December 25th,2020. We all know about what a year this has been! I drove myself to Abington hospital this morning to the ER. Last Sunday I felt a tremendous pop in my head akin to, but not as severe, as the Subarrachnoid Hemorrhage that almost killed me in 2017. Couldn’t go to the ER this past Sunday because I had five more days to get through the Santa season and deliver at the store. My head has been killing me, so here I am with time to kill. This leads me into my next planned blog of my Christmas present from Lor and the boys…1997. It was amazing!
After returning from Europe, I settled back into my work regime and life as normal as it could be. Everything was fantastic! Felt good, business was getting better and my visit to Dr. Dave went as well as could be expected. Platelets were still coming along slowly but making great progress. No more anti rejection drug and no sign of Leukemia. That was such a relief. We were heading into the summer of of 98 and some big changes were coming. My lease was up at the Roosevelt Mall and the management would not allow me to decrease my hours. I requested this in the new lease because seven days a week, 10 to 9 was very hard on my recuperation and family. In the latter part of summer, I decided that I would be moving the store across the street to a small strip center where I could make my own hours. Much better! About that present now.
Everyone who knows me, knows that I love cars. I’ve had so many. From my 75 Formula Firebird to my 82 Z-28 Camaro, my 85 Nissan 300ZX, my 87 Mazda Rx-7, my 00 Corvette…. it goes on and on. Porsche, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc… had them all. I Love cars. The gift? A gift certificate to the Nazareth Speedway and the Richard Petty Stock Car Experience! The Saturday was in early summer of 98 and beautiful. My friend Rob and I drove up together so that he could video the event and check out the scene. It was very cool! We began with an intro to the actual cars, safety precautions and driving devices. Each rider, there were about 15, had to show that they could get out of the vehicle quickly in case of fire or crash. We were fitted with driving suits like the ones that the Nascar drivers wear and of course the drivers helmets. Looked pretty good I must say! At that point we all made our way to the racetrack where we loaded into window vans and took a trip around the one mile oval where the instructor showed us where we needed to accelerate and decelerate as we went into the four turns. Nazareth Speedway was not like Pocono Speedway . Pocono was a 2.5 mile tri-oval where top speeds could reach 165 to 185 mph. At Nazareth, it was a four turn, one mile almost round oval where top professional drivers peaked at 125 to 130 mph. Meanwhile, Rob bought himself a ride-along with a pro race care driver. Top speed. He loved it.
It was soon to be my turn. The anticipation of jumping into the 650 horsepower race car was intense. The pro driver would pull into the pit in front of you and the instructor would slam on the roof for you to go! If you stalled out…you were screwed! Back in line. Not happening. It was so freaking loud you could barely hear the pit crew. Here he comes. I revved the engine to 2500 rpm, let off the clutch and BAM here we go! Five laps of Holy Shit! Had to come out of the pits in third gear and hit the track at 85 mph. The lead car had to be three lengths ahead and you better keep up. That was the rule. If not he took you off the track. If you were too aggressive he waved at you to back off. Fourth gear we were up to 105 mph and already heading into the third turn. Just like you can imagine or see when you watch NASCAR. Like five inches from the wall… flying along it at a blur…then diving down to the infield at the turn. Let up on the gas diving down and hitting it full throttle back up to the wall. This was fun! But wait, where the heck was he going? I was losing him at 115 mph! I was following directions…as usual…what was going on? The radio in my helmet went on….”You’re doing excellent come catch me!” Ok then. BAM! The next three laps we were cruising! 118 mph…121 mph…124 mph! What a rush! Just amazing…thanks Lor! The checkered flag waived me in after the last lap, let off the gas…put it in neutral…Cruise into the pit and into the slot for the next driver. The crew gave me a high five and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! Or the bruises on my ribs.
When I got home that night and got undressed, I knew that I was sore but OMG! Each side of my rib cage was completely black and blue. The race car seats, literally all aluminum sides, were so tight to your body that the vibrations from the 650 horses and the pressure from the G forces flying around the track did a nasty number on my body. I guess my platelet count was still too low. Completely purple and black from my hips to my armpits…both sides. But boy was it worth it!!
Next up: Time to Move