, it was no longer nice and warm, but windy and cold. And we didn't take jackets with us. Silly us. May 9th and we didn't take jackets. What were we thinking? Oh, I don't know, maybe that IT'S MAY???? But yes, I know, it's May in Texas, which means the weather can change on a dime.

Anyway, we got in three practice sessions before driver's meeting. Then after a short delay, the race got underway with the qualifying heat. Hunter did GREAT!!! He finished in 2nd place! It was great to see him run so well and with such improvement.

Scott tweaked on the kart a bit more for the 2nd heat. Remember, Hunter is still under rookie status, so he always has to start at the back of the pack. Immediately off the line he passed two kids and caught up with the leader. I was so excited for him. Whatever Scott did was working.

Then it happened. The kart stalled off of turn 1 on the 2nd lap. There was no starting it back up. She was gone...for this heat anyway. And I had a heartbroken little boy on my hands.

It was a minuscule piece of something - grass, dirt, etc. in the carburetor. Scott and Carl cleaned it all out and got the kart ready for the final heat. But it was not to happen. Droplets of moisture fell from the sky. The weather service assured NTK that is was not rain, but dew, mist, condensation. Uh huh. Look, if it's wet and falls from the sky, it's rain, okay?

After several minutes of waiting for a clearing, it was finally decided to call the race. Hunter was devastated. "Mom, I prayed for no rain. What did I do wrong?" I just calmly and gently assured Hunter that he had done nothing wrong, simply that God answers prayers with "yes" or "I have another reason and purpose". We also discussed that this is just racing - sometimes you have to fight weather, sometimes it's mechanical problems or an accident.

Anyway, he did great for what he got to run. He'll be wishing for some cooling rain come this summer in the heat and him in that full fire suit and gear!!

(picture of Hunter & Aryton and their 1st place ribbons - all kid karts get 1st place)

Race Weekend - Let's Try This Again!

2009-05-08T13:35:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, our schedule race was rained out. This weekend, we have a 40% chance for showers in the afternoon. I'm praying that those showers will miss the NTK track!

Scott and Hunter just left to go practice a little bit. We're still having some kart issues - seems to have lost some power and we don't know why. But, Hunter is anxious just to get back out there and race.

If you are around, come on out!! Saturday night at North Texas Kartways at 6PM.

Race #3 - Will it Happen?

2009-05-02T09:37:00.000-05:00

Detailed Local Forecast for Denton, TX:

Today: Cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Tonight: Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Scott's plan is for us to continue on as usual. Plan to go. Pack it all up, tarp it up and go. We live in Texas - and if you don't like the weather, stick around for a little while - it'll change. But in looking at this picture, I'm not so sure the weather people are too off target in this prediction. Look at what is coming in toward us!!

Hunter will be so upset if he doesn't get to race today, but we will have another scheduled race next week, too, and we may go back to Waco the following Saturday.

I'm sorry for my baby boy, but we need the rain - we have to make it through a hot Texas summer, so let's get all the rain we can now!

I'm still praying for this to be moving a whole lot slower than what it looks like.

Rain in the Forecast? Must be Race Weekend.

2009-04-28T09:22:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I saw the 7 day extended forecast. Rain. Rain everyday.

Which can only mean one thing: it's race weekend.

We need to do some work on the kart. It's running slower for some reason. Not sure why. So, if it rained this Saturday, it would give Scott more time to figure it out before the next weekend's race, but then Hunter would be devastated. He is so excited for his next race.

Well, we'll see what tonight's weather has changed.

Traveling Time - Waco, TX

2009-04-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

(see, I'm not the only Mom who has to dress her racer!)

This past Saturday, we made an impromtu trip to Waco, TX for a race. The coach that worked with Hunter at NTK told me that we needed to take him to Waco to race. Ummm, okay. They had a race on Saturday, we didn't at NTK, so we borrowed a truck & trailer from Scott's step-dad, loaded up and went.

It had been raining all day Friday and Saturday morning here and in watching the weather, Waco was getting more of it, but we chanced it and went anyway. As we got to the track under sunny skies, we saw people out on the track brushing away the puddles of water. We also noticed there weren't that many people at this track at all. At NTK on race day, almost the entire pit runner would be full by this time. Here, not so much. So we were concerned whether or not to unload. I went and talked to some people and we decided to park and unload. Fortunately, another kid karter showed up before registration time.

