Andy Kelley Racing

Going to Charlotte 3/2010

2010-03-13T19:38:00.004-05:00

We have the car loaded in the trailer and we will be in Charlotte in 2 weeks. It has been a while since my last post, but we have been busy running the business. Anyone that is going, be sure to stop by and say hello. Want your name on the car, give me buzz. always looking for extra money to put into this deal, Andy. Email outlaw280@aol.com

well, some bad news came our way. We will not be in charlotte. Seems the older version of wheel hubs and studs are no longer legal to run with NHRA, which is whats on our car. We are going to get the new updates done, but just not enough time and more than that, the money to do the update this quick. We are shooting to be in Atlanta may 14-16 so stay tuned...

Next Race- Charlotte N.C. Sept 18-20 2009

2009-08-16T10:51:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone, thanks for keeping up with our team. We will be heading to charlotte sept. 18-20 for the upcoming NHRA event. We are looking for sponsorship. Hey, if you know an individual or a company that would like to have their name a Nitro Funny Car in front of thousands of people and possibly ESPN2, have them get in touch with me. I know this year has been tough in the business world, but we all still need to advertise to keep our name out in the public! Very reasonable rates, small decals to large, we can help you get your name out there! If you come to the event, stop by our pit and say hi. Andy
864 845 6079
www.andykelleyracing.com

New Season New car

2009-04-26T12:01:00.004-04:00

Well, its been a while since my last post. Let me bring you up to speed. Over the winter, we had Horton Race cars/Hartman Machine Works build us a brand new Funnycar chassis. The craftmanship J.Ed and Richard done is second to none. Attention to detail is unbelievable. The Dodge Stratus body is all white. Never had a white car before, but I like it. We had no test time with the new car and we did not even start the car until last weekend at the Southern Nationals in GA. I left work early wed. to get there and finish some last minute details. The car passed tech with flying colors and we were ready to go. We actually finished the total car friday around 11:00 am to make a run. We had planned on running the car 3-400 foot on the first pass to make sure everything was in working order. The crew triple checked every nut, bolt and fitting on the car, and we were feeling good. We had our team meeting and afterward, Me, daddy, and Richard talked about the first run. It was left up to me as to how far to take the run. We pulled the car to the scales to check weight right before the run, set the steering and pulled it to the staging lanes. I was the first Funnycar to run. They started the car, lowered the body and even though I have not drove in 6 months (Rockingham Oct. 08'), It came back very fast. First off, the dodge body is 100% different than the Camaro body we ran last year. This thing feels like something from outer space. The tin work and firewall inside the car is awesome. J.ed made me a new "dog house"(covers supercharger that lays on top on dash), so the visibility was good. I pulled through the water box and hit the throttle. Man, It felt SO GOOD!! Backed up, the crew lifted the body to perform their tasks and lowered the body. I put the fresh air valve on which supplys air to my helmet. I put my visor down and its time to go. My dad is at the beam of the starting line and he motions me forward. When it's ok to pull on forward, he gives me the thumbs up signal and I pull into the beam. The top light comes on. It's go time. Take a deep breath, pull the fuel lever to full "on", take my foot off the clutch pedal and roll into the second beam. I look for the yellow flash of the bulb and BAM! I hit the the throttle and run 4.40 at 279.mph! on the very first run of a brand new car. NHRA is not running the 1/4 mile this year, they only run 1,000 ft. We had a great weekend even though we did not qualify. We only the missed the bump time by 2 tenths of a second. We learned a great deal about the downforce of the new car, we will make the necessary changes before the next race in Bristol, TN may 15-17 and see what happens. Thanks to Serenity Limosuine in Atlanta Ga., General Machine of Anderson, Holbrook Performance parts, Hedman Hedders, Duncan's Transport, JRD Grading, R&R Construction, Karolina Coaches, Victory-1, Horton race cars, Hartman Machine, Ross Pistons, Darton sleeves, Vickery's speed shop, ISP, Ringers Gloves, Impact!, Discount trailer sales, my family, crew and friends for your support. We are still looking for sponsors, so if you know someone wanting to advertise, send them my way. We are looking for anything small to large. Until next time, Andy My new website is www.andykelleyracing.com

new spy photo pics

2009-01-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

some shots of my new hot rod being built by J.ED Horton and Richard Hartman. Can't wait til it's ready. Were still looking for sponsorship, but what paint scheme do you think would be cool. let me know your thoughts

