All Is Well Here!!

Hola my long lost friends. I hope all is well with everyone. It has been a while since we have talked. I think the last time I blogged was when I posted those delicious pics of my leg. Since then, the leg has improved a bunch. I can put full weight on it with out any boot or crutches. The only problem I do have is my ankle fills like a bad sprain and my knee hurts a little. There is also this old man limp I am trying to get rid off. But through it all, I have been blessed beyond measure and will tell you at random what my Lord has done for me.

Now what has the Flea been up to? From his last post he summarized the season for you. Everything is in one piece, so that is great. He is making some updates to the car for the upcoming season that should get your attention. As far as which association he will be running, I hope to post something in the near future. We are not happy with the direction the Nitro Circus is heading, but like a lot of people, it is hard not to run the races that are so close. We may run some division races and a Nitro Circus or two, but we are not going out of the way for that deal. Realistically, we will probably stay close to home and hit the Renegade series pretty hard next year.

This past weekend I met up with Sandy in the mountains to talk over the 2010 plans and to also take in a game. We ended up going to the first round of the play offs at Appalachian State University. It was a cold but exciting game with the Mountaineers pulling away with the win, 20 to 13. After the game, we met up with his family and I enjoyed some good fellowship with Lucien, Freda, Joel, Elise, Banks and the lovely Miss Lowman. It was great to see you guys again.

I forgot to mention that hopefully this weekend, Sandy will be bringing his truck and trailer up to Chuck Chapman’s Auto Body for a little freshen up of the stripes. Sandy says he is tired of the green stripe on his trailer. The car is yellow, orange and blue, not green. The rig will be in my area, so I hope to post some pics during the process. You guys take care and I will blog you soon.

Don

So.....what's new?

Well everyone it's the end of the racing season at Wilkins Motorsports and time to prepare for next year. So what's new for next year, hopefully a little more racing success and possibly a full year with Don heading up the crew chief position in full health!


But lets recap 2009. As far as IHRA racing i made it to one final round........ the rest of the year i was standing at the head of the suck line! Racing just wasn't the same without Don keeping me on track and in line! And with the chaos of the "so called" tournament of champions being a total disaster, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could have seen this coming, my IHRA season ended with the proverbial raspberry!

The good news is I tried out a new class at Piedmont dragway called the Piedmont Renegades. I went to Four races and qualified number 1 once, and won 2 races. This class is great for the top sportsman racer. The renegade cars have weight rules based on engine size and transmission type, but all cars can run only one nitrous system. This makes the competition fierce and many different combinations can be competitive.

Other good news is that I made my professional debut with ADRL in July at Dinwiddie VA. I qualified in my first attempt and even made it to the second round. In September I unveiled my new engine combination at the Rockingham ADRL race and ran a respectable 4.33 in the first round of competition.

All things considered, especially the economy, it was a great year for Wilkins Motorsports and Wilkins Racing Engines. The engine business has grown about 20% which is right on track with my business plan. And the race car and engines are in one piece at the end of the season. It would be hard to ask for more! Keep your eyes open for new things from us in the next couple of months including a NEW Wilkins Racing Engines website!

Enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Sandy

Sooo....What's been happening?

Well you have probably been wondering where we have been recently since the blog has been few and far between. To start Don has started back at work and is putting in his 40 every week, YAY for Don...congrats buddy!!!

Racing wise i deceided to take a couple of weeks off from drag racing and spent some time in the mountains with family. And of course i had to find something to race! The picture is of Dad's lotus on the starting line of the eagles nest hill climb in Banner Elk, NC. Actually i didnt race, they would not take my IHRA license, so i drove the lotus as the pace car for the event. And of course i made some hot laps up the mountain, FUN TIMES!!! Dad and i shared the driving duties while also crewing for John Finger, who is a multi time world champion hill climber!

The next week it was off to the Piedmont Renegades race again. This time we were number one qualifier with a string of 4.43 elapsed times. Unfortunately our day ended in the semi finals when a spark plug failed. Thanks to Brian, Doug, and Herb for all your help! We will get em next time!

This weekend were off to the Dunn Benson Renegades race for the first time. Come by and check out the Renegades and Top Dawgs on saturday, gates open at 12. See ya at the races!

