WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012 - Long days and long nights have been the norm for the past week as we have continued to work toward getting our two boat team ready for 2012.  The hectic period began Sunday evening as I made the five-hour trek to Amtek Signs to get our Formula 2 boat wrapped.  It continued Monday evening when I returned and the team began tearing into the Formula 3 boat in an effort to get it ready to ship off to Amtek on Sunday evening this week when we switch it out with the Formula 2 boat.

Eric Himes, Roger and Karen LeGrand and myself spent Monday evening getting the F-3 stripped down.  Roger and Karen have spent each evening since getting the bruises and bumps fixed up so they don't show through the new wrap which will be applied next week.

Our hope is that in a couple weeks we will have both boats looking their best in preparation for 2012 and can then begin installing the new power heads and then send the boats to the boat ramp in early May for some break-in time.  Then it's off to Dayton on May 19-20 when we will test our Formula 2 boat during the APBA Open Test and Driving School at Eastwood Lake. Fellow F-2 racer Mark Jakob has offered to meet us at Dayton and help us set up our F-2 boat and get the new power head tuned and ready to race, so I am looking forward to receiving a little tutor time.

The new power head, recently rebuilt by Fairchild Racing, is our second Shaun Torrente power head.  Shaun, who is racing in Europe in UIM F-1 now days, has always been known for having some good horsepower.  We hope the same power heads that led him to victories will provide our team with some extra push in 2012 as well.

My new helmets are ready to come back to us from Tiger Performance where our air mask was given a checkup and the helmets fitted with bayonet receivers.  Our SpareAir is also on it's way back from California today where it was tested and recertified for the season.  Next will be an appointment at the pool at Huntington Sport and Commercial Diving Center to test both out to make sure I am comfortable with them before the season starts.

I will be spending tomorrow with the sales manager of our new Formula 2 sponsor and will accompany him to three or four of the major boat dealers in the area to introduce the product and promote the Huntington race event.  Then off to Harris Riverfront Park tomorrow night to begin laying out the hospitality and vendor areas on paper for the Huntington Classic event scheduled for August.

And to think, the fun is only just beginning!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012 - Our primary Formula 2 boat for 2012 is nearly ready to be sent off to Amtek Signs in Indiana for a new wrap.  The crew has spent the past two weeks in the race shop stripping off all of the decals, fixing the nicks and scrapes and getting the boat's surface prepared for the 2012 paint scheme wrap.

The boat will make the five-hour journey to Salem, Indiana this weekend where it will spend next week getting our 2012 paint scheme applied.  I hope to spend some time at Amtek next Monday going over the design and application and will then return the following Monday to pick up the finished product and drop off our Formula 3 boat which will undergo a facelift and get a new wrap the following week.  The end result will hopefully be two very sharp looking boats when we show up for the season opener in Pittsburgh on July 3-4.

An announcement on our Formula 2 primary sponsor is still a couple weeks away.  The company is waiting until it's website is up and functional and it has product available to sell before it makes the race announcement public.  The company's product is something that is really nice and we have already been using samples of it the past several weeks in the race shop.  It is a very universal product that has almost endless uses.

In other news, I shipped out our SpareAir emergency air system for recertification this week.  It needs to go back to the factory for hydrostatic testing of the air cylinder and a general checkup before the season.  It is a 3,000 PSI breathing air bottle that I will wear on my chest which has a mouthpiece similar to a SCUBA mask.  I will be wearing a breathing air mask similar to what fighter jet pilots wear, but the SpareAir is a backup in case the mask fails or gets knocked off of my face during a crash.  Having just a few breaths of air can be a big help when you are upside down and under water.  I can speak from experience on this one and will be taking no changes in the coming years.  There are still probably more racers who race without any air than there are those who do, but the numbers are slowly climbing and I will be an advocate for breathing air as long as I continue to race.  Racing without an air system is simply gambling that you'll get out.  I have experience the alternative and won't be taking that chance any more.

My helmets are at Tiger Performance in New Jersey getting fitted for the air mask.  I am hoping they will be back at the shop next week so I can send them to HANS to get fitted for the HANS device connectors.  I have done a lot of research of head and neck restraint devices over the past several months and will be purchasing a HANS before the race season.  It isn't the cheapest unit on the market, but I feel it is the best unit available.  The crash data, personal testimonies and number of units in service have sold me on this particular brand.  Being simple to put on and quick and easy to take off in a hurry is important to me.  Some of the other models have straps that go around the arms and/or chest and I just don't like the restrictions and feel they give.  I guess it's just a personal thing, but I like what the HANS has to offer better than any of the other units currently being manufactured.  Head and neck restraint devices have become much more popular in boat racing in recent seasons.  Although there are no statistics to back it up, the most common injuries in recent years to boat racers have been back and neck injuries, a few even resulting in paralysis to the drivers.

Thanks for reading our blog.  We will try to keep you updated on all the news as the 2012 race season nears.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012 - Happy Easter everyone!  This weekend is the most significant there is to those who share the Christian faith.  The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis for all of the teachings of Christianity.  While many of us enjoy the fun side of Easter with parades, egg hunts, coloring eggs, enjoying the basket and having fun with the rabbit, I hope you will spend part of your Sunday focusing on the joy that Jesus provides.  Jesus came to this Earth some 2,000 years ago, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to cleanse us of our shortcomings, and rose again to complete the sacrifice needed to release those who believe from their sins.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible says it all, John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, for whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  What a statement that is.  Jesus paid the price for all of our sins.  All we have to do is accept the grace that his action provided.  It's that simple.  Acknowledge you haved sinned and come short of God's expectations for you, Believe that Jesus was the Son of God and died in your place to release you from your burden of sin, and Confess that Jesus Christ is your Saviour and that you accept his gift of eternal life.  It's truly is as easy as ABC to accept Christ into your life!

I can't imagine my life without Jesus. Hope to see you in church tomorrow morning.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012 - While it will undoubtedly be bigger and better than the 2011 edition, the Huntington Classic isn't the only major boat racing event to call West Virginia home in 2012.  That's right, boats galore are expected to converge on the Ohio River at New Martinsville, WV the last weekend in September to take a shot at setting a national speed record.

The city will host the event September 29-30 in an effort to revitalize boat racing interest in the town which boasts the corporate office of APR Superleague.  And, if things go as expected, Herd Racing will likely have a boat or two making passes on the 1/4-mile straightaway course in an attempt to get our team into the record books.

I think it is great that the APR Superleague has spearheaded the efforts to bring an event like this to West Virginia.  It has the potential to be a fun weekend for everyone involved.  You can learn more about the effort in today's edition of New Martinsville's local newspaper.  You can find the story online at http://www.wetzelchronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/510930/Powerboat-Action-Will-Return.html?nav=5001.

Meanwhile, Herd Racing announced today that our boat number in Formula 2 will change in 2012.  Out with the #5 of old and in with the #22.  The number brings back memories for me as it is one of my favorites and the number I wore in junior high school football.  You may notice if you read the front page of our website at www.herdracing.com you will see some interesting colors, namely yellow and red.  You guessed it, that's the colors our Formula 2 boat will sport in 2012 and the details about the primary sponsorship is coming in just a couple weeks.

We're finishing up the prep work on our hulls in the race shop with plans to deliver one boat to the sign shop at Amtek Signs in Indiana possibly as early as next week to begin the paint scheme wrap.  Most likely we'll have the Formula 2 boat wrapped first and then work on the Formula 3 hull, hopefully having both done before our scheduled test weekend in Dayton, OH on May 19-20.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012 - The weather has turned to spring and the pages of the wall calendar have turned yet again as well.  April is here and just six weeks remain until at least one of our race boats reports to Dayton, OH for some pre-seaon testing beginning on May 19.  That means beginning tomorrow evening that Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and his crew will converge on the Herd Racing shop on a regular basis to begin readying the equipment for the 2012 race season.

Remember, you can join us in the shop to take part if you like.  We open our shop to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday evenings.  That's right.  If you're interested in what we're doing you are more than welcome to join us weekly as we work on preparing the team's boats.  Whether your talent is turning wrenches or pushing brooms, we have plenty of opportunities for everyone.  Come join us.

In other news this weekend, the Huntington Classic website, www.huntingtonclassic.com, has been updated with 2012 dates and information.  There is still lots more to add to the site as the date of the 2nd annual race draws nearer, but you can see the dates, location and some basic information about what we have planned in Huntington in August.  A new venue and new marketing partner, the Huntington Rib and Music Fest www.huntingtonribfest.com, so we are excited to continue building this event into one of the APR Superleague's best stops on the annual tour.

Our helmets were shipped off to Tiger Performance Products in New York on Friday to be retrofitted for our breathing air system.  Hopefully, they will be back in a couple weeks and will then be sent off to Simpson Race Products to get set up to receive the HANS device.  Lastly, they will take a trip to AMTEK Signs in Indiana for some graphics to compliment our sponsors.  Our 2012 driving suit was also sent out on Friday to a public relations firm in Erie, PA. whose staff has designed our 2012 suit graphics and will have it embroidered before returning it back to us for some team photos for postcards, posters and other marketing materials our sponsors will use this coming season.

And, SkeeterPaste's new website is continuing to come along and will be live and available for viewing tomorrow.  The company will begin selling it's mosquito bite balms two weeks from now.  The attention the company is getting from our fans and followers has been great.  SkeeterPaste™ has seen more than 500 "likes" to it's Facebook wall since making the sponsorship announcement a week ago today!  You can show your support by logging on and "liking" them at www.facebook.com/skeeterpaste.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012 - The SkeeterPaste sponsorship is moving along.  The company plans to launch it's website April 2 and soon after I would expect to begin seeing SkeeterPaste Racing news, designs and apparel for sale.  The company has commissioned Coast 2 Coast Racing Designs, by far the best paint scheme designers in NASCAR, to come up with the new paint scheme for our SkeeterPaste Formula 3 boat.

