As I sat adjusting the rabbit ears on my Philco black & white, real wooden cabinet television set last Saturday night, I was starting to panic.
As I sat adjusting the rabbit ears on my Philco black & white, real wooden cabinet television set last Saturday night, I was starting to panic to the point of having a possible Red Fox, heart grabbing, “Elizabeth, it‘s the big one, I‘m coming!” heart attack when I couldn‘t get a steady or clear picture.
I‘ve had this set since I left my parental home some 12 years ago, when I was 57. They had just replaced the tubes shortly before I left, so I can‘t believe that I was having trouble with it.
After walking around the room and standing outside with the adjustable metal antenna, just before showtime I finally found that spot I knew would give me perfect reception for the big night (as long as it didn‘t rain, snow, hurricane, or the tin foil I wrapped around the tops of the ears blew off).
Why was I so upset and ready to jump off my 12-foot ladder again? Obviously, it was because I (along with 97 percent of the free world) was about to watch the Saturday night finale races at the 35th annual Chili Bowl held in the house that Lanny, Kevin, and Emmett built in Tulsa, Okla.
Due to my fatal fall off my now fire-charred ladder, this would be only the third or fourth time I was not able to attend the nation‘s second largest sporting event.
So, thankfully, it was most important that I was able to watch this event live from Honest Jack‘s Used Cars soundproof office high atop the Evansville, Wis., YMCA-YWCA building. I must admit that, as good as the broadcast was live on my black and white Philco, there is still something missing when not there in person.
This was despite Jack having installed hi-def speakers with tapes of engine noises and smells of exhaust piped in through PVC pipe from his car running down below. He even installed one of Donnie Kleven‘s race car steering wheels mounted to my chair with a shock absorber so I could steer as I watched the races.
We were lucky to even run this year due to restrictions to protect the fans and racers from the COVID attack, and it was, as always, a great event with more passing and racing in one lap than in F-1 races all season long.
There were over 300 cars and stars racing, with over 30 million dollars‘ worth of cars and equipment sitting in the world‘s largest, indoor, no-posts building. Although the crowd was limited, everyone went home knowing that once again they got their money‘s worth.
One of my biggest regrets, along with not being able to attend this year, was not being able to supply the thousands of people who always want my annual Farewell T-shirt. I will have the ninth annual Farewell shirt available this summer at stores near you, and will have the 10th Farewell shirt ready for next year‘s race, which will be my final year of racing.
As expected, the racing was unbelievable. Saturday night in the A-Main, it came down to the two drivers that I predicted that would be running one/two for the win: Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, both nephews of two of racing‘s all-time greats, Jud Larson and Robert Bell (that may or may not be true).
Although Kyle won his second straight Golden Emmett, Christopher gave it all he had with a few laps remaining, ending upside-down going for the lead. Neither could have driven any harder. Great show all week.
Although I wasn‘t physically in the Expo building this year, I was able to make some observations that I might not have been able to see had I not been sitting in front of a TV screen watching every move and being able to rewind and see it again.
Usually, when I am running Donnie Kleven‘s car at the outdoor tracks or at the Chili Bowl, I am not able to watch all the races and driving styles, as I am in charge of typing the computer analysis printouts of each event and giving them to Paul Tyler, Donnie, and Wild Mike Hickok (a descendant of Wild Bill) to use for each event setup.
I have a few things I would like to mention that might make an almost-perfect show even better and might be of help to the drivers and owners as well.
First of all, I was very impressed how, after years of displaying examples of racing attire and preaching about helmet safety, not only were the drivers wearing the bandanas that I wear for racing with my open-face helmet, but even fans and officials were wearing them.
I assume they were paying tribute to my efforts by wearing bandana-style masks for the whole week. I was deeply touched by this show of respect and I want to thank everyone for finally wearing the proper driver attire, at least over the nose and mouth. I assume next year all will be wearing the open-face helmet as well.
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