Sandy

A Leg and Project X

We might need to call this the every 3 week blog now days. It so hard to blog when you don't have any pictures. I was the one usually taking the pics at the track, so since I'm not there, I have to rely on my friends. Sandy's mother is professional photographer, and I know when she is at the track, I am going to get quality pictures.

First, let's update you on my leg. Before I wrote the last blog, I had went to see the plastic surgeon. He said the muscle looks good and I need to start wearing a compression sock. A couple of weeks later I went to the orthopedic doctor and got more good news. He said that I have two spots on the bone that are healing slower than the other areas. But overall it looks good. He said he wanted me to wear a boot and start uses crutches. Put as much pressure on your leg as you can stand. I said , you're kidding me. Nope, I don't expect you to be walking in six weeks, but if you are, that's great. See you then. Well hot dog. This news is two months earlier than what they originally told me. That was about 3 weeks ago and everything is still OK. Just need to keep it lotioned up. Oh, the only bad news is I have a screw head trying to poke through the skin at my ankle. He said, we will take that out when you come back. Sounds painful. I hope he makes sure the drill is in reverse.

I wanted to show you a few pics of my injury. A sort of then and now. The first pic is two days after the muscle was put on. Now remember, this is a stomach muscle taken out and put on my leg. You can't really tell how big my leg was in this pic. But from the knee down, it's large. The second pic is from a couple of days ago. This picture is from basically the same angle. Everything has went down to about normal. I know, it's not a massive leg. I've heard them all. The only problem I'm having, is the swelling in my knee and ankle and also a little pain in each one from the therapy. But hey, things are great and I'm a happy man.

What's the Flea been into? After he won the Renegade race at Piedmont he took a weekend off to get ready for the race at Moorseville. It too had the Renegade cars there and Sandy would have loved to won it, but going in he new that would be tough. He had been working on Project X for sometime and looked to debut it that weekend. Project X was his new engine and he new it may take a little time to get it up to speed. Sandy is usually the guy that makes something work the first time, but unfortunately, a number of things prevented it from getting up to speed. He did qualify # 15 and had to run Doc Bilbrey in his small block, 5 speed ex Pro Stock Truck. Doc to the win light in 4.4 seconds while Sandy's car drove hard toward the center line forcing him to lift. Sandy came back for a shake down run and made a good safe run to give him some much needed info on his new engine combo for the next weekend.

This race at Moorseville was close to home and the doctor released me to drive a week earlier, so I had to go. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sandy's entire family. Lucien and Freda, Sandy's sister Elise and her husband Joel, plus those precious grand baby's, Banks and Lowman. Sandy had a full house and a full crew. Brain King, Doug West, George Gable, Kenny Majors and the entire family. You see me and Doctor Wilkins in the first photo. I knew my knee was hurting and a little swollen, but you can really tell it in this photo. Then their is Mr. Banks. He wanted to ride the golf cart. So while the guys worked on the car I took Banks and my youngest son Logan a ride around the pits. Logan loves to come to the race track and hang out with Sandy, and to have Banks there to play with made it that much more fun. I had a large time being back at the races and seeing everyone. The only down side was we had to leave.

Well Sandy left Mooresville and got the car ready for his first venture into the ADRL. He has wanted to do this for a while now and the timing was right. A new engine, new 10.5 tires and those long wheelie bars that he finally got on. So off he goes with high expectations. I did not get to go because I can't ride that far yet. Sandy kept me up to date as well as the live audio from the track. On Sandy's first run, Project X nosed over. But hey, he has a spare now. X is out and old reliable is in. Sandy qualifies # 8 in the 16 car field running low 4.40's. He has a first round competition break bye and sails down the track to a win with another 4.40 run. He had to run a twin turbo car, but problems came up after his burnout. The second round, Sandy has to run the #1 qualifier. No problem. Leave on him and turn on the W. What I didn't tell you, is that this guy ran a 4.01 to qualify #1. Sandy does leave on him, but this guy drives around him with another 4.0 run. That is awesome on 10.5 tires.

What are some things we learned at the first ADRL. Looking at it from the outside in, I can say: 1. Sandy can bolt on a 10.5 tire and go straight down the track, 2. Project X needs some tender loving care buy has a ton of potential, 3. A 5 speed might be in the future, 4. Heads up is a whole lot of fun. The thing that blew my mind was the attendance. I've heard any where from 35 to 60 thousand people were there. If going down the track with that many people watching doesn't pump you up, nothing will. Also, check out the ADRL pictures in the gallery on Sandy's home page. Lot's of shiny aluminum and a whole lot of fun.