I can't wait to get a glimpse of what Guy Driggers and the staff at C2C come up with for our boat.  I know it will be a great look and will represent our team and sponsor with a nice, fresh look.  You can check out some of their work on their website at http://www.c2cracingdesigns.com/. Meanwhile, in the shop, we are beginning the unfun task of scraping 15 years of paint from the Hemp/Pugh's hull, decks and fuselage so we can have the wrap applied and cut our weight.  Since I don't seem to be having much luck cutting weight from the driver I guess I will try the boat one last time!

In other news, we got our new F-2 powerhead this week.  The engine comes from the Shaun Torrente fleet and was recently rebuilt at Fairchild Racing.  We'll get it broke in and ready to test May 19-20 in Dayton, OH at the APBA Region 6 Test and Tune weekend at Eastwood Lake.  The F-2 boat is also about ready to go through a paint removal process in preparation for it's 2012 new look.

Hoping to get our Formula 2 Simpson race uniform sent off this week for some final embroidery work and ready for some post card and poster photos, and it's time to send our new orange Bell helmets to Tiger Performance to get them fitted with the receivers for our Tiger air system before they get a little paint work as well to match our new boat looks.

I know it sounds crazy with an eight month off season, but it surely seems like summer is fastly approaching and time is running short.  Help, we're way behind!

Dana Tomes 

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 - It's official!  SkeeterPaste™, an all-natural remedy to those pesky mosquito bites we all get during the summer months, will be the primary sponsor of Herd Racing's Formula 3 program in 2012!  The new startup company, which will begin offering product online and in outdoors retailers early next month, will use Herd Racing to carry it's marketing message to the outdoors and boating community.

It is great news for our team that both our Formula 2 and Formula 3 boats will be funded in 2012 which will allow us to know going in that we will have the resources we need to run a full season in the APR Superleague beginning in early July.  It is also exciting that Herd Racing will have the opportunity to work closely with a startup company who is just launching their business to the public.  We will be very involved in helping the company develop and market it's image to potential customers who enjoy America's outdoors.

The sponsorship agreement will allow our Formula 3 boat to have a very awesome looking paint scheme which I can't wait to unveil in the coming weeks.  It will feature one of my favorite racing colors, Richard Petty blue!

So, I hope you will take the opportunity to welcome SkeeterPaste™ to the boat racing world this week.  You can be one of the first to "like" them on their newly-created Facebook page at www.facebook.com/skeeterpaste and you can be one of the first to "follow" them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/skeeterpaste.  You can also read more about today's sponsorship announcement on the home page of our website at www.herdracing.com.

I look forward to telling you a lot more about SkeeterPaste™ and the wonderful product the company is producing for those of us who love the outdoors!  Thank you SkeeterPaste™ for choosing Herd Racing to help spread the word about your product to the masses!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 - The exciting news for 2012 continues to come at Herd Racing!  Several months after first communicating about the team's possible involvement in promoting a new startup herbal remedy product, Herd Racing will be the marketing platform of the new Cincinnati-based startup company in 2012, both sides agreed today.

The company and race team, which will make a joint announcement of the 2012 Formula 3 primary sponsorship on Sunday, March 25, hammered out the final agreement during a luncheon this afternoon at a suburban Cincinnati restaurant.  The deal will include a new paint scheme on the team's Formula 3 boat and will allow the boat to continue promoting the team's faith-based message through it's familiar large Jesus fish symbol.  A win-win situation for everyone involved.

One of my firm beliefs is that one of the boats we field will always carry a obvious symbol of our Christian faith and values as individuals and as a team.  We began sporting the large lime green Jesus fish on our boats when we started racing in Formula 3 in 2010 and will continue to use our SST-60 entry as our primary tool for outreach.  This boat will be the one we take to Friday evening events in each race city and take to church camps, Bible schools and the like during the off seasons.  It is with great joy that we can soon announce that a corporate partner supports our mission statement and will help us continue the effort by becoming the team's primary sponsor for the upcoming season.

We will be working long hours this weekend to get the deal finalized and will be back on Sunday with an official announcement.  The company, while I can't say who it is just quite yet, is a perfect fit for boating.  It is the manufacturer of a product that combats one of the only negative things there is about having lots of water.  Any guesses?  Check back Sunday evening for the details as we begin the new week with all the news about who it is, how you can get the product, and what their 2012 sponsorship program will look like!

This is such great news because we are also finalizing our primary sponsorship plans for our Formula 2 team as well.  This deal is progressing nicely and will be announced publicly in the next several weeks as well.  It too, as I have alluded to in the past, is a full season primary sponsorship that will include a new boat number for our Formula 2 team, as well as a boat wrap, hauler decals, uniforms and the works.  Add in our associate sponsorships for 2012 like Herr Foods, E.A. Schaeffer Oil, ECO-FIRST, Honor and Remember, Mother Mouse Books, Mobile Imprint and others, and we can begin to see the snowball building very rapidly!  You may have noticed I didn't mention our associate sponsor BRL Solutions.  Check back.  There's a reason.

A third year race team fielding two boats in two different classes with primary sponsors pledging firm support to each program is very good news to the front office at Herd Racing.  We believe we are building a team in the right way and it is gratifying to see that the people who are making the marketing decisions in some major corporations seem to agree!  We are half way through our five-year startup plan and things are right on schedule.

One last tidbit on the three fatalities last weekend in Florida that you read about in my last blog entry.  I have spent some time talking about the tragedies with several people inside and outside of the sport.  And while the sport of boat racing is often all lumped into one impression it is important to point out that the boats in which the drivers were competing were not current-day craft with pilot capsules or modern restraints.  While it makes the deaths no easier to accept, it should be noted that the boats involved were vintage craft, many years removed from active duty, which did not have many of the safety features of today's race boats and were not certified or approved for competition by the APBA.  Still, please keep the families of these men in your prayers.  Regardless of how it happened or what safety measures have been taken to prevent injuries and deaths in the futrure the fact still remains the same - three men lost their lives and that is sad regardless of how it happened!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012 - Tragedy struck the Spring Thunder Regatta on Lake Dora in Tavares, Florida this weekend.  Once would be bad enough, but after one boat racing pilot died during a race on Saturday, two more were killed when their hydroplanes crashed into each other today.  Two days of racing, three deaths!

It is hard to believe that after the 2011 race season ended tragically off the coast of Miami last fall with multiple fatalities that 2012 would start in such a way.  Racing boats is very dangerous and rarely a season goes by without a racer or two dying in some type of an accident somewhere in the U.S.  But three in one weekend at one event just a few months after very similar circumstances in an off-shore race just a few hundred miles away makes you wonder if the sport is really as safe as we make ourselves believe it is.

The details of both yesterday's and today's accidents are still sketchy, but the Orlando Sentinal has news about the crashes in it's online editions this evening at http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-18/news/os-boating-accident-death-0319-20120318_1_boat-collision-fatal-crash-boating-event.  A Florida TV station also covered the events on their online page.  The TV crew went to the races today to cover a memorial for the racer killed in Saturday's event.  They ended up having to cover the second and third deaths of the weekend. The event organizers have an online story about the accidents with photos of the boats involved.  Their story even indicates that today's races were just staged demonstration events and placing or prizes were not even part of the equation.  You can read their coverage of the tragedies here http://woodyboater.com/communityweb/second-tragic-accident-at-lake-dora-raceboat-event-today/.

Our prayers go out to everyone in the sport when something like this happens.  These racers take to the water to have some fun and as racers we know there is danger in what we choose to do, but we fully expect to come home at the end of the weekend no worse for wear.  It is unsettling to think how those impacted by this weekend's tragic events are feeling tonight.  May God's grace give them the strength to get through what they are facing.

I usually branch out into several topics and updates in these frequent blog entries, but today it just doesn't seem right to talk about much more than what has already been said.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2012 - Like is the case most of the time when you are very busy, this week has seemed to fly right by.  It seemed like when the birds began singing and the flowers began blooming this week as our temperatures spiked to near 80 degrees that the workload at Herd Racing increased threefold as well.

A lot has transpired in the first four days of this week.  Here's a quick glimpse into the news that is ready for sharing.  For starters, our friend Donny Lick who has traded in his SST-120 two-cycle program for the Optimax SST-200 club is boxing up another Formula 2 motor to send our way this week.  We had committed to buy the newly rebuilt powerhead from Donny several months ago, but it was just last week that we were able to get it paid off.  The Mercury SST-120 has been inactive since moving off the work bench at Fairchild Racing where it was freshened up and readied for the 2012 race season.  That will give us two good powerheads for 2012 and a bunch of spare parts as we attempt to move our Formula 2 program up a notch.

Speaking of F-2 racing, we will be at Eastwood Lake in Dayton, OH on May 19 and 20 to test our Miller/Target SST-120 boat for the first time this spring.  We will be filming a TV spot ad for our new primary sponsor and recording some internet video for a spot ad for E.A. Schaeffer Oil Company who is supporting our program this season with AMSOIL racing oils.  While in Dayton we will be staying with our friends at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cincinnati/Sharonville, a short drive south of Eastwood Lake in Dayton.  If you are going to Dayton for the test or visiting the Cincinnati area for any reason then we recommend you stay where the Herd team stays, the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville.  You can book your room online at http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CVGSHGI.  You can read our official lodging partner sponsor announcement at http://www.herdracing.com/lodgingpartners.php.

And, Herd Racing crew member Roger LeGrand will be attending the driving school in Dayton to get his APBA license during the testing weekend.  Not sure what Roger's race plans might be, but he will have the credentials should his desire to drive progress!

The new image for our 2012 F-2 program has continued progressing this week.  We got our new driver suit, boots and gloves in from Simpson Race Products this week and will be heading for the photo studio for photos this weekend so the 2012 hero cards and sponsor ad material can begin being prepared.  Our relationship with our new sponsor is just three weeks old, but it has progressed daily.  We are back and forth with information daily and are working on hauler and boat paint schemes, uniform embroidery, TV commercials and other things.  We can't wait to unveil a new image, boat number and sponsor in the coming weeks when the sponsor's website and product line are ready to go public.

