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Driver Blogs - Frankie Cicerale October 6, 2009 Other Side Of The Fence As I stood on the starting line watching the dragster fly through the beams, the sense of nervousness was replaced with a sense of pride. This weekend I got to be on the other side of the fence for a change. Instead of me being the Cicerale brother who wheeled a high-powered dragster, it was Vinnie who got the chance to do it. After the footbrake money race was over this Saturday at Numidia, Vinnie made his three required passes in Rob DiMino’s old dragster to get his Super Comp license and have the chance to race the car in the electronics money race the next day. Vinnie and I had talked about it all week, and I could sense he was a bit uncertain, but excited to do it. This was the first time he would wheel a dragster since his Jr. Dragster days. I gave him all the pearls of wisdom I could from when I learned how to drive a dragster. He proceeded to do the same two things I did when I first got behind the wheel of a dragster. He does the burnout, stages the dragster, and lets go of the button on the first run. The car leaves, hikes the front wheels up, and he lifts and coasts to a stop. I could only laugh to myself. In a dragster, when you leave, on that initial hit you kind of have to tuck yourself into a ball and keep your head tilted slightly downward. Vinnie couldn’t do that with the chin of his helmet and the way it fit against the neck collar, so when the car left (with a 1.09 60-foot time I might add), his head went backward and his glasses went to his forehead. My poor little brother couldn’t see a thing. I still think there was a small brown stain in his pants, but I can’t confirm it. Either way, he came back around for run number two, and this time he left and kept his foot down. As he made his way down track, I watched Vinnie (along with Rob and Al, my parents, Robin, and Vinnie’s girlfriend) drive 1,550 feet instead of 1,320 feet. Enter the second part of my prediction. A wise racing school teacher once told me that the car and where it goes directly follows your hands, which always follow where your eyes are looking. I was also told that when in the dragster, don’t look at the front wheels because the car will wander. Vinnie was so preoccupied with hanging on (“Frankie, all I kept saying the entire way down was holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!”), he was looking right at the front wheels. For his third run, I told him to pick a spot in the middle of the groove in the uphill shutdown area, and aim the car right for that spot. Sure enough, third run, straight as an arrow. I just smiled as I walked away. This was the first time I have ever been watching someone go down the track in a dragster with the last name Cicerale. Usually it was Vinnie wheeling the Thunderbird when it was around and I the Tax Bracket Racing Super Comp dragster. It was a bit nerve racking being on the sidelines, but rewarding as well. It has been a long time since I was able to give my brother advice and my pearls of wisdom, and it was quite rewarding when he took said advice and everything worked out. It all came together on Sunday, when Vinnie got the first round win light and put together a heck of a run in round two, only to get beat by a better one. He was .009 on the tree and ran a 7.656 on a 7.65 dial, only to get beat by a guy’s .002 light and 7.199 on a 7.19. Vinnie’s .015 package loses to his opponent’s .011 package. Welcome back to Super Pro racing bro! Vinnie is planning on driving the dragster again this weekend, meaning that minus the Street money race at Numidia on Sunday, I am going to spend most of my weekend crew chiefing like Dad crew chiefed for me when I was behind the wheel of the dragster. It’s going to be different, but fun at the same time. I will get a new perspective, for sure, and hopefully we will be able to get our car back out there sometime soon. There is a lot of work that we have to do to get it ready, but who knows. Now if only I could have had that .011 package in the quarterfinals on Sundays… October 1, 2009 We Really Won? It’s the Wednesday after the running of the Division 1 Summit ET Racing Series Bracket Finals, and as I sit here sipping on my coffee in front of my laptop, I can’t help but look out the window and wonder what could have been and what really was last weekend. There are clouds in the sky, but right out of the window behind the couch, there is a small window of blue sky. I think that pretty much defines how last weekend went. In what was yet another rain-filled weekend at Maple Grove, I experienced the bad along with the really good. I got whacked in round two on a couple of small minor mistakes that added up to one big mark in the loss column. Dad missed the dial a bit, my finish line driving was off a touch, and BANG, I got put on the trailer after coming into the weekend feeling so good about my chances at winning the Bracket Finals again. Not to toot my own horn, but after how we ended the year at Numidia taking home the track championship on a winner-take-all run on the last day of the season, I felt like I had all of the momentum on my side. I never go into a race expecting to win, but there are certain times I feel more comfortable than others. I guess no matter how comfortable you feel, when you make a small mistake and the guy in the other lane is spot on, you’re going home. So much for the bad. As for the good, well, for the first time since 2002 I get the chance to hoist a Wally, as I was lucky enough to nab the Race of Champions win. I have to admit, I was pretty angry after I lost, and I went into the RoC with a vengeance. As I strapped in, all I could think about was how there was no way I was losing this race. Even though I said that to myself, I was still pretty shocked when I saw the win light go on in the final. I drove for all I was worth in the RoC, and when I got the win, it was as big as the round that I won to win the championship. For me, it kind of validated all I had done this season. I felt as if winning the championship on the last day wasn’t a fluke, and that I actually did belong in the RoC with the rest of the champions in Street from around Division 1. When I found out I get a Wally for this deal at the Division 1 Banquet in January, well that made it all that much sweeter. Even though we didn’t win the big show, for which I am really disappointed, it