The night before the big race.
The team gathered for cocktails and some great food as we planned our race strategy.

"Erick- 'real' racecar drivers don't use forks & knives", says Jeff...	The couple who started it all... E.T. & Bob	Amigo! Have enough food there, Ron?
The "wise" ones - Bob & Ed	Vern bragging about the "big one that got away"	Kids meals look better than the adults' meals. Hands off, Nissa!
The Romine family- Steve, Linda & Victor; and Katie	Handsome men on each side - no complaints from Bonni!	Take 2. Bonni wanted to be SURE we got this photo!
Katie & her 2 favorite girlfriends - Mom (Nissa) & E.T.		Steve & Linda in a rare moment of relaxation

Pre-race prep on Saturday morning.
All we had to do was fit seats for all 6 drivers, fill the gas tank,
check the tires, torque the wheels, put on all the decals,
figure out the communications, hook up the lights, and qualify...
All in three hours.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

Pre-race car prep by the drivers	Ed the "Decal Man" has a good one in his hands...	Ed found a blank rear quarter panel that needs decals
Betcha you can't fit all 3 drivers in that Miata at one time! Where's Tommy?	Hmmm..., how do we hook up these lights?	Vern helping E.T. get ready for the big day
Albert supervising Jim on the "bagging" of E.T.'s seat	Can you believe that I gave up a cushy corporate job - ...for THIS???	Steve still trying to get those lights hooked up...
Enough 'hot air'. Nissa moves in to take charge...	Meanwhile, back to the lights... Steve consulting with team members...	OK, Steve, get those lights done! It's almost pre-grid time.

The opening ceremonies.
The cars lined up, and the US Air Force Color Guard displayed the stars and stripes.
We listened to Lee Ann Rimes sing the National Anthem, followed by an awesome USAF "fly-by".
Then all the entrants did a single parade lap for the visitors and press...
Just as a major storm moved in and it started to pour...

Where the heck is my car?	Steve gets last-minute advice from Jeff & Erick at pre-grid...	Hmmm... what are we forgetting?
Steve looks ready! Not a bad looking car, either...	An inside peek at Steve. Lookin' good!	OK Erick, let Steve GO, already!
US Air Force color guard leads the parade. "Good luck to all"	US Air Force pre-race "Fly-by"  Cool!!!	Enough with the flags - let's get it on!
And the heavens opened up to officially start the race...	Track was "slippery as snot", as per Steve...	Half of these cars slipped their way off track and never finished the race...
First parade lap - yeah, Steve!	What race class was the tank?	Now that's competitive... SHOOT your competition off the track!
The leaders of the race - ESR class.	More ESR class...	I'll bet it's not fun driving this car in the pouring rain!
Note for next year: wipers for the helmet!	This is a good sign. Maybe the rain will let up?	All the "big boys" came out for this race...
"On your mark..."	"Get set..."	Go, "Steve Racer", GO!

The storm turns into a long, wet, cold night...
6 PM to 6 AM - a regimen was repeated every 1.5 hours:
Change drivers, fuel up, add 1/2 qt of oil, check brake pads,
pyrometer the tires, and adjust the pressures.
And do the glass, please...!

What a beautiful Crew Manager!	Evening Pit stop. Anybody fueling tonight?	Wow! Do we get a penalty for lightning in the pit?
Now this is what they call "team effort"...	E.T. gets her turn fueling the car while Bonni gets a nap.	Mario checking tires and brakes, Nissa checking on the driver, George lowered the air pressure...
Driver change and fill-up..., as Bill protects all with his mighty extinguisher...	Full tank - check.	Air pressure - check.
The midnight shift hangs tough...

At first light, the track was finally beginning to dry out...
Well..., at least the center of the track was dry...
On the edges of the track there were still puddles,
mud, debris, and car parts all over the place.

We never fully appreciated the dawn until now. Right, Jeff?		Where did everybody go? We started with 78 cars!
Someone has to be left...	Jeff, check your mirror...	Uh oh! Here they come!
It's been a tough night for Steve. But he's ready to get back in the ring...	Bill's pit crew credentials and his mighty tool kit. (Swiss Army Knife). What a survivor!	Steve just learned that he doesn't have to drive another shift. YEAH!!!

And then it came down to the last few hours...
E.T. was chosen (appropriately) to take the final shift and finish the race.
We had gone through that vicious night..., the skies were clearing,
and we KNEW that we were going to make it through to the end of the race!

Let him pass, E.T.  He's bigger than you!	...over the hill at Turn 5	One more time... Just for practice!
Here comes E.T.!	You GO, girl!	Cruisin' round Turn 3 all by her lonesome...
Company's coming!	Pit crews awaiting their cars at noon. Will they last?	Here comes E.T. down the stretch. Next lap will be the checkered...
Last lap!  You can do it, E.T.!	The last time around Turn 3...	E.T. and "friends" bringing it home...
The checkered flag- what a beautiful sight!	WE DID IT !	Tears well up as E.T. takes the checkered flag...

WE MADE HISTORY!!!
We finished the FIRST 25-hour endurance race - EVER!
E.T. triumphantly brought #33 back to the paddock.
It was time for a little CELEBRATION!

Gary and John are the first to congratulate us.	What a team! From left: Bill, ET, Bonni, Vern, Tommy, Jim, Nissa, George and Ed. Missing: Erick, Jeff, Steve, Mario, Ron, Ann, and Bob (photographer).	Did you ever see such a team so proud of one another?
E.T. gets congrats from coach, Bob Cornish.	Now what do we do?	Crew Manager Nissa giving out final instructions.
E.T. thanking Bonni for spotting her throughout the last shift. Good job, Bon!	The Girl Team.	It feels so good to be done with that race!
Oh yeah, and thanks for the body work, guys!	As 5-yr-old Katie would say, we got us a BIG "owie"!	Anyone have a front fender and door for sale?

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