After being in the middle of the pack for the past week, we were determined to lead the charge this morning! Actually, the excitement of the BIG RACE kept all of us awake most of the night. No, what really kept us awake was the lousy beds!

We were on the road before the sun came up, and with the Packard in the lead, we made some serious time.

About ten miles before Memphis Motorsports Park, we stopped to fill the tanks. I caught Sonny sneaking some 93 octane in his tank. Not only that, but he paid $9 for some internal engine cleaner additive! At the venue, Packard Bill added a can 10 octane boost to my tank, to help even the playing field.

Being amongst the first ten cars on the show field, we were directly in front of the main stage. We clocked in, and then Sonny and I went to Tech.

I was number 0001, and Sonny was 0002. We were ready to race, and while Cecil and Packard Bill made their way into the stands, we moved up to the start line. We stopped at the water box, then went around it! From the starting line, the quarter-mile looks to be at least a mile long!

All I can say for myself is that I didn't red light! The race was on, and at the finish line, Sonny had be by .3 of a second. We turned in whopping speeds of just about 70 MPH. The race took twenty seconds!

But Sonny wanted more, so we went again. This time, he whipped me worse, but still the same basic times. Drag racin' the wagons...how stupid...we ran faster than that just to GET to Memphis! However, there's never been a Cougar wagon down the Memphis strip, and there never will be again!

And I had no excuses. If only Phil had been here...

For your viewing enjoyment, Packard Bill took a video of the entire race, and we'll try and post it later tonight. Cecil was responsible for the still shots, but being an Analog Man in a Digital World, he screwed with the camera settings, and all the pics came out blurred, and in black and white. None were usable.

It was time for lunch, and since the BBQ being sold at the track has won the Best BBQ in Memphis for the past twenty years, we decided to try it.

There's NO WAY that it could possibly have won any award except for maybe being the Slowest Served BBQ.

Now, as the main portion of the group is entering the venue, we're back at the hotel, enjoying the A/C, and preparing for Cocktail Hour.

Tomorrow is the final stop, then Saturday morning we get to listen to how great General Motors is, and get our Long Hauler gift. We ALL hope it's better than last year's chairs!