Well, I think the next race for the Sandman will be the August edition of the Renegade race at Piedmont Dragway. Project X might be there and who knows, I might talk my ole pal Kelly Stevens into driving me down. See you guys at the races.

Don

Renegade Winner!!!!!!!!!!

That's right. Flea Dog is a winner in the Renegade series at Piedmont Dragway for the second time this year. In the final, he took on Tim Lawrence in his new Camaro. Sandy was .002 on the tree and out run Tim on a hole shot. 4.45 to his 4.44 Excellent way to end the night.

The first round did not start the best. It was a win for Sandy, but his opponent Jay Zimmerman shook the tires hard and ended up in the wall. From what I was told he will need a new front end and maybe a gas tank and radiator. Jay and his team are good friends and we hope it doesn't take them long to get back to the track. Second round Sandy beat Doc Bilbrey and in the semi's he got past good friend Stacy Hall. Sandy's car performed flawlessly during the two days at Piedmont and that can only be attributed to the help. That was Brian King, Herb McCandless Jr, Jack Anderson and his son Kyle and Keri Arthur.

I do not have a winner's circle photo yet, but I do have a pic of the check he received from the last win. $1500.00 doesn't seem like a lot of money to win when you think of the investment that he has. But most racers don't think about the money. They would love to get more, but when you get the win and the trophy, that's is the fun. Especially when you do it with a bad ass small block. Remember, do what you love and the money will come.

The latest news to come from Wilkins Motorsports is the addition of a new sponsor. Welcome Locked and Loaded Grill in Garner, NC. These guys are a full sports bar and grill, serving you an awesome lunch and supper everyday, as well as a place to hang out with your spouse and friends. They have special events going on every weekend. So if you are in the Raleigh area, go check them out and tell them Sandy Wilkins sent you. Their web address is http://www.lockedandloaded.us/.

The next race will be in Jackson, SC at Carolina Dragway on July 17-19. Three races in one weekend. Looking for three wins. Come join the Sandflea.

Life Of A Super Star!!!!

That last time we talked, Sandy was headed to Piedmont Dragway to run the Renegade race on a Thursday night. Some may ask, did he win? Well, not exactly. You see, Sandy unloaded off the trailer with a 4.46 to end up in the #2 qualifying position. Then the rain set in and the race was cancelled until the following Saturday night. How did he do? The thing is he didn't go back. No, he is not a quitter. He had already made plans to attend the wedding of one of his good friends in Raleigh, NC. To me, that just shows that when Sandy is your friend, he is a friend you can count on. I know a lot of people that would have said, I'm sorry your wedding is on the day of my race, you should have planned better. But Sandy attended the wedding and his friend knew he could have been at the races. That guy will remember what Sandy did and that is why Sandy is blessed with many, many friends.

I wanted to show you the cake that was made for Sandy for his 40th birthday party. It was a beautiful cake with a picture from Benson Dragway I do believe. Sandy sent this pic of some of the people in and around his garage having a good time. Above the garage is the hang out/game room. Their is a pool table and some games as well as many pictures from his days in racing. His dad Lucien, as well as Sandy use to be involved in road racing. I am not to familiar with the term here, but they had some cool cars. Sandy's dad use to own the former Nascar Skoal Bandit Oldsmobile as well as the former Skoal Bandit Indy car. He purchased these cars and ran them in some sort of road racing circuit. Now maybe I'm wrong, but that would be freaking awesome. Anyway, lots of cool pics to seen in Sandy's game room. I think their is even a hood scoop that was nitrous tested hanging on the wall.