was still an awesome Bracket Finals. I won the Race of Champions in my second try, and with the race going to US 13 Dragway in Delmar, Delaware, next year, I am confident we can go a bunch of rounds and maybe get out to California again. I have some unfinished business out there, and Delmar has always been a good track to me. Who knows what’s going to happen, as it is a full year away and there is a lot of racing that has to be done next year, as well as this year. I have a weekend of money races this weekend, a big money Street race the Saturday after that, and close the season with another pair of big money races. Hopefully I can nab a win at one of them. After all, I have to find a way to pay for the off-season updates. Now if I could only have that stinking second round race back... September 17, 2009 Winding Down Well, it’s the middle of September, and like every year at this time, things are starting to wind down. The summer, while technically not over until September 21st, was given it’s unofficial see-ya on Labor Day weekend, and when it comes to racing, not counting this weekend’s off weekend, there are four weeks left to the season (five if Vinnie or I are lucky enough to score at the Bracket Finals). While this time of year can bet a bit depressing, it can be welcome as well. For the first time in almost two years, I chased after points and a championship, which is both rewarding as well as grinding. In doing so, I learned a lot about myself. At the beginning of the season, I was way too wrapped up in points, where everyone was finishing, who was winning, who wasn’t winning, where I was in points, what I needed to do next week, who I needed to catch and make up points on, and more. I actually took myself out of my own game, and became my own worst enemy. I was concentrating more on what everyone else was doing and not on what I was doing. Throw in some inconsistent driving, my usual dose of sometimes crappy luck, and I almost doomed my season before it began. Now to be honest, there were a ton of pivotal weekends this year. The quarterfinal win over Tom Harhart to begin August was huge, as that could have ended my hopes for the championship right then. Winning the second to last week of the points season after he lost in the second round was also huge. Then we have the quarterfinal race the last weekend of the season that was the championship. To be honest, I wasn’t nervous in that round at all. As a matter of fact, I was pretty loose. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders, and that was as I was strapping into the car and well before I fired her up. I had done everything I possibly could to get myself into this position. I had locked up second place in points the week before, and this was it. There was no turning back, and I knew in a few short moments what my fate would be. It was either all or nothing, and there was no pressure. The end was here, and the only question that remained was what the ending would be. With that being said, who can forget the weekend of June 28th. While those other rounds later on were pivotal, in my mind June 28th was the turning point of the season. Up to that point, it was feast or famine, with that weekend being a particularly horrific one. I got busted in round one of Street, round two of Pro, and minus that one win light, couldn’t even get out of my own dead weight. I was driving horribly, the car was all over the place, and both Dad and I got so frustrated, we almost threw in the towel when it came to the championship. It was at that point that we realized we had gotten away from our credo for the year: have fun. Forget about the championship, forget about the points, heck we forgot about everything. We got back to basics and had one thing on our minds, and that was to win as many races as possible. We enjoyed the fireworks and a win on July 4th, and never looked back after that. It was as if that last weekend in June was our rock bottom. We hit it, and were determined not to stay there. Two months later, I was beside myself slowing the Nova down in the shutdown area after I won the quarterfinal round against Harhart, gave myself the bye to the final, and won the championship all in one shot. Not bad for my first season back behind the wheel full time. So as the season winds down, I can’t help but feel happy yet sad. Sad, of course, because there is basically only a month or so left in the season, and I really don’t want it to come to an end. This year has been way too interesting and way too much fun for that. Yet when the final day of the season does come, I am sure that it will be a bit refreshing. I get my weekends back, can sleep late on Saturdays, actually get to go to church on Sunday, and not worry about what’s coming the next day at the track. Of course, with the freedom of the weekends comes the honey do list. Now if I could only convince my wife that sitting around on a Saturday watching a hockey game or playing video games was a sport… September 11, 2009 What Really Matters The rain is falling, and it is a dreary, gray Friday. In a sense, the weather fits today. It’s a day that evokes memories of something that, when it happened, changed how everyone lived their lives across America. Even the happiest of moods gets taken down a few notches on September 11th. That whole day eight years ago was like a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. Watching television as each plane drove deep into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, and then watching the towers themselves fall, first the South Tower, then the North Tower. For me, the poignant moment was minutes after the South Tower had fallen. Standing alone was the North Tower, still burning, itself minutes away from coming down, missing its twin. For some reason, seeing the tower standing there by itself, without its sibling, was heart wrenching. What normally was two was now one, soon to be none. It looked lonely, and when it came down, you got the feeling that the building gave up because its heart was broken. Its twin was gone. That day the towers were given almost a living presence, not only because of the people trapped inside, but because they were a part of New York City and the tri-state area. They were a part of us, and now they were gone, and there was nothing anyone could do. We couldn’t stop the planes from hitting the towers, and we couldn’t stop the towers from coming down. All we could do was react.
