Vegas Wrap-Up
After an event full of challenge after challenge, I could not be prouder of this team. They just never quit, all found important ways to contribute and relentlessly pulled hard together. They put BlackbirdX back in the final again, for the first time this season and in its fourth consecutive appearance there (out of five Factory X races so far).
In the round before, Alex Austin Laughlin once again demonstrated just what an awesome driver he is by taking the win against Stephen Bell’s fast Mustang with a holeshot in a very close race.
Given the many failed attempts to get down the track and to get BlackbirdX back in the groove, the solid pass in round one against the number one qualifier Aaron Stanfield, resulting in a win, was cause for celebration in its own right.
The list of things that had to be sorted, diagnosed and fixed for BlackbirdX and for the Team Underdawg Racing Drag Pak was staggering and I could not ever be thankful enough for the team behind keeping both these cars in the fight, putting one in the semi final and the other in the final.
So very thankful, first to God for putting all these great people and the needed resources in our lives so that we get to do this; to Jena Turk who not only supports the journey, but fans the flames; to Dave Zientara who pulls the load before, during and after the race; to Keaton Vester who was in a state of high speed, non stop motion, working both cars from the moment we touched the pavement, everyday, all day; to the great person and driver, Alex Laughlin, who gets it done regardless what we and BlackbirdX throw at him; to the out of racing retirement big brain, big heart, big stick to it duo of Michael Ware and Chuck Senatore; to the Brandt clan of Danny Brandt, Kyle Brandt and Marvin Brandt; to Scott Abramson who got the cars here and made some excellent ribs to help fuel the fire; to Samuel Fleming and other many other supporters who were there or through social media, encourage and cheer us on.
We’ve clearly got some work to do between here and Charlotte at our next Factory X outing, but after this weekend, it’s pretty clear we are blessed with a team that’s up for the task.