As Hunter took the track to practice, I was still wondering why in the world did Chris (coach) tell us to come here. It was smaller, seemingly unorganized (rain played havoc with things), and well, just dinky if I were to be snobby about it (I'm so sorry for that). But after Hunter spun out on each and every corner - wet or not, I started to see the light...a subtle glow, if you will. Then when Joe, the other kid karter took the track, the reason was obvious. Hunter can hang with the other boys at NTK - he's making good time, but here, nope. Joe blew Hunter out of the water. This 6 year old kid slid around every corner where Hunter was still trying to drive around them. And Joe knew where to go to pass Hunter on the corners, which is a big no-no at NTK.

Once Hunter got some footing, so to speak, under him, he started doing better. He couldn't keep up with Joe, but he didn't get lapped either. It was a good learning and training experience for us all. I learned that Hadyn really needs to stay with someone else on race days, Hunter got to learn a new track to which will need to go race some more, and Dad met a very helpful fellow who gave him all sorts of tech advice.

They were all very friendly and we had a good time. And everyone at the track was amazed that this was only Hunter's 3rd race and he was doing as well at their track as he was. The consensus at Waco was "if you can race good here, you will be great everywhere else".

Ahhhh, now I see the light, Chris. Thanks for that.

Race #2 - Rained Out - Sort of...

2009-04-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

Hunter had his second race at NTK this past Saturday. He did great!! We got there just in time for him to do a couple of controlled practices and then hit the drivers meeting.

During the meeting, the race director called out the group starting order, in which Kid Karts are always Group 1 in each heat (3 heats total). But this time, he also called a Group 11 Kid Kart class, this one being for the Red River Regional Shootout Series. This is a series of races between NTK and the Tulsa, OK, track. After talking to a few dads, I went ahead and got Hunter signed up for the Shootout, even though we won't make the Tulsa races - well, one may be doable for us. With this entry, this meant Hunter would be running 6 total heats - and he was thrilled with that.

We ran the first regular club heat and he was outstanding!! A young little lady from Tulsa ran away with the race, but our four local boys stuck together in a tight little pack making a good race. It was great right up until the end when Hunter spun out and lost a little time, but he still finished strong running 55 second laps! This is a great improvement from his 1st race.

Then we were called up for the RRR Shootout Heat 1, and Hunter moved up to 3rd place within 2 laps of that heat, then it started raining. Red flag came out and we moved the kids into the tech barn to see if the rain would pass. It did and then they got to roll back out to the track to have a rolling restart - Big Guy style!

Then came heat 2 of the the regular club race and Hunter was passing kids and doing great. But we noticed that he seemed to be losing steam, so to speak. After he was done, we ran back the the truck to check out the kart, but since Scott (Dad) wasn't there yet due to Easter services at church, we didn't know what really to look for (Mom and Cousin Carl were pit crew for Hunter last night).

Finally, the rain really started to pour and NTK canceled the races altogether. So we cleaned everything up, loaded up and went to the tech barn for the awards. Hunter came out with 2 blue ribbons last night since he was running 2 races (all Kid Karts are awarded first place).

After we got the kart home and Dad was able to look at it, it was discovered that the spark plug had wiggled loose and that was causing him to lose power. Good thing the races were canceled when they were. I wouldn't have known to look for that and he would have stalled on the track.

Next race is May 2nd! Hunter is ready and waiting!!

Race #2 This Saturday!

2009-04-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

We are almost ready for Race #2 this coming Saturday. We took Hunter out to NTK on Saturday evening to practice are going back out tonight for some more.

I've been on the phone and web all afternoon ordering new "club required" tires and parts for the kart. Man, it was no joke when I was told this is a money pit! But right now, it is well worth it. Yeah, eating is overrated. HA!

I was watching my little boy practice his corners the other day and was amazed at the control he has. I was thinking that he looked like he has been doing this for 10 years, but he's only 7 and this will only be his 2nd race ever. His mentor coach had told us that he had a natural ability and when I thought about it I remembered our Batman days. Santa brought Hunter an electric powered Batmobile for Christmas four years ago and when Hunter would drive it in the cul-de-sac, he would lean into his turns like a pro - at age 4. And this was before he got us all into NASCAR.

I'm excited for his race this weekend. If you're in the neighborhood of North Texas, stop on by. Schedule and map are on the side.

(picture at the top by Craig Maccubbin - this is the pic that Jeff Hammond told Hunter he needed to cut his hair! LOL!)

Off Topic Part II - Robert Richardson, Jr

2009-04-04T09:08:00.001-05:00

We had a fabulous day yesterday. We dropped Hadyn off at a friend's house for an all day play date and the three of us (Mom, Dad, and Hunter) cruised out to Texas Motor Speedway for NASCAR Sprint Cup practice and qualifying. We walked around and collected all sorts of neat NASCAR trinkets around the midway. We also found ourselves on TV during the live recording of NASCAR Live! on Speed. Cool!!

