72 to pace Southern 500 - Labor Day weekend

bkdunha · Aug 30, 2015

Just a quick update from a frantic tailend of the week. I have found an enclosed trailer to rent. Need to run to get it and bring it home to load the car. Plan is to headout Friday AM to Darlington. Ford said the car has to be at the track Saturday morning for a tech inspection and practice running pace laps. They have a parade Saturday evening for the Xfinity race to participate in. All things going well I will be behind a 70 Boss 302 honorary pace car to lead the field on a parade lap prior to the start. I really cannot believe this opportunity has come my. This is really really cool. OK 7173 family I am glad to be adding to the notarity of our preferred body style. Got the DVR set for the race and trying to figure out how to get some grandstand shots. If anyone is going to be at the race snap some shots for me please.

Not sure how many mustangs are pacing the field.

Don C · Aug 30, 2015

Super cool

:udaman:

mach71351c · Aug 30, 2015

Now that will be awesome![/b]

Boss1Ray · Aug 30, 2015

Congrats!

Can't wait to see some great pics and some video!

Ray

Bill73Ragtop · Aug 31, 2015

What a great opportunity. Looking forward to the pics....

jpaz · Aug 31, 2015

Very cool!

Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs · Aug 31, 2015

Have a safe trip long way from Tenn to Darlington. Will be sure to watch on TV.

David

OMS · Aug 31, 2015

That is cool, congrats

Don

72MustangSprint · Aug 31, 2015

Are you going to have a passenger? You could have them Periscope it live

Otto · Aug 31, 2015

Congratulations! I will be seeing my dvr to record it. Have a fun safe trip

Boss1Ray · Sep 5, 2015

Any update pics???

Sent from my HP 10 using Tapatalk

bkdunha · Sep 9, 2015

OK here is a quick update to everyone as I try to dig out of emails and issues at work, but at the same time I am still glowing with all of the great and not so great memories of this past weekend. Please understand that the bumps in the trip by no means trump the great experience a great people I had the pleasure to meet.

Wed Night: Run to Nashville to pick-up rental car trailer. Find out it is an enclosed motorcycle trailor not sturdy enough to carry a 4400 lb car. Drive 200 miles back to Memphis with a pit in my stomach and my mind spinning on how to resolve this. Sit down with the wife and reluctantly agree it is time to dip into savings to buy a trailor. I am up until 3 am Thursday morning searching the interweb for a decent used trailor. One option 200 miles away in Alabama another option 200 miles away in Arkansas. Leave messages at both business to see if they still have the trailors.

Thur Morning: Up at 7 am calling both business to see if they still have the trailors. One in Alabama called back and they still have it. 24 foot, 5200lb axles, 2011 model. Salesman states very well maintained trailer he sold new and no noticeable damage. Told him I am headed that way. We get there and the trailer is in very good shape for a 2011 model. Obviously if I am crazy enough to call at 3 am and again at 7 am he is not moveing on the price. So, I am now the owner of an enclosed car trailer. One more reason for the wife to divorce me. Head back to Memphis to load and pack.

Friday Morning: Head out at 7 am for the 10 hour drive to Darlington, SC. Trip is uneventfull thank goodness. Make it to the track at 9 PM to be met by the Ford Marketing rep and guided where to park the trailor overnight.

Saturday Morning: Up early to unload the car and be at the end of pit lane by 9 am for Nascar Tech inspection and laps on the track for practice for Sunday. I have to be honest your ego gets an immense lift being escorted into the infield of a racetrack by Ford golf cart and passing through all of the people in campers and walking complimenting you on your car and whistling and the like. It was a GREAT experience to have with my Father. Passed all of the inspection and did 8 laps on the track with a Nascar official alongside. Driving on banking with bias ply tires is definitly an expereince. Spent the rest of tha day walking around seeing the sights. The Grabber Blue 70 Boss paced the field at the Xfinity Saturday night race so we were able to sit in the stands and watch that race. We left a little early knowing Sunday was going to be crazy.

Sunday Morning-Race Day: Threat of rain in the forecast took us to the track a little early so we could park next to the car and stay dry in the truck if it began to rain. It is interesting people watching as the crowd builds throughout the day. 3 pm able to go back stage at the Ford display to meet the drivers as they come out to be interviewed before the race. Those guys are young! 6 pm drive the cars back into the track and park behind the wall at the end of pit lane. We thought they would bring us onto pit lane during the pre-race, but we ended up waiting longer for the Nascar officials until after the fly over. It is crazy behind the pit wall with the hundreds of people moving around. Saw all of the greats Ned Jarret, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and countless others.

SHOWTIME: The officials joined us and rolled us out onto the apron of turn 1 while they announced drivers start your engines. To hear that roar behind you gives you goose bumps a mile high. Waited what felt like a lifetime but was probably five minutes and told to start to roll. Down on the bottom in two and up onto the backstretch in the race groove. You can hear the crowds yelling a screaming and see all of the cameras flashing as you are going along. Up on the banking in three and four still hearing the crown and you can now see the front stretch grandstand full of people with cameras flashing all over and the glow of the light on the track. Start down the front stretch and see the pits busy with activity and the start finish line getting closer and closer. At this point I asked myself if I was truly experiencing this and not dreaming. This was off the highest scale I could possibly imagine. Nascar offical states we are going to pick up the pace to 80 mph as the field is now on the track in the back stretch. Speed it up a bit going into tighter turns one and two. Half way down the backstretch you see the race field come out of two in your rear view mirrors and you really hear the roar coming up behind you. We stay in the middle of the track to move down in three for pit entrance. Looking in the rear view mirror I see the front of the lead cars being lit up by the setting sun in front of them and the light shining off the roofs and sides of the cars in the banking in two. This is just off the chart. We start to slow to make the turn into pit lane. You see the grandstands again on your right. At the entrance to pit lane you see all of the pit crews waiving their pit signs lit up with led's for the night race on your left. About half way down pit road the pack comes by you on the right still at pace speed but loud enough to draw the last ounce of adreneline one could possibly have within them in this expereince. You start to go behind pit wall as the field is leaving turn one. The expereince lasts only minutes, but will forever be etched in my mind.

I have attached some of the pictures I had folks take for me. The Ford Marketing Rep stated she would get some from her photography staff and I also spoke with a Nascar photographer who gave me a name to follow-up with. I also had the Nascar offical take a few pictures he is going to send me and another person in my car taking pictures. I hope over the next couple of weeks to collect as many as I can. For those who possibly recorded it on NBC you will only see us in the pits as the cars cross the start finish line on the warmup lap and the aerial view right after that as they are going through one.

I will update this post with any other future pictures I have permission to post.

more pics