Lots of new things are in the works, including our longtime sponsor ECO-FIRST agreeing to support APR Superleague's Operation Green Prop initiative in 2012.  The environmental services firm was the first company to support the Green Prop program when it was unveiled in 2011 and it is the first to sign on in 2012 as well.  You can check out the official announcement from our friends at APR Superleague at http://www.aprsuperleague.com/buzz.php.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012 - After a four-hour meeting Friday at the APR Superleague offices there is good news coming about the 2012 APR Superleague schedule and the Huntington race event.  While the contracts are yet to be signed, there is a verbal agreement in place between the APR Events Group and the Huntington Classic race committee to bring powerboats back to Huntington in 2012!

The races will take place August 10-12 and will move back downtown to Huntington's Harris Riverfront Park.  More good news is the race event will be the daytime highlight of Huntington's long-running Rib and Music Fest, an event which included APR race events back in 2005 and 2006.  The four day (Thursday-Sunday) Huntington Rib and Music Fest (www.huntingtonribfest.com) will feature ribbers from across the country, as well as nightly concerts on the riverfront.  The daytime activities will feature carnivals and displays and will be highlighted by the APBA East Division Championships tunnel boat races on Saturday and Sunday.  The venue will allow boat racers and fans alike to enjoy a full weekend of family entertainment without leaving the park.

I am thrilled with the outcome of the meeting and am very happy to see the Huntington races moved back downtown and included in the Rib and Music Fest event.  Even better news is that there are serious talks in place regarding the televising of the race on ROOT Sports or Fox Sports Net-Ohio.  We should have a decision on that development in the next couple of months.

So, mark Huntington on your race calendar for August and stay tuned for more exciting news about how the Huntington race committee plans to make our city one of the Superleague's stops to remember!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012 - In tune with the 1970s REO Speedwagon tune, we finally have some results from the Orange Cup Regatta's tunnel boat classes from last weekend.  I heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who . . . Well you see the comparison to the song.  Actually, I heard it from Sam Winer who heard it from Mike Tilton who was there himself.

In F2, SST-120 on Saturday, Terry Rinker climbed to the top of the heap in both heat races.  The finishing order from the first heat was Rinker, followed by Brian Burkhardt in second, Brent Dillard in third, Jeff Reno in fourth and Frederick Durr in fifth.  There was seven 120 boats at the event, but Michael Floyd and Derek Hallman didn't start the first heat race.  In the second heat race it was again Rinker, followed by Reno, Dillard, Burkhardt, Durr, Floyd and again, Hallman, didn't start the second heat.

In the SST-60 field there were five boats on the water at Lakeland.  Rob Rinker in his newly painted white AMSOIL machine paced both heats.  Jeff Krischano in Brent Dillard's old F3 boat finished second, followed by Carole Reno, Steve Dinicolantonio and Mike Webster in the former Dave Hensel F3 boat.  The second heat saw Rinker, Reno, Webster, Dinic and Krischano finish 1-5.  All of the racing on Sunday was cancelled due to unsafe wind conditions.

Thanks Sam and Mike for getting the results to me.  I guess my blog post from earlier in the week hinted that I was frustrated with not being able to find out anything.  But, now we all know.

Anyway, off to APR Superleague offices for a meeting in the morning to finalize the Huntington race dates, talk about boat numbers and negotiate bringing a new sponsor into the sport.  Hope to undate you on the outcome this weekend.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, MARCH 06, 2012 - Going into 2012's spring training opener in Lakeland, Florida this past weekend I had high hopes of seeing lots of photos and following the leaderboard from Friday-Sunday to see who was looking like contenders come this summer.  Unfortunately, the races were cancelled due to high winds on Sunday and apparently the results of just about anything that went on during the event is still known to only those who were there.  As I have complained many times before, this sport can't grow until someone, somewhere begins to understand a little something about public relations and marketing.  Why didn't someone stream the races?, Why didn't someone report the results?  If they did then why is a complete rundown on who did what so hard to find? I'm speechless.  Best I can learn is that Terry and Rob Rinker won the SST-120 and SST-60 races, but I have no clue if they ran solo or if there were 10 boats in each field.  The fields at Lakeland are usually pretty slim in numbers, but learning some finishing order, lap splits and some other basic information would be nice.  Wouldn't this information be something you think the new and improved APBA website would display every evening during big race weekends?

Anyway, lets talk about some things that we do have some control over.  If you check out our website home page at www.herdracing.com you will notice a few changes today.  We now have a direct link ad to our engine oil supplier E.A. Schaeffer Oil.  If you use AMSOIL products or would like to try it I hope you will give Elmer Schaeffer a call or drop him an email.  Elmer is first class, cares about racers and wants to help you go fast.  Give him a shot if you don't have a tight relationship with an oil supplier.  I think you will see Elmer's passion for racing and want to get your product from him.  He will get it delivered to your door or will send it with our team to the race events in 2012 so you will never be without your AMSOIL product.

You also may notice the website home page also includes a page icon for the Herd Racing Foundation along the left side of the site.  The content of this page will be developed over the next few weeks to recap our past involvement with charities and events, but it more importantly, will showcase the charities and events we plan to participate with during the upcoming race season.  Keep checking out the website.  We are working to try to make our site one that you will continue to visit to get your tunnel boat racing news.

And, the www.huntingtonclassic.com website homepage is also undergoing a few updates in preparation for the 2012 event.  If you visit the page you will get some hints as to what might be planned for this summer.  A new live radar image of the Huntington race site has been added so racers and fans can track any rains on race weekend, and the location and date of this summer's race has been updated.  You'll see lots of additions to this site over the next few months as well.  Final negotiations are happening this week with APR Superleague regarding the 2012 Huntington race.  I think racers, teams and fans are going to be impressed with what Huntington brings to the tour in 2012 and hopefully for many more years to come.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, MARCH 03, 2012 - Not a lot to report today, but I need to keep the blog posts pretty regular so those of you who do take time to read it won't loose interest.   Here's whats going on in Herd Racing land this weekend and over the past work week.

Our Herd Racing Foundation was able to send out a check this morning to Legacy Ministry for $550 to help continue their important outreach services in 2012.  We had hoped to donate a lot more and was planning to use the proceeds from our 5-K race in November to do that.  Unfortunately, the 5-K race lost money due to all of the costs associated with conducting a race, like advertising, trophies, t-shirts, banners, food, insurance, sanctions and the like.  The good news is that we had an anonymous corporate donor come through for us to help make up the loss and also donate $10 per runner who particpated to us to pass along to the folks at Legacy.  God works in mysterious ways sometimes.  So, 55 runners equals $550 to Legacy.  Talking about possibly making this coming year's Legacy Run part of the Huntington race weekend so the Legacy folks will be able to attend and hopefully we can draw a much bigger crowd of participants.  We were shooting for 150 runners last fall and only got a third of that so a lot of shirts, trophies and food went unused.  Better experience will equal better planning the next time around, and hopefully that will translate into better profits which will equal a much bigger donation to the crew at Legacy.

Our 2012 Formula 2 sponsorship program has continued to progress.  The artist for the public relations firm hired by the sponsor is working on uniform designs and paint schemes for the boat and hauler wrap.  The VP of the sponsor emailed me this morning and let me know that the driver suit, shoes and boots have been ordered from Simpson and should be arriving at our office in a couple weeks.  Then comes photos for the post cards and other marketing materials.  Things are rapidly progressing and as soon as we can get our boat number situation lined out we will be able to begin making some announcements about what our plans are.  The sponsors says they are still a couple months out from our letting their name out because they want their website, marketing materials and online product offerings to be up and running before we pull the sheet off and let everyone see what they have planned.  I am getting the feeling that the impact these folks are going to make in boat racing is 2012 is one the sport hasn't seen in a long, long time!

I will be traveling to New Martinsville, WV this coming week to meet with Sam and Sherron Winer from APR Events Group to finalize the plans for the Huntington race.  I would expect to be able to announce next weekend on the race website www.huntingtonclassic.com what the race date, locations and other details include.  It is looking much more positive each day that racing will return to Huntington in 2012 and it is looking like the venue, dates and sideline entertainment options will be much, much improved from 2011's event.

I hope to get back to blogging a little more regularly as soon as possible.  I have been swamped at work the past several weeks which has resulted in my neglecting my desire to report on our boat racing progress a little more frequently.  Check back often.  I'll get the updates to you as often as I can and will try to Tweet at least every other day about what's happening at the race shop.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 - Last week's meetings with a potential primary sponsor for our team is causing the off-season office load to kick into overdrive.  A world of progress has been made over the past several days on many fronts, including the negotiations with the potential primary sponsor for our boat racing program and the progress of the Huntington race date and location.

Here's what is practially official at this point.  Notice I said practially official because as you know in racing, nothing is completely official until after it actually happens.  But, with that said, I feel pretty confident about this news or I wouldn't put it out there as public information.

As of today, it looks as if Herd Racing will have a primary sponsor for our Formula 2 program in 2012.  The sponsorship will include a new paint scheme for the boat and tractor-trailer hauler, as well as a new boat number and new color scheme.  We have applied for a number change with the sanctioning body and our racing league, and have written a letter of request to run the new number on our F-2 boats in 2012.  We are awaiting the decision on that.  It is pretty cool because the number that the sponsor has requested is one of my all-time favorite numbers, one that I sported on my football jerseys for many years as a youth.  Hopefully we'll hear a decision on this request in a few days.  Unfortunately, there are only 99 acceptable numbers that are one and two digits and there are far more than that many boats running in APBA's various leagues and venues.  That means in order to use a number that isn't officially assigned by the sanctioning body then you must - or should - clear the request with the league, ABPA and get permission from the registered owner.  Similar to the process in NASCAR and other racing series.  The number change won't affect our Formula 3 entry.  It will remain the #75 and the boat will be towed in a separate trailer to the races from our Formula 2 entry next year.  This will allow both programs to function sort of separately with the same driver.  We have a smaller 24-foot-long hauler that features the #75 and Herd Racing logo that will carry this boat.  It will continue to participate in outreach events each race weekend while it looks like the Formula 2 boat will be participating in scheduled sponsor hospitality events at each race venue.  There is lots more information to come about this sponsorship so stay tuned as the new information comes to light.

