TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2011 - Having a race venue less than 10 miles from the house is a blessing for any race team when that rarity occurs.  But for our team this coming weekend having a race in Huntington means all of the race team members' kids and spouses can gather as one massive family for a weekend, something we don't get to do at any other race event.  While Marietta is almost a home game for us, just 90 miles to the north, we typically have a crowd for that event, but I expect the whole gang and more to pack our pit area on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

My daughter, Hannah, will be selling "Mother Mouse Goes Camping in the Deep Dark Woods" at the race hauler all weekend.  Her second children's picture book was published earlier this year and arrived from the printer a few weeks ago.  To celebrate, Hannah and her friends will man a table at the race hauler selling the second book in her Mother Mouse series for $4 a copy, which comes with a free autograph from the author.  To help spread the word, Herd Racing's Formula 2 boat will sport a Mother Mouse paint scheme for the Huntington race.  A 56-inch long decal of Mother Mouse herself will be affixed to the rear cowling of both sides of the 120 boat so it should be a pretty cool site to see a flying mouse all weekend.  If you haven't read the orginal Mother Mouse then this weekend is the chance to get yourself a copy of both books for less than 10 bucks.

In other news, both our boats will display a memorial decal remembering a friend of Herd Racing Foundation member Melissa Wentz' friend Candy who was tragically killed a few weeks ago while we were racing at Marietta.  Candy was walking home in West Huntington along a roadway when a car struck and killed her.  Melissa, Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz' wife, was with our team at Marietta and got the terrible news Sunday afternoon before our finals.  The team will honor Candy's memory by displaying a pair of memorial decals on both our F-2 and F-3 boats this weekend in Huntington.

Also, Monty's Pizza of Chesapeake, Ohio has joined forces with The Herd Racing Foundation to help us by providing pizzas for a future outreach event.  We will return the thanks to Monty's this weekend by carrying their logos on our boats and look forward to cashing in on our side of the deal in a few weeks when our team, Foundation and church combines forces to conduct a fundraising event for Legacy Powerboat Ministry.  If you have an extra dollar this weekend please find a Legacy Powerboat Ministry donation bucket at the races.  They are our chosen charity this weekend and we want to raise enough money to be able to rest easy this winter knowing they will be able to be at all of our 2012 events.  Their services and prayers are things we can't afford to not have with us!

And lastly today, our F-3 motor, fresh off the workbench at LaBanco Racing, is scheduled to be delivered via our marketing friend J.D. Leedy in the morning.  J.D. will then pack our wrecked F-3 boat to Knoxville so that Gary Pugh can get started on resurrecting the old boat in time for one of our late August or September races, complete with a new LaBanco motor.

More to come later in the week.  The Huntington race is going to be stressful, but a great time for everyone who is able to come.  If you are in attendance, stop by the hauler for a hot dog, a good children's book and say "Hi" to all the kids!

Dana Tomes