We had a really great time at Martinsville this weekend. The weather was much better than last year. Despite that, the Whelen 300 ran late into the night. Humor me and read along.

Shopgirl had actually planned on skipping the Martinsville race this year and attending the Mansfield show instead. Vicki originally hailed from Columbus, Ohio and figured on visiting with family over that weekend. Her employer had other plans a few weeks ago that made the Mansfield trip impossible. Subsequently I planned itineraries that flew the two of us into Greensboro for this weekend.

Hey that’s a nice car! I heard that all weekend. Let’s just say that car I rented was a similar model to that which Whelen used for their demonstration vehicle. People kept asking me, what’s it got in it?

Let’s just say it wasn’t a Hemi. In fact I was looking for some pecans on the side of the road to feed the squirrels. If I could have found a cat to give those little animals under the hood a little encouragement, I might have even been able to leave some wheel in the rain. It wasn’t fast enough to be used as a pace car at Riverhead.

My flights were direct. Unfortunately, Vicki’s weren’t. She flew into Charlotte and arrived to find that her flight to Greensboro had been overbooked.

My heroine watched patiently as her luggage was loaded onto the jet she was scheduled to board. There was the gate attendant who had denied her a ticket then told another flyer that they could not get on a different craft, “because FAA regulations require that passengers fly on the same airplane as their baggage.”

After her scheduled plane pulled away from the gate the attendant finally asked, “Is there anything I can do for you honey?” Vicki replied, “I have two questions. Where is my luggage? And when are you going to get me to Greensboro?”

To make a long story short (I know; I’m too late) she got on the next flight about an hour later and I was able to retrieve her luggage from the earlier flight. Thanks to that attendant for violating FAA regulations.

We stopped by the Speedway as soon as we rolled into town. Mike Smith, the Director of Public Relations for Martinsville Speedway invited us in for a brief meeting. As always it was great to chat with him and it was amazing to hear some of the things that he and Clay Campbell had done to promote the races at Martinsville.

We stopped for a seafood dinner up the street from the track. For those of you looking for a bargain, this is the place to find one. Email me if you’d like details.

We went to the place where you are supposed to be smarter for staying there. I booked a room there for Thursday night before I figured out staying at the place with the old windmill on it down the street was forty-five dollars less per night. At least I found a great place to park my silver chariot.

On Friday I figured out how to get to the UPtown Martinsville area early in the day. This district is much like many other downtown areas across America. The big-box national retailers open up outside of town and the merchants in historic areas suffer.

The TGIF concerts in UPtown Martinsville are designed to bring the people back to the center of town. We figured out where things were going to get started, where the concert would be and how to get there. By then it was almost time for lunch.

First, we checked in by the windmill and met a bunch of friends there. Numerous teams from New England have stayed at this hotel for the races at Martinsville for many years. We also met fellow scribe Dave Meredith in the lobby.

Dave and his sister Kelly decided to join us for lunch at the pizza place across from the windmill. We ordered up our lunch and shortly thereafter, the power went out. Consequently the air-conditioning stopped. It’s amazing how good food will keep two big guys like Dave and I sitting in a place where the air isn’t circulating, there are no windows to open and the environment is being heated by gas-fired pizza ovens.

We kept ourselves entertained as Kelly’s phone continued to ring with calls from her friend who was lost in route to Martinsville. Each time he’d call we’d feed him a little more information. Meanwhile, Dave and I seemingly were experiencing the parable of the frog in a pot of water.

We went to the load in at the UPtown TGIF. As anticipated, about two dozen teams showed up. After chatting for a few minutes there we walked to the park where the concert would be.

Along the way we got to see some amazing shops that we never would have seen had it not been for this event. Of note was a storefront that appeared to be a museum for historic toys. It featured miniature cannons, riding toys, steam powered tractors and trains and various other artifacts that were quite interesting.

Hey! There are our guys! The T.S. gang showed up for the festivities sans the racecar. I think everyone was looking for an opportunity to feel normal again. The biggest entertainment of the night, including the band and the parade of Modifieds, was watching a guy trying to break into his work van outside of the park.