And, the decision on if, when and where the Huntington race will be conducted is starting to become less cloudy.  Percentages are quickly building that the race will be August 10-12 at Huntington's Harris Riverfront Park in downtown and will accompany the four-day Huntington Rib and Music Fest outdoor festival which has taken place annually at the park for the past 17 years.  Some members of the local race committee are to meet with APR Superleague powers in the next week or two to nail down these details and then make a formal announcements so everyone's 2012 race schedule can become a little more official.

Keep checking back.  I'll post the updates as I learn them!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 - It's been another exciting week at Herd Racing as we continue piecing together our racing program for 2012.  I logged more than 1,100 miles this week ending with an early morning meeting this morning in Pennsylvania, a state that is going to be more than fairly represented in powerboat racing in 2012.

As you know, Herd Racing supporters Herr Foods is based in Nottingham, PA and BRL Solutions is based in Kane, PA.  This week we spent some time cultivating two more relationships with Pennsylvania companies, both of which you will likely see represented on Herd Racing's boat entries in 2012.

I can't say much at this point regarding what is about to transpire, but I can say that I am very encouraged about the results of this week's travels, and especially today's events.  If all proceeds according to schedule over the next several weeks, Herd Racing's program could have a whole new look this come spring, thanks to the desires of one of our target supporters deciding to launch a new innovative product and promote it through powerboat racing, and more specifically, as the primary sponsor of our team.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as the fruits of today's meeting begin to ripen.  I left today's conversation very encouraged that the new relationship which is beginning to form will be a beneficial one for all parties involved.  If this deal works out then our team performance and image will take a huge step forward real soon!  I can't wait until Monday when we can get back to talking about what's next!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 - Both of tunnel boat racing's premier national racing leagues in the U.S. have released promotional videos in the past few weeks in an attempt to draw interest to their respective leagues and offerings.  The APR Superleague, of which Herd Racing is a member, has created through it's marketing partner Romesburg Media Group, a one-minute video that highlights the league's 25 years of experience in powerboat racing.  You can find a sample video online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajxrpZ4zq9M&feature=player_embedded.

The F1 Prop Tour, a similar racing league to APR that instead of featuring Formula 2 and Formula 3 boats, tends to market most of it's races around Formula 1 and Formula Lights or SST-45.  The league races 4-5 times each summer, usually once in Michigan, once in Illnois and twice in Texas.  In 2012 the league has announced a new race as part of Seafair, a major west coast boating event held each year in Washington State.  Here is a look at the F1 Prop Tour's 2012 promo video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=03S8quzftZg.

The fact that both of the nation's primary tunnel boat racing leagues has produced such videos is a great move forward.  Teams need all of tools they can get to attract fans and sponsors to boat racing and these videos will be another wrench in the toolbox that teams can use.

In other news, our team is in talks with two propsective sponsors for the Pittsbugh race weekend.  Both are companies based in Pennsylvania who are interested in promoting their products and services to the massive crowd and TV audience that the Pittsburgh race offers.  You may have noticed some photos from our shop earlier this week on our Facebook page.  If you are wondering why the boats still have the same decals and paint schemes on them that we ended 2011 with that is because we aren't ready to spruce them up for 2012 because there is a pretty good chance one or maybe even both entries in 2012 will carry a completely different paint scheme and some primary sponsor logos you haven't seen on our boats before.  We plan on both entries looking sharp for the Pittsburgh opener and if things continue to progress as they have in the past few months in regards to sponsorship then 2012 could be a year full of excitement for our program.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 - The APR Superleague's media arm, Superleague Media, has secured it's second broadcast for 2012 in a deal that will bring the first and last races of the coming season into nearly 20 million homes this coming summer.  Superleague Media, ran by Romesburg Media Group in Pennsylvania, will film and produce the hour-long race shows which will feature the North American Championships in Pittsburgh and the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in Memphis.  Both F2 and F3 boats will be covered in both telecasts.

Pittsburgh's race will air on ROOT Sports in the northeast states while the Memphis telecast will air primarily on SportsSouth.  Combined, both races will bring Superleague racing to close to 20 million viewers!

The Huntington Classic race committee is also working to try to get the funding to have the Huntington race televised on Fox Sports Ohio as well.  FSN-Ohio reaches about six million homes and stretches from Illinois to Pennslvania in coverage, including Huntington and surrounding cities.  The Huntington committee is still sorting out race dates as well as location.  One option involves hosting the race at the same venue as the 2011 race in East Huntington during the last weekend in July while a second proposal under consideration would move the race to the second weekend in August and move it downtown to Harris Riverfront Park and couple the races with the Rib and Music Fest.  This is the option that would be suitable for TV.  A decision on location and race date for the Huntington event should come when the committee meets again in early March.

As you might guess, my vote goes for moving the race downtown and seeking the partnership with the Rib and Music Fest which already draws more than 20,000 fans to the park on it's own.  Add in boat racing and a TV production and I believe that option could turn into a pretty nice event for the sponsors, the fans and the racers!  We need to get boat racing back to what it was in Huntington in the 80s and 90s and getting back at Harris Riverfront Park as part of the Rib and Music Fest would be a good first step.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012 - The announcement a few weeks ago about E.A. Schaeffer Oil Company joining our program in 2012 was a significant one for our team.  We have been seeking a close relationship with an oil provider for some time and this agreement will provide our team with all of the oils, greases, and other AMSOIL products we might need during the course of the 2012 race season.  Why is this product agreement viewed as being so important by our team? Because this sponsorship removes a four digit annual expense from our 2012 operating budget to field our two boats, and in boat racing financial terms a thousand bucks saved is major league.

I get calls all the time from fellow boat racers asking how our team gets sponsorship and what they can do to get sponsors to support their teams.  My answer always starts with a simple question.  "What can you give them in return for their sponsorship?"  Sometimes I just get a pause or a blank stare as the response.  Therein lies the real problem.

Sponsors want to be able to see that they are getting more in return than they are investing in the relationship.  Whether you are asking for cash, product or something else you need to make sure the sponsor you are approaching views the deal as at least equal, if not better, for his company than it is for your's.  That's the key.  Sticking a decal on a boat in return for cash or product isn't going to get many people's attention.  Put yourself in your sponsor's shoes and think what would they want in return for helping my team succeed.  Once you can see the sport from the outside then you can begin to understand how to build your program from the inside.  Sponsors aren't lining up to give away product and money just because they are nice.  They want to see a return and if they don't then your relationship will be over as soon as the initial agreement expires and their lack of future involvement in boat racing will likely be a longstanding result.  A sponsor who feels scorned labels the entire sport often times so an unappreciative team or hard to deal with driver hurts us all.

Herd Racing's recent deal with E.A. Schaeffer Oil is a major step forward for our team and I want Elmer Schaeffer to know how much we appreciate his decision to help us.  Fortunately, I think Elmer sees that his involvement with Herd Racing will be a major step forward for his company as well.  When a sponsor/team relationship can walk away from the deal knowing and believing that they both are the winner then that is when you have a successful sponsor relationship that will only continue to grow.

I am proud of the fact that many of our team's sponsors have been with us since our inception into racing and we continue to add a few more each season to help fill the voids for funding we still have.  Why are they continuing to come back each season?  Because we continue to find ways to make them feel welcome, to make them feel appreciated and to make them see that their investment in our team is one that we appreciate and one that we will work hard to promote.  We need them to see that their investment in our team is paying off for them.  That's the key to getting and keeping a sponsor in racing.  Welcome to Herd Racing Elmer Schaeffer!  We'll do our best to make you want to come back for more for many years to come.

In other news at the Herd Racing shop, we should be getting a couple new boat batteries in the mail this week which will allow us to have a quality backup set to carry along to the races.  In addition, two new portable radios and a new head set are on their way.  This will mark the second set of two portable radios we have been able to purchase this off season, as well as two new headsets for our crew.  That will allow all five of our crew members on the bank at each race to have a working radio with a quality headset so they can communicate among one another and with our boats.  It is important that the dockmaster, crew chief, spotter and two ramp crew members can all hear what is going on in real time.  If we need assistance at the dock or on the trailer, everyone is on the same page because they are hearing the message as the driver and crew chief are talking about it.  This will allow us to take some of our older portable radios and assign them to allow sponsors, guests and our families to hear the radio traffic, as well as dedicate one radio for the recording of our radio traffic.  We periodically have videotaped the races and recorded the audio of the races and will try to do both full time in 2012 as our crew member responsibilities get more defined.  Reviewing this data helps our crew chief, spotter and driver improve their communications with one another which we hope will begin showing up on the stat sheets during 2012.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012 - Round One of the Search for a Champion video contest sponsored by Champion Spark Plugs is in the books.  A total of 335 race teams from across the country entered a video in the monthlong contest which came to a close Sunday evening.  Champion's judges will make their choices public on February 23 when they announce a winner in each of the five racing categories.  The five finalists will receive a $10,000 sponsorship from Champion for 2012 and will compete in the final round for a $50,000 sponsorship beginning on February 27.

While Champion hasn't made it public yet how many votes each team's video got in the contest, they have said that more than 130,000 votes were recorded over the 335 entries.  There were 24 entries in the water category in which Herd Racing competed.

Of the 24 water entries, Herd Racing's video was the 10th most viewed and it received the 5th most comments from viewers who left a comment after voting.  We appreciate everyone's support and votes and we'll be sure to let you know on February 23rd if we made the cut.  Win or lose, just entering was a lot of fun and being able to expose more people to our outreach efforts is what it's all about.  Thanks to Eric Himes and Jeramey Wentz for putting our video entry together.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011 - The annual meeting of the American Power Boat Association conducted a few weekends ago near Chicago is now a thing of the past, but the votes taken during the yearly gathering still have many racers from across the country up in arms.

There were many items brought up for a vote of the APBA's OPC, Outboard Performance Craft, division.  OPC is the division of the APBA which oversees outboard tunnel boats and based on what side of the vote you ended up determines your impression of the success of this year's convention.