Happy New Year Everyone

2009-01-03T09:42:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. The Kelley family had a great time! The new car is looking awesome, Richard and J.ED are doing a great job. Hopefully it will be back at Kelley Motorsports in a few weeks. And then all the work begins. The race we won in N.H. will be on today at 6:00 pm on speed TV. Until next time, Andy

2008-11-29T16:43:00.003-05:00

Getting ready for 09'

2008-11-01T09:46:00.002-04:00

Well, there is no such thing as off time for a race team. We have been busy getting ready for 09'. I hope to have some big things happen for us next year. It is not looking good for the Nitro FC class in IHRA next year. SO, we're building a brand new NHRA spec. chassis and we're going to run some NHRA events. We'd run them all if the $$$ comes through. We took delivery of a Dodge Stratus body, and it's just bad!! I will post some pics later. The chassis is being built right here in the upstate by J.Ed Horton and Richard Hartman at Horton race cars/ Hartman Machine in Belton SC. As always, we're still looking for sponsorship at any level, so pass the word along. It will be interesting!

News channel 4 on at 6 and 11:00

2008-10-22T20:40:00.002-04:00

Tune in tonight at 6 and 11 on News 4. They came down and did an interview with me and the Funnycar. Thanks to Jason and Donovan with Cubicle Connections for setting it up. Thanks to Jackson and Hunter for the footage. Let's keep the ball rolling! Andy

# 2 in the IHRA Points

2008-10-20T20:37:00.003-04:00

Well, the IHRA season is over. We finished #2 in the points chase and couldn't be happier. We were not able to attend the race in edmonton canada, and well, if we did we would've finished #1, but that's hind sight. We had a career best year. Here is a run down. I ran my first 4 second run, qualified #1, was last man standing several times, ran top MPH of the whole event in grand bend Canada, went to 3 straight final rounds and WON twice! To top it off, we finished #2 in the points behind my friend Terry Haddock. Let me tell you about rockingham. We entered the race tied for 3rd place with Paul Lee. Paul is one of the best out there. Rain cancelled the first qual. run so we were down to 2 runs on Sat. It was very cold, had great air, but the track temp was a little cool. Most of the cars shook the tires or smoked them and we were one of them. I had to pedal the car and it ran 5.84 @ 291. mph. We were qual. #5 after the first session. Going into the last session, Terry and I were last on the qual. run order because we were the fastest in our respected lanes in the first session. It seemed like each car that ran in front of me was bumping me down the list and low and behold I was not qualified for the 8 car field when it was my turn to run. I was very nervous, the track had cooled down a ton, and the pressure was on. Richard and Dad told me to be on my toes and be ready for anything. The car left very hard and the dreaded tire shake caught me. My foot slapped the throttle before my brain told it to. We ran a 5.15 and were last man standing, meaning we won the 5 bonus points for being the fastest winning car in qual. We ending up qual. #4. Fate was in out hands. We ended up running paul lee in the first round and who ever won would at least finish 3rd. Well, we won! I knew we had 3rd sewn up and now looking for 2nd. Matt Hagan had a great year. He has won 3 times and has had a very fast car. Fate was dealt once again between Matt and Terry. 1st and 2nd in the points chase. Terry won the round and the championship. Matt made a good effort, but the engine let go and his car put oil on the track which resulted in a points deduction. We were getting ready to race the semi's and Mike Perry came over and told me about the points matt lost which moved me to 2nd in the points. We made enough clean runs that I could have oiled the track twice and we still would not have been penalized. So the points was set. Terry First, I was 2nd, Matt 3rd, Paul 4th and Steve 5th. What a weekend. Now the word is IHRA may not have Nitro F/C's next year. IHRA has been bought out by Feld Entertainment. I guess something bad has left IHRA in financial trouble and they don't have funding for one of it's most popular classes. Please, email anyone at Feld Entertainment and let them know how much you love Nitro F/C's and we need a place to race next year. See you all soon, Andy