But the highlight of our day came after leaving TMS. We came flying back to McKinney to hopefully make it to a meet and greet with Robert Richardson, Jr. Robert is a NASCAR Nationwide Series and in a couple of weeks Sprint Cup Series driver AND Robert is from McKinney! He grew up here and played football for the McKinney Lions. He went to SMU to play football, too. But somewhere in there got the racing bug and has moved up through the ranks to NASCAR's elite levels of racing. Since he is not on one of the "Big" teams (his dad is his team owner), he has to literally race his way into a race. There are a certain number of cars that do not have enough "owners points" to make each race, so he may not make each race. Therefore, we need to really cheer on our local guy!!

Anyway, we did make to to see Robert and got to spend some great time with him. He and Hunter got to hang out and swap autographed pictures - at Robert's request! In this picture Robert is holding the autographed karting pic of Hunter and Hunter is holding his autographed pic of Robert. How cool! Then Robert put Hunter into his Sprint Cup car (top picture). This car is the actual car that will be qualifying to race at Talledega in a few weeks. So when we watch that car at Talledega we will be cheering even more so, because Hunter sat down in that car!!! When asked if we were going to make it to the race at TMS today (Nationwide) or on Sunday (Sprint Cup), we had to say no. We laughed and said that now that we're into karting, we've made some alternate budget choices. Robert and his dad laughed and then Robert winked at Hunter and told him that maybe he could hook him up with some sponsorship down the road. Now, we could go for that! ;)

Hunter has been floating on cloud nine since Wednesday and getting to see Jeff Hammond and David Ragan again and now with this, I just don't know if I'll ever get him down again. That's okay, Mom is floating up there with him just so happy for him!

Fun times!!

Off Topic - a bit - Hunter, David Ragan, and Jeff Hammond

2009-04-01T17:54:00.001-05:00

This entry isn't about Hunter's karting, but it IS about Hunter!! We went to Grapevine today to see David Ragan (NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series #6 driver) and Jeff Hammond (FOX Sports NASCAR announcer and former crew chief and then some). We met both guys in November and got pictures and autographs, but Hunter wanted to go see David again.

This time, though, we took pictures of Hunter racing his kart (thank you, Craig Maccubbin!). Both guys enjoyed looking at Hunter's pictures and talking to him about his kart. Jeff asked Scott if he (Dad) was enjoying it and having fun. He said his best memories are of him and his dad racing on the dirt track. David told Hunter to keep having fun with it, too! David also told Hunter that he remembered meeting him in November. Talk about making a kids day!

After the line passed through and we were still lingering, Hunter and I went back over to David and talked to him some more. Hunter offered to sign one of his karting pictures for David and David gladly accepted. Hunter signed, "To: David From: Hunter". It was great! I wish I had thought to take a picture of that. David talked to us more about racing and about where we live and that Robert Richardson, Jr. is from here, too (NASCAR Nationwide Series driver). We actually met Robert at Market Street last year and hopefully will meet up with him again this Friday.

Anyway, I thought it was cool. Maybe one day Hunter will be racing in the Sprint Cup series along with an older David Ragan.

Hmmm...

Our Week Off

2009-03-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

We took this past week off from racing. Hunter did such a great job in preparing for his first race and did awesome there and since we had three weeks between races this time, Scott opted for a week of rest. Good call.

When we started talking about this back in January/February, it was the cost of it that really deterred us from making a snap decision. But after watching a race and asking tons of questions, we wanted to try one out. We did try a kart out and still wasn't sure if this was for our family. Hunter was never giving us a real clear signal on if this was something he really wanted to do or if was just something to pass time. For us, this was too expensive just to pass time away.

I prayed and prayed for an answer on what to do, but God just wasn't handing an answer over to me. Scott would ask me my opinion and I just waffled. I didn't know what to do.

So, one Wednesday morning the kids and I were heading out to my bible study class. I had told Scott that we really needed to let the dad with the kart we tried out know if we were taking it or not. One of Scott's concerns was where we were going to keep a kart - we have a two car garage, and we want both cars IN the garage. On our way back from study, I told Hunter that if he really, really wanted to race, he needed to let his daddy know that and he and I discussed how to rearrange the garage so we could put a kart in it.

