John Force!!

The NHRA legend. John Force. This guy is the nicest person on the block. His team brought the car they had just raced in Bristol and several drivers. They had all barely slept but they signed everything in sight and John kept everyone entertained with his personality. I can't say enough good things about him. He is the man. I am a big fan of his, as a driver and most of all as a real person. You rock dude.

http://www.johnforceracing.com/


From John's web site...

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Now that he's driven in his 500th NHRA race, won his 1,000th round, made his 201st final round appearance and celebrated his 59th birthday, all within the last three weeks, John Force acknowledged Wednesday that he may be ready to take the final step in his recovery from career-threatening injuries suffered last fall in a 320 mile-an-hour crash.

"Every race I'm feeling more comfortable in the car," proclaimed the 14-time series champion. "The car's gotten better. I'm better. I think we're ready to win again."

Racing Girls...

Rock....Ashley Force. Fresh in from Bristol.

http://www.ashleyforce.com/

http://www.johnforceracing.com/index.html

I Ran Into.....

Tony Stewart today at work....fresh off his helicopter which landed right in front of our building from Charlotte.

Oh my MINI was parked about 30 feet from all the action...with the sun shade on the dash and under the shade of a nice tree....

http://www.tonystewart.com/

Miles of MINIs

The MINIs look like they stretch for miles...this was the line-up for the group picture in front of the dam. It was raining for the panaramic five foot photo...but we did it anyway. Nothing like getting wet for a picture of your car.

20 MPH?

In a MINI? Not.

MINI Bee

There was a car show and this car was my favorite.

Mr. Clean

"Mr. Clean" sits adjacent to the car washing station. I must have washed my car five times in four days. Between the rain and the bugs it was tough on the old boy. Should I mention the complimentary products we used to wash our cars? Awesome stuff..my personal favorite is a product called 'Slick." I left with several bottles of these products. They Rock.

http://www.detailersparadise.com/View.asp?Id=6511292005451212-691513519625

Deal Em'

Did I mention there was fun to be had at the Second Annual MINI Monte Carlo Night?
Thanks to all from the PittStop MINI Club....
http://www.pittstopmini.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=896476&item_id=4444

It's Monte Carlo Night!!

Can you tell it's Monte Carlo Night?
http://www.racerchicks.com/auto/miniMC.html

Inside the casino is setup and we are ready for some fun!

To the Rescue...

Here is the culprit. The Fire Department got the situation under control and electricity service was restored many hours later...

Where there is Smoke...

Not a good sign. I was standing by my car as Sumpter, who works for Dan at Grassroots Garage, installed an engine damper on my car. Suddenly we hear what sounds like fireworks in the distance. Then we see smoke. On my radio I was told balls of electricity were flying down the wires behind the houses on the side of the mountain. With all the wind we were having at the time this was not a good thing. The nearest fire department was quite a ways down the road.

A Pair of Vintage MINIs

I thought these cars were so cool I stopped just to capture a picture....

On the Tree of Shame in Deals Gap

This bit of a MINI was spotted on the "Tree of Shame" in Deals Gap.
http://www.dealsgap.com/tree.htm
Remember you can click the picture to make it larger.

The Most Photographed MINI of the Weekend

This is what happens when you drive hard and roll your car. I must say when this fellow drove through the village he got a round of applause! He was all the way from Canada!! This image is a testimonial to the structural integrity of these cars. Other than a bad windshield the car survived the altercation with the embankment and the resulting roll pretty well.

Checking Out Fontana Dam

Fontana Dam, the view from down below. I just thought this was a cool picture...
http://www.tva.com/sites/fontana.htm

Stoopid Girl Working on My MINI

It didn't take long to make it down to the giant venor tent and start flashing my cash.

Here I am getting an install from the seller of MINI eyes. Nice job Stoopid Girl! Here are links to her sites:
http://rogueminis.com/3.html
http://stoopidgirl.blogspot.com/

Early Arrivals into Fontana Village

On Wednesday afternoon we arrive into Fontana Village and the place is pretty quiet. Just the calm before the storm of hundreds of MINIs inbound for adventure.
http://www.fontanavillage.com/

On the Way to MOTD 2008...Black Mountain, NC

Another year, another MINIs on the Dragon. We had a small caravan this year out of Clemmons, NC and we collectively decided to stop at a very nice local pizza place in Black Mountain. http://www.myfatherspizza.com/

After a really nice lunch we all decided to stretch our legs and visit some very cool local shops. This place has that old small town feel and the shops are worth visiting for some really unusual stuff. This picture shows a view back down one of the streets.

The Mobile Version of Grassroots Garage

A picture of one of the best MINI mechanics in the USA. Dan Zipkin. We are lucky to have him so close to us in North Carolina. Here he is seen in action installing yet another supercharger pulley. He must have installed a truckload of pulleys this weekend!

http://grassrootsgarage.com/