Well, after the race at Piedmont/wedding, Sandy was off a week and then headed to Rockingham, NC for the rescheduled divisional race. Since I am healing from my leg accident, I get to sit in the comfort of my air conditioned home all the time. Which by the way, I'm tired of sitting. From my understanding, it was way hot at that race. But Sandy's thinking was, since it is so hot, let's drive two cars this weekend. The other car was the awesome wheel standing Ford Mustang of Mark Young. I don't know the story of how he ended up in the car, but it didn't take but a second for Sandy to say yes. You see, Sandy also builds the engines for Mark's cars, so it is a little easier to drive someone else's car when you know what they have. By the way, Sandy qualified #2. I would love to tell you he won with the Super Stocker, but a .010 red light in the third round ended his day. Our old pal Tracy Robbins had a .005 package against Sandy anyway. Tracy also went to get runner up honors that day. The Top Sportsman car did not fair as well as the Ford Mustang. While warming up the car Sunday morning, the starter broke. Thanks to help of Tommy Arthur, the starter was replaced while Sandy was winning 1st round in the Super Stocker. Sandy had to run Stacy Hall first round in TS and was on the losing end of the race. The margin of victory at the finish line, .001. To the house. We'll gett'em next time.

Sandy has this weekend off and has been working hard on a special project for the Cavalier non stop. Details later, but he hopes to have it at the next race. When is the next race for the Flea. You know what happens on the first Thursday of every month at Piedmont Dragway. That's right, the Renegade race is next week. Temperatures are supposed to be really cool for that race. Not. Come on people, we are getting close to the 4th of July. If you are a racer, don't go to the track and complain about the heat when you know you have to put on a fire suit and crawl into a car. OK, that's my tyrate for the day. Supposed to be the biggest race of the year for these guys. I think you qualify on Thursday and race on Saturday. Just like the last one, minus the rain.

One last thing, the bottom photo is the trophy Sandy received in Rockingham. You say he didn't win the race. Maybe Best Appearing or Best Engineered. Nope. It was the award handed to the first round loser. Thanks for the added pain. You see, Super Stock racer Ashley Parker's wife made this clever little iron man with a tire to present to the first round losers of their friends. Aren't we all thrilled. No, it really was pretty funny. Sandy took it in stride. Good thing they don't really hand these things out or no racer would have enough room. Ha Ha.

Well, come support Sandy this coming Thursday at Piedmont. Bring plenty of water, as well as food. Sandy has to eat. Plus, bring plenty of help. You can never have too much help. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed weekend and I can't wait to go racing. Take care of you.

Don

Renegades Tonight!!!!!

Yes my friends, the Renegades are running tonight at Piedmont Dragway. The defending champion is our very own Sandy Wilkins. As you may remember, the last time out, Sandy defeated good friend Stacy Hall of Chesnee, SC. The great thing about that race was, it contained two small blocks running on one system. The winning time for Sandy was 4.45 and Stacy ran a 4.46. Close competition. Their will be a ton of cars trying to get into a 16 car field. You need to go to this race if you are in the area tonight. A must see. Plus, Sandy could probably use the help.

No, this pic in not my new dragster. It is Steve and Brenda Corker's new American Race Cars dragster. It is a beauty. They received the Best Engineered Award at Coastal Plains Dragway a couple of weeks ago. We all know that Steve is the defending World Champion in Top Sportsman but he is also a winner in Quick Rod. Steve wanted to start out the new year with brand new equipment, thus the American Race Cars dragster. The second thing he did was order a brand new 565 ci big block chevy from Sandy Wilkins @ Wilkins Racing Engines. Now most hard core fans know Sandy Wilkins as a small block genus. He has taken his 432 ci small block with a power glide to a best of 6.74 @ 204 mph. With those credentials, surely he can produce with a big block. Well, Steve Corker's car ran a 4.82 @ 141 on it's maiden voyage, and then it was converted over to Quick Rod mode. Both Steve and Sandy were pleased with all the numbers from the first 565 produced by Wilkins Racing Engines. Not bad for a small block guy. If you are looking for an engine, Sandy can build you what ever you need, from a 432 small block, to a 565 big block, to a 700 cubic inch pro mod engine. He can do it all. Just ask Brian Williams, the winner from last month's Big Dog.

That leads me to an engine that he has for sale. Well, it is actually mine. It is a 522 Par Racing Engine that I purchased from Scott Duggins new. I raced it in Quick Rod most of the time, but ran Top Dragster in the 1/8. It has run 4.90 @ 140 in the eighth and 8.90 @ 170 in the quarter. Because of my accident, I would like to sell this engine to help off set some medical expenses. My firm asking price is 8 grand. If you are not interested in the engine, you can buy me a dragster to put it in when I get better. Now that's a plan. Just contact Sandy if you are interested. Thanks!