As is the case each year, I am drawn to the television on September 11th and to watching all of the documentaries, the ceremonies, and the media coverage of yet another anniversary of the second day of infamy. Like I do each and every year, I feel guilty about watching, but I also feel a need to watch so I won’t forget. I can’t help but realize that each and every time I watch Flight 11 hit the North Tower, I am watching people die and seeing Mark’s and other people’s fates being sealed. It’s the same thing when Flight 175 blasts into the South Tower. Then the South Towed goes down, followed by the North Tower. All the while, I can’t peel my eyes away, even though I know that I am watching people in the planes, in the towers, and below, perish. I feel like a moth being drawn to a bug zapper. I know I shouldn’t go there, but I am inexorably drawn to it. I’ll never forget where I was that day or how I found out. I was in Communications 122 at Middlesex County College, with Professor Dell’Omo. I walked into class right after the first plane hit. Being a history buff, the first thing that came to my mind was when an Army B-25 bomber got lost in the fog back in 1945 and crashed into the Empire State Building. As we were in class, though, Professor Dell’Omo kept getting updates, and you could tell by the look on his face things were bad. He was just about to tell us what was going on when an administrator came into the classroom and told us we were being evacuated. I got outside, got my stuff together, and walked with one of my classmates to the parking lot where I had parked the Camaro at 8:00 that morning. As we walked there, another classmate came running towards us. “Did you hear?” “About the trade center, yeah, we heard,” I replied. “No,” he said. “They are gone, they are f-ing gone.” In two and a half hours, mine and everyone else’s lives were changed forever. Here the three of us were, all from different backgrounds and towns, standing in the parking lot by our cars, scared, shocked, and angry. The traffic to get out of the campus was at a standstill, so we sat there, one in his convertible Mustang, me with the t-tops off of the Camaro, listening to the radio and to what was going on. I went to work at the deli I was employed at that time, and as me and the rest of my co-workers were there, we watched the F-16 fighters whip overhead on patrol. I left work at 6:00 that night, and as I drove past the Edison train station, where so many people from our area took the train into the city, I glanced at the cars in the parking lot and wondered how many of those cars would not be driven home by their owners. Each and every day, I try to make good on the promise I made myself that day eight years ago to not take life for granted, to appreciate the little things, let the big things roll off my back a little easier, and to not let things get in the way of enjoying the important things in life: God, family, and friends. Some days I am better at it than others, but I try. Sure, winning the championship last week was awesome, especially with how we did it, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t that big of a deal. Knowing that my wife, my parents, my brother, and my friends love me and vice versa is what is really important. Now if only everyone else in the world felt the way I do… September 4, 2009 Simple Pleasures Are The Best I originally had a blog all written up, revised, and ready to be posted. I really did, honest. I was planning on uploading it yesterday afternoon, right after Dad and I got back from picking up his ’75 Corvette from Glenn Winzer’s shop in Vernon, New Jersey. The original plan was to load the car in the white enclosed trailer we brought it up there in, hook it to the dually, and then tow the car home. That was until we realized it was a nice day, and that the Vette hadn’t had its legs stretched in a long time. So, with the trailer hooked to the dually, Dad popped off the t-tops, fired it up, and started our hour and a half trek home behind the wheel of the Vette. About halfway home, just as we were about to get on 202/206, Dad had to tank up the Vette. I pulled the rig in on the side, and waited alongside the car with Dad while the gas flowed into the tank. After it was done, Dad asked if I wanted to drive the car the rest of the way in. Who was I to argue? I took the keys, slide behind the wheel, fired the Vette up, and after gently pushing the clutch in and moving the shifter into First gear, I pulled out of the gas station, onto the road, and got set to make my way back to the Cicerale homestead. The radio doesn’t work in the Vette, but I didn’t care. I had the wind in my hair, the sound of the 350 small-block singing through the sidepipes, and the feel of a Corvette at the touch of my feet and the tips of my fingers. My Camaro has been down for the count all summer, meaning the only time I really get to cruise in a car with any kind of power is my Nova, and that is only 11 seconds at a time a dozen times during the weekend if I am lucky. I had a solid hour of pure driving enjoyment, with nothing to worry about. It was at that point that I realized that there is nothing like the simple pleasures in life. This weekend coming up is the last weekend of points, and I am 12 points behind Tom Harhart for the points lead and, ultimately, the championship. I should feel pressure, but I don’t. I had a long time to think while cruising in the Vette on the way home, and the thought about what could happen this weekend inevitably crossed my mind. Yet when it did, there were no butterflies, no nervous feelings, nothing at all. Like being in the Vette driving it home, when it comes to the championship, I am in a place I really didn’t expect to be in, especially considering two months ago I thought my championship hopes were over. I just started to have fun behind the wheel of the Nova again, like it was when I got back into racing after the layoff last year. I am in the position to win this deal on