No one from Herd Racing attended the gathering, but even before the meetings came to a close we began getting a feel for who came out of the winning side of some of the votes.  Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets allowed those in attendance to voice their opinions to the public in real time.

Here's a sampling of a few of the rule proposals which drew my attention and the outcome of the votes surrounding those issues.

1.  One proposal was for new racers who come into the sport to have to start in the smallest and least powerful of the tunnel boats made, SST-45.  Thankfully, that proposal didn't make it to a vote.  Not that I am against starting a rookie off in the safest environment, but I feel that restricting rookies to SST-45 would make attracting new people to the sport nearly impossible.  Had this been a rule when I started racing I would have looked elsewhere.  There are very few SST-45 races in this part of the country and tunnel boat racing isn't a sport that you can afford to travel across the country to race unless you just have a bunch of money to invest with no expectations of a return.

2. Another proposal asked that the APBA limit the ability of teams to market local businesses in the race cities for sponsorship.  Apparently, a team or two has been competing with the local race committees for sponsors and calling on the existing event sponsors.  This proposal also failed, but the fact that it was even brought up for a vote should open the eyes of everyone involved.  The facts are that there are very few sponsors out there who are willing to advertise in tunnel boat racing.  Everyone needs to have the courtesy to research who the current sponsors are and have the professionalism to avoid contacting them.  The result of soliciting smartly will bring new sponsors into the sport, not just trade around the same few sponsors until they catch on to the game and withdraw their support all together.  Everyone involved needs to approach sponsorship with respect for the sponsor and the team or organization that may already have a relationship with them.

There were many more items brought to a vote, including the awarding of regional, divisional and national championship designations to many race sites.

I'll be back with some more updates later in the week.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012 - The 2012 powerboating season for most racers is still a handful of months down the road, but a small group of southern-based and other racers who have the racing bug don't have to wait much longer to get an early season preview of 2012's action.  The annual March race in Lakeland, FL has been announced by APBA.  The Orange Cup Regatta historically draws 4-5 boats in each racing class to Central Florida the first weekend of March each year, mostly made up of racers from Florida and surrounding states.  If you are a racer or a fan and are interested in making the trip south then you can find the information regarding the APBA's sanction of the event here: http://www.apba-racing.com/internal/show_sanction.php?EditID=11035.

While I would love to get a little time on the water in the middle of what we call winter in the north, I just can't justify the mileage required to get to a club race such as this.  I know the feeling of driving a tractor trailer to Daytona and I am in no way interested in adding another four of five hours to that trip.  If it were closer I would be game, but Florida is a long way for a hillbilly to pull a boat for a weekend of fun.

If you are looking for some boating action a little closer to home then the ABPA's annual driving school is set for May 18-20 on the lake near Dayton, OH.  I attended this school a couple years when I got bit by the tunnel boat racing bug.  If you plan to race in APBA-sanctioned boats in the future then this is a good way to get a feel for the boats and spend some time of other new and veteran racers.  The school is three days, includes some classroom and seat time on the lake, as well as capsule training in the pool at Wright State University.  Cost is $350 per person.  If you're interested, here's a link to the application: http://www.apba-racing.com/sites/all/files/documents/012DRIVING-APP.pdf.  Hurry though.  They only take about 30 people and last word was that they were already about half full.  It is a very popular event, and they haven't had the school since 2010 so I am sure there will be more than enough applicants to fill the class.  One thing to remember is that you have to sign a wreck clause.  That's right, you flip it you buy it!

Back this weekend with some more news.  If you haven't had a chance to welcome our new oil sponsor, E.A. Shaeffer Oil Company, I hope you can drop Elmer an email or post on his Facebook page and let him know we appreciate him coming aboard.  You can link to his Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/ZoilRacing. I'm looking forward to using that AMSOIL product this coming summer!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2012 - Gaining product support in the racing world is important and part of Herd Racing's efforts over the past several months has been focused on gaining support from companies and organizations which can help us cut our race weekend expenses.  Those of you in the racing family know the volumes of gear lubes and two-cycle oil mix you can run through in a race weekend, especially when you change your gearcase oils every time the boats come out of the water and when you run two boats every weekend opposed to just one that most teams field.

That makes today's announcement that the E.A. Schaeffer Oil Company of Troy, Ohio has joined our team as an associate sponsor that much enjoyable.  The company's decision to come aboard as a supporter of our program will not only meet our team's product needs, but it will allow us to associate with a longstanding and reputable company and be able to open Schaeffer's opportunities to pursue additional business in the marine environment.

Elmer Schaeffer, owner of E.A. Schaeffer Oil and a 20-plus year distributor of AMSOIL products, will join our team at several race events in 2012 and will serve as a resource for other teams who may need a reliable source to get their own AMSOIL products.

Our team is very happy to announce our newly forged friendship with Shaeffer and his long line of AMSOIL products.  As is our goal with every Herd Racing sponsor, we hope to be able to assist Schaeffer with growing his business to include a new segment of the racing world - boat racing.  So, be watching our website over the next several days as we add a permanent advertisement that will allow you click your way right to E.A. Schaeffer's retail site so you can order your AMSOIL product online.  Welcome aboard Elmer!  I think you will see that Herd Racing will work very hard to continue our relationship for many years to come.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012 - While scanning the internet this weekend and coming upon the American Power Boat Association's new website I began to think to myself how far behind the sport of racing is compared to other sports and business in general.  Boat racing teams, especially, have put forth very little, if any, investment in web-based technologies over the past two decades as it has become available.

As I have admitted on many occassions, I am very much a novice when it comes to technology, but as a business owner I communicate with probably 50 percent of my clients now days via email and the web.  Our company emails invoices, receives payments electronically, provides bids via the web and receives business regularly through our corporate website.  Unfortunately, the sport of boat racing has been left far behind in the quest for technology, and until this week when the APBA uploaded it's new website at www.apba-racing.com, the sanctioning body of our sport has been unwilling to change with the times.  Hopefully, it isn't too late for the sport to make a come back, but my personal opinion is that boat racing will continue to fade away over the next few decades as leagues, clubs and racers themselves lose the interest of fans and financial supporters.

Why will this happen?  Because the sport hasn't looked for new ways to involve its fans, to increase its sponsorships and to broaden its appeal to new audiences.  The sanctioning body has failed to lead and the leagues, clubs and 99 percent of the racers have followed right along this path of unknowingly dooming themselves and their sport to a sideline event on a local town's summer festival schedule.  I have heard more than one league official and sanctioning body leader tell me that boat racing will never be NASCAR.  They are right.  It won't.  And the reason is because NASCAR is led by innovators who know how to brand itself, brand its products and cater to what the public wants.

Coming from that NASCAR mentality, it is a lot of fun to build fan excitement around our team, our outreach mission, and our new sport of tunnel boat racing.  Getting sponsorship, keeping sponsorship and growing the sport isn't rocket science.  It just requires some leadership and the willingness to change. 

If you don't have a working website, a way to communicate with your fans, and most importantly - an outlet and audience where your sponsors can see that they are getting something in return for their investment then the chances of growth for the sport, league, club or team is pretty much a pipe dream.  I hope the ABPA's recent new website, new Propeller magazine and new effort to embrace it's fans and racers is something that the sanctioning body's leagues, clubs and racers will also attempt.

If they don't the sunset is all that remains for the sport!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2011 - Powerboat pilots, crews and league officials from across the U.S. are gathering this week near Chicago for the 2012 annual meetings of the American Power Boat Association.  The near week-long event draws hundreds annually to update safety and competition rules, vote on officers for the new year and consider changes to the sport.  This year's meetings are being conducted in Hoffman Estates, IL, a northwest suburb of the Windy City.

There are a lot of items on the agenda this week, including a complete makeover of the sanctioning body's points system which I am all for.  The APBA scoring system is one I can't even image anyone would have thought was ever a good idea, needs some revamping, and there are some good proposals this year to finally, hopefully get something done.  The current system rewards the race winner with way too many points compared to the others in the field.  A guy who wins two club races and then sits out the remainder of the season would beat a guy who runs 5th every weekend all summer long under the current setup.  NASCAR was on to something when it began awarding drivers one point per position in each race, a proposition that I hope the APBA considers as well.

Back at home you have probably noticed some changes to the front of our website at www.herdracing.com.  The logo you see above has been added to the lower left corner of our home page.  You can click on the link to download our mobile app through your desk or lap top computer or you can snap the QR code with your mobile device to download the app right to your smart phone.  Our mobile app is still being worked on and some more stuff will be added as time goes on, but the main idea is up and running.  Soon you will be able to sign up and receive text messages directly to your phone.  This will allow you to follow the race action this coming summer without ever having to log on to your computer.  We'll let you know how the Herd Racing teams qualify and race in real time and will send those messages right to your phone from the race course every race weekend!

And, we'll have another 2012 sponsorship announcement coming soon!  We got the signed contract in the mail today and will now begin working on getting the press release and logos ready for publication.  Keep checking back.  Hopefully, we'll have something to report in a week or so.  Lot's of fun in the office this off season.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012 - If the long winter off-season has you missing the summer boat racing excitement then Romesburg Media has a little treat they have recently posted online for you.  Jarred Romesburg, who along with Mike Tilton, call most APR Superleague races from the shoreline for the league's public address/radio broadcasts of the races.  Jarred has posted his call of both the Formula 2 and Formula 3 Finals from Marietta, OH from last July 10.

Herd Racing has downloaded the audio tracts and posted them in our website's "On the Air" page so the race audio will be available for our fans to listen to at their leisure.  If you want to download the tracts or just listen to them on your computer you can find both audio files on our website at http://www.herdracing.com/ontheair.php.

Being in the boat and involved in the racing the past two years I had never heard the full race P.A. call from Jarred or Mike so I thought hearing the broadcast recording was pretty exciting.  It brought back my NASCAR memories of the MRN crew calling the action at Bristol.