Saturday Night Fever

2008-09-18T12:39:00.003-04:00

Oh yea, that's what I have. The Outlaw is back! Saturday night, Sept.20, I will be match racing Bobby Lagana Jr. at Carolina Dragway in Jackson SC. Known as the "House Of Hook". Maybe they will have a national event there next year! Bobby drives one of the baddest Top Fuel Dragsters on the IHRA circuit and he is one very talented driver. It will be nothing but fun. No points, no qualifying, no BS, just $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ on the line! I hope you can come out and cheer us on. Last year we had a great time. Carolina Dragway is a very nice and hard hooking track. We will be "experimenting" with some new ideas for the last National event in rockingham. You can go to their website www.carolinadragway.com and get more information. Check out www.ihra.com They have an article on me on the homepage. Andy

Thanks to the Anderson Independant

2008-09-12T18:21:00.003-04:00

I wanted to thank the Anderson Independant for the coverage they have given our team in the local paper. Were going to make a Drag Racing fan out of Scott Adamson if its the last thing we do! Thanks to all the calls and emails from everyone. We are definatly on a roll.

I keep saying it's just unbelievable, but actually it's not. We have been racing a long time. We have worked our tails off to be in this position. I have the best crew members on earth, and they all pour their hearts into it. They perform the same, race after race, have the car assembled right, and the numbers show it. Richard Hartman is making all the right calls and I am getting the car to the finish line.

There is nothing more gratifing than our recent results. I cant wait to go to Rockingham. If you have the chance, you must come to the last race. The points battle will go down to the wire.

Right now were hot on the line trying to secure sponsorship to make a full run for the 09' IHRA Funny Car Championship. I know we can win it, we just need some financial help. If you know ANYONE wanting to great exposure to hundreds of thousands of American Consumers, foward my number or email.

Dad and I went to Victory-1 on Thursday afternoon for the open house. Let me tell you, that is one nice facility. I know why they make the best Titanium valve on the market. They had bbq, low country boil, chicken and all the fixings. Lots of people and eating going on. On a side note, at this weekend's inaugural NHRA event in Charlotte, Don and Jay are helping Bob Gilbertson, and Ray Murphy is helping Matt Hagan. Good luck to both teams.

We will be racing Sept. 20 at Carolina Dragway. Its a Sat. night match race against a Top fuel dragster driven by Bobby Lagana jr. Be sure to come out and watch.

Andy

Piedmont’s Andy Kelley Takes Home IHRA North American Nationals Nitro Funny Car Championship

2008-09-08T10:05:00.000-04:00

Epping, NH – September 7, 2008 –Piedmont’s Andy Kelley won his second IHRA National Event Championship of the season at the historic New England Dragway in Epping, NH, defeating current IHRA Nitro Funny Car points leader Terry Haddock in the Finals. His current hot streak has included a championship at the Northern Nationals, a runner-up finish at the Sooner Nationals, and now, a second event championship at the North American Nationals. A winner in eight of his last nine rounds of competition, this run of success has left the diesel truck mechanic from the Upstate humbled.

“Earlier this year I knew we were getting better, and had a shot at winning an event.” Said Andy. “But to come out the past three races, go to three straight Finals and win two Championships has really exceeded our expectations. Richard Hartman has done a great job tuning the car for consistency, and that’s why we’re winning races. In the past we’ve been maybe a little quicker here or there, but didn’t have the consistency. Now Richard has us making strong runs, and getting down the track cleanly lap after lap.”