the last weekend of the year, but am of the mindset that if it happens, it happens. I am already thrilled with how this year has gone, and anything else is gravy on top. By no means am I giving up, and I am sure if it doesn’t go my way I will be disappointed, don’t get me wrong. Then again, the pressure is on Harhart to hold me off. I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Either way, that ride in the Vette reaffirmed my belief that it’s the simple pleasures in life that make it all worthwhile. A ride in a nice car, a romantic dinner with my wife, and sitting by the fire pit with a fire going while sipping on a nice glass of red wine and puffing away on a big cigar. Enjoying a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and the smell of fresh cut grass in the air like I am experiencing right now the Friday before one of the biggest weekends of my life. It’s simple things like that that make me realize there is more to life than the rat race. Now if I could only con Dad to let me keep the Vette at MY house next to my Camaro… August 28, 2009 What? Me, Worry? Well, it’s down to crunch time now folks. There are two weeks left in the season, I am 66 points back behind Tom Harhart, and while I am close, it is still going to take a miracle for me to win the championship, and in a sense, I am the only one to blame for it. The table was all set up for me last weekend. Harhart was gone first round, and I rolled into the quarterfinals against Shane Moore with the winner getting a bye into the final. I did my normal deal, like I have since the beginning of July. I was maybe more aware of the points ramifications, but I stopped counting points a while ago when I was sitting sixth, nearly 200 points out of the lead. Shane left, I left, and while I didn’t feel great on the tree, I felt pretty good. I rolled around him at the finish line, and as I went through the shutdown area, I saw the win light wink on. The problem was, it was glowing in Shane’s lane, and not mine. I get the time slip, and immediately get that sinking feeling in my stomach. I didn’t do a bad job driving that round, but I got there first by .030 when I need to get there first by .029, as I broke out by .001. That feeling I got as I made my way back into the staging lanes for the next round of Pro was something I haven’t felt in a while, and that was of lost opportunity. That round and that one thousandth of a second was the difference between being 66 points (which I am now) and being at least 39 points back. That’s a huge difference. I mean, not to say 66 points isn’t manageable, but I am chasing one of the toughest racers out there with two weekends left. When you get a gift like I did last week, you need to take advantage of it. Nothing against Shane, because he slapped a dead-on run against me and an .004 light on me the week before in the final, but that round was a race I could have, and probably should have, won. I needed to step up my driving to do so, but didn’t, and it bit me. I didn’t get the job done, and that one stinking thousandth could be the difference between first and second in the points when all is said and done. But that was Sunday night. I’ll admit I was bummed Monday, but as I was cutting the grass Wednesday (I do my best thinking either cutting the grass or, well, you know where) I realized that while I might not get the championship, in the grand scheme of things, I have had a pretty darn good season. I have knocked down three wins in Street, a couple more final rounds, and after my early season woes, I have put on a late season charge that in my 15 year driving career, from Jr. Dragsters to the Nova to the Super Comp car, I have never put together. Since my win on July 4th, I moved from sixth in Street some 180 points back to second, less than a 100 points back, with one win light being all I need to lock up the second spot. Even more impressive is what I have done in Pro, coming back from 19th eight weeks ago to right now being solidly in the top ten. After how bad I was doing in Pro, I had pretty much written that class off, but now I have a fighting chance of ending the season in the top ten. Now don’t get me wrong, I am still bummed about last week and what it could mean, but at the same time, I am pretty impressed with myself. If I could have found the groove I am in a bit sooner this year, maybe things would be different, but then again, maybe not. Either way, I need to just keep doing what I have been doing, and that is strap myself into the Nova and drive the wheels off of her. After all, when each run lasts a tick under 12 seconds, the more runs you make the longer you race, the more fun you have. So as the rain falls here in wonderful New Jersey this dreary Friday afternoon, I can’t help but notice the irony of things. Robin and I are planning on going out tonight for a nice romantic dinner and maybe a movie, so as she is getting dolled up, I put in a Frank Sinatra CD to listen to. Maybe it’s a bit old for my age, but there is nothing like a good song from the Chairman of the Board. I mean, what Yankee fan doesn’t like New York, New York? I liken New York City to Numidia Dragway and the competition I face there every week. “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere.” Now if I could only wake up and find I’m king of the hill, top of the heap… July 31, 2009 Rain, Rain Go Away! It’s Friday, a week after we got rained out last Sunday at Numidia, and the rain just continues to fall. Granted, we had a couple of days where it was semi-nice, especially yesterday, but for the most part, it has been one wet week. I can only wonder when it’s going to stop. To be honest, it wasn’t a wasted week last week as I got done some much-needed maintenance work on the Nova. I got the new Hoosier Quick Time Pro tires mounted and balanced, and even got under the car to change the oil and filter before the rain came! For once, my luck held out I guess. While we got no racing in last weekend, I am hoping we can