Graphing the 2023 North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame Induction

This weekend, I had the pleasure of going back to the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame induction during the Shriner's Expo in Greensboro.  This year, my childhood hero, Shirley Muldowney, was being inducted into the Hall, and I wanted to make sure I would be there.  My dad is Hall of Fame Class of 2018 for this group, and it is really cool to me to be able to say he is enshrined along Shirley, a drag racing legend.  There was some discussion as to why Shirley (who generally raced with the NHRA out in California, etc) would be inducted into the North Carolina Hall.  While she is famous for being the first woman to be licensed to drive a Top Fuel dragster; first woman to win a Top Fuel national event; first woman to win a Top Fuel World Championship, and the first driver of an gender to win multiple Top Fuel Championships, she is also the first woman to win a funny car national event.  She did this in 1974 at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina.  So, there's the connection to North Carolina.

I was able to get several cards signed by Shirley, along with several posters (a couple were for my mom) and a couple of the brochures for the ceremony.  Shirley was gracious as always, and I was very happy to be able to talk with here briefly.  I was also able to give her a good recommendation for some Chinese food close to where she is now living.

One of the folks in the autograph line (along with Shirley, my dad, and others) was Buddy Martin.  Martin was the other half of the famous Sox and Martin team that dominated the early days of Pro Stock.  Ronnie Sox is no longer with us, so I got Buddy to sign my two Sox cards from my 1990 IHRA set.  Buddy Martin wasn't really associated with this car, but I thought it was a good idea to go ahead and get him to sign the cards in recognition of how powerful that duo was in the history of drag racing.

Finally, I had undertaken a little project that began with an idea my coworker, Lisa, set me toward.  Last year, the son of a friend of mine that I have known for years followed me around the event.  He's a cool little dude, who is a talented racer in his own right.  Cameron Moore recently won a track championship locally, and is a big fan of cards (mostly Pokemon cards).  Lisa gave me the idea to make some custom cards on Topps's website and give them to Cam while I was at the event.  I did, but the condition with Cam was that he would have to sign one of the cards for me.  I got a big hug from Cam and a hand shake from his dad.  I think he is super happy about the cards (well, I know he is, because he thanked me about 6 or 7 times, and gave me 3 or 4 hugs).  I just thought it was really cool to give him something that he could hand out to his friends and family as he starts along his racing journey.  From everything that I've seen, he is very talented.

I had a great time at the Hall of Fame induction, and got to spend time with my Mom while Dad was signing.  I also went through the line a couple times and stopped to talk to Dad as he sat there.  It was kind of funny, but he seemed to enjoy the attention.  As long as I am able, I plan to attend the ceremonies as they happen annually.  I wonder who they will induct next year.

First Graphing of 2022 - North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame

Due to the MLB lockout, the usual graphing of the Wood Ducks Hot Stove event in January was canceled.  I had to wait until February to get some graphing in at the induction ceremony for the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.  The big name on this year's class was that of Pro Modified legend, Scotty Cannon.  One of my heroes when I was growing up, I had to be there for his induction.

I ordered some single cards off of COMC, and also a couple complete sets of 1990 Checkered Flag IHRA.  I ordered one for me, and one for my buddy, Gerard.  While I was at the event, a new friend convinced me to get one for him, as well.  I befriended the son of one of the guys who used to race against my dad and bought him a set, since he liked the one I had so much.  He got the set in the mail a few weeks later, along with an assortment of signed baseball cards and a Down East Wood Ducks team set from 2021.

Finally, Chris went through the autograph line and got his grandpa to sign a couple of his cards (above).  I buy these off of Ebay when I see them.  I've given a few away to friends.  These two came out of the set that I bought for myself.  Chris also got Gerard's two cards signed.

In all, we got Dad x 4, Scotty Cannon x 8, Wally Stroupe x 2 and Harold Denton x 3, for 17 autographs on cards.  I had a great time at the ceremony and hope to go again next year.

The End of an Era

My mom just posted on the facebook page for my dad's racing operation, something I have known was inevitable for some time.  Dad has sold the Pro Mod car that he has had since it was built by Tommy Mauney Race Cars in 1998.  Dad got into the Classic Gear Jammer racing not too long after that time and has enjoyed that quite a lot more than he had with Pro Mod there toward the end.

