Sierra Madre Police Association's Second Annual Car Show

Sierra Madre, CA - It was a Chamber of Commerce day last Saturday as the Sierra Madre Police Association put on their second annual charity car show. Well, maybe the Chamber would have wanted it a few degrees cooler, but overall it was a great day. Sierra Madre is the perfect backdrop for events like this. It took on a "Norman Rockwell" look as the streets were lined with dozens and dozens of cars from early to mid 1900's. This year's event brought out some awesome examples of American iron along with several beautifully customized rides. As always, we ran into many friends, old and new, and had a chance to do a little catching up and bench racing. We brought the Barney's - Only Place in Town Cafe 1964 Chevelle up for the show and had it on display out in front of the restaurant. Then it was inside for a great breakfast (I recommend the Coast Toast w/bacon) to get fueled up for the show. David "Duke" Pfost had his beautifully restored 1971 Camaro at the show and it looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor. Duke's a long time Chevy guy and our friendship goes all the way back to the 60's. Joe McCaron's 1966 street hemi Plymouth was also one of my favorites. Joe always builds a stunning car (usually red) and this one is no exception. Oh, and by the way, it's for sale!

All in all, it was a great day to enjoy the hobby we love so much. Ted Saraf, the organizer of the event, did a wonderful job in pulling it all together and is making this show a "must attend" for enthusiasts in the years to come. Thanks, Ted and great job.

Dr. Montgomery and "Big Jim" cruisin' the show

in the '65 A100....Nice ride.

A lot of fans from the strip came by to say hi. The

Chevelle is a real crowd pleaser whether AJ, Erica or

Kristy is behind the wheel.

David "Duke" Pfost's beautiful 1971 Camaro looked

like it had just rolled off the showroom floor.

502 cubic inches of Bowtie power...awesome!

Joe McCaron's 1966 Plymouth. Yeah, it's got a

Hemi in it!

Some of the gang that made it happen. Great job, girls!

Sierra Madre Blvd. never looked so good!

Pato Selders explaining something that I'm sure

was highly technical to Duke Pfost and Steve Warner.

And a good time was had by all!

NOPI/NHRA Cancels Denver Race at Bandimere Speedway

Well, it looks as if the economy and financial crunch has even hit drag racing. NOPI had to cancel the race set for June 21 and 22 at Bandimere Speedway, as well as the July event in Utah. There have also been several weather related cancellations during the first 8 races of the season and that has put an additional burden on the series. Bandimere is one of our favorite tracks and we were really looking forward to running there next week. It's also a time for us to see our east coast team mates, CSI Racing and Gardella Racing who have helped us out so much in the past. Gary Gardella transported our car all over the US during the 2006 season making it possible for us to win the championship that year. That same year, Charlie Schafer (owner of CSI Racing), Jason Hunt and Brian Ballard let us "borrow" Brian Ballard's Cobalt at the Denver race when we couldn't get our car up to speed due to a mid season rule change. That allowed us to qualify for the race (we actually qualified number 1) and score much needed points towards the championship. As if that wasn't enough, later in the season when our car was back on the west coast, the CSI team came to our rescue again! They towed down to Englishtown, New Jersey with Brian's car and let us race it, allowing us to lock up the points championship in Quick 16. So, all that to say, we're a little disappointed that we won't get to see our east coast friends next week.

If you get a chance, check out www.gmtunersource.com. The car featured in the "Photo of the Week" might be familiar. (Thank you, Carmen!)

3rd Summit Race at Irwindale a challenging day for Dalcorp Racing

Anytime you bring two high performance drag cars to the track for an event, you always expect a few "issues" that you'll have to deal with. Whether it be track conditions, the weather, or mechanical problems, we had them all on Sunday. AJ, driving our 1964 Chevelle was battling an ignition system gremlin all day, but did a great job playing the cards dealt him. With the ignition system failing and no spare box in the trailer, he had to go to the line first round not knowing what the car would run. We made our best guess on the dial in and staged him. He cut a great light and almost pulled a rabbit out of the hat, but the car began to quit right at the lights and had to give up the stripe in the last 50 feet. It's hard to stay focused when you have a wounded car, but anything can happen. If you can get the car to the line and stage it, you have a chance to win. Great job, AJ!

