Drag Illustrated Issue 156, May 2020 | Page 55
PHOTO: RICK BELDEN
D.I. COLUMNIST
The Real Deal with Tommy D'Aprile
Here it was, our first
quarter-mile race in
some time. Heading to
the World Doorslammer
Nationals in Orlando, I was
more than excited to not only get
back to racing but back to quartermile
speeds.
I decided to drive to the track
late at night, as the Orlando area
can be a bit of a challenge to drive
through with an 81-foot rig. As I
drove east on I-4 through Orlando
and the Disney area, the traffic
was light and it was clear sailing.
Here came my exit, and also a sign
that said, “exit closed.” I was like, “what?”
I followed the detour signs and soon found myself in an area that
a Smart Car could maybe fit in, and my rig is about a gazillion times
bigger. Here is where I made a decision to not freak out and just go
with the flow. I kept my temper in check and followed all the detour
signs while taking up two and three lanes. Finally arriving at the
track, I was relieved to say the least. I was proud of not reacting a
certain way and losing my joy.
The next day was testing before the big race, and we really struggled.
Again, I decided to just enjoy myself.
With no quarter-mile passes made yet, we went into the first
round of qualifying. I left the starting line and, holy smokes, the car
was on a pass. I now had to remember not to lift at the eighth-mile
mark. The car made it to the quarter mile under great power. As I
pulled the chutes it was another ride of excitement and to my delight
we ran a 5.74 at near 249 mph. That was a career-best for me and
set us in the top 5 after Q1. The excitement from that run was just
fantastic.
Well, Q2, Q3 and Q4 were all plagued with small problems and we
wound up being bumped out of the quickest Pro Mod field in history
by one thousandth of a second. To say I was disappointed was an
understatement, but again I decided to just have a good time.
Right from Orlando we headed to Gainesville for our first NHRA
race in quite some time. We got a great parking spot and set up camp.
Shortly after, the generator died and we couldn’t get it fixed at the
track, but again I decided to enjoy myself.
The next day was beautiful and we got all of our credentials in line.
We are now ready to qualify, and based on our good run we felt we
could really do well. Then, around noon the call comes in and we
hear that the race is canceled due to COVID-19. I was just about to
get plain mad, but then I decided to just enjoy myself. We packed
everything up and got ready to head out the next day in hopes of getting
our first NHRA start soon.
OK, so it was a trying couple race outings as we all have had in
the past, but one thing was different. Through all the junk, I paused
and decided I could either lose it or decide to enjoy myself. I really
had to take my own advice on how to live a more peace-filled life and
believe it or not, it worked!
So to all you today, what I am trying to relay is that life is not what
happens to you, it’s all in how you handle it. I am sure we will have
trying times, but as for me, I am learning how to not react in the
wrong way but yield to a better attitude that leads to more peace in
myself and those around me.
If you have struggled in this area, like me, try to change the way
you normally react to circumstances beyond your control and see if
it doesn’t lead to a healthier, happier lifestyle. As always, the choice
is yours to make.
Email Tommy at
tommyd@dragillustrated.com
May 2020
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