About to head out of Florida tomorrow (Tuesday), finally got around to reading this thread full of wonderful support and well-wishes... and just read with much dismay the car was abandoned?!
Had I known this would be its fate, I would have stripped some of the valuable items off of it, like the couple hundred dollars in new suspension spheres and the new water pump, my race seat, etc. I was assured it would be in future Lemons races so I left it as a "turnkey" car. Likewise, I didn't drive it until it threw pieces out of the block so the new owners could move it and have something repairable with a turned crank and new bearings rather than a lump of metal... Had I known it would be left for scrap...
FARG!
For the record, I gave the title to the judges for them to decide who should be a deserving recipient since I could think of no creative way to pass it along. My very original thought was for it to get passed along to successive teams (for free) after every race or two and see where it ends up in a year, but that seemed too optimistic that others would dump money in it to get it prepped to their taste for a future race only to then give it to some other team.
I myself never gave it specifically to the newlyweds and in fact had no knowledge until after the fact: Phil said they were the first to ask the judges for it after the driver's meeting where Jay announced that anyone who was interested could have it, just see the judges. As I understand it, there were 4 or 5 others who also asked them for it later only to be told it was already given to the newlyweds.
Oh and now there's the little problem with it still being titled in my name, the plates are still on it, I have no release of liability for it because it was still attached to the title, and I was to ask Roland to mail it to me once the dust settled. So I imagine should the track officials will hold ME liable for it's removal. nice.
I guess I shouldn't let this little knee to the groin ruin what was otherwise an eventful, fun experience.
Thank you to all of you, like Brandon and crazymike and a host of others who offered support and searched great lengths for viable options to resolve the issues I experienced on the drive. I really wish I could have stopped in Houston to meet all of you who were willing to do whatever it took to get me to FL. Also tremendous thanks to everyone who offered me a place to rest my head, or work on the car whether it was at their townhome or at their full-service garage and race-prep facility.
Another big thanks to everyone who came by and extended either a welcoming hand, helping hand, or both at the track once I arrived. Especially John who was my "crew", Barry for the unobtanium water pump(s), and Ronman for the tools that made the double pump replacement go much more easily.
My biggest appreciation is saved for Pendejo aka Seth-- as I told anyone at the track who would listen, the guy is literally a life-saver. Not only did he give me the tech support and sounding board for when things stopped working right, he also kept me lucid the final few hours into Kissimmee. I should have stopped about 3 hours before Kissimmee, but being so close to my destination made it seem like the worst option imaginable. Seth stayed awake until 4am or so on the west coast to see me through safely.
Oh, well I guess I do have another big thanks and that's to my wife. She not only loosened the reins so I could take this drive, she gave me a ton of support in the days/weeks leading up to my departure. And even tolerated the fact that I did my Christmas shopping for her at 7-Eleven at 2:30 am Christmas morning.
Epilogue:
After the race, we stayed the night in Jupiter and headed back to Kissimmee in hopes of doing Disney as a family. By the time we exited the car in Kissimmee the day after the race, it was pretty clear my Staph infection was returning but in a different part of my arm so I ran to get more antibiotics before I was forced to get another round of IV antibiotics. Didn't matter, though. My wife awoke in the early morning hours with a cyst near her temple that caused her right eye to swell shut-- she looked like she went 12 rounds with Tyson-- so SHE got the IV antibiotics and 7 hours in the ER but somehow convinced them she didn't need to be admitted for a 24 hour observation (as there was some fear that hers may also be MRSA since that's what I've got)... So FINALLY, today, Monday, with the swelling subsiding, vision out of both eyes, and both of us bandaged and our (healthy thankfully) 3 year old leading the way, we got to go to Disney and Epcot as a family.
I hope 2011 continues to get better...
See you all at the track!
