As part of Jim’s new “gig” as a stay-at-home dad (…to our two DOGS!) and owner of Squeaky Wheel Marketing, Jim helps crew for Terry McMillen at IHRA drag racing events. 
He managed to talk me into going with him this time… under the premise that we’d combine it with a fun stay on the beach afterwards.
All Work And No Play?
We started with an 8 or 9 hour drive from Nashville to the track in Milan, Michigan.
(It’s pronounced “MY-lun”, but I like to say it wrong: “mi-Laaaan”, cuz it sounds much more extravagant… like Milan, Italy — and I felt inclined to try & turn this “work part” into something of a vacation as well!)
When Jim wasn’t filming Terry being interviewed by the press, taking photographs, and other PR & Marketing kinds of things, he and the rest of the crew busted their butts working on Terry’s drag racing car — building it up, giving it a spin, then tearing it down. Only do to it over… and over… and over again. Nothing was wrong; it’s just what you do with a racecar.
To some, this is fun. For us girls, this meant a LOT of sitting around, twiddling our thumbs, taking some pictures, selling some souvenirs, and sitting around. (…and if this butt is seated, there best be a computer* in front of me, or else I’m bored.)
The Life Of A Racecar Driver
In reality, that’s how EVERY weekend goes when you’re part of a crew team for a racecar driver… especially with drag racing. It’s hours and hours of repairs, modifications & fine-tuning — preparing for your moment of glory which amounts to just 6 SECONDS of time on the track! (…unless you’re REALLY good, then you only get 5 seconds!)
Repeat that a half-dozen times (cuz there are a few qualifying rounds, followed by the elimination rounds — over the course of 3 days)… and there’s something oddly anti-climatic about this whole drag racing thing. To me, it seems like an awful lot of work for less than 30 SECONDS on the track in any given weekend!
So, that pretty much sums up my experience at the racetrack on THIS weekend. That, and I sold a couple t-shirts for the team.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
By the way, our car didn’t win. So the crew packed it all up and prepared to head to some other track in two weeks and do it all over again — hours, days, even weeks of fine-tuning that car, all for 30 seconds of “game time” on some OTHER track.
…Oh, and did I mention that it RAINED the entire weekend?!
Fortunately, the skies got brighter when the “vacation part” began…
What I Learned Today:
*My best friend on this trip became the local McDonald’s. No, not for their McNuggets… For their McWi-Fi!
Who knew that the only place I would manage to find some Internet access in this dinky little town would be at this state-of-the-art McDonald’s in Milan Michigan?! (see… now “mi-Laaaan” sounds more appropriate, right?)
It’s supposed to be something like $3 for two hours of use, but they gave us two free passes, so we could check our e-mail & stuff on our laptop during the two days we were in town. (…I don’t think they get many takers in Milan, Michigan for this sort of thing.)
— > Need help finding Wi-Fi Internet access when YOU’re out and about?… Try these hotspot locators.
We moved from Florida to Tennessee in 2001. All signs point to the fact that we will probably retire here — by choice. We L O V E Nashville! Our favorite places to live are just south of the City — we’ve had houses in Brentwood, Franklin, and Spring Hill. And we have properties in Leipers Fork, Cookeville, and Lewisburg. This site is where I share my best tips for moving your family to Nashville and/or visiting Nashville for the first time — with the ultimate goal of helping you find fun things to do in Williamson County and Davidson County. When I’m not out & about enjoying the Nashville area, you’ll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I’ve written over 500 articles on this site! Many of them have upwards of 100K shares.