Kelley entered the event in fifth place in the IHRA Nitro Funny Car points chase, but after knocking off the number two qualifier Cory Lee in round one, Kelley upset the events number one qualifier, Virginia’s Matt Hagan, in round two with a 5.10 second run at 300.66 mph. In the Finals, Kelley faced off against the current IHRA Nitro Funny Car points leader, Washington State’s Terry Haddock, and when Haddock smoked his tires, Kelley cruised to the win, and moved up to third place in the national points standings.

Now tied with Paul Lee for third place, and only two points behind Matt Hagan for second, Kelley can’t wait for the IHRA season finale at the legendary Rockingham Dragway on October 17-19.

“After a slow start, this is turning into a dream season,” said Kelley. “We have a chance, if we can qualify strong in Rockingham and go rounds, to finish the season in second place. We’d love to have a lot of local support at the World Finals, and would encourage our local fans and friends to drive up and see us at The Rock. It’s a great facility, and one of the few places fans can sit almost right up on the track.”

Kelley Motorsports is based in Piedmont, SC, and campaigns a Nitro Funny Car in the ten-event IHRA Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam series. Kelley currently sits in third place in the IHRA national points standings with one race left in the season. To follow Andy’s progress, check out his blog at http://andykelleyracing.blogspot.com.

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North American Nationals CHAMPION!!

2008-09-07T17:59:00.002-04:00

Woo Hooo!! Just got done beating Terry Haddock in the Finals for our second event win of the year. We went 5.16 in the Finals but Terry smoked the tires so it wasn't close. In round one we beat Cory Lee, when I went 5.15 and he smoked the tires. In round two I beat Matt Hagan 5.10/300 to his 5.20.

I am on cloud nine. This is three Finals in a row, our second event win, and I've won 8 of my last 9 rounds. This is truly a dream come true. More details later, and make sure you all make plans to come see us in Rockingham on October 17-19. We are now tied for 3rd in points with Paul Lee, according to IHRA, and to finish in third would be great.

2 back to back finals- what a dream

2008-08-26T20:27:00.003-04:00

If ever I needed a win, it was in Martin, MI. We had talked about skipping tulsa and epping if we had not faired well in Martin. And the rest is history ( as they would say). We won our first ever Nitro Funnycar National event!!!!!!! Made a little money, spent more than we made and moved on to Tulsa OK. We went to the final round there last year, only to be caught by the clutch gremlin. Not this year! Richard Hartman had our car on string. He is an amazing tuner and what he can do with no budget (ours) is just unreal. We have won 5 out of the last 6 rounds of competition. I am more than ever determined to secure some form of financial backing for next year and really be aggressive toward an IHRA championship. We still have a mathematical chance of winning the championship this year, and trust me, were going for broke, but it is a very long shot to say the least. I want to take this time to thank Dusty and his son Brent for their help all weekend. I have to thank each member of our crew for their dedicated support. Butch, who has been with me through all the tough times. He is a very dedicated person, and puts in a lot hours at the shop and the track. He takes care of the truck, trailer and car when its not in my sight. Thanks Butch. Ray, Jay, Don, Neal, Paul, Josh and Bob. These great people volunteer their time to pursue a dream as well. I can"t thank them enough for their great work and dedication. If you think it's easy, well, its not. Just to give you an overview- Me , Dad, Jill, ray, don, neal, jay and bob pile into the motorhome usually around 6:00 on thursday afternoon. We drive non stop to wherever were racing at. We arrive friday morning, unload the luggage, unload the van and get straight to work. We are constantly making the car better and safer. After qualifing friday night, we service the car and get in bed usually around 1-2 am. Wake up sat. morning around 7 am, start working on the car and parts. After the last qual. session sat. night and the car is serviced, its again, 1,2 or 3 in the morning.(depends on how the runs were) Sunday, wake up at 7 am again, and get the car ready for race day. Except for the last 2 races, which ever round we lost in, we'd service the car and load it in the trailer. We all then get back in the motorhome to make the trip back home non-stop to make the monday morning work day. Butch would stay and finish loading everything and then get the transporter back safely to S.C. But it's what we live for. I want to thank the wives of my crew for letting their husbands go with me. I want to thank the support of my wife Bron, kids Anna Drew and Heath. Thanks to my brother Neal for letting me and dad go racing while he runs the business. I wish he could go with us. Jill, for just everything you do. From planning our trip, to the food, all the decals, cooking, making sure the Nitro is right, making sure daddy is right!, just everything, thanks. All my sponsors who have helped me. Donnie and Barbara Holbrook. Holbrook Performance Parts..... If you want to race and dont have a car, just give them a call, need on bolt or a complete engine, give them a call or check them out online- www.Holbrookperformance.com Mike at General Machine of Anderson for all your manual and cnc machining. and thanks for letting Neal and Don off work to go with us. Victory1 precision racing valves. Conrad and Derek has been a huge help with our valve train success this year. Ross racing pistons, Darton Sleeves, Amalie oil, ARC, Crane cams, clevite, Vickery Speed shop, Impact! safety, R3, RH2, JRD hauling and grading, Silt Fence, R & R Construction, Danny and Lanita Driggers, Hartman Machine Works, Horton race cars, Nitro Drivelines(Moore), Williams oil pans, and everyone else who has contributed in some way. It takes so much to have a competitive race car, I just wanted to thank everyone for all you do. Now lets go to Epping and win that race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Sooner Nationals Finals