We got home and Hunter went to talk to Scott. He told Scott that he really wanted to race and told him our thoughts for the garage. Scott just sighed, looked at me then back at Hunter and said, "well, you and Mom better get out to the garage and start cleaning it out, because we are going to get your kart at 4pm today." I was shocked and so was Hunter. Then we saw how excited Hunter truly was about this. He started crying and hugging us. I think he was afraid to get too excited before.

Anyway, that's how it started and I'm so glad you are with us on this ride. We are having a blast and we welcome you to come watch a race! The schedule and map are posted on the right.

We Survived the First Race!! - with Video

2009-03-23T17:05:00.001-05:00

Whew! The first race is over and it was a great day! Scott was a nervous wreck the night before and had to go to work at the church on Sunday morning, so Carl (Scott's young cousin) and I loaded the kart, gear, and driver and headed to the the track. Nick (Carl's younger brother) stayed at our house to watch Hadyn until race time.

We must have gotten to the track at a good time for registration as I didn't have to wait in a long line, but there was one behind me when we were done. The pit runner was pretty full of trucks and trailers by the time we got there (10AM!) so we were pretty far down the runner. I wish now I would've worn my pedometer so I could see how much I walked and ran yesterday.

Carl and I unloaded the kart and gear and Hunter jumped into his firesuit and started playing/talking with the other kids around us. We rolled the kart to the tech barn for a safety tech inspection and the run down on the practice expectations. We passed safety tech and went all the way back to the truck, got Hunter ready to go out and rolled back to the grid for his first practice of the day.

His coach was watching him and advised me to do some set up changes on the kart. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, Carl or I neither one were sure on what to do, but finally found someone to help and got it done. Hunter got to run a couple more practices and during the in-between times, we made more setup changes.

Finally we got to go to the drivers meeting, get the announcements, rules, expectations, lineup and the "let's go!" from the race diretor. Again, back to the truck to get the kart and gear and off to the grid for the start. I was on the phone with Scott nearly the entire time because he had left the church and was "flying" to get there in time. The four young drivers lined up on the grid and took off to go line up on the other side of the track for the start.

Off they went for 8 laps of Heat 1. Hunter did GREAT...for most of the first lap and then he spun out on turn 8. Bummer. But he got right back around and took off. He had fallen behind, but was still racing his little heart out. Then he spun out again on turn 8 during lap 7. The lead kart was closing in behind him to lap him, but Hunter managed to keep ahead of him far enough that Hunter finished the heat on the lead lap...and Daddy had gotten there just in time for the last couple of laps.

Heat 2 was a little better, but Heat 3 was the excitement. By this time, Dad had made some more set up changes - and he knew better than Carl or myself what needed to be done. We went to the grid and Hunter was nice and relaxed. He took off from the starting line and kept up with the pack for a little while and kept a good pace with the kart in front of him for the entire race. One of the kiddos spun out and went off track and that pushed Hunter to the third place spot. He held that spot for the rest of the race and finished strong with some really great laps times.

All the kids in the Kid Kart class receive 1st Place awards, so at the award ceremony, the boys were called to the stand. Reilly took 1st, Ayrton took 2nd, and Hunter 3rd, (Ryan took 4th, but had already left for home) but since they all get 1st place awards, the other two boys pulled Hunter up on the 1st place stand with them. How sweet. These boys were so sweet to Hunter the whole day - I say sweet, I'm a mom.

Hunter also received a 1st Time Driver trophy. He was floating on air all the way home and cannot wait until April
11th.

Whew. I've got three weeks.
(pic of Hunter and "fans" - cousins Brendan, Elizabeth, and Andrea, and sis Hadyn)

Tick Tock...

2009-03-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are. The day before race day. Hunter is so excited. I'm so excited for him, too!

I was in complete awe of my son yesterday at practice. When we started this adventure at the beginning of February, I just wasn't sure what he could do. Although Hunter has always had a car fascination of some sort in his short 7+ years, he has been a very cautious child. When he became a NASCAR fanatic (and hooked Mom, Dad, and Nana into the sport, too) he told us he wanted to be a race car driver like Jeff Gordon when he grew up. We really figured that his little sister was more geared to being the driver and Hunter becoming a commentator - Mr. Talks-a-Lot, you know.

But yesterday, wow, what can I say other than I was in complete awe of my son. He went from running 1:12's laps in the beginning to yesterday running :56's!! He rounded those corners with such confidence and poise. He looked to me like he has been doing this all his life and that his life has been longer than 7 years. Awe. And this is only the beginning.

Yeah, I'm the mom saying this, but, well, you just come watch him for yourself and then you can tell me.

Can we pray?