Don

Happy Birthday Flea!!!

Happy Birthday to the Flea. The man with the small block that does. Mr. Wilkins the engine doctor. The man that always smiles. That's right, the flea turned 40 this past Sunday. That's May the 24th so you can put it into your memory bank for next year.

This past weekend at Kinston Dragway, Sandy Wilkins reached a milestone in his life by reaching the big 4-0. He had a lot of friends come by and wish him Happy Birthday and basically give him a hard time. You will notice in one of the pictures that someone gave him an old fart hat with curly grey hair. Thank you Lisa Bingham. He also enjoyed the company of his parents this weekend since the race was so close to their Wilmington, NC home. He even had a birthday cake to share with his friends. If you look close enough in the cake pic, you will notice the end of the propane torch used to light the candles. When you do not have a lighter or matches, a torch is the next best thing.

So since it was his birthday and he was having a great weekend, Sandy probably went on to win the race. Well the fun stops here. The car ran good on Saturday and Sandy was stellar on the tree, but Sunday came and luck just wasn't on the Flea's side. Sandy was 20 on the tree and tapped the breaks to let his man back by him for a .004 margin of victory. To the house. So where does he go from here. Let me think.

In case you haven't heard, Sandy is having a 40th birthday

party/bash at his house this coming Saturday. Anybody that is anybody will be there. Of course I want be there. Something about a leg. Anyway, if you haven't let Sandy know, you better call him now. A person only turns 40 once and Sandy likes to celebrate, whether at winning or getting old. Ha

I personally want to wish Sandy a Happy Birthday and many more. Ive only known Sandy for four and half years and it seems like I have known him all 40. Thanks for the friendship Sandflea and I hope this is your best year ever.

Don

Piedmont Payout!!!!

Tuesday I told you that Sandy had won the Renegade race at Piedmont Dragway the Thursday before the divisional. Well, Sandy sent these pics of the two winners checks. I think who ever come up with the idea two hand out these huge checks to the winners is awesome. It's just another way to celebrate what you have accomplished. Sandy also received a trophy that will go in the office. But the big check will go in the shop on the wall with the others to remind the guys and whoever else comes in that they are dealing with winners. Way cool.

Back in the day while bracket racing, I remember only getting cash for the win and a that a boy. You would come home jacked up knowing you had won, but had nothing to show for it. When I ran some IHRAI they gave you a plaque when you won a divisional. Now they give little iron men. I would like to do some trading. How many remember while bracket racing you got a business card for a time slip with only your E.T. and no reaction time. I have a few of those.

Anyway, I just think it's cool that racers get lots of "stuff " when they win. And having the trophies, plaques, pictures, checks and other " stuff " visible to people, makes them want to do business with you and just be around you. Everybody wants to be around winners. That's why I have decided to quit hanging around Sandy Wilkins. Only kidding! That's why Fleabag has so many friends. He is a winner in everything. By the way, this is not a paid advertisement. I better stop. I think the meds are kicking today.

The leg injury? I went to the plastic surgeon yesterday. He told me a few things I can do to help myself, but overall the leg is looking good. I do not have to wear my splint any more and he wants me to air the wound out more. I still have to keep it elevated for now. I have some good pics of the leg, but I don't know if you are ready for that. I go back in two weeks, so keep me in mind while I sit around and go crazy. Talk to you soon.

Don

Let's Try This Again!

Hello Everyone,

I hope all is well with everybody. It has been a while since I have written and we have a lot to catch up on. As some of you know, I have been down for a while with a leg injury. You may ask why would that stop you from writing. I will explain shortly. As far as not writing in the blog over the winter, well that was just being lazy. Let's start with some racing

The last time I blogged was when Sandy was runner up at Farmington Dragway. That was my first and only race of the year so far. The next race was the Moorseville divisional and Sandy had a third round loss. Then it was onto the Spring Nationals at Rockingham. Coming into this race Sandy had qualified for the Summitt All Star race. Sadly he was a first round causality in that race as well as the national event. Not a good weekend. For me, all I could do was follow along on the web. We do have a photo of some of our friends hanging out in Sandy's trailer at the Rock.