Erica's day in the Cobalt wasn't quite as crazy, but it was challenging in a different way. We'd put on a new set of tires and always expect a little inconsistency for the first couple of passes until they break in. Wrong! The first pass down the track she ran a 6.70 at 114 mph! On her second qualifying run it picked up and went 6.65 at 114 mph again. Needless to say, we were very happy. Unfortunately, when an oil down canceled our final qualifier, we weren't sure where to dial in for first round. As conditions were getting worse, (the air temp was pushing 90 and the track getting hot and greasy) we dialed a 6.64 figuring that would be safe - and it was. We got by first round with a 6.69 which told us that the track was indeed going away. Second round we faced the winner of last month's race, so Erica knew she'd have to be on her game. Sure enough she was, cutting a .520 light to his .550! She was ready for the win light to come on when the Cobalt started to haze the tires on the big end and slowed to a 6.72 on a 6.65 dial. The Camaro also slowed by .05, but took the stripe by .006 of a second. Lately we've been on the wrong end of these "few thou's" races! In the end, it was a good day. We scored some round points and are still in the top 3 or 4 in the points chase. Great job to Pato, Steve, Brian and all the gang who help us out at the track. Thanks also to GM Racing, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Barney's, BG Oil, Holiday Inn, Avcomm and Chris Shevlin with Chicago Title Insurance. You guys make it happen! We're off to Denver next week for the NOPI/NHRA race at Bandimere so wish us luck!

New skins and new rims...

Even with problems the Chevelle looked good...

Heading for the lanes...

Steve Warner making sure we're good to go.

When it was over, all the Orange Nova saw was

a blue streak going by!

Erica LOVES breaking in new tires...

Some of Erica's fans. This group knows how to

party! (And those are NOT our posters!)

Have we seen this picture before?

Little brother helping his sister...

Josh Jacobs home on leave from the Marine Corp

with his dad, Clint. Happy Birthday, Clint!

Cooling down the ECOtec...the day was getting

pretty warm.

Pato cooling down AJ. Kids.

Erica against the Camaro...we'd come up .006

short, but a good race against a good team.

Dalcorp Racing goes "Back to School"

One of the things that we enjoy doing most when we're not on the track is sharing our sport of drag racing with others. On Friday, June 6th, Erica had a chance to participate in the Bradoaks Elementary School's career day event and talk to the kids about racing. Erica does a great job of combining the excitement of racing and competition with the importance of education, demonstrating how it fits into any successful racing program and life in general. She's always amazed at the level of interest the kids have in racing. The Bradoaks 4th graders were no exception, asking dozens of questions about the car and driving. We want to thank Barbara at Bradoaks Elementary School for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this special day.


There's something about a red car on green grass..


The Bradoaks 4th graders really paid attention
as Erica spoke to them.

A future drag racer? You never know...

The kids love putting on the equipment.

They checked out every inch of the Nova;
what a great group of kids.

THE ITALIANS TAKE OVER AREA 51!

The Claro Family and friends (over 170 of them!) invaded AREA 51 and partied like Italians do as they celebrated the marriage of Steve Claro's daughter, Jessica to Andrew Hall. If you're from the southern California area, you'll recognize the Claro name as their Italian delicatessens and catering are second to none. Who did the catering, you ask? Good guess...Claro's! With DJ's Sophia and Taki cranking out the music and AJ and Lauren handling "The Hoister Bar," family and friends enjoyed the tunes and great appetizers while waiting for Jessica and Andrew to make their entrance. What an entrance they made in one of the most unique ways ever - in the Dalcorp Racing golf cart! What a photo op!

Then it was on to more great food from the cooked-to-order pasta bar (the Pasta Pronto was the favorite!), dancing, cake, dancing, a toast and more dancing. What a wonderful night! Congratulations again to Jessica and Andrew. What about a 1st anniversary party? (Note: You have to bring the pasta bar!)

The patio ready for action.

Kristy, Erica, Kimberly, AJ, and Lauren all got

the call to help with this celebration.

AJ and Lauren took care of the guests at

"The Hoister Bar".

Jessica and Andrew make their entrance in the

Dalcorp Racing golf cart. This was a first!

The cook-to-order pasta bar was a HUGE hit!

"Pasta Pronto...now THAT's Italian".

Jessica and Andrew finally got to sit down and

enjoy some of the great food and wine.

"It's all good!"

These were given to each guest...nice picture,

but with a twist. It's Chocolate!

Arcadia Presbyterian CDC Holds Staff Dinner at AREA 51

I've worked with Jenne Ring on several occasions and whether the event is large or small, she always does a great job in creating a special evening for all attendees. Last Sunday night was no exception as she and The Arcadia Pres CDC staff gathered at AREA 51 for some great food (provided by Kelly and Pepper's Mexican Restaurant), gift presentations and a lot of laughs. They also hit the reaction time simulator pretty hard and put up some great numbers! It is very comforting to know that there are organizations like CDC available to the parents of young children and that they are staffed by people who make children's growth and development their priority each day. Congratulations Jenne and to all the CDC staff on another great year!



It didn't take long before everyone had their
plates filled with the delicious food from Pepper's
Mexican Restaurant in Arcadia.

Jenne Ring paying tribute to a wonderful staff.

Miss Marie was leaving...lots of tears.

Jenne presents Miss Marie with a gift to say
good bye.

This group was not camera shy...

Lots of smiles and full tummies!

Photo op with Jim Romani's 37 Ford...watch the
finger prints!!

Miss Jenne with some of the staff...what a great
night!