I was kind of surprised to see Bill & Terry McCaffery there. Bill was the first car owner for which I ever worked. They drove down from the Baltimore area for the race. Typical for Bill, he had tickets for the best suite seats in the house at the paperclip. It was the first time I had seen Terry in about twenty years and I treasure every time I get a chance to spend a few minutes with Bill.

Later in the evening, I introduced Bill to Phil Kurze from Whelen. The company for which Bill works uses Whelen as one of its vendors. I enjoyed sitting back and listening to them talk shop.

The Band of Oz played and the crowd really dug them. The Band of Oz is presented by the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball team. I’ll give a little tidbit about that later.

As our Modifieds took to the streets of the UPtown area, people seemed to swarm in from everywhere. Suddenly the street was flooded with people. The locals really took to our cars and our participants didn’t disappoint them.

As the WMT championship leading car pulled to a stop, I recognized the man behind the wheel and it wasn’t Donny Lia. Bob Garbarino had looked for someone to drive the Mystic Missile in the parade. He found Martinsville Speedway President, Clay Campbell, who had a smile from ear to ear behind the wheel of the #v4.

At the TGIF show, Jason Myers car looked particularly sweet. His car features a black and gold Shelby-like livery that really catches the eye. It advertises a Roush Yates engine package as well. The Whelen Southern Modified Tour teams might not be spending as much money on their transporters as their northern brethren but it is obvious that some of these guys are starting to spend the money where it counts.

All in attendance seemed to have a great time, from the folks who line danced in front of the stage to the kids who hopped behind the wheel of our Modifieds. With a big day planned for Saturday, Shopgirl and I headed back to the hotel before things slowed down. Back at the staging area we talked to Ted Sheldon. Ted, the crew chief for Wade Cole had spent the evening keeping an eye on everyone’s stuff in the Broad St. parking lot.

Oh yeah, the Grasshoppers had a game with the Kannapolis Intimidators Thursday night. That’s the team that was named in memory of Dale Earnhardt. Apparently a hockey game broke out a couple of times during this event and the completion of this contest will go down as folly in South Atlantic League baseball history.

I left a couple of things behind at the windmill that could have come in handy at the track. The weather was supposed to be clear. Although it had rained Friday night, I left my umbrella in the room. That might have been helpful when it began to drizzle.

Will this line ever move? I stood in line for credentials seemingly in the same exact spot for about forty-five minutes. It didn’t matter. No would get into the track any earlier as everyone in line was tended to before the gate opened to the pedestrian tunnel.

Perhaps what might have created the biggest stir was the debut of the new T.S. Hauler. The trailer features one of the largest Whelen Modified Tour logos and was parked at the southern end of the line of haulers in the pit area. People stopped by all day checking it out.

The more amazing things were actually what that trailer contained. The racecar that Jimmy Blewett would practice, qualify and race at the Whelen 300 was actually the Sunoco Modified that John Blewett, III had raced to a fourth place finish at Thompson that fateful night two weeks ago. The transition of that racecar into a Tour Modified is a story in itself.

I don’t even really know exactly where the T.S. Tour car is from that night. We only had one Tour car at that point and our other Sunoco Modified had been wrecked badly enough to warrant a trip to Rochester for repairs. The incredible effort to prepare the #5 T.S. Sunoco Modified as a #12 WMT car has to be credited to crew chief Stanley Lojko.

Stanley would probably not take much credit for it. He’d thank Eddie for making sure that he got all of the parts and pieces that he needed. He’d thank Jay Mignogna, Freddie Dunlop and the rest of the guys who helped him put it together. He’d thank everyone else involved. There’s no doubt in my mind, Stanley’s efforts made it possible.

Was there a magic moment? We’ll Eddie might have thought there was. He came back from the qualifying draw with goose bumps on his arms. Apparently when the bingo hopper was spun the B-1 pill was clearly visible. Before Ed reached for it, it disappeared back from whence it came. When the ball was spun again, up popped a different pill; G-60. This was spooky, to say the least; first to last.

