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Re: Fwd: Speedweek

To: FastmetalBDF@aol.com
Subject: Re: Fwd: Speedweek
From: Joe Amo <jkamo@rapidnet.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 21:31:32 -0600
Bret K., I was trying to remember his name.  My eyes lit up at dinner at 
Bonneville one night when saw him come in to eat at the "Rainbow Room".  He 
took a
table next to ours.  Eventually I could not take it anymore and I approached 
him with eager anticipation.  Sporting my Bonneville shirt I said " did you 
bring
a car"  He said "a rental, why do you need a ride?"  in the most offensive tone 
of voice I ever heard.  I readjusted and said, " no I mean, are you here for
the races", and he looked at me with the most disgusted look and said "only for 
the 22nd consecutive year", I tried to say more, then he turned around and
went toward the buffet.    I guess he and I looked at each other with much 
different expectations.  He sure does a fine job with the "color commentary"  
for
ESPN.  Probably gets tired of people approaching him expecting a warm response. 
 Anyway I had no clue he was so knowledgable about Bonneville.    Bruce thanks
for sharing the info on him, there is always more than meets the eye.         
Joe  :) :)

FastmetalBDF@aol.com wrote:

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> Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 09:05:42 -0500
> From: "Vickie/HotRodder.Com" <webmaster@hotrodder.com>
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> To: Bruce <FastmetalBDF@aol.com>
> Subject: Speedweek
>
> Well I have to tell ya, your sending me that Speedweek update when you
> did was really weird.  I was just heading for Cordova Dragway in
> Illinois to meet up with my friend Bret Kepner, who'd be doing the
> announcing for the World Series of Drag Racing that weekend.  Bret's
> probably second to Louise in knowledge of the Bonneville races.  He's
> gone to every one for the last 20 some years.  And if you know Bret, he
> could probable tell you every ET from every car that has been there
> since.  That man's amazing!  If you don't know Bret, he's a race / car
> show commentator on ESPN2 and he's been a journalist since he was 17 and
> started writing for Super Stock and Drag Ill.   And he's a veritable
> walking encyclopedia of anything drag or race related.
>
> Anyway after the race at Cordova that Friday night, we went out to eat
> and I was asking him about Bonneville.  He went there this year with Ed
> O'Reilly, the former IHRA nat'l event announcer.  When they go to
> Speedweek, it's traditional to rise before the sun and set up 'camp' on
> the flats to watch the sunrise, then stay till the last car leaves in
> the evening.   Well, I happened to mention that I received your email
> and wondered if he saw your car there.  Omigosh!   His eyes lit up like
> I've never seen.  Now Bret has seen and done it all in his days & there
> isn't much that can impress him  anymore, but when I mentioned the Black
> Radon car he got very animated.  He was absolutely fascinated with it
> and said it was his favorite car there this year!   Said something about
> how the engine made this incredible 'noise' you'd swear it was gonna
> blow up but it powered that car like nothing else.  And he even gave me
> all your stats before I had a chance to tell your story myself  :-)
> Well, I thought it was kinda interesting that it all fell into place
> like it did.
>
> I really admire the folks who get out to run the flats.  Haven't decided
> yet if they're incredibly courageous or totally insane, though.  :-)
> I think what is most unique about it is that the teams can use
> everything available to make their car go fast.  A real challenge to the
> ingenuity of man.  Whereas in regular sanctioned drag racing, with all
> the class rules & stuff, a man can't even try out new stuff these days.
> You have to build within the rules and stay put.  I watched the
> documentary about the salt flats racing this last spring... I think it
> was on A&E.  It was great!  I've never been there, but it's my goal now
> to get to one before I have one foot in the grave.
>
> While we were at Cordova, Bret did the announcing like I said, but
> instead of doing it from the tower, he does it from the starting line in
> the middle by the starter.  He invited me up there with him, and I had
> my camcorder running during some of the pro rounds in the evening.  Got
> some great shots of the UDRA alky cars, and the nitro altereds, and the
> jet cars.  Now I've been around nitro cars when they warm up in the
> pits, but have never been stuck standing between two of them on the line
> like that!  Oh man, to try taping and breathing at the same time was
> really tricky!  :-)
>
> Well the little Speed Sport roadster fuel altered car pulls into lane 1
> and Rex does his burnout and suddenly the supercharger and who knows
> what else explodes into this fireball right in front of me.  It was
> apparent that he couldn't shut off the car at it kept creeping forward,
> popping parts and fire everywhere.  I was so close but I couldn't think
> of ducking for cover, much to the anxiety of the track operator, I'm
> sure, and I got most of the whole ordeal on tape.  But anyway, the
> officials grabbed fire extinguishers and kinda put the fire out but the
> car just kept going.  Since it was an open cockpit, Rex was able to free
> himself just after it started coasting past the tree and right after he
> jumped out, the car just took off down the track, crossed the center
> line and bumped the guardrail on the other side as it came to a soft
> stop.    Bret, with his jaw hangin, walks up to Rex as he pulls of his
> helmet and commented "Well, folks, Rex has to win the award for being
> the first driver in the history of drag racing to stand at the starting
> line and watch his own car go down the track!"  It was incredible!
>
> Well, there you have it & more.  Thanks for sending me the other
> stories.  They're fascinating. (Got a good laugh out of the Classified
> Ads one.)   I always like to keep up with other folks' stories.
>
> Vickie
>
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