I stepped outside the door to survey the weather... quite ominous, with dark clouds out west rolling in and overcast above. No sun to be found.

This was the club's most important day of it's young history, the Race For America, the club's own benefit for the American Red Cross, and it looked as if Mother Nature was going to be in one of her moods. A short while later, I loaded up the 1:1 slotless racer and proceeded to meet the Kilgores for a bite of breakfast before hitting the road. By then, the western sky had lightened a bit and the overcast was beginning to fade.

After topping off the ol' gas(tric) tank, it was time to head out for Heartland Raceway. On my way to the track, I passed a bus from a company I've never seen before: Travel USA. It was a white bus adorned with red and blue detailing with a stars and stripes logo beside the name on the rear.

Maybe I had seen one before and never given it much attention, but I now revel in all images patriotic... and this day was to have them in spades. The bus was duly noted as I drove on.

Arriving at Heartland by 9:30 am, the place was already buzzing with activity. The tracks were being prepped, the facility being squared away and vacuumed, and the finishing decorative touches being applied. By now, I had noticed the sun had broken through what clouds were left, and a smile crossed my face. The Race For America was about to rev up and roll!

At 10 am, the first racers arrived for practice on the HO road course to get familiar with it for the IROC T-jet race at noon. Every time the door opened, someone new was arriving, ensuring that this was indeed going to be our biggest race to date. During this time, several local 1:1 race car teams had arrived with their trailers and were busy unloading their awesome beasts. Occasionally, one would fire up, rattling the walls and sending the nearby kids off in a flurry with their fingers in their ears! Those engines were the perfect soundtrack for the day. Talk about ambiance...

By noon, most everyone had come out and it was time to race: 1/24", HO drag, and T-jet IROC! The 1/24" racing got underway on the figure eight with groups of four at a time battling it out fender-to-fender! I never got the chance to try it out, but several of the club members did and said it was a blast! The HO drag strip got going in full force with dial-in sessions for all entrants followed by bracket racing. There was everything from T-jets to AFX to Tyco to Lifelike to Patriot, you name it! Some of the most eye-popping runs came from the outlaw Patriots that shot down the track in a tremendous WHOOSH that sounded like a Dustbuster attached to the intake on an SR-71, turning unreal .5 second ETs!

For the IROC race, the cars were six T-jets built and tuned to the club's Super-stock rules. The bodies, fittingly, were representatives of the big three US auto makers: Ford, GM and Mopar. They were: two JL Ford Fairlanes, two JL Chevy Chevelles, and two JL Dodge Chargers. All six were prepped and ready to run! I ended up in the first group of racers, since the race order went by who signed up first, and on down. The cars ran well, the exception being the last car I ran (one of the Fords!), which ended up howling for oil and locking up with a minute to go! Luckily, there were two backups: a JL GTO and a JL Challenger. I grabbed the Goat and took off, managing somehow to take second place in my group! After a quick visit to Habby's one-stop lube shop for all the cars, it was back to the IROC and the next set of drivers.

The cars ran smoothly the rest of the day, and got even smoother and quicker the more miles were put on them (too bad for us first-ups!). When the last set of drivers (seven groups in all!) finished, the scored were added up, and the champion was crowned: Steve Ward (GO WEASEL!)!

Immediately following the IROC contest, the pizzas arrived. Everyone then adjourned next door for some lunchtime chow courtesy of Jumping Jack's Pizza! When everyone was done downing some pie and swigging on the drink, it was AUCTION TIME!
There were eight IROC T-jets to be auctioned, and as the bidding got underway for them, it came as no surprise that the faster cars drew the bulk of the bucks! One of the Chargers and the GTO drew over $50 each! The total auction draw for all eight cars came to a staggering $309!!

Outstanding!!! Following the IROC auction, the crowd flowed to the back of the building where a table awaited, literally piled with goodies from all sorts of folks and businesses too numerous to mention! For a complete list of all sponsors and donors, go to the club website results page at: http://home.swbell.net/hopr/mahor/results.html

When the auction (and ensuing bidding wars) was over, The remaining hardcore racers geared up for the final event: the individual race. Car class was Super-stock, and the drivers all had cars rarin' to go. Don Bourne wowed the crowd with his red Ferrari which moved with a blur and rolled through the corners like mercury! So good was his run that the rest of the field was resigned to jockeying for second place before the race was even over! Hats off to individuals champ, Don Bourne!

It was now well into the evening, and the Race For America had now drawn to a close. The pit cases were latched, the chairs and tables folded up and the power shut down. The day's total draw would not be known until later that evening, and the amounts were quite surprising and exciting: over $2,100 in auction bids, and with the IROC car auction, race fees and raffle, we were looking at a grand total of $3,003.32 for the Red Cross!!! OUTSTANDING, everyone!

Steve Ward took home the trophies for his wins in the IROC, drag and 1/24 races, and Don Bourne took his for the individual. But the REAL winners were all the people and businesses that donated their time and merchandise for this event, as well as all the folks who came out to participate and contribute in any way. This day was not about slot cars, competition or trophies. It was about unity and purpose for our great country. About an idea that is America, intangible and yet invincible, next to God beyond compare. I'm on my way home, exhausted and still smiling. On the final stretch of highway before my exit, I pass a bus... once again, it's Travel USA! Coincidental bookends to my day, or something more?

Ah, there's my exit...

JoHn HOPR MAHOR

Look at The Race for America

Individual Race

Drag Racing

Large Scale Race

The Auction