Family, Fireworks, and Freedom! Yay America!

Hello Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a great Holiday. You've got to love the 4th of July. It's not like any other Holiday we celebrate here in the States. Mom's not in the kitchen driving herself half-way crazy trying to cook some kind of four star Rachel Ray miracle feast like she does at Christmas. Dad's not on the couch, screaming for his beloved Eagles (they are great though) to win like he does at Thanksgiving. With Independence Day, Americans should pat themselves on the back. They got it right, by every definition of the word Holiday.

This might not be your vision of the Holiday, but mine normally goes a little like this. My mom, a thoroughbred southern lady from Tennessee, makes only the essential edibles for this summer celebration: corn on the cob, some type of pasta salad, hamburgers, and the quintessential hotdog (which is as American as cowboys, Ford trucks, and blue jeans). Dad normally plays lifeguard, meaning he sits by the pool with a drink, that is before he gets up and challenges someone to a game of horseshoes. My father was on the 1968 Olympic team. or at least that's the way he likes to tell it. And everyone else just eats, swims, and plays outside. My favorite part of the Holiday is that, if you break something, blow something up, or set something on fire, you're actually contributing to the celebration. Fireworks are awesome. The only thing better than fireworks is Mom watching Dad set off the fireworks. It's hard not to smile as she cringes as the old man uses his cigarette to light off these colored works of boom. Nobody else worries though, because we all know Dad was in charge of the pyro for KISS... or at least that's what he says.

Yes, the Holiday always proves to be very comical and fun, but that's not what makes it truly great. The 4th of July is kind of a weird Holiday in that we call it our Independence Day. We Americans only gained our freedom from our colonial oppressors because we came together and had enough faith to depend on our families and neighbors. On the Holiday, I find myself surrounded by the people I depend on to give me encouragement, happiness, and love. So yes, it is true that America became a strong country the day we declared our independence, yet we became a stronger a nation when we came together as a nation. A nation where people are free to celebrate with the ones they love. A nation where a red-headed kid can dream of growing up to be a race car driver, or anything for that matter. A nation where my dad can be on every Olympic team ever... or so he likes to think. But in the end, there's nothing wrong with that.

Back from the Beach to the Blog

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for not writing for awhile. Things have been moving pretty quickly in my world, and, unfortunately, I hadn't made blogging one of my top priorities. I will tell you, it’s pretty weird writing a blog; trying to determine exactly what others will and will not find interesting, especially since most of the time you are simply reflecting on your everyday routine. Overall, I think the best example I can come up with is that it’s like talking about yourself to people you don't know.

This past week, however, I got a much needed break from my usual routine, as I went on vacation to Myrtle Beach, which was my first time to the beach since I was about 8 years old. Needless to say, both the beach and I have grown up a lot since then. 12-years later, and the place is huge. They have all kinds of new stuff like the Alabama Theatre, the House of Blues, the Cherrygrove Pier, and the gigantic Broadway at the Beach. The place looked like a tropical Las Vegas, with flashing lights and neon signs lining Rt. 17 for miles.

About a day into the trip, I began to realize that this wasn't the same beach anymore. In life, I find my nostalgia for my childhood increased on a daily basis. I remember making fun of my parents for always saying "back when I was a kid....," but now, ironically, I catch myself saying that all the time. I truly miss the things that defined my childhood, like when MTV played music videos, Bob Barker on the Price is Right, Happy Meals being the cure to any ailment, and my mom not Facebook chatting with my friends.

Luckily, amongst this world filled with change, I found one my dearest memories from my childhood still in place, and it hasn't tried to change in centuries, Medieval Times. As a child, I went there with my family and had blast. This was a place where people fight with swords and eating with your hands is encouraged; to me it was like adolescent heaven. Needless to say, I dragged my friends, purely against their own will. To their surprise they had a great time, and even joined me as I shouted, cringed, and cheered for the Black and White knight (who won by the way). My girlfriend laughed and said I was acting like a 5-year old. I realized that I wish I could act like a 5-year old more often.

Till tomorrow, stay young everyone.

Tale of the Tape

Hello everyone. Once again its been awhile since I last wrote to you. Truth be told, I had been in the process of writing a long entry, describing the strenuous traveling schedule I've been going through of late and how I've been able to manage school during that process. However, if any of you tuned in to Speed this past Friday and watched the ARCA Racing Series 250 from Talladega, you'll know that of the past month, the last 250 miles was much more exciting than the all the others before.

