It’s very rare that I write about my best day, in a particular year, while the year is still going on. It’s not fair to give a title to a day without experiencing all of the days first. I’m a Libra and I balance things out. However, when you had the best day of your year, hands down, you can’t just ignore that. Plus, there is this thing called retracting. You know, when a journalist writes something that’s not true. They retract it to make things right. I know I had the best day of 2015 though. I mean, unless Jenna Jameson and Pamela Anderson decide to wake me up tomorrow morning, November 1st was my best day of 2015.
Drag racing and world championships
It’s not every day that you see someone win a world championship. In any sport. Especially when you drive a car with ten thousand plus horsepower (10,000+). On November 1st, 2015 I saw two NHRA Drag Racing drivers win their second world championship, on the same day. These cars are very powerful and it takes an amazing skill to drive a car with such force. You’ll see what I’m talking about later in this article.
Erica Enders is a woman. She’s won nine (9) races this year and clinched the championship with a race to go. She has not lost a round of racing, in Las Vegas, since the spring of 2014. So she is not just a woman. She’s a dominant driving force that everyone must deal with if they want to win the championship. On November 1st, 2015 I watched Erica Enders drive around Shayne Gray to clinch the 2015 Pro Stock Championship. She beat the guy off the line and never looked back. She jumped out of the car and the celebration was on. Antron Brown also won his second NHRA Top Fuel World Championship on November 1st, 2015. The man drove the wheels of his top fuel dragster and deserved the title. But this doesn’t make it the best day of 2015.
Why Nov. 1st, 2015 was the best day
I’ve been going to the Drag Races since I was very little. My favorite drag race driver of all time is Joe Amato. The guy has won a total of 5 World Championships (1984, 1988, 1900, 1991, 1992). He was the first driver to exceed 260 mph and 280 mph in competition. The guy was simply amazing. He is a nice guy as well. He always made time for his fans and he never took racing for granted. How do I know? There’s story.
Joe loves Snoopy. I do too. My mother and I used to wait outside Joe Amato’s pit until he came out and signed an autograph for us. We used to bring him something with Snoopy on it, hoping that would encourage him to sign our autograph first. One time it worked. We bought Joe a pair of Snoopy boxers. His wife at that time came out of the trailer and saw us. We knew her kind of well. My mother would talk a lot with her while we waited for Joe. Her name was Gere, pronounced Jerry, and she was awesome. Gere apologized to the crowd and said that Joe couldn’t sign autographs because he had to make his way to church. Joe never missed church on Sunday. Right after Gere apologized, Joe Amato comes out of his trailer. He picks me up and poses for a photo. He puts me down, signs the back of my shirt and then he leaves. Everyone around me started to say “Oh man, you’re so lucky.” “How did you do that.” “Way cool man.” That was the highlight of that day.
Another time, Joe’s car was waiting in line to race. It was uncovered and shining in the sunlight. It was a dark blue that sparkled. It was the early 1990’s and sparkly was new. My dad told me to stand in front of it so I could get a picture. At that moment, Joe walks over and asks if I want to sit in the car. That was awesome. The same day, John Force stopped and put me on his scooter and toke a picture with me. These two men are part of an elite group of drivers. I was lucky to have met them and take a picture with them.
20 years in waiting
On November 1st, 2015, I met Joe Amato in my adulthood. I turned 30 years old and I’m old enough to drive to a drag race and drink a beer. I was not old enough to do both of those, the last time that I met Joe Amato. I was hanging out in the Pro Stock pit area and I was just handed a valve spring off of Erica Ender’s car. It was on her car during her run that clinched her a World Championship Title. I backed away from Erica’s pit area and I bumped into this guy. I turned around and apologized. I noticed the logo on his shirt. It read “Joe Amato Racing”. My Jaw dropped. I basically sat there and pointed. After a few minutes, I built up the courage to ask Joe for a picture. He had his buddy go and get his daughter. I don’t think Joe knows about selfies. Either way, we waited. While we waited, I told Joe Amato about my stories I just shared with you. He was surprised that I remembered all of that and he was surprised to hear that I’m still a fan 20 years later.
Meeting Joe Amato on November 1st, 2015 made it the best day ever. Watching Erica Enders win her second Pro Stock World Championship made it the best day ever. Watching Antron Brown win his second Top Fuel World Championship made it the best day ever. Taking pictures with three world champions made it the best day ever. Spending time with my parents, at one of our families favorite events was awesome and made it the best day ever.
Drag Racing Pictures