I have encouraged Jarred to post more of the audio files from the races.  I hope if you like what you hear that you will email him and let him know you appreciate his work as well.  To make it easy for you, you can find Jarred Romesburg online at jarred@romesburgmedia.com.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 - While I am sure most race teams hate the long off-season their respective race series' bring them, I, for one, seem to like the days away from the race course as much as those at the track.  Racing is a year-round sport and just as much effort needs to be put forth during the time away from racing as does during the season.  While this is only Herd Racing's second full winter season since joining the boat racing ranks, I can say we have been blessed tremendously since we last raced in September 2011.

As you know, we have added BRL Solutions to our fold as a supporting sponsor for 2012, we just announced this week that Mobile Imprint has forged a marketing partnership with our team for the coming season, and just last night I had a long conversation with a major oil company representative about their company joining our team as an official sponsor and product provider.  Unless something changes, our conversation ended with a verbal agreement that the company will come on board for the 2012 race season and that we should have the contracts signed and ready for a public announcement in just a couple weeks.

I have been very excited since our last race of 2011 in Hamilton, Ohio.  We introduced a new boat in the Formula 2 ranks that weekend and it performed very well.  Making subtle improvements on the boat in preparation for 2012 has me excited that we may be able to start right out of the gate a lot more competitive than we have ever been before in boat racing.  We broke in a new SST-60 engine from LaBanco Racing during our final race weekend in Formula 3 at Aurora, Indiana in August and we have been able to secure a purchase agreement for another new Formula 2 engine for 2012.  Going into the new season with a primary and backup boat, as well as a primary and backup engine, in both classes relieves a lot of stress that worrying about tearing up something brings.  With a solid backup you can leave a little less on the table than many of your fellow competitors who may not have the luxury of a second boat or engine.

Other than having an endless supply of money, which probably will never happen in racing, I can say that the 2011-2012 winter has so far been a great one for Herd Racing.  We have been able to make great strides behind the scenes, make improvements to our boats and hauler, improve our marketing efforts and make tremendous gains on the sponsorship front.  Those efforts will continue throughout the winter and upcoming spring in hopes of setting us up for a very successful 2012 tunnel boat racing season.

Now, go download our new Herd Racing app (pictured above) while we work to continue to line up another exciting sponsorship announcement in the coming weeks.  And, if you like what you see we hope you will read more about Mobile Imprint here http://www.herdracing.com/supportingsponsors.php and consider taking your business, school, club or team mobile as well!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 - We are excited to announce today a 2012 sponsorship agreement with Mobile Imprint.  The Cincinnati-based technology company will allow Herd Racing to cater to a whole new segment of fans who make up the fastest growing segment of our population - the techies.  These days, nearly everyone you see has a smart phone in their hand and are scrolling across their screens almost non-stop.  Thanks to Mobile Imprint, Herd Racing will now be able to market to those people who we formerly didn't have access to.

As many of you probably know, websites are slowly becoming a marketing tool of the past.  Sure, for people my age and older they are still the main way we communicate online, but for the next generation of technology buffs it is all about having access to the world in the palm of their hands.  That's where the high-tech code you see in the attached image comes in.  If you have a smart phone you can photograph our custom QR code and be beemed directly to our team's new mobile application, a mobile version of our team website created especially for those who rely on their phones for communication rather than their desk top computers.

This new QR code will be on our boats, on our hauler and on our marketing materials starting with the 2012 race season so fans sitting in the crowd at our races can see our hauler, boats or hero cards and immediately click their way right into our cyber marketing world.  From that point they can get instant news, photos and other updates sent automatically from our team Twitter and Facebook feeds right to their phones.

If you are a smart phone user and would like to download our app for your mobile device you can log on to our mobile app download portal and enter your phone number.  You can access the app download page by clicking on this link http://mobileimprint.com/herdracing.

There is a lot of technology advances coming our way in the next several weeks, complients of Mobile Imprint.  You will notice some changes to our regular website at www.herdracing.com over the next few weeks and if you are a smart phone user you can now have access to a whole new mobile Herd Racing website by simply downloading our app.  If you like what you see, how about hiring Mobile Imprint to design one for your business or team.  That's part of our goal in this whole teamwork agreement.  Mobile Imprint is going to help Herd Racing expand its reach and Herd Racing's pledge in return is to promote the Mobile Imprint brand to those in our racing world.

Log on to www.mobileimprint.com to get your app and tell them that Herd Racing sent you!  There's lots more to tell you about this new agreement, but first I must learn about it myself.  Back for more in a few days!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 - Less than two weeks into the new year things are bustling at Herd Racing.  There are so many little progressions happening almost daily that I really don't know where to start.  Here's a little sampling of the news from the race shop and office so far this week.

Our sponsorship agreement with BRL Solutions continued this week as we got our first shipment of product from the company.  Our job now is to get the product into the hands of potential users and future customers of BRL.  We plan to share a little of the product with each of the racing teams that we will associate with during club and series races in 2012 so that they might try BRL for themselves as well.  The product is really awesome.  It clings to all surfaces and doesn't dissolve or wash off in water so you can lubricate your propeller shaft or other movable racing part and you don't have to worry about contaminating the marine environment or having to reapply the lubricant because it washed off.  I think BRL and boat racing will be a perfect fit.

Our negotiations with the company I told you about during our last blog post over the weekend have progressed almost daily this week.  We are hoping to make a joint announcement of a 2012 sponsorship agreement sometime next week.  This company is going to allow Herd Racing to enjoy a technology that no other team in racing currently has.  I am really excited about this opportunity to represent this exciting company and its services.  The good thing about the whole thing is that they are just as excited on their end as we are on our's.  Same thing goes for BRL.  Neither their team nor our team can wait to showcase their products and get their logos on our boats in 2012!  The sponsorship hunt has been very fruitful over the past several months and all of our hard work is really starting to pay dividends for 2012.

In the race shop this week we began the installation of a very advanced and comprehensive weather system in our primary race hauler.  This new system, which we will use in 2012, will allow our team engineers to know the current outdoor temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure, weather conditions, forecast, heat index, wind chill and all sorts of stuff which I know nothing about.  The goal is to be able to prepare our engines, adjust our carberators and set our fuel and air jetting based on the weather conditions.  We didn't have this technology in our first two years of racing and from a lot of study and research over the past several months we believe there is a chance for some increased performance by using this technology.  Our hauler may look a lot like a Doppler radar unit or mobile televisoin satellite truck once we get everything plumbed up this off-season, but every tiny advantage we can gain will hopefully lead to a few tenths of a second off our lap times.  Other teams re-jet their engines every time they go on the water.  We didn't do any of that and from what we have learned we feel this technology advancement should help us cut our lap times a little.

Lots going on.  I better get back to work voting for our Search for Champion video and tracking down some more financial support for 2012!  The excitement is back.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JANUARY 07, 2012 - Herd Racing is working on another step toward being a leader in the racing industry when it comes to technology.  I was able to have a lunch meeting with a corporate businessman in Cincinnati on Friday whose company specializes in helping companies make their businesses more appealing to today's tech savy consumers.  I will be the first to admit that I am technologically challenged.  I can surf the web, send an email and do what it takes to survive in the business world, but I will never claim to be up on all of the current trends like my crew mates Eric Himes and Jeramey Wentz.

Part of my goals for Friday's meeting was to inquire about how our team can appeal to a larger audience and provide today's new generation of technology users something they can't currently find with other race teams across the country.  I am excited to say I left the meeting with not only a passel of great ideas, but an agreement in principle that will bring the man's technology company on board as a race sponsor, whose involvement will make our promotional opportunities far greater than we currently enjoy.  I take pride in our team being pretty high tech when it comes to having our own video cameras, website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter feed and those sorts of things.  Each one of those ways of tapping into the technology that is available in our society helps expand our advertising message to a group of people we may not have otherwise been able to reach.  This new initiative, which we hope to be able to announce in the next couple of weeks, has me really excited about being able to do something that I have not heard of anyone else in the racing world doing.  Stay tuned for an announcement after we get the details and contracts in place over the next couple of weeks.

And, don't forget our entry in the Champion Spark Plugs Search for a Champion video contest.  The winner of the water category gets a $10,000 sponsorship for 2012 so that is our primary goal in entering.  Help us win the fan vote portion of the contest by logging in and voting daily for our entry video at http://contest.alwaysachampion.com/contests/showentry/1011953.  Voting continues through February 5.

Lastly today, we've still got a few more team members to introduce to you in the next several weeks as we continue with feature stories on each Herd Racing team member.  If you didn't get a chance to read about our photographer, Rick Adkins, then you can still see his story here: http://www.herdracing.com/news_detail.php?ID=431.  Rick's story didn't get a full two week run on the front homepage of the website due to the timing of the Search for a Champion contest but his story is still on our Have You Herd news section.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 05, 2012 - Just a reminder that the Champion Spark Plugs "Search for a Champion" contest continues though February 5 and we hope you will choose to log in to the site and vote for Herd Racing's contest entry.  You can go directly to the video and voting page by clicking on this link: http://contest.alwaysachampion.com/contests/showentry/1011953.  You can vote once per day and we hope you will choose to help our team win the $10,000 category award and move on to the finals where $50,000 of additional sponsorship from Champion is up for grabs.  The fan vote isn't the only factor which determines who wins, but it does account for one-third of the point total that the judges will consider during the category competition.  Any and all votes by our fans, friends and foes are appreciated through February 5.  At that time one winner from each of the contest's five racing categories - earth, asphalt, snow and ice, water and other - will be chosen to compete in a five-way battle for the grand prize, which will be announced in March.  Vote early and vote often!  We appreciate it.

It is the time of the year when most race teams have pretty much abandoned the race shops for a few months, but the Herd Racing crew is busy in the shop and the office.  I spent a lot of time over the holidays working on sponsorship proposals while Eric and Jeramey spent their off time preparing the Champion contest entry video.  Work continues in the hauler, in the shop and elsewhere to make sure we enter the 2012 race season a little better prepared than we were when the 2011 campaign kicked off.  I will make it a point to get some shop progress photos up on our Facebook wall in the coming weeks like we tried to do every few weeks during the off season last winter.