get some in this weekend, though the forecast looks iffy (for New Jersey anyways) for late on Sunday. Hopefully it will hold out, we can get some racing in, and we can go some rounds in both Street and Pro. The season is winding down and it’s definitely getting to crunch time, so each weekend I lose to weather like I did last week makes my job just a bit more difficult. So here we go. Instead of doing the rain dance, I am going to go and do the sunshine dance. At the very least, I might be able to get a bit of siesta time in the pool with Robin, floating on the raft. Now if I could only figure out what the sunshine dance is… July 20, 2009 The Possibilities Are Endless As I write this blog, I marvel at the irony of its timing. It’s Monday, the day after what turned out to be a turning point on the racing season. I came into Sunday tied for second in Street points, knowing that my time to catch points leader Tom Harhart was (and still is) running out quickly. I got out of the opening round, had a bye run, and learned I had him in the quarterfinals. We were running pretty quickly at that point, so I didn’t even have time to think about the ramifications of this one round. The race went in my favor, as I was able to turn on the win light. It was as I was making my way down the return road that it hit me. That round could have been the turning point of the season. Furthermore, that win light made the difference between thinking I have a legitimate chance of nabbing this deal or running for second place and second place only. So where is the irony in it all? To be honest, with how far Harhart was ahead of me a few weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that it was going to be almost impossible to catch him. My focus turned to getting my driving back in order, winning races, and getting in tip-top shape for the Bracket Finals. Everything changed when I was able to win the race Sunday. I felt like I now had the chance to accomplish the impossible on the day nearly forty years after the United States accomplished something that was once deemed impossible as well, that being landing a man on the moon. The United States’ shot to get to the moon was laid down right after Alan Shepard was the first American in space. Then President John F. Kennedy challenged not only NASA, but also the American people as a whole, to get to the moon before the end of the decade. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module, named Eagle, and became the first man on the moon, a task that was once thought to be impossible, especially considering the tragedy that was Apollo 1. In a sense, my season has had the same amount of ups and downs that the Apollo program did. It seemed that at certain points, every time I took one step forward, I was pushed two or three back by a driving error on my part or having the unfortunate luck to run into someone who was having a really good day. I wouldn’t say that things have changed in the past few weeks except that some of those close races that I came out on the wrong end of at the beginning part of the season have started to go my way. I mean, Harhart whooped me five times straight in the first half of the season alone! There is still a long way to go in the season, as we have eight weeks left, but we have the chance to pull off our own moon landing, that being a championship. Only time will tell how things shake out, but if NASA can put two men on the moon with a vehicle that had the computing ability of the laptop I am working on right now and built by the lowest bidder, then I like my chances. Now if I can only pull it off… July 9, 2009 Back In The Saddle Sorry it has been a while since I have updated the blog. A lot has happened since my last entry, so I will try and catch you all up without turning this into a novel. As of now, I have scored two wins in Street, making this season the first time since 2006 that I have had more than one win. While it has been feast or famine in Pro most of the year, I am sitting in the top 15 in points there, and am currently third in Street. Not too bad for someone who has been out of the car as long as I was before this season started. Admittedly, I was getting a little wound up counting points, that obviously being a part of the fact that I haven’t run for a track championship in a while. I had to stop counting points and just start concentrating on the driving part of it all, and wouldn’t you know, I started turning the win light on! Amazing what happens when you simplify things and just go out and have fun again! Off the track, things have been busy as well. My buddy Mike and my new “sister-in-law from a different mother” got married on Memorial Day weekend, and we had a nice barbeque in the backyard that Monday which was nice. The weather cooperated for once, and it was just warm enough to celebrate the opening of the Cicerale pool for the year. Throw in my buddy Mike Galimi’s wedding in June, the Fourth of July weekend, and Robin’s birthday, and it has been non-stop. We actually finished celebrating her birthday last night when we went to the Metropolitan Opera to see the American Ballet Theater’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. Robin was an avid dancer all throughout her life and into college, so I figure if I can drag her to the race track week in and week out, the least I can do is take her to the ballet so she can enjoy something she has loved since she was a little girl. Of course, when you sit in the front row it makes it much more enjoyable, but she had a great time nonetheless, and so did I. Throw in dinner at the Hard Rock Café like we always do when we go into New York City, and it was a nice night out. With the season almost half over, we are getting down to crunch time in terms of the points. I’ll admit, some days I have been driving better than others, but it seems as if my luck in Street has been infinitely better than what I have had in Pro, and for those of you who know me, I usually don’t have a