From there it was on to the Renegade race at Piedmont Dragway the weekend of the divisional race. The Renegade class is a new class that Piedmont created this year to draw more race cars that have a hard time running the Big Dog race. It has the basically the same rules as Top Sportsman, but you can only use one nitrous system. It is also heads up, first one to the finish line, which Sandy loves. Finally, his first win of the season. In the finals, he ran good friend Stacy Hall. The neat thing is that it was an all small block final. Winning E.T. 4.45. The Piedmont divisional was not as good. A second round red light. The photo is our old pal Doug West working hard for the Sandflea at Piedmont.

Let's talk about a leg injury. That day at work was slow and I continued the cleaning out of one of our buildings. I was cutting all the metal up to take to the scrap yard. I had cut up some barrels and cut on one that had not been vented. Big explosion. Totally my fault because I did not prepare. Been around cutting and welding my whole life. Can't explain why I screwed up this time. But it happened. Moving on.

The barrel was laying down and the blast hit my left lower leg. I fell to the ground and was dazed. I heard my torch still burning and reached up and turned it off. I wondered how bad my leg was bleeding and when I looked, I could only see a couple of spots on my pants. When I raised my leg to see if their was a pool of blood (their wasn't) my leg went 90 degrees about half way down below my knee. That's when I panicked a little.

The next thing I wondered was where was my phone. By the way, I was there by myself. I realized my phone was in my jeep about 30 yards away. I crawled to my jeep and got my phone and called 911. I am leaving out a lot of little things that you can ask me later. But basically the first responders came and took care of me. Then I was air lifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

While in the hospital for two and half weeks, I received a titanium rod with lots of screws and staples. I lost the front muscle on my leg because of the blast. Believe it or not, they cut my stomach, leaving about a 10 inch scar while taking a stomach muscle and transplanting it to my leg. Ugly! Also a nice skin graph from my left thigh.

It has been 5 and half weeks since my accident. They say it will be 6 months before I can put any pressure on it. I still have to keep my leg elevated, so I only have three spots to sit. Bed, recliner and wheel chair. I went to the ortho doc yesterday and he said all is good. I go to the plastic surgeon tomorrow and I hope I will get another good report. But for now, I do a lot of sitting and surfing. I finally got everything set up so I can blog at will. Trying to get up to date . Even set up a Facebook account.

I want to thank everyone who has prayed for me, called, sent cards and came by to visit. I am truly lucky to be alive and my life has changed for the best because of it. The Lord has always been good to me, even though I have let him down a lot in the past. I will keep you up to date from here on out. My goal is to be at the Fall Nationals in Rockingham. Talk to you soon.

Don

Don Shuford and the Rock

For those of you that don't know, Don was in a terrible accident at the end of march. Let's just say he is extremely lucky to be here but he has a long road to recovery. Don was working at the muffler shop, there was an explosion, and his leg was severely damaged. After spending a couple of weeks in the hospital he has finally made it home to finish his recovery.

First i want everyone to know that racing just will not be the same without Don's help. Of course everyone expects him to make a full recovery, it just going to take some time. Without a doubt the success of Wilkins Motorsports can be directly related to the team of Shuford and Wilkins. To quote John Furr, "If there's a picture to be had you can count Wilkins and Shuford to be nearby". So in Don's honor i am including a picture of him made after the final round at Rockingham spring 2008.

We love you buddy!!!! Get Well SOON!!!!!

Starting Out The Year # 2

I hope the winter has been good to everyone, but I sure am glad it's spring. I know all you guys are ready to race. We finally did get to race last weekend. With Rockingham getting postponed due to rain and then the Farmington race getting pushed back a week, it seemed as though we would never get to race. Let's back up a couple of weeks.

In the last blog the car had just been painted at Chuck Chapman's place. Following that, Sandy assembled the car and I met him at Mooresville Dragway to test. Sandy has an eighth mile set up where he runs only on motor (no nitrous). While most cars just turn off the nitrous and race, Sandy changes the rear end gear, converter and other settings on the car to maximize performance and minimize problems. The testing went well. Sandy made three runs of 4.98, and back to back 4.97's. We loaded up with the outlook good and we were ready for Farmington.