Dad had been in the Pro Modified class since its inception in 1990, and is considered one of the founding fathers of that class, having been at the forefront of the late 80s doorslammer racing scene in North Carolina.  He won multiple championships locally, and was always a threat to put the "big names" on the trailer at any National Event that he attended.

Operating on with a limited budget and time, due to owning his own business, and the racing operation being self-funded, the time for him in the Pro Modified class was coming to an inevitable conclusion.  The high cost of maintaining the car and the grueling schedule caused him to cut back over the last few years.

The gear jammers (the one he is running is shown above) require much less maintenance, time and money, so Dad has enjoyed going back to his roots.  He has been able to run the same local tracks that I grew up at, and is even promoting a race himself, the Stick Shift Nationals at Farmington Dragway on May 28.  If you are in the Farmington, NC area that weekend, I highly recommend you come and check it out!

Since this is primarily a "card blog" I now leave you with a card from Dad's first season in the Pro Mod class.  Yes, these actually exist, and some can be found on Ebay from time to time.  I believe someone even sent one to him to sign TTM (although I had NOTHING to do with that, it was just a happy coincidence!).

So, I feel like I have lost a member of the family, somewhat.  He has had that car since 1998, and there are a lot of fond memories of it, but in reality, the time had come for Dad to scale things back.  With the recent horrific wrecks of Ronnie Davis (who later succumbed to his injuries) and Sidnei Frigo (who escaped luckily with only a broken arm), maybe it was a good time for Dad to hang it up, as far as that class goes.  I can't say I don't blame him at all.

I used to be really good with his stats, but as years have gone by, things have gotten fuzzy.  I'm sure he will read this and correct me, but I will at least give it a shot.  Dad leaves Pro Modified with:

• Approximately 5 local championships (I believe 3 in the local Quick 8 Racers Association and two more at a track in Virginia)
• He once had the track record at every track on the local circuit and still holds the records at the now defunct Shuffletown \(Charlotte, NC) and Princeton Dragways (Princeton, WV).
• He won 11 races in a row in 1992 and the only reason the streak stopped that year was because Dad was sick with the flu at a race.
• Nationally, he was tied for the World Speed Record in Pro Modified (with Michael Martin) at 214.24 miles an hour and once held the elapsed time record at Richmond Dragway in Dinwiddie Virginia.
• Has held the car designation number "1963" since the inception of Pro Modified.  At the time the class was initiated, all competition numbers for the class were four digit numbers, starting with a 1.  With his car being a 1963 Corvette, that number designation was fitting (even though none of us kids could guess the number when he asked us which one he picked),.  When the explosion of 1963 Corvettes entered the class in 1996, folks were clamoring for that number, but it was and has always been Dad's.  If IHRA were smart, they would retire the number... Just saying...
• YouTube videos exist of ESPN broadcasts showing Dad putting some of the top racers in the country on the trailer.  One of my all-time favorites is the 1992 Spring Nationals where he took on the blown Lamborghini of Randy Moore and outran him the entire quarter mile.  Look it up.

When you are at a race and folks refer to your dad as a legend in the sport, it really is an eye-opening experience.  I never really realized it as it was happening, since I kind of saw it all transpire.  Now, having been removed from it, myself since I went off to college, it is really cool to go to a race and see all of the people come up and take pictures with my dad and ask for his autograph.  I can't wait to go to the Stick Shift race in May.  It will be a lot of fun.

Dad isn't retiring, he is just scaling back to something he can enjoy much more.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to reminisce.

A Look Back at 2014 and my Collecting Goals for 2015

Well, 2014 is now over and I can reflect on the year that was, as far as my collection and blog are concerned.