whole lot of fortuitous luck. Dad and I are still learning Numidia, which makes our jobs a bit tougher on race day, but we seem to be getting a handle on it. If we can get a few breaks to go our way, we might be able to catch Tom Harhart, though as every week passes, it gets tougher and tougher to do so. It seems as if every time I am able to make up a couple of rounds on him, he gets it right back the day or week after. It’s hard to make up ground when every time you go a bunch of rounds, he is right there with you, but I guess I am getting a dose of my own medicine. When I won the track championship at Island in 2004, every time Vinnie or someone else up in the points standings would go deep and think they made up some ground, I was right there with them. It’s frustrating, sure, but Harhart is doing his job. Now I just have to go out there and do mine, and make sure it is better than his week in and week out. We have another weekend coming up, so hopefully we can pick up some rounds by winning the race. That’s the surest way to win a championship, and that is to keep winning races. Besides, I like to have fun when I go racing, and winning is fun. Now if I could only beat that Tom Harhart more often… April 23, 2009 It’s amazing how there is a movie or television show title that applies to certain things that happen in life. I guess the Clint Eastwood movie pretty much describes how this past weekend went at Numidia. The good thing was I didn’t get hurt too bad in points. The bad was the fact I got hammered in round one in both classes, and the ugly was the way it happened. Regardless, the car ran well for all of the four runs I made, and I was feeling comfortable in it-hence my .001 bulb in round one of Pro. Dad said not to be too hung up on it because if you don’t hit a red light that close every now and then you aren’t trying, but the fact remains the win light was still glowing in the other lane. As for my time out in Street, I am still a bit confused at that one. I had no idea what was going on, but somehow the Autostart got kicked on and I didn’t get the car in the beams in time, plain and simple. I always figured if I ever got timed out it would be in the dragster, but what can you do. I was chuckling a bit after that run and the first round of Pro when I got back to the trailer. I was a bit miffed, don’t get me wrong, because I hate losing, but I couldn’t help but chuckle because I felt like my Jeff Gordon bobble head figurine by the time the day was over. I was still standing, but had no idea what was going on. Either way, it was awesome to see Vinnie take home the win behind the wheel of the truck in Pro. Both him and I were so close to racking up a win the first weekend out, and we both came up a tad bit short, me being late one race, red lighting in the other, and him spinning the tires in the truck. This weekend, he did the job, and did it admirably. He did it without a bye run, without anyone red lighting against him, and in true Vinnie style-all out, nothing left on the table. It was nicer still that Mom and Dad came up for the day and saw it happen. Dad left me to help Vinnie on the starting line and went to the finish line, and I think he has a new appreciation for what we do at the stripe. He has the itch to get back out in his car bad now, so it’s only a matter of time before Vinnie and I line up against him. On a personal note, things have been going good in the Cicerale household. We had our first outside barbeque last Saturday, and had a nice fire going in the fire pit and my buddy Mike and his fiancée Michelle over. Mike helped me do some work around the house, and then we just sat back, relaxed, and all of us had a great dinner and even some smores on the fire. It is getting to be that time of the year, and I can’t wait for spring to kick in full time and we get some nice weather on a more regular basis. I have also been taking some spare time to kick back and read a book by David McCullough entitled John Adams. I am a big history buff, and this is the book that the HBO mini-series was based off of. I have the DVD set of it, saw it, and wanted to read the book as well. As of today, I am on page 608 of 753, and have been mowing through the pages pretty quickly. I have to say, it’s a very good read, and not dry at all. The pains that our second President had to go through, from defending the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre to being an integral part of the writing of the Declaration of Independence, to helping secure the recognized independence of the new United States of America after the end of the Revolutionary war, was very interesting indeed. What I found most revealing was his time spent as President. He came into office following George Washington, and in that time, not only kept us out of war with France, but also had to deal with people in his own cabinet secretly conspiring against him, undermining him at every chance they could. Throw in Alexander Hamilton hiding votes when Adams was elected, various newspapers belittling him, and more conflict within than you can imagine, made for an interesting four years as the head of our new country. Yet he stayed the course, never deviated from the path he set about on, or what his vision of the country and its government should be, and he was eventually proven right in a lot of his convictions during the waning years of his term and for years afterwards. Interesting sometimes how things that happen hundreds of years ago to Presidents still happen today, both on the national level as well as on the local one. Well, we have another weekend of racing on tap, and hopefully I can do a little better than I did last weekend. I know I am certainly going to give it all I have. I know the car will be there, so I just have to make sure that I am. In the meantime, I am going to sit back, watch the New Jersey Devils take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, and hope they get the chance to beat up on Rob DiMino’s Rangers