2008-08-24T20:02:00.001-04:00

5:16 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 88 degrees, relative humidity 52 percent, barometer 29.27 inches, adjusted altitude 3,504 feet, track temperature 128 degrees.

(W) Matt Hagan (Shelor.com '05 Monte Carlo) 0.141 5.113 301.81
(L) Andy Kelley (Holbrook Perf. Parts '02 Camar 0.133 5.194 285.83

During their brief Nitro Funny Car careers, Kelley and Hagan have each won once against the other and this is the first time they have faced each other in a final round. Hagan trailed Terry Haddock by 81 points, just one point ahead of Kelley, when he staged the car.

Good race, Hagan leading all the way, with Kelley close until half track. Matt Hagan's incremental margins: 60ft(0.007), 330 ft(0.012), 660ft(0.012), 1,000ft(0.039). MOV: 0.0732 seconds (approximately 31 feet).

2nd Round Win. Back to the Finals!

2008-08-24T16:33:00.001-04:00

2:56 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 87 degrees, relative humidity 59 percent, barometer 29.32 inches, adjusted altitude 3,538 feet, track temperature 125 degrees.

(W) Andy Kelley (Holbrook Perf. Parts '02 Camar 0.092 5.222 293.03
(L) Todd Simpson (Modular Systems '02 Camaro) 0.104 5.860 184.67

Something went POP in Simpson's car just before half track and Kelley sailed right into the final round where he will give up lane choice to Matt Hagan.

First Round Win in Tulsa

2008-08-24T14:14:00.000-04:00

1:04 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 84 degrees, relative humidity 70 percent, barometer 29.38 inches, adjusted altitude 3,283 feet, track temperature 121 degrees.

(W) Andy Kelley (Holbrook Perf. Parts '02 Camar 0.163 5.107 300.60
(L) John Lawson (TORCO '08 Impala) 0.207 5.162 291.45

The car Lawson is driving this weekend is the car Dale Creasy Jr. was driving in Edmonton when he was injured - with a new driveline tunnel to protect against that type of accident.

Both drivers were late, both made their best run of the weekend, and Kelley lit the win light by more than a car length.

Final Qualifying Order - Tulsa

2008-08-23T22:08:00.002-04:00

We finished in the fourth position and race John Lawson at Noon tommorrow (Sunday). check www.ihra.com for the results.