The decision for the T.S. team to race at Martinsville was Jimmy Blewett’s. He got back to business and we all did our best to make it work. We had the benefit of some extra help in the company of Andy Lynch and Kenny Hunt, two of John Blewett III’s trusted crew members.

After we got through the tech line for qualifying, time trials were already underway. I shared a private joke with Ted Christopher that really seemed to get a rise out of him. He loves talking about the Old Man.

Jimmy thought he got everything he could out of the #12 in time trials, despite that, we qualified twenty-third. Apparently there was a concern that our car may have had a leak during time trials. Because we topped off the car with a small amount of fluid, we would drop to the rear at the start of the race.

We loaded into pit stall sixteen. It wasn’t difficult, it just took a little longer figuring out where all of the things we needed were stowed in the new transporter. I found one of the camera guys from SPEED TV kind of weird. He seemed to be following me around and recording me for several minutes. I refrained from extending an obscene gesture and continued with my tasks. Who the (expletive deleted) am I anyway?

The marching band came in and played the national anthem. They did a great job and this year their march wasn’t a rain dance. As the band cleared the track the drivers were strapped in and engines were fired.

The Made in America Whelen 300 was actually 300 laps this year. The previous two 300s had been comprised of a 50-lap last-chance qualifying race and 250 lap feature. As quickly as the event had started, it was over for us. We retired with engine woes after just a few laps. We loaded out.

While loading up I saw Glenn Tyler’s car come around the corner on a double hook. It was a mess. He told me later that the throttle had stuck, despite his car being equipped with an interrupt linkage. We were able to catch the tow truck drivers before they dropped Glenn’s car at the other end of the garage.

After we got most of the things that had to be stowed in cabinets away, I changed back into street clothes. I prepared to go visit the Media Center and was on my way when Ed asked me, “Can you put your suit back on?” Ralph Solhem asked Eddie if we could help him out and Stanley, Jay and I were glad to do so.

“Racer” Ralph is a throwback to a whole different era of racing. While Modified racing is what NASCAR officials have referred to as most of our car owner’s “golf game”, it is Ralph’s business. He still makes it work and for that he deserves kudos; regardless of that, he is one of the most respected men in the WMT garage area.

I got to spend some time with Rent. We pitted Danny Sammons’ car under caution for tires and helped out during the halftime break. Shortly after halfway, the clutch gave out on the #0 car and our night on pit road was over again.

I snuck up to the Press Box and watched Vicki complete the Live Updates. Oh yeah, that’s the other thing I forgot back at the windmill. I left my binoculars there. They would have helped Vicki see all of that stuff that happened up in turn four.

I’m proud of the fact that we do a great job covering Modified racing here at Mod Series Scene. I do find it a little unsettling that the few Internet sites that cover Modified racing seemed to dominate the press coverage of this and other WMT events. Although we really have been fortunate to find great participation from print media in Connecticut, there are other places where it would be nice to see a few more faces.

The battle up front was between Donny Lia and Ted Christopher. The handle seemed to be going away on Donny’s car but he and Ted pulled away from the rest of the pack on every restart. Ted tried in vain to wrestle the top spot away.

Perhaps the most interesting battle was between James Civali and L.W. Miller. Civali spun with less than thirty laps to go. He appeared to get a little assistance from Miller. Civali pitted and began a charge toward what looked to be a confrontation. The two made contact once again but Miller pulled away to finish third.

Ted Christopher is the most competitive person I have ever met. Christopher was the inaugural winner of the Made in America Whelen 300 in 2005. He never seems as though he can enjoy a good finish if he felt he had a shot to win. Ted felt that a carburetor issue caused a skip in his engine that kept him from victory.

L.W. was quite genial in his interview. He was really happier to finish ahead of the rest of the drivers he is battling in the Southern Modified Tour standings than anything else. L.W. won the Advance Auto Parts 200 at Martinsville in 2002.

As TC and LW headed out of the door to the press box I told them, “enjoy your time in jail.” They were being escorted by a local sheriff and all I could think of was the two of them doing a perp walk before sitting together in the back of a police cruiser.

Donny Lia was overcome with emotion in Victory Lane. The Victory Lane interview was barely audible, almost as if the microphone didn’t work when the victor spoke. Donny dedicated the win to John Blewett, III.