I met my goals for 2014 as follows:

• I started the year with 96 Hall of Fame signed baseballs and ended the year with 107.  My goal was to add 10 baseballs and I exceeded that by 1 ball.  I added huge names like Mickey Mantle (ball #100) and Sandy Koufax, and I also added a tough to get name in Joe Gordon.
• As you can see above, I met my goal of making ball #100 something special.  I'm glad I have Mantle out of the way.  I doubt I will get as huge a name this year, unless something falls into my lap.  We'll have to see what unfolds this year.
• I met my goal of completing at least one of the Topps sets from 1993 to 1997 by completing 1993 and 1996.
• I didn't really add my 1993 to 1997 set needs to my wishlist, but I still consider that goal met, as I am one card away from finishing 1997.  I will add 1994, probably later today.  I haven't even started 1995, so that wasn't a real goal.
• I made significant progress with my 1948 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps sets.  I am just about done with 1948 and 1959 and knocked out some key cards in 1969.  I have knocked off cards here and there from my 2013 Emerald set, and I still intend on completing it.  My friends from Instagram have helped tremendously on that one.
• I did knock off 5 cards from my Top Ten Wishlist.  I will be adding new cards to the list today, some harder to get than others.  The cards I got this year were: 1948 Bowman Yogi Berra, 1952 Topps Bob Feller, 1953 Topps Satchel Paige, 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson RC and 1969 Topps Nolan Ryan.
• I did continue the relationships that I had established in 2013 and added a ton more.  In no particular order, I added new regular trading partners: Max, Noah, Caleb, Scott F., Anders, Josh, Kaleb, James, Michael A., Sam, Jet, Michael S., Drew (ultimatecards_), Joey, Carson, Jackson, Kyle, Jake, Blaine, Robert, Ben/Jake, Jack, and a ton more that I am forgetting at the moment, sorry.  I have filled my side desk up with note cards with everyone's name on them so I can continue to add to piles and keep track of who is getting what.  I have also started a notebook for trades so I no longer lose track of what someone offered me and what I offered in return.
• Finally, I feel like I was able to continue to provide good information on cards, the Orioles and the Hall of Fame.  I know a lot of my posts this year were about trades and incoming mail, but I still feel like I have thrown in the occasional tidbit about a past player or something to that effect.

Let's take a look at a few key moments from the blog for 2014:

• I listed my goals for 2014 on January 1 and as stated above, I did pretty well on them.
• On January 18, I was able to finally show my collection to my dad.  He was in town visiting with my mom and finally had time to take a look at my card room, my signed baseballs and other things I had posted.  I got a call from him a few days later, and he said that he had been thinking about my collection all that week and how impressed he was by it.  That totally justified all of the work I had put into all of this - to be able to captivate the attention of people I care about, who don't necessarily share my enthusiasm for baseball.  That was a big moment for me.  I was really happy that Dad liked my collection.  It really meant a lot to me.
• On February 1, I went to Fan Fest with my buddy, Scott.
• On February 6, Ralph Kiner passed away.
• On February 22, I posted about my first (successful) trade on Instagram.  This was with my buddy, Kyle, whom I still enjoy talking to.  We haven't traded much in the last several months, but we continue to talk as friends, and I send him the occasional Phillies care package.
• On May 5, I pulled the Bowman Chrome Jose Abreu auto.  One of the rare times I actually pulled a hot card from a pack.  I turned around and sold it for $165 on Ebay and I don't regret that at all!  I used the money to get some big names for my set needs.  You can see that post here.
• On May 22, I posted about my first trade with my, now, good friend, Max.  He and I became friends very quickly and now we talk nearly every day.  I have helped him expand his Cubs collection and we have even discussed meeting up at the National Card Show this year.  I look back on it and I am so glad that I met Max, as well as the other guys from Instagram.  I didn't like it (trading on Instagram) but after my first trade with Kyle, continuing with deals and conversations with my friend, James, then onto Max, I was reassured that 99% of the people (most of them young teenagers and pre-teens) are good people and legit traders.  I have always had a soft spot for kids and any chance I can get to help them improve their collections and their knowledge of the hobby, I will take it.  I now do Skype group chats/forums with several of the guys I trade with regularly, and those chats have led to a bunch of deals.  It sure beats the hell out of online forum trading.
• On June 7, 2014, I treated my mom to her first MLB game.  This was an early birthday present for a milestone birthday that I won't mention, since you shouldn't reveal a lady's age (and she would smack me, hahaha).  Mom got to see the Orioles beat the A's in a controversial series where the media really turned on Manny Machado.  Hopefully he learned from the mistakes that he made.  I'm glad Mom enjoyed her trip and I hope we can do something like it again.
• On June 16, we lost Tony Gwynn.
• On July 1, the Orioles designated Nolan Reimold for assignment, effectively ending his time with the Orioles.  He would later be picked up by the Blue Jays, then the Diamondbacks.  Now, a free agent, Nolan may see himself back with the O's in 2015.  I would enjoy that, but I know he wants a major league deal (and I hope he gets one).
• On July 19, I posted about my vacation.  I lost my camera, but that didn't stop me from enjoying a great time with fellow bloggers Dustin (who's wedding we attended) and Andrew (who is one of my best friends).  I really enjoyed meeting these guys and we, as a family, had a great trip.  I also learned that it is a LONG freaking drive from Memphis, Tennessee to Winterville, North Carolina.  Next trip we take, I'm flying, dammit.
• On August 17, I got the pieces in place to begin my next vintage set, 1967 Topps.  I look back on some of the vintage sets I completed and wonder "how did I even start this one", well, it is really easy to pinpoint where I started this one.  Thanks Rob!
• On September 16, for the first time in 17 years, the Orioles earned the AL East Championship.  This was such an awesome moment for me, since I was a senior in high school the last time the Orioles were on top of the AL East.
• On October 3, 2014, Chris and I attended our first MLB Playoff game when the Orioles defeated the Tigers in front of a packed house at Camden Yards.  I still get chills when I watch the video of Delmon Young hitting the go-ahead three run double.  Oh man, that was so amazing.
• On October 15, I broke the "No Crying in Baseball" rule when the Orioles were eliminated by the Royals.  I'm over it now, and I'm still happy for my friend, Jack, who was able to attend a couple World Series games in Kansas City.  He even sent me a Royals Rally Towel from the World Series that I will keep in my collection forever.  He didn't have to get it for me, and I know he wasn't rubbing it in my face.  He was just being a good friend, giving me a little piece of the World Series, since I couldn't yet experience it for myself.
• On October 17, Brian Roberts announced his retirement.  This was big for me, because I was able to experience his entire career.  From his call-up in 2001, to his final game in 2014, I was a big Roberts fan.  I have packed up my Roberts PC, but he will always have a special place in my collection.  Thanks for the memories, Brian.
• On November 18, I posted about a trade I completed with Noah.  This trade was right at the beginning of our group Skype forums, along with Scott F., Max, Michael and Caleb.  I don't know what I would do without these guys.  Yes, I do, I would get more work done, haha, seriously though, I appreciate the guys letting me be a part of their group, letting me be the "parent" of the group, and keeping everyone in line.
• On December 3, longtime Oriole Nick Markakis left the O's to sign with the Braves.  I was a bit sad when it happened, then, later, we found out that Nick was to have corrective spinal surgery for a herniated disc.  While the Braves feel confident that he will be fine, the O's erred on the side of caution, knowing all too well that the spinal fusion surgery isn't always successful.  Sad to see Nick go, but I think it was necessary, at the price he was getting from Atlanta.

So, 2014 was a pretty good year, I think.  I'm glad I was able to meet up with fellow bloggers Scott, Ryan, Dustin and Andrew during the year.  Each of those guys is a good friend of mine and I know we will keep in tough throughout 2015.  Now, to close things out with my goals for 2015:

1. Add 10 more baseballs to my Hall of Fame ball collection.  This would put me at 117 to close the year.  This, obviously can be done, so I will tackle this number again in 2015.
2. Acquire 5 cards from my Top 10 wishlist.  The wishlist will be updated tonight to include new cards, as well as the 5 holdovers from 2014.
3. Attend the 2015 National Sports Card Convention in Chicago, IL.  Yes, this is a sneak peek at my vacation plans for 2015.
4. Do a better job of keeping track of and responding to blog related emails that I receive.  I have tried really hard to continue trade discussions with folks who have emailed me, and I intend to continue to do so, but I know a few have fallen through the cracks.  For that, I apologize.  Please keep on me about it, and I will make trades and such happen.
5. Meet and complete trades with 10 new people that I haven't talked to before today.  I think Instagram and the blog will help me with that, for sure.
6. Continue to add to and expand my spreadsheet on google docs showing the cards I have so it is easier for folks to see which cards I already have.  I have Chris Davis, Nolan Reimold and most of my Brooks Robinson PC added and maintained.  This should help tremendously with trading.
7. Complete the 1948 Bowman and 1959 Topps sets.
8. IF 1948 and 1959 are completed, start one 50's set and one 60's set (1967).
9. Complete the 1994 Topps, 1997 Topps, 2012 Topps Update, 2014 Topps Update and 2014 Topps Chrome sets.
10. If 1994 is complete, start the 1995 set.