1 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '05 Monte Carlo 4.994 306.26
2 Terry Haddock, Woodville WA, '05 Stratus 5.098 283.73
3 Paul Lee, Wynnewood PA, '02 Camaro 5.120 292.77
4 Andy Kelley, Piedmont SC, '02 Camaro 5.124 298.93
5 Steven Macklyn, Layton UT, '05 Monte Carlo 5.143 283.91
6 Todd Simpson, Ponder TX, '02 Camaro 5.248 275.06
7 Jeff Diehl, Salinas CA, '05 Monte Carlo 5.362 226.01
8 John Lawson, Joliet IL, '08 Impala 5.384 231.99

Sat afternoon solid run

2008-08-23T19:30:00.003-04:00

We decided to run on Saturday afternoon even though we had a good pass last night. The track temp and air temp this afternoon are going to be similar to what we'll see tommorrow during eliminations so we needed the data.

The track temp was over 120 and the air temp was 83, so we knew traction was going to be tough. We backed off a little and made the best Nitro Funny Car pass of the session with a 5.183 at 295.08. Still #3 on the ladder.

We'll go get ready for tonite and may really crank it up. Check the blog later for an update or go to www.ihra.com.

Good Run Fri Night - #3

2008-08-22T22:18:00.001-04:00

Here's how we stand after Friday nights qualifying session in Tulsa

1. Matt Hagan Shelor.com '05 Monte Carlo 5.086 298.60
2. Terry Haddock Race Girl '05 Stratus 5.098 283.73
3. Andy Kelley Holbrook Perf. Parts '02 Camar 5.124 298.93
4. Jeff Diehl NitroAGoGo.com '05 Monte Carlo 5.362 226.01
5. Justin Schriefer Ruane Construction '02 Camaro 5.509 213.00
6. John Lawson TORCO '08 Impala 5.705 205.60
7. Todd Simpson Modular Systems '02 Camaro 5.871 177.21
8. Paul Lee Merchants Tire & Auto '02 Cama 6.622 132.95
--------- Not Qualified ---------
9. Steven Macklyn hazmatstore.net '05 Monte Carl 6.685 172.45
10. Dan Sosenka Mr. Magoo '97 Avenger 6.819 156.44
11. Randy Bykowsky Hi-Velocity Systems '05 Monte 9.191 90.91

Andy Kelley Earns First Career Nitro Funny Car Championship; Wins IHRA Northern Nationals

2008-08-04T12:57:00.001-04:00

Martin, MI – August 4, 2008 – When the tire smoke cleared Sunday evening at US131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, Andy Kelley, driver of the 7,000 horsepower Kelley Motorsports Nitro Funny Car, was hoisting his first IHRA Ironman trophy over his head, and had tears in his eyes.

“I can’t describe this feeling,” said Kelley. “My family and my crew have all sacrificed so much for me to be able to stand here today. We all have a passion for this sport and to finally be here in the winners circle is validation of what we’ve poured our life into.”

After qualifying in the fifth position for Sunday’s elimination rounds, Kelley was a model of consistency, driving his Richard Hartman and Nicky Boninfante-tuned fuel funny car to a first round win over number one qualifier Cory Lee, defeating number three qualifier John Lawson in round two, and out driving former event champion and number two qualifier Paul Lee in the Finals. What added to the drama was the fact that John Lawson was driving World Champion Dale Creasy, Jr’s car while Creasy recovers from injuries sustained earlier this summer in Edmonton, Canada, and Kelley had been oh-for-his career versus Creasy.

Kelley’s consistency is evident in the times the team recorded during the event. During qualifying they recorded a 5.16 second ET and set top speed for the event with a 296 mph pass. Then, with Richard Hartman and Nick Boninfante doing the tuning, and Andy doing the driving, the team was a lethal combination during eliminations, running a 5.15 second ET in round one and a 5.18 second ET in round two, before the hot track got to them in the Finals.

In the Final round, Andy gave up the starting line advantage to a cat-quick reaction time from Paul Lee, but Lee’s car began spinning the tires at mid-track. Although Kelley also began to lose traction in the same area, Andy was better able to control the tire spin, and took the victory with a 5.54 second ET at 263 miles per hour.