2009-03-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

If there are any more possible delays to getting Hunter on the race track for a race it would be one of these two things:
1. Rain
or 2. Not enough volunteers

The races are run by the member volunteers and according to the rules, if there aren't enough workers (most needed are the guys on the track watching the corners), there will be no race. We've been getting emails from the current race director and seems that as of now, there aren't enough workers to have a race. But it also seems like, as I peruse track history on forums that this is a common occurrence per races and everyone steps up at the last minute. We did hear from one race director that he actually had to cancel one race last year for lack of workers.

Geesh. How about adding some more stress to this why don't ya?

Hunter and I prayed this morning for enough volunteers (Scott offered his services - even though it's Hunter's first race and Scott will get there late) and for good weather.

Will you join us in prayer, too?

We're Just About There...

2009-03-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

We had another "coaching" day with Hunter. We met up with his coach at the track today after all our delays and it was a really good day. The kart had some mechanical issues that Coach and Dad had to work on - good coaching for Dad, too - but all in all, it was a good day.

So good, in fact, that Hunter was running 59 second laps!! His coach said that "Hunter is a good little racer" and once he stops "lifting" he'll shave more time off his laps. Lifting is simply enough, lifting his foot off the gas pedal. The idea is to slide through the corners, not slow down and take the corners nice and easy. And Hunter had two spin-outs today and got right back on the track and took off like nothing had ever happened.

Awesome!! Sunday is almost here!

Delays, delays...

2009-03-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

Marvin the Martian would walk around his space platform upset that his plans to blow up the planet Earth were foiled again and again. He would mumble, "delays, delays..."

Yup. We're there.

Oh, not to destroy planet Earth for a better view, but to make better times around the track. Due to the much needed rain we received in North Texas last week, practicing was not an option. Scott took Hunter to the track for a little bit on Sunday, but there were things going on that weren't really conducive to speeding up the time. Then the NTK website said the track would be closed on Monday (yesterday) for engineering evaluation for the forth-coming track repaving. So, we didn't go practice yesterday. The plan was to go today. BUT...the evaluation that was supposed to be done yesterday, was delayed to today. So, I guess the track was open yesterday, but we didn't know it. And now we are waiting until tomorrow. Sigh.

Delays, delays.

And it begins.

2009-03-14T17:45:00.001-05:00

I decided starting a blog site for Hunter's karting adventures would probably be easier than having to tell everyone all the stuff separately. And why HES2? Well, Hadyn has to do everything her bubby does, so we figure she'll be racing in a few years. Anyway...

Hunter is our NASCAR fanantic. Ask the kid anything about NASCAR (for the past few years) and he can probably tell you what you want to know. Jeff Gordon is his favorite driver. Hunter wants to be a NASCAR driver like Jeff Gordon. Jeff Gordon started his career by racing karts when he was Hunter's age. Following the line of thought here? Ergo.....

In Google-ing around one day, I found a karting track fairly close to us. We went to visit and watch a race, asked some questions and watched Hunter to see if he really wanted to do this. Since he is 7 years old (turning 8 this year), he would be in the Kid Kart class for a year before he would move up to the really competitive classes. In the Kid Kart class, everyone comes in 1st place and gets a nice trophy...you know...just gets them into the racing aspect of this sport. So if he was going to do it, this was the year to start.

We started checking around to see if anyone had a Kid Kart we could just try out and see if he would even be willing to "go fast" and race. We talked to a couple of racing dads and found a kart to try out and maybe buy. Hunter didn't seem too sure of himself while trying it out, but we decided to make the plunge anyway.

As we have visited the track (we're members now), he has gotten more confident and faster. A mentor we are working with complimented Hunter telling us that he as a natural ability as a racer. Wow! The Angels were singing with that statement. Any parent loves to hear that about their child. Especially a kid that has had no interest in anything other than racing and cars for years.

We skipped the first race of the Spring season to make sure that Hunter was ready and safe to race before getting on the track with the other kids. His mentor advised us that he should be making this 1/2 mile, 9 turn track in under 60 seconds in order to be safe to race. His first few times on the track were turning 1:15's down to 1:04's. The last time we were at the track, he was making the laps in 57 seconds!!! So, we are ready to race.

His first race will be on Sunday, March 22nd at 1PM at North Texas Kartways. I've put the schedule of races and a map on the sidebar of this blog for the convience of Hunter's fans ;).

We hope to see you at a race!!!

(FYI: the Kid Karts run 3 heats - qualifying, pre-final, and final. For the 1PM starts, the times usually run as such: 1PM qualifying, 2:30 pre-final, 4:45 final.)