The Farmington weekend started off with sunny skies and a little wind. It was about ten degrees cooler than when we tested in Mooresville, but hey, no rain in the forecast. Sandy made his two qualifying runs Saturday, which was a 4.88 and a 4.90. We thought about running the combo race but the temperature was falling fast. The track gets real tight when it gets cold and bracket racing a 4.80 door car in forty degree weather can get a little crazy. So we hung out with our friends at the Jay Zimmerman camp before calling it a night.

Sunday was sunshine and no wind. Temperature in the upper fifty's. First round we ran Mike White in his 63 Corvette. Second round was the Allen Racing Engines Monte Carlo. Third round was Tim West from Asheville, NC. He was going for the jugular. He was -.001 & dead on with a 1. That was about to be ugly. In the semi's we got around Mark Payne in his new Cavalier. Sandy had been in the zone all day with the car running the number. In the finals, we were matched up against Jeff Rudisill who was making his Top Sportsman return after a four year absence. Sandy and Jeff both missed the tree and both cars were one number over. But unfortunately for the Sandflea, the win light was in the other lane. Congratulations to Jeff Rudisill, but losing sucks. It was a hard pill to swallow after having such an awesome day.

After a person gets over the what ifs and emotional roller coaster of the day, you have to look at the big picture. 1. This was the first race of the year and we made it to the finals. 2. It was back to back finals after ending 2008 with a win at the Rockingham National. 3. We are second in divisional points. A top three finish in the division gets you in the shootout for the championship at the end of year. 4. The car performed flawless over the course of the weekend and 5. Sandy made his first driver error in ten rounds of competition. Going back to the fall Rockingham win to end 2008 and this race to start 2009, that is one mistake per ten runs. I will take that ratio every time.

As the title states, Sandy started out the year number 2. He has #2 on the window from last year and in our first race we ended up # 2. Now if we can only finish the year #1. Honestly, Wilkins Motorsports has been truly blessed this past year (other than the crash). But even in the crash we were blessed. Winning rounds is fun and winning races is great. It is why we race. We love the people, the competition and Sandy loves the challenge of taking a 432 cubic inch small block and making it run wicked fast. See you in Mooresville.

Don

What Have We Missed?

How have things been? The last blog was about the awards banquet in Ohio and when we left it was snowing. As I write this, their is snow left on the ground from the snow storm we got yesterday. Very nice but I am ready for Spring.

Since last December my family and I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Sandy also got everything he asked for. He is especially fond of the 60 lb. bag of twenty dollar bills. But seriously, Sandy has been busy building engines and trying to get his car looking normal. Thanks to Chuck Chapman, that has been accomplished. More on that later. On the engine building side, I know he has built engines for Brian Williams, Josh Miller's cars, the champ Steve Corker and many more. While he has been staying busy, one always can stand a little more business.


The most exiting thing that has happened this winter is the birth of Lowman Elizabeth Wilson. This is Sandy's new little niece. She was born on December 9th, 2008 @ 12:39 am and weighed 7 lb 7 oz and was 20.5 inches long. In this photo she is two months old and is being held by her big brother, the King, Mr. Banks. Freda and Lucien are overwhelmed and very proud as well as mom Elise and dad Joel.

If you remember, Sandy's car did not win best appearing at the Rockingham fall race. That was when his car was given the nickname "Wilkemon." You know, it had the John Montecalvo front end on it. It was an ugly winner's circle pic, but it was a winner. Some people told Sandy he was crazy for painting a car that had just won a race. "You don't want to change your luck" they said. Well, I believe it was a winner when it looked good, so I will go with the fresh paint. It has a few tweaks to the paint scheme and I think it looks cleaner, shinier and meaner. It's just plain Hot!!!! Chuck Chapman does an awesome job.

As you know the Rockingham race was rained out this past weekend. Sandy was going to test on Friday for the first time this year and then go racing. Now this gives him another week on the car and I believe testing we be this Saturday at Mooresville Dragway. From there he will head to Farmington for the next divisional race on March 13-15. Hopefully it will be sunny and mildly warm for March. At least we will have the extra hour of day light from the time change.

Sandy has added a few things to the car that will make the 2009 even stronger. You can ask Sandy about that. Like most racers Sandy is trying to keep enough cash flow going so he can race all year. With the economy down, racing closer to home makes common $ents. Hopefully, Sandy can continue the momentum from last year and get one of the spots for the championship shootout at the final race of the year in Rockingham. All you have to do is Win! Sounds easy, right?

Don