Despite how well the would end, the first day at the track was pretty frustrating. On Thursday, my two man crew of Shayne Summerfield and Andy Shaver unloaded my APS Credit Ford with high hopes that this might be the race that our season took its next step forward. I too was very anxious to get the car on the track, as Talladega is probably one of my best tracks on the schedule.

As the morning practice began, we were one of the first out, hoping to get a good time on the boards quick. Unfortunately, despite a brand new Ford engine, we found ourselves at the bottom of the charts for most of the day. Needless to say, all of us were frustrated. I, especially, was reading to throw in the towl, and I probably would have too, had I not had the support of my spotter Charlie Vest. Charlie has always been my eyes on the race track, and has proven someone I can always trust to look out for my best interests. He told me to keep my head up, and reminded me that you don't win anything during practice and qualifying. I make it habit to trust the guy with my life, so needless to say I took his advice.

The next day our whole weekend turned around. Focusing on my own disappointment with the car to that point, I had over looked the commitment and motivation that my crew had to give me the best piece possible. The whole night after practice my crew chief, Andy Shave, stayed up and racked his brain, trying to find anything to make the #14 faster. He found the answer from some trusted friends at Roush Yates Engines, who told him that the speed was in the aero. After speaking with them, Shaver heeded their advice, and put four strips of tape on the front grill of our car. For those of you at home going "Tape?," yes, just tape. And those 4 strips gave us a rocket ship.

The proved to be gold to us in the race. Starting 30th, we quickly climbed our way through the field, and got into the mix with the other lead competitors. The climb, however, didn't come easy, as with the guidance of Charlie I was able to avoid three accidents, two of which by less than inches. The car was on a set of rails, as we rode our way up to the top five. Everything was going great, until the water temperature started to spike, which meant that engine failure would quickly follow. This prompted us to make a pitstop, in which we removed 1/8 of an inch of tape off the grill. This move allowed the car to run at a cooler water temperature, yet took away from the speed the tape gave us.

Then, as I started to shuffle back through the field, Andy Belmont himself got on the radio. He told us, "I don't care if you blow that car up, put the tape back on!" Anyone who knows Belmont knows that when he says something, you better do it. After putting the tape back on, speed quickly returned to the car and I began my charge back to the front. Coming down the to final laps, I had the leader in my sight and was ready to pounce. Unfortunately a last lap caution came out, and the #14 team had to settle for a 13th place finish.

Some of you might be thinking that this story is kind of anti-dramatic or even pointless. But for us, this story is going to be the first of many triumphs. At Talladega, the #14 bunch showed that a car with little sponsor support can roll with the big dogs. We showed that passion, determination, and trust between 4 guys is far more powerful that a few hundred horse power. And we were reminded the old adage, "Duct tape can fix everything."

Speeding to Salem

I want to start by apologizing for not updating my blog in a couple of weeks. This time of the year is the most busy portion of my season, both athletically and academically. As the school year is dwindling, and the second half of the Spring semester is beginning, I find myself in the same position as most college students, having tons of work and even more distractions. Not only do I have the distractions of the beautiful weather and wanting to go take a walk through the Botanical Garden or the Bronx Zoo with my friends, but I also have the ensuing long hall of my Spring racing schedule.

This upcoming weekend marks the first of three weekends where I will be away racing. Salem will be the first race, followed by Texas and Talladega. I would be an understatement to say that I'm excited to get back in the car, since its been over a month since my last race; but, I would have to say that I'm equally nervous about the amount of extra effort I will have to put into my school work as well, being that finals begin right after Talladega. I'm sure I'll find myself studying in between practices, reading Kant and calculating balance sheets while I'm going over gear rations with my crew chiefs.

I know what your thinking, because many of you have told me, "Why are you doing so much?" "Doesn't it exhausting balancing two completely different lives?" I guess the answer to that would be yes, its extremely exhausting, and often I have the urge to give up and quit. Yet, I feel what I'm doing is right. I believe that becoming a better person means becoming as well rounded as possible, and I know this requires hard work. If I was afraid of hard work, I would have never decided to go to Fordham University, I would have never become a race car driver, and I would be no where right now. Balancing my life at school with my life at the track is a little crazy, but it only becomes an issue when I let it. As long as I keep my wheels straight and my eyes peeled for misplaced modifiers, the road to being a educated driver will continue to become more clear, and my future in racing and in the world will become more firm.