down the road. Now if only I could guarantee a Devils win and me getting one this weekend as well… April 8, 2009 Now that Wednesday has rolled around, I think I am starting to finally recuperate from the long day on Sunday I had at Numidia Dragway. By long I mean just that; I pulled the Nova out of the trailer at 11:00 and didn’t put her back in until 8:30 or so. You can thank a good weekend of going rounds for that one, though I am not complaining one bit. All the way to Numidia, the butterflies were swarming, and I kept going over what I had to do in the car during a run in my mind. The more I did that, the more nervous I got until my wife finally said “You know, if you just stop thinking about it, you won’t over think things and you won’t be so nervous.” Boy was she right. I pulled the car out of the trailer, and immediately forgot about the nerves as I settled into a routine that has become second nature to me. By the time I rolled into the burnout box for the first run of the year, I was focused on the task at hand. The first run was a bit messy, as the car, since it has been sitting still most of the off season minus a couple of times that I started it, broke up pretty bad most of the way through first gear, all of the way through second, and for the beginning part of third. The good thing was I shook the rust off quite early, hitting an .006 light. I was a bit apprehensive that maybe something was broke, but I decided to let it all hang out in the second run, and if something was busted, then I would have to chase it down. As it was, the Nova had to shake the cobwebs out, and flew down the track the second run without a hiccup. All was good in the Tax Bracket Racing camp. With the first weekend of points coming the week before Easter and, more importantly for Dad, towards the tail end of tax season, it was just Vinnie, Robin, and I racing. Normally I just do the driving and Dad does the dialing, but this week I was responsible for both. Not that I haven’t done it before, and done it with a fair amount of success, but it is a heck of a lot easier to just concentrate on the driving aspect of the car. I realized just how spoiled I can be when Dad is there following my pair of second round victories in Street and Pro. Before that, I would call Dad and bounce some things off of him. It turns out that would be the last time I would talk to him until right before the final round of Street. From that point on, I was completely engrossed in looking at the weather station, checking tire pressure, dialing the car, getting it charged and cooled down in time for the next round, and oh yeah, hitting the tree and driving the finish line. It was exhilarating, but tiring at the same time. Regardless, I am quite proud of how the weekend turned out, as I lost in the quarterfinals of Pro and the final round in Street. I am happy that I did well, but I’m disappointed at the same time, as I know I left a ton on the table in both rounds. I was late on the tree when I lost in Pro, and went the opposite direction 15 minutes later and bulbed in Street. I know what I have to work on for next week and the rest of the season, but like Robin said, “It was a good start and you did fine.” I guess I should listen to her. I mean, I always hate to lose, but in this game, you always lose more than you win, you just try to limit the damage in the process. With that, I’ll sit back, realize I am fifth in Pro points, second in Street points, have this weekend off for Easter, and plenty of time to hit the practice tree and get myself ready for the April 19th points day. Now if I could only have waited a mere .014 on the starting line in the final… March 31, 2009 Well, here we are, five days away from the beginning of the 2009 racing season, and for the first time in almost two and a half years, I am going to be running for a points championship. As I look back on the time I have spent out of the racecar these past couple of years, I liken it to a certain athlete I have had the chance to watch both in person and on television these past few years. That person would be Martin Brodeur, the goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. Marty, as he is know to those who love the New Jersey Devils hockey team, recently broke the all-time wins record for a goaltender in the NHL. He did so through competing at a high level of competition since 1994, and being only in his mid 30’s, Marty has a chance to set the bar high enough that it will take a long time for someone to come along and break the record. Yet the record-breaking win didn’t come without a forced hiatus, much like mine a couple of years ago. Like I took a year off following our adventures at Atco in ’07, Marty was out of the lineup for four months following an arm injury. That was the first major injury of his illustrious career, and the first time he was out of the lineup for an extended period of time. Yet throughout the rehab period, Marty gave 110% to get back to where he was before the injury, and not only came back, but came back with a vengeance, playing like he was 24 again. I look at his accomplishments and what it took for him to do what he did these past few months, and cannot help but see it as inspiration to my situation and myself. To be honest, I didn’t want to stop racing in 2007, but the circumstances of that weekend made me take a step back, much like Marty’s injury did, and not only reevaluate things, but gain a renewed appreciation for the sports that we love so much, him hockey and me drag racing. The hiatus that I took from racing gave me time to appreciate the year it took for Robin and I to get married, and the chance to get back to appreciating the little things in life. Sitting on the patio with dad on Memorial Day having a glass of wine and talking, sleeping late on Saturdays, playing with the dogs in the backyard, and having friends over for a barbeque, swimming in the pool, and conversating around the fire pit with a fire going until the wee hours