The off-season has been very busy for everybody I've talked with. Several teams are stepping things up for the new season and busting ass to get things finished up before practice day gets here. The folks at Hilltop have been quite busy making the promised improvements to the pits/parking area, and the new seating is under way as I post this. I made the trip down there this weekend and snapped some pics to show the work up til Saturday. The last pic is just one more additon to Hilltop for the 2007 season. Yes, Wengerd Enterprises is now a proud sponsor of Hilltop Speedway. Thanks goes out to Dave McMillen for putting together a great sign in record time.
Jeff Facemire has picked up his new power plant over the weekend, and he should see an improvement in power and durability this season. It may not be the biggest baddest engine out there, but it's certainly no slouch either. If he starts the new season the way he ended last year, this could be one hell of a year for him.
On the asphalt side of things, the work on Mike Miller's car has been moving right along quite nicely. Most of the body has been test fitted and before long it will look like a brand new car from top to bottom. I'm still amazed at the differences between working on one of these compared to working on a dirt car. While some things almost seem to be nit-picking, there's certainly a reason Mike has picked up more than 160 feature wins and 17 Championships over the years. Who can argue with a record like that?? This season should be quite a learning experience for me, and I'm looking forward to it. Since my Saturday nights will probably be more open than past years, I suppose I won't have much of an excuse for not making it to Midvale to "further my education". ;-) Ohhhh,, quit yer naggin', I'm not converting to the "dark side",, just looking for new adventures.
In personal news, I've finally officially become an old man. I became a grandpa at 4:37 A.M. on Monday morning. Angelena crossed the scales at 7 lbs. 15.5 oz., and cute as a button. All these years you folks have been calling me an old fart, and now it's true I guess. Hell,, I couldn't be more proud!! Does this mean I can retire now?????