When Lia spoke in the press box, he said, “John was a friend of mine. I mean we weren’t close but when you race on the Tour every week you become friends.” The reality of the situation really started to hit Donny when he exited the car after the win.

After everyone had asked the rest of their questions I asked, “Where’s that clock going?” Lia said that it was up to Bob Garbarino. Mike Smith noted that he had Donny’s address and that the clock would be sent to him. After that Donny commented, with a wink “I’ll guess we’ll have to talk about it.”

As we left the press box I reminded Lia of one of Tom Baldwin’s favorite comments. “If you give me twenty bucks, I’ll show you my clock” with reference to the Ridgeway grandfather clock Martinsville trophy. Donny offered us a ride with the Sheriff back to the gate. Now Vicki and I were the perps in the back of the vehicle with the cop.

Actually it was a really nice ride out. In fact it’s quite a walk, especially when one is laden with equipment. The Sheriff dropped Donny in the infield and then drove us all of the way to the underpowered rental car.

I don’t think Roy ever got around to cooking dinner. Lunch was really good but I guess he didn’t feel like cooking dinner. There is no truth to the rumor that Wade Cole had an autograph session at Dave Thomas’s place after the race. We did find him in line at the drive-thru and I’m sure he’d never deny a request.

We had breakfast with Dave Sunday morning. They had a great buffet under the windmill. The hostess looked like she was late for a Vaudeville audition.

Off to Greensboro we went. When I tried to check in at the hotel near the airport, our room wasn’t ready yet. I went to the men’s room and discovered a water closet that had become a waterfall. I shut off the supply valve and told the clerk at the front desk.

After that I took Vicki for a drive. I wanted to check out Bowman Gray Stadium. Vicki asked me to call Charli B. for directions but I like to find things by accident. I told her that there is fun in getting lost.

It didn’t take that long, although Vicki tells me that I have a knack for winding up in Boon towns. BGS is on the campus of Winston-Salem State University. The place is immaculate. I can’t wait to go to a race there. Their press box is state-of-the-art. I called Charli B. and told him that I was green with press box envy.

We drove from there to High Point and back to the hotel with a few stops by race shops along the way. Then I crashed the silver chariot into a curb at the hotel. Vicki didn’t care for that part.

When I checked in, the clerk I had seen at the front desk earlier was gone. The kid who checked me in addressed me like he had just completed his Dale Carnegie course. He explained at length the value of several yellow coupons he was giving me with my room key. He then told me that the coupons were totally valueless as the restaurant was closed that night and the next morning for Labor Day. Where’s the guy with the camera and where’s Alan Funt’s green telephone?

Once checked in, I got down to start writing whatever this turned into. While I was writing there was an incessant noise that I thought was a part of whatever television program that Vicki was watching. It wasn’t, it was a fire alarm.

I looked around and there wasn’t any smoke. I tried to call the front desk but the phone didn’t work. Then the alarm stopped.

When the alarm rang again, I headed out for the front desk. Along the way I ran into several fire fighters that were in the hallway. They told me it was a faulty smoke detector and I went back to the room. Then I read all the rules for fire evacuation; like crawling on the floor and touching doors.

We ordered in some Chinese food. The guy on the phone at the Chinese restaurant sounded like a Corn Dog vendor. The guy who delivered it looked like one. Surprisingly, it was some of the best Chinese food either of us had ever eaten. If I could make up stuff like this, I’d write a book.

In the morning I ventured down to the lobby to get Shopgirl a cup of coffee. I watched as the clerk that had been there the previous day at lunch time informed a maintenance person about the overflowing fixture in the men’s room. If I ever have six months to live, I’m moving to Greensboro because e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g … m-o-v-e-s … s-o-o … s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y-y that it’ll take at least a decade for them to get rid of me.

Modified Madness is on tap for next weekend at Thompson Speedway. It is a weekend of nothing but Modifieds at Thompson. Pro-Four, TIS, Sunoco (SK-Type), RoC, True Value and Whelen Modified Tour races all scheduled as one big two-day event. I can’t wait to see everyone there.