TACOMA, WA :: Hey everybody. First let me do a quick introduction so you get some sense of who is writing this. I go by the name “Terrible” Tim McDougald around my NASCAR HomeTrack, Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington. Currently I race in the feature division there, the Super Late Models. I’m certainly not the next Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott, I’m just a guy who works a full time job during the week and then spends far too much spare time working on my little hotrod in the hopes of a solid run come raceday.

So our next race is the biggest race of the year. Arguably the biggest race in our state. We’re talking about the Summer Showdown, 200 laps on the big 5/8ths mile oval with a total purse of $100,000 up for grabs. We’re talking $1,000 just to start this race! So needless to say, most everyone who’s anyone around these parts is all jacked up to be there! We’re seeing a few entries from other states as well, and even a handful from Canada. But honestly, those Canadian guys come down to run with us quite often.

So right now we’re in full “preparation mode”. There’s a huge list of stuff to do to the car. We lost our engine during our last race, so right now there’s a loaner engine sitting on stand in front of the car. The transmission is sitting on the floor next to that. The car itself needs a few things done to it also, so it’s not a simple “drop engine in and be done” deal. We still need to make a few body repairs from that last race. We still need to re-square the rear end because something just isn’t right. We need to do some changes to our baseline setup. It’s a crazy long list of stuff to do before we can even put the car on the scales and start the setup part of it.

Since my team all works day jobs, we don’t have the luxury of being at the shop every night working on the cars. My Pops is a trucker, he leaves Monday (or sometimes Sunday night) and we don’t see him until Friday. Our shop is not at my house, it’s about a 45 minute drive away, so I can’t just walk out there after dinner. As you can see, we really only get weekends. So focus #1 this Saturday will be getting that engine mated to a transmission and in the car as well as getting that rear end squared up for sure. After that, we’ll start tackling that setup stuff. The body work can wait for the end because it’s really just straightening out a few wrinkles, nothing major.

Right now, I’m just wishing the work week was over so I could get started on it. It’s times like this where the clock tends to drag.

NOTE: “Terrible” Tim McDougald is the driver of the #68 Mo-Dane Trucking / Clevenger Associates / Rev-Equip / Late Model Racer / Ringers Gloves Toyota Camry in the Whelen All-American Late Model series at Evergreen Speedway. When Tim is not driving the car, he helps the 3-car family owned team on the pit crew. Tim also handles the spotter duties for his brother, Tommy Rasmussen’s, #92 Mo-Dane Trucking / RPM Sales & Service / Vital Signs / Mauritsen Enterprises Chevy Impala racing in the Pacific Northwest. Tim is the HayWire Racing team’s web site editor and Media Relations Director handling all team pr, media obligations and sponsor relations. Tim is an avid blogger, active Twitter (@TerribleTim68) and Facebook user and a published author. For more information about the team, visit http://www.haywire-racing.com. For inquiries regarding marketing coaching and sponsor package help, contact Tim through the HayWire Racing website.