“I knew he had me at the light and I thought I blew it” continued Kelley. “But I could tell he got in trouble. As soon as I realized that, though, I felt my car start to spin. But I was able to blip the throttle and get hooked back up again. When I heard Dad hollerin’ in the radio I knew we’d won.”

The win was a big one for Kelley Motorsports. A combination of high diesel fuel prices and rising costs for just about everything the team consumes in weekend of IHRA competition had forced them to consider parking the car for the three remaining events of the year. But the Event Champion purse has injected needed financing into the team, and will improve their ability to finish the season. Next up is the IHRA Sooner Nationals on August 22-24 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“I couldn’t do this without the support of my family, my wife Bron and my two wonderful kids Anna Drew and Heath, my brother Neal who keeps our family business going when we’re out of town racing, and, of course, my Dad, Pat, who is our Crew Chief and my inspiration.” Concluded an emotional Kelley. “I am so thankful to God and all these wonderful people who are helping me live my dream.”

Kelley Motorsports is based in Piedmont, SC, and campaigns a Nitro Funny Car in the ten-event IHRA Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam series. To follow Andy’s progress, check out the IHRA social networking site at http://www.racingjunk.com/profile/285086, or his blog at http://andykelleyracing.blogspot.com.

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Wow, this Ironman is HEAVY!!

2008-08-04T12:26:00.004-04:00

It's pretty crazy right now. We just won our first IHRA Event and I'm sitting here staring at the Ironman trophy. One of my buddies called me from home and asked me, half-joking, if I teared up at all. Heck yeah I did. Just thinking about all the racing we've done, and all the sacrifices we've made over the years. Over ten years of racing alcohol funny cars at match races in little places you've never heard of. The decision to go Nitro racing when everyone told us we were nuts. All the great people that help us do what we do. The frustrations over the past couple of years, never seeming to get any breaks. It all came over me when I was standing there holding the Ironman with my team mobbing me. Wow. I just can't tell you all how satisfying this is.

That final round run was unreal. First, Paul Lee nails me at the light. By a full tenth. Not that my reaction time was horrible, but he cut an amazing .016 light. Just as I saw him start to have problems I felt my tires start to spin, too. I pedaled it really quick and it hooked back up and the next thing I know my Dad is hollering into the head set in my Impact helmet that we won.

I have to thank a ton of people, all who contribute in significant ways to the team.

Richard Hartman and his dad Virgil. We wouldn't even be in Nitro racing if it weren't for those fine, fine people. Richard tunes our car and does a great job. I know I've talked about my crew before, but they are so special. Ray Murphy who is like the Sergant of our team. Jay Giles who we met in Rockingham a couple years ago and who has given us so much effort. Don Lynch who does bottom end for us and has a wife and two great boys at home that he has to leave to come race with us. Butch Beacham who works with us in the shop, drives the transport, and does most of our setup and tear-down. Neal Brittain who works with Don and who joined us this year helping do the clutch and anything else. Jill Kelley who mixes the fuel and cooks. Bob Szelag who takes great pictures and is fun to have around. Paul Constantine who does marketing and PR and sometimes gets greasy with us when he can get to the track. I really hate that he missed my first win. He has been a huge part of our blog and getting us exposure. And we had help this weekend from Nicky Boninfante who was great to have around (and congrats to him for getting hired by Kalitta Motorsports to be co-crew chief for Doug Kalitta). These guys all work for free and give up their weekends for me. We also had Butch's son with us, Josh, that is a huge help in cleaning parts and whatever else we needed.

My wife Bron for being soooooo patient with me. This was our 10 year wedding anniversary and she let me go racing. I love you Bron. Anna Drew and Heath, my kids. My big bro Neal. He gets manages our shop when we're out playing. And of course, my Dad. My dad Pat got me into this, supports me in this, manages the team, and is our Crew Chief.