The Huntington Classic race commitee will be meeting again on January 12 to consider the fate of the 2012 event race in Huntington.  Hopefully, after this meeting, we will have a yes or no decision as to if the race will return to Huntington again in 2012, and if so, where it will be conducted and on what weekend.  Those are the first big three decisions that need to be made before anything further can begin being planned.  I feel positive that the Huntington race will return next summer, and I feel just as positive that it will be on a different weekend at a completely different venue.  I think both of the latter will provide for a much, much better atmosphere for both the fans and the participants.  I'll keep you informed as I learn details.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2012 - A new year is here.  For some, another year means very little, but some use the turning of the calendar to a new year for motivation.  I tend to be one of those people who breaks life down into time segments and I usually have goals I like to accomplish during each segment of my day, week, month, year or lifetime.  The fact that a new year is here brings me the excitement of being able to review what I was able to accomplish in 2011 and what I can look forward to in 2012.

So without wasting any time let's get on with what one of our off-season goals is for 2012.  My philosophy in racing is simple.  Have fun, get better as time goes on and don't let racing consume your personal time, mindset or finances.  One way to meet those three philosophical goals is to get as many people involved as you can, share the workload and find the money to allow racing to be a financial joy rather than a burden.

One way to accomplish that goal in 2012 is by winning the Champion Spark Plugs Search for a Champion video contest.  The spark plug manufacturer is conducting a contest this spring to help five deserving race teams earn the sponsorship they need to race.  Teams submitted videos during the fall of 2011 which are up for public viewing and vote from today though February 5.  The ones which receive the highest fan support, have the best motivational message, and appeal most to the judges will move on to the final round of consideration in spring 2012 for a $50,000 racing sponsorship.  Five winners in separate racing categories will win prizes of $10,000 each.  Our team is competing among 23 entries in the water category.

We need your help to win the first round.  I hope you will log on to the following site and cast your vote for our video as often as you can over the next month.  You can vote once per day at the following page http://contest.alwaysachampion.com/contests/showentry/1011953.  Winning the $10,000 category prize would go a long way toward helping our team meet our financial goals for 2012.  We would appreciate your vote and by logging in and voting you too can win Champion apparel, posters and other promotional items.

Our team has been a user of Champion spark plugs since our entry into boat racing and we have carried the company's logo on our uniforms and Formula 3 boats.  We know they make a fine product and we commend the company for taking this initiative to give back to the local racers who use their products and services.  Regardless of who is chosen winner of the Search for a Champion initiative, I would like to thank Champion Spark Plugs for giving back to grassroots racing in America!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2011 - What a difference a year can make!  Twelve months doesn't sound like a long time when you consider the whole scope of things, but I must say when I rewind my memories to a year ago I can really see how far our small Herd Racing family has come in just 12 months.  A year ago today we had one SST-60 boat and was just beginning the rebuilding and rigging of a second.  We had nothing in the SST-120 program and was still more than a month away from our first SST-120 hull.

Flash forward a year and we now have two fully rigged and powered SST-60 boats ready for action in 2012 and two fully rigged SST-120 boats ready to take to the water as well.  We have air systems in both of our first string boats, we have more seat time under our belts, more experience working on and rigging our boats and more experience learning the in's and out's of the sport and the many venues where we race.  We also have a backup powerhead, mid section and gearcase for each of our primary boats.

While we are no where near where we want to ultimately take our program, I can say that we have come a long, long way in the past year toward gaining on that goal.  Our next step is to begin making the improvements show on the race course.  2011 was a year that allowed us to slowly build the foundation of what we need to hold us together for the future.  Our hope is that 2012 is the year we begin to see that effort translate to better finishes.  We still need more financial support, better equipment and more time, but, wow, what a difference just a year can make!  I pray that 2012 will be a happy and prosperous new year for our team, and for you and your family as well.  Happy New Year everyone!

Also, I received a card from Jean Schwartz today that included an update about her husband Dan and his long road of recovery from a terrible boating accident at the National Championships in Kankakee in 2010.  As you may remember, Dan was nearly killed in a SST-120 crash at the Nationals which resulted in his boat coming to rest on a golf course near the river.  He spent many, many months in a Chicago hospital before going home to California about a year ago.  Well, Jean has informed me that Dan and her will be able to attend the 2012 APBA annual meetings in Chicago in January 2012 and Dan is ready to continue his neurological rehabilitation at Stanford University later this spring.  While Dan will never be able to race again, it is a blessing to know that his life did not end on that tragic day in September 2010.  It is wonderful thing that Dan will be able to attend the annual meetings of a sport he so loves next month and that our team was able to play a very small part in being able to help provide the finances he and Jean needed to make the trip back to Chicago.  Dan and Jean - may your blessings and recovery continue in 2012!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2011 - Fellow Formula 3 powerboat racer Tammy Wolf-Jakob of Clifton, Illinois is hoping to take her game international come May 2012.  Tammy, a Canadian citizen, hopes to join two fellow female racers from Sweden and France to become the first all-female international race team to compete in one of boat racing's premier events, the 24-Hours of Rouen in France.

Tammy, winner of the 2011 Huntington Classic, hopes the three competitors can generate enough sponsorship before the race weekend to make her dream of racing across the pond a reality.  The race weekend is May 26-28 on the River Seinne in Upper Normandy, France.  The race, 24 Heures Motoautiques Rouen, has been ran every year for 48 years and draws teams from all around the world to compete.  The teams consist of three drivers per boat who alternate driving over a 24-hour period, just like the Rolex 24-Hour event held each January at Daytona International Speedway.

We wish Tammy and her fellow competitors luck with their quest for sponsorship and hope that she will indeed get the chance to represent North America in the historic race event.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2011 - Root Sports out of Pittsburgh is continuing to re-air the 2011 North American Championships throughout the holiday season.  I got a call last weekend from my sister and mother who came upon the broadcast from the July 4th EQT Three Rivers Regatta weekend telecast on their local cable channels.  I also was reminded by my middle school track coach this morning at a local gas station that he saw the airing as well, so apparently a lot of people watch Root Sports here locally.  So, if you don't have your own DVD copy of the hour-long telecast and have missed the primetime airings of the show in recent weeks you have one more chance before the end of the year to see the races.  Root Sports, shown in the Huntington area on Comcast cable channel 27, as well as on DirectTV satellite systems in the Huntington area, will re-air the races one final time this year beginning at noon eastern on Friday, December 30.  It wasn't one of our team's best performances of the year, but considering it was the first time either of our Formula 2 or Formula 3 boats had been on the water we were pleased just to be able to finish both finals.  The Formula 3 boat, thrown into action due to our wreck during the previous race in Elgin, IL, was still being bolted together when we unloaded at Pittsburgh, but both boats were able to finish the finals in one piece at Pittsburgh.

By now I hope you are recovered from the Christmas holiday.  While Jesus is the reason for the season, it seems like more and more each year that majority of people seem to make that fact less and less a part of their family's annual tradition.  I loved it that Christmas Day fell on a Sunday this year so that my family had the opportunity to not only enjoy Christmas morning at home together, but we got to share the happiness of the enternal life provided through Jesus Christ with our friends and extended family later that morning at church.  I hope that your family was able to enjoy Christmas together as well and will take many positive memories away from this holiday season.

And lastly tonight, the Buckeye Outboard Association's newly revamped website will go live tomorrow.  The site, found online at www.boa-racing.com, features a profile of each club member, a 2012 club race schedule and links to other popular boat racing sites.  If you are a member of the BOA and haven't sent in your boat and personal photos or your biographical sketch please email it as soon as you can to Jerry Book.  It has been fun the past month or so helping develop the club's website.  As I have said before, I think a strong local racing club can do a lot to promote the sport to new audiences as well as provide local racing opportunities for beginners and those who may not be able to take on the full summer schedule that a traveling series entails.  I, for one, look forward to participating in both club and league races in 2012!  Hope to see you on the water.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011 - Welcome to the first day of the annual Winter season and the official shortest day of the year as far as daylight hours go.  With lots of darkness the outdoor activities slow down and the time in the office, both at home and at work, increase.  Here's what we've been studying this week to amuse ourselves as the workload in the office slows for the holidays.

In 2011, Herd Racing's official website continued to attract visitors, topping our 2010 records in every category we have tracked.  Last year we saw just over 1.1 million visitors during the 2010 calendar year.  This year, with a week still to go in the calendar year we are over 1.1 million viewers again and will likely top last year's mark by more than 100,000 visitors before the close of 2011.

In 2011 thus far we have seen 44,081 unique visitors or different people visit our website.  That number dwarfs our 2010 visitor record of just over 31,000 for the calendar year.  Nearly a 40 percent increase in visitors is something we are proud of.  Those visiting our site viewed over 101,000 internal pages of our site, seeing about 773,000 individual stories, blog entries, photos or videos during their visits.

Not surprizingly, June through September were out most popular months for visitors when we enjoyed about 150 unique visitors per day.  For an annual average we maintained daily viewership of about 125 different people per day, again about 40 percent more than the 85 visitors per day we saw in 2010.

Our viewers have come from 61 countries around the world in 2011, opposed to 56 countries in 2010.  Our most popular countries for viewers outside the U.S. are Canada, Russia, Sweeden and Germany, all hotbeds for boat racing.

When we entered 2011 we had just over 1,000 friends on our Facebook social media outlet.  Today we enjoy over 5,000 fans and continue to see the number of likes we receive grow each month.

So what's the moral of the story you may ask.  Get your web address on everything you print.  Post cards, boats, haulers, uniforms, etc.  Your team website is your storefront.  You can't gain support, from the fans or sponsors, if they don't know you are there and don't see that others know you are there as well.  Making sure the web-surfing public knows about Herd Racing is a priority for our staff, one we plan to continue to better in 2012!

We invite you to learn more about what we do by becoming a regular visitor at www.herdracing.com!