in the morning. The time off from racing allowed me to not only gain an appreciation for the little things in life, but a renewed appreciation for drag racing as a whole. When I strapped myself into the Nova that August day last year, I realized how much fun drag racing was and how much I had missed it. In a sense, I can look to Brodeur as an inspiration. While yes, he gets paid to play, he used the time off to reevaluate things and gain a new appreciation for hockey. His words when he came back were that he would continue to play hockey as long as it is fun. I guess I can take a page from his book and say I will continue to race as long as it is fun. Now if only Sunday could get here sooner… March 23, 2009 Okay, first off, no promises with the blog this year. Every time I make a promise to be timely with updates and such, I hit a brick wall that I can’t blast through. I’ll do my best this year to keep you all updated on the behind-the-scenes work that goes on during the racing season, but if I miss a few days here and there, well, don’t put a price tag on my head. With the disclaimer out of the way, first of all, thanks for stopping by the newly updated Tax Bracket Racing website. As I am sure most of you have heard, 2007 was a season to forget. We had visions of grandeur for that year, but one bad weekend made us all, myself, Vinnie, and both of my parents, realize that after 14 years of week in and week out racing, it was time for a break. It’s a shame that the wake up call came in the form of a wicked crash with Vinnie and the Thunderbird after a third round win in Super Street, but thankfully he was able to walk away. The same thing could not be said for the car, though. Thanks to a broken right front shock, my poor brother had no control of the car at the finish line, and it turned directly into the right hand guardrail. Fortunately he was in the right lane on that run, so the hit wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but when he pummeled the wall at a 45-degree angle with the right front corner, he caught a pretty good hit. The car was totaled, as it pushed the A-pillar bar of the cage upwards, lifting the roof a bit. When Dad went to salvage what he could off of the car, the right side frame rail was twisted like a pretzel. All in all, though, the car did its job and protected Vinnie, so we have to offer a quick note of thanks to the man upstairs for that one. As for me, I actually got out of first round in Super Comp at that race, albeit it with the new Ed Quay four-link car we picked up over the winter between the ’06 and ’07 racing seasons. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to driving the finish line with that car, as it handles completely different than the old hardtail Pro Start car I won Cecil County with. I learned that the hard way in round two when I jabbed the brakes and gave up the stripe. Oh well, lesson learned. Fast forward to late last year, and I finally got the itch to go back racing. To be honest, I think we all needed the time off from racing. It gave us a chance to really sit back, realize how much fun it is to go racing, how much we do miss it when we don’t, and a chance to reminisce on all that we had accomplished. I got the Nova ready to go late in August of last year, and after going a few rounds my first weekend out at our new home track, Numidia Dragway, I got to the final round in Street the week after. I got my eyes cut out by the eventual champion in that class, Tom Harhart, but exacted a bit of revenge the week after when I beat him in the final for my first win in almost 2 1/2 years. I guess it is like riding a bike, as it took me 3 weeks to get back into the Winner’s Circle. I have to admit, though, that this win, while not the biggest of my career, is definitely one of the ones I will look back on with a big smile. It felt good to know that I could still drive a race car and win, and I sat on the return road at the top end in the Nova for a while just taking it in. When in doubt, the Nova and I never fail to join forces and have some fun. Hopefully this year we can go some rounds, win some races, and contend for the Street title at Numidia. The name of the game is to still go out there and have fun, first and foremost, but when you only race for 11 seconds at a clip, you have a whole lot more fun when you win. As for the dragster, Dad and I talked and decided to break her out of mothballs and go race Super Pro with it. The car is still in the same shape as it was when we put it away, and nothing will change, expect for some minor update work that Ed Quay will need to do to it. Other than that, the flat-black paint job stays, and we are going to mix it up a bit with the fast cars. I haven’t won a Super Pro race yet, so that’s one of my goals for the season. I think we can do it, we just need to be on our game. Both Dad and I like a challenge, and this is definitely one that will take some work and dedication. Then again, unless it’s a video game, who likes it when things are set on easy mode? With all of that going on, 2009 promises to be a fun year. I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things and running a full season. While the competitors are new, the track different, and the outlook a bit evolved, the goal remains the same: win races and win the championship. Now if it was only that easy in practice and not just theory…
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Eight
years down the road, and the reaction is still there, though instead of
immediate anger, it’s replaced by sadness and a sense of loss. Each and
every year, I listen to the reading of the names, waiting for our friend
George Hindy’s son, Mark’s, name to be read. Mark worked for Cantor
Fitzgerald and was on the top floors of the North Tower when it was hit. No
one above the impact zone in the North Tower got out. The staircases were
demolished, and everyone from the high 90’s all the way to the 106th
floor were trapped and stranded, with no way out.