The sponsors who help me out. Thank you to Donnie and Barbara Holbrook of Holbrook Performance Parts. www.holbrookperformance.com Mike Ertzberger of General Machine of Anderson. ARC. Victory One Valves. Impact Racing. Horton Race Cars. Hartman Machine works, JRD Hauling and Grading. Silt Fence Installation, R&R Construction, Darton Sleeves, Ross Racing Pistons, Amalie Racing oil, Vickery's Speed shop, Moore Performance, R3 head and Neck restraint, RH2, S&S, and a very special thanks to Connie Davis for his support last year. Thanks y'all.

More later...

Heading to Martin, MI

2008-07-29T22:01:00.003-04:00

Spent today getting everything set for Butch to leave with the transport for Martin, Michigan and the IHRA Northern Nationals. I can't wait to get back out on the track after our huge disappointment in Grand Bend. We were so optimistic after our first ever #1 qualifying spot, and we really had the car dialed in. But on Sunday our day was cut short by a 2 dollar O-ring.

After I did the burnout and started to back up, I saw the track officials coming out on the track with mops and my heart sank. When Butch raised the body, I saw fuel shooting out the side of motor, and Richard went running off to get some tools. He was back in a second and started trying to stop the leak. Steven Macklyn was in the other lane and waited as long as he could, but eventually the track official staged him and shut us down and our weekend was over. I really wanted to throw up. We had a new sponsor, ARC, and were excited about the possibilities that having the fastest car out there that weekend held.

Anyway, on to the next race. I can't tell you all how good I feel about our team and the car. We really have it dialed in. Richard Hartman is a great tuner, and now we have enough runs on this car to KNOW it, and I'm getting better as a driver. And I've been blessed with such a great team.

The team is all volunteers, and give up weekends with families to come out and work hard, up their elbows in oil and grease, in the summer heat. We drive all night to and from the races. They sleep in a hot race trailer on cots because we are all broke. Ray, Don, Jay, Neil, Butch. Paul when his job permits (or he's not in Vegas). Bryan when his boss at Home Depot lets him take a weekend off (and oh yeah, he's a HS Math teacher, too). These guys are worth their weight in gold which, if you've ever seen Butch, is pretty self explanatory......thanks guys.

#1 Qualifier

2008-07-19T22:34:00.002-04:00

I am so thrilled to be the #1 qualifier in Grand Bend. We ran one more pass in qualifying today and put up a 5.18 at 298. Good mph but the car was soggy off the line and it cost us some ET. This is our first time taking the top spot in qualifying and is pretty satisfying considering the challenges we've had this season. Here is the final qualifying order.

1. Andy Kelley ARC '02 Firebird 5.013 298.27
2. Terry Haddock Race Girl '05 Stratus 5.042 293.28
3. Jack Wyatt Olson Paint & Body '06 Stratus 5.118 242.36
4. Paul Lee Merchants Tire & Auto '02 Cama 5.155 292.52
5. Steven Macklyn hazmatstore.net '05 Monte Carl 5.172 287.66
6. Matt Hagan Shelor Motor Mile '06 Monte Ca 5.262 247.02
7. Jeff Diehl Red Line Oil '05 Monte Carlo 5.496 248.66
8. Cory Lee Teaamsters Canada '03 Firebird 5.546 205.98
--------- Not Qualified ---------
9. Rob Bruce Zombie '01 Camaro 12.426 65.16
10. Jason Duchene Castrol Syntec '00 Camaro 15.408 61.45

Grand Bend Friday Night

2008-07-18T21:03:00.002-04:00

Woo Hoo!! Just ran a 5.01 at 294mph which put me in the provisional #1 qualifying spot and earned us the "Last Man Standing". We are racing this weekend for our new sponsor, Applied Racing Components (ARC) and want to thank them for supporting us.

Shouldn't spend too much time posting, we are down two crewmembers this weekend and are shorthanded, but wanted to let everyone know we made a strong pass tonite.