Thanks so much for sticking around for this mega-long blog post.  Thank you to all of my friends and family who read this blog and stay interested in what I'm doing with my hobby.  It means the world to me, and I love you all for wanting to be a part of it.  Thanks again, God bless, and to all, have a safe, healthy and happy New Year!

Christmas From Mom and a Surprise Visit

My final post of Christmas presents, and you know how I love to save the best for last, comes as a sort of request.  Almost a demand.  You see, I had some surprise visitors com to the house last night.  My parents (plus my sister and niece) came and stayed over at my house last night since they had to be in the area early this morning.  I told them that since their venue was fairly close, they could crash here and save some money on hotel costs.  Luckily enough, they decided that was a good idea, so they dropped in at 11:30 last night.

In a conversation with Mom, either last night or early this morning, (because I woke up so early, they pretty much blended together) she asked why I hadn't done a blog post on the two minor league jerseys that she got me for Christmas (or the other stuff she got me).  Was it because I hated it?  Did I not like the stuff?  No way, I loved what I got, but I was saving the post.  Anyway, I won't show everything I got, but I will show the jerseys.

Mom has a knack of finding MiLB jerseys that are whimsical or interesting.  She was really fond of the Modesto Nuts jersey shown above.  I tend to agree. Nothing beats the Biscuits jersey she got me a couple years ago in terms of weird team names, but the Modesto Nuts is right up there.

I thought that this Reading Phillies jersey was really nice, too.  I like the old school "Fightin Phils", plus the pinstripes.  The jersey had a bit of a double meaning, since my older brother's name is Philip.  If we were teenagers again, it would be a fitting jersey.  I quit trying to fight him once we hit middle school because he shot up while I stayed scrawny, so I usually got my butt kicked.  I learned pretty quick that 'fightin Phil' was not a good endeavor.

The story doesn't end here with the jerseys, though.  I've spoken often on here in the past about how my mom really supported my interest in the hobby at a young age, even collecting baseballs cards alongside me when I was a teenager.  Something really cool happened last night/this morning, though.

You see, my parents aren't able to get out here on this side of the state often.  Dad has his business and making the three and a half hour trek out here on a weekend is really tough with all of his hobbies and other things going on.  This was, actually, only the second time my parents have seen my house since we bought it in 2011.  So, my dad hadn't really seen the extent of my collection until last night/this morning.

He took one look at my baseballs (you know, my china cabinet with my 98 Hall of Famers, plus lots more of other autos) and said "What the hell are you going to do with all of this stuff?"  My response?  "Look at it!"

This morning, as we were waiting on the girls to wake up, I was showing my mom some of my bobbleheads and die cast race cars, Dad walked up again and said, "So, what's all the fuss in here?"  So, I showed him a few of the things I had on the walls, including some really old racing photos of him, some of his memorabilia, like his old helmet, etc.  He patted me on the back and said, "I'm proud of you, you're just like me!"

My dad has collected a bunch of stuff over the years, HO and Lionel trains, Rocco mini tanks, Johnny West figures, birds (yes, live ones), and scores of other things.  So, my mom helped me get my start with all of this, but I can trace a lot of why I do this to my dad, too.  It was a really cool feeling being able to show him the stuff I've worked hard to collect and display over the years, even though he has admitted that watching baseball is like watching paint dry.  He did get the chance to go to Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles games with a close friend from school in the early to mid 60's, so he does have that on me.  Little did he know that I would become such a huge Orioles fan.

So, it was really nice to have my parents over last night and this morning.  I really wish they could come up more often, but I do understand.  I'm also really proud that both of them think what I'm doing with all of this is cool.  It means a lot to me.