Originally posted on August 13, 2018.

Good morning everyone.  It is early Monday morning here.  I am attempting to get this posted before we head out for the Salt Flats.  We started out our morning yesterday by finding Mike’s shoes on top of the car with a note from our friend the inspector who I have nicknamed “Inspector Gadget”.  The hat he wears is something they used to give out as a promotion.  It is older than he is.  The shoe story is that we (Mike says I) left Mike’s shoes at the tech area when his car was being inspected.  Mike had to completely suit up for his “bail out” drill and that included his fireproof boots.  I put his shoes out of the way.  When he completed the drill he never put his shoes back on and they got left behind.  We went back up to get them but the tech area was closed for the day.  Mike gave me a hard time about losing his shoes.  Then yesterday morning when we arrived Inspector Gadget had left them on the car.  The note was about a concern he had about the car.  Mike had an idea about the concern so he set about correcting it before he went to consult with our friend.  A few minutes later he stopped by again.  Mike had been right about the issue so problem solved.  It was a small gap (now covered) in the firewall between the driver’s compartment and the engine compartment.

Our day yesterday was focused on getting to make the first pass.  I had to make a couple of trips back into Wendover so I was absent during a lot of the preparation.  However, they cranked the engine several times.  I have some extensive video of that but am having difficulty getting it from my phone to the computer.  I have this short video of Adam and Joey prepping the engine to be cranked.  With the blower, you first have to purge the engine of fuel. After the purge, you squirt methanol (alcohol) into the blower and then crank.  They are purging the fuel here.

Gene Fulton, his brother Danny and friend Irvin came yesterday.  Irvin had driven from South Carolina towing a travel trailer.  Gene and Danny flew out.  Remember Gene is the engine builder from Fulton Competition in Spartanburg.  He is very well known in the world of drag racing.  Gene and Mike used to race together years ago.

In the end we had to leave the area with the car prepped for a run.  That is right, no run yet.  This morning first thing is the plan.  Part of that decision was the time of day when we were actually ready.  The morning runs are much cooler and easier on all of the crew.  Afternoon runs mean long lines at the staging lanes.  There is no where to hide from the sun in that area.  Ultimately we left the Salt Flats earlier that expected.  There was a weather disturbance on the way.  We had to put everything in the trailer that we could and wrap the car up for potential rain.  It rains very infrequently in that area.  When it does rain then the salt is ruined for speed trials.  I mean it.  Game over.  So we left the area yesterday afternoon knowing that we may be done and have to go home without ever running the car.  In years past Mike and Marshall were in Wyoming on the way out to Bonneville and I got a phone call at home in South Carolina that there had been rain and the event was cancelled.  I had to call Mike on the cell phone to deliver that message.  They simply got to the next exit on the interstate and turned around to head home.

By the time we were eating supper the weather disturbance seemed to have turned and broken up.  Yea!  We have high hopes for today.