Spring in the City

The air is fresh, the birds are chirping loudly, and everywhere you look people's smiles are shining more brightly. Spring is in the air, which for most college students means that summer is in sight. For others, it is time for their yearly pilgrimage down to the beaches of the South. And while most of my friends will be lounging on the beaches of Cancun, Daytona, Fort Lauderdale, or somewhere in the Carribbean, I will use this time to go home, a place I haven't been since winter break.

In the past two months, I've had the great opportunities to go to Daytona, Palm Beach, and Key West, when I wasn't studying in New York City. And even though all of those trips were great, I'd rather go home for my vacation. Many might find it weird that I prefer to relax in the snowless Pocono Mountains rather than some sun soaked beach. I couldn't agree with them more, yet there is something about home you come to cherish and long for when you travel as much as I do. Little things such as mom's home cooking, the fuss grandma makes when she sees you, or even just watching T.V. with your dog at your feet, are things which some often forget about, but I look forward to more than anything.

As I try to enjoy my Spring break, and relax as much as possible, it is a reminder that racing is on the horizon. Next month, the ARCA Series will take me to Salem Speedway, Talladega International Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. This means that a good amount of my break will be spent getting prepared for all of these events. This includes getting a jump start on all my school work, 3 essays and an accounting project, and laying out my clothes for the next month. The latter might sound a bit strange, but bear in mind that I live in a 12x10 ft dorm room that makes it impossible to keep my racing stuff with me. So these next couple of days, I've got to make sure I have everything in the right place; or else mom would have to pack for me... and I don't want to be the only driver wearing the pink sweater my aunt made me three birthdays ago. :-)

Fordham and Racing

It's very rare that I find things in from my scholastic life at Fordham that I can readily compare to my racing life.

This week starts probably hardest week of any college student, second semester midterms. I know this statement may raise your eyebrow at first, but when you really analyze the situation its pretty normal. The second semester is a hard time for most students because it just seems to go bye much faster than first. Being in and out of school due to vacations, weather, or sickness is much more common this time of year than any. This constant in an out almost make it extremely hard to get into a good rhythm and balance everything properly, meaning your school life, your job, and your friends. Your personal life gets really important this time of the year too, as everyone is trying to find out who they're living with next year. Then out of practically no where your given this midterm on half the material for the semester. Most students are lucky if they've even cracked the book at this point.

While looking at this whole situation, I can't help but put it into comparison with my last race at the end of February in the ARCA Series at Palm Beach International Speedway. Tracks like Palm Beach are a rarity on the circut, since there are only two road courses on our twenty race schedule. Some might claim its hard enough racing on an a eleven turn track, trying hit all your marks while presumably not hitting any of the other cars (which is much harder than you think.) Despite the already high level of difficulty the track presented, mother natured decided to test us even more by making us race on rain tires. For those of you who are not familiar with rain tires, they are not a good idea on stock cars, especially when only about ten cars in the whole field have road couse experience, and even more so when none of the drivers have windshield wipers. These challenges, although steep, proved to be speed bumps as the real challenge presented itself later. As I was nearing the end of the race, having only about twenty laps to go, my power steering suddenly broke on the car. Needless to say I had my hands full, driving a car that didn't turn on tires that didn't stick... and did I mention that I could barely even see the track. In the end, my team was able to guide me across the finish line. Without my eyes in the sky, Charlie Vest, there is no doubt I would have crashed my Big Machine Records Ford.

The parallel that forms between these two events is that life comes at you fast, or I guess in the latter I came at life to fast. In either case, things have a way of building on you, slowly piling up until you can't deal anymore. Such problems compounded continuously on my race car last weekend. And similar problems are accumulating in my academic life as well. I can see the majority of my classmates drinking mountains of coffee, shaking either for the intense sugar load or the prospect that may ruin their whole life by getting a B. I can't say that I haven't had my share of coffee, yet I find myself this morning completely relaxed as I have a test in about 20 minutes. What racing has taught me that school could not is that problems happen. Whether is worrying about seeing out your windshield or where you might be living next year, its all the same stress. Racing, however, has shown me that every instance of such stress is not a burden but a challenge. And while some challenges may seem insurmountable, all are endurable. As I did in my 19th place finish last weekend, for midterms I plan simply on trying my best and enduring.

-Chase