Dana Tomes 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2011 - While the news of adding BRL Solutions this week as a associate sponsor for our 2012 race season was the most newsworthy events of the week, it wasn't the only thing happening around the race shop and offices a week before the Christmas holiday.

To conform with the new 2012 APBA rules that all pilots must wear completely orange or yellow helmets for better visibility in crashes, we ordered a new Bell marine open face and Bell marine full face helmet this week.  Both are 100 percent bright orange to match our capsule suits.  Being unsure which will feel the best and work the best with our Tiger breathing air system we decided to go ahead and purchase both.  Once they arrive we will send them to Tiger to get the brackets installed to receive the Tiger air mask system so that regardless of which style I choose for 2012 I will have a backup should one become damaged during the race season.  I am torn on which to wear.  I like the added protection of the full face helmet and how it holds the breathing air mask in place, making it less likely to become dislodged from my face during a crash.  But, I also highly value the open face helmet which allows you to unhook one side of the mask and breath without it on your face during cautions, restarts and other times when you are on the water and not racing.  As with any type of racing there is a lot of waiting once you are in the boat so being able to breath air without inhaling it through the mask takes much less effort.  I also ordered a new capsule suit that is slightly smaller than the one I have been using.  My old suit is really a tad big on me so hopefully this one will fit a litter more snug and allow me to tighten the seat belts a little tighter to get that secure feeling in the cockpit.  You guessed it, the old one will hang in the hauler as a backup.  You have probably learned by now that I prefer to have a backup everything.  It saved our skin last year.  If not for a backup F-3 boat we would have been out of business before the season even started.  Our F-2 boat also became unseaworthy by season's end and had to be replaced at a moment's notice.

And, we're working with our webmasters to help the Buckeye Outboard Association redesign it's website for 2012.  Our hope it to have it up and running before the stike of the New Year.  It will feature each BOA member with a profile page and photo, as well as photos and information on the club's 2012 races.  You can see the new site, once it is uploaded, at www.boa-racing.com.  I hope to be able to have a somewhat functional page up there by Christmas.

And lastly, if you are interested in a new Herd Racing t-shirt then we have added two new designs to our online store.  You can find our new tan embroidered shirts from the Herd Racing Foundation and our new 5K run t-shirts in our online store at http://herdracing.com/store.php.

I also have some meetings this week with the Huntington race site folks to I'll let you know what develops on that front.  I am trying my best to get the Huntington and Portsmouth race dates away from one another.  I think both venues are too nice to have to compete with another less than an hour's drive away.  With boat racing sites hard to secure in this economy I think most all racers would prefer to have the option of choosing both races rather than having to choose just one.  My goal is to get the Huntington race weekend moved up or back a week or two in order to make it possible for racers go be able to go right down the Ohio River in 2012 with races at Marietta, Huntington, Portsmouth and Aurora with dates in July and August.  I'll let you know if my lobbying is a success.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011 - Herd Racing would like to welcome BRL Solutions to the family as an associate sponsor of our Formula 2 and Formula 3 tunnel boat race teams in 2012.  The start-up company, located in west-central Pennsylvania, produces an environmentally-friendly lubricant to compete with some of the industry's best known products such as Liquid Wrench and WD-40.  The new product, which does not have a solvent smell or leave an oily sheen, will help our team become more environmentally responsible by not introducing any petroleum lubricants into the water at our race events.  We look forward to assisting BRL create a national ad campaign to promote their products to new potential users across the country.

You can learn more about BRL at their website at www.brl-usa.com.  In addition to assisting BRL in launching their product nationwide during 2012, we will have product available at the race sites for other tunnel boat racing teams to try.  More details about the sponsorship agreement between BRL and Herd Racing is avaialable on our website homepage at www.herdracing.com.

You may notice a few changes on our homepage effective today.  We have began the transition to 2012 and have moved some things around to make sure our 2012 sponsors have some advertising space on our homepage.  As you can see, in addition to BRL Solutions, Herr Foods is back with us in 2012 with an expanded sponsorship agreement which will include product for both Herd Racing and the Herd Racing Foundation.  Last year our team and foundation was able to distribute several thousand bags of various Herr's products during parades, youth home visits, race events and other venues. You can learn more about Herr's and their many chip products at www.herrfoods.com.

And, Honor and Remember will also team with Herd Racing again in 2012 to help promote their message of creating a national flag to honor the nation's fallen veterans.  Our boats will carry the Honor and Remember decals again in 2012 to help generate awareness to those killed in action and help encourage to sign a petition to convice their local and state leaders to lobby their state governments and Congress to initiate a nationally-recognized flag to honor those killed while protecting our nation.  You can join the push at www.honorandremember.org.

There are several more sponsors coming so stay tuned over the next several weeks as we continue to introduce our marketing partners!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011 - The 2012 edition of the Herd Racing calendar has arrived from the printers and is available online in our team store on this website.  You can go directly there by clicking this link http://herdracing.com/calendar.php or you can click on the Store icon or the 2012 calendar advertisement on the front of our home page if you want to check it out later.  Copies are available by mail for $10 which includes postage, or you can download the calendar for free and print it out on your own color printer.  For the first year, all of the photos feature our tunnel boats.

The calendar was the last piece of the puzzle we needed in the office to begin sending out some 2012 sponsor renewal packets to our supporters from last year.  While the 2012 race schedule is still probably a few more months away from being finalized, we already have lodging sponsorships in more than half of the cities we plan to visit.  Every hotel we stayed in last year has verbally offered to extend the agreement to 2012.  That tells us that they saw value in their agreement, which is one of our highest objectives. Our team asks for a lot in a lodging contract, but we also provide a lot as well.  The hotel staff gets t-shirts, hats, a Friday night appearance of the boats, press releases, post race photo CD and advertising and news stories on our website, not to mention a large plastic cutout image of the boat showing their logo in race action and some race calendars during the off season.  We keep in touch every couple of months with a little goodie of some sort to make sure we haven't been forgotton about when the next summer rolls around.  You might ask why we go to so much effort and expense for a hotel room.  Well, seeing that we usually fill at least six rooms during a race weekend and we try to bed the families in a nice place with a restaurant and pool, the effort saves us on average $2000 a race.  That's why!

And, I am excited to be able to hint that a significant sponsorship for our 2012 race season is nearing completion.  The contract has been presented and the company is meeting on Monday to endorse the contract.  Herd Racing, baring any glitches in the next 48 hours, will be making an announcement on or before December 15 about the agreement.  It will include sponsorship on both our Formula 2 and Formula 3 boats in 2012 for all of our season races.  Not full sponsorship, but for every decal you see on our boat there is something which benefits the team behind it.  Sometimes money, sometimes hotel rooms, sometimes food, sometimes product we can use.  Regardless, it all makes it possible to go racing.  Stay tuned this coming week for more news on this announcement.

Over the next two or three months you will continue to see stories on our website announcing agreements with new sponsors and re-signing of agreements with some sponsors from last year.  So far things are progressing very nicely and I believe our sponsorship situation in 2012 will be far ahead of where we were going into 2011.

That being said, some more time can be spent in the off-season doing what will show at the race events.  We are working in our hauler, building new storage areas so we can transport a second power head and lower unit for each boat, as well as an assortment of tools and supplies we might need.  We also hope to have time to relight, paint and upgrade the interior of our hauler trailer to compliment the addition of a new onboard generator.  And, more importantly, hopefully these improvements will allow us to spend some more time on making our boats faster and more competitive on the water.

We will have new power heads, new propellers and a little more seat time so hopefully 2012 will be the year we begin taking some strides up into the pack!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 05, 2011 - It's the time of the year to begin tying up all of the loose ends on next year's sponsorship commitments so when spring rolls around in a few months the financing and product support for the coming year will be in place.  The sponsor hunt never really ends, but since corporate budgets are set in stone by late November each year, the negotiations for the most part are all said and done well before Christmas.  Trying to find new money after the budget is set is nearly impossible.

Herd Racing has been blessed to be supported by a growing group of sponsoring companies and we will be adding more for the 2012 race season.  From Mother Mouse Books to Herr Foods, from ECO-FIRST to Marshall University, whether the contribution to the team is monetary or made up of product we can use, it takes many to keep the racing program in the black each season.

We are in negotiations with several companies which we hope to forge new relationships with over the next several weeks.  From beverage suppliers to spark plugs, gasoline and engine oils, there are lot of products we can use and some of our focus during the off season has been geared toward forming relationships in those areas.  The costs of racing are made up mostly of things which don't have much to do with racing.  Hotel bills, food for the crew, fuel for the haulers and marketing materials for the team's outreach use up most of the racing budget.  Elminating some of those costs and being able to put more finances into the boats and motors is a big part of succeeding in the off season sponsorship hunt.

Stay tuned over the next several weeks as we begin announcing our supporters for 2012.  Without their support what we do wouldn't be possible!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2011 - The physical exhaustion that accompanied our recent 5K race has finally passed and things have shifted back to preparing our race teams for 2012.  Much time has been spent in the office and race shop this week getting ready to begin tackling the upgrades that are in front of us over the next several months.  Here's a little breakdown of what's been happening this week.

Herd Racing has joined the Buckeye Outboard Association, an APBA Region 6 local racing club that is based out of Portsmouth, OH.  The BOA group conducted two sanctioned races this past year in Portsmouth and Hamilton, OH.  We were able to attend the Hamilton race, but couldn't participate in the Portsmouth event because it conflicted with our series race in Huntington.  As part of the club, our team's goal is to make more friends in the tunnel boat racing world, expose our message to more fans and the have more opportunities to race competitively closer to home.  BOA is planning a few races in 2012 in the State of Ohio which will allow us, provided the events don't conflict with our league racing schedule, to get more seat time, try our equipment and continue to improve our race programs.  Improvement in any type of racing involves experience and there simply isn't enough time in the summer months to practice regularly outside of the league race weekends.  Being part of a club will allow our boats to get on the water a couple more weekends per year and hopefully allow us to be able to improve as a result.

I will be helping the club develop a new website over the winter months.  You will be able to find the site once complete at www.boa-racing.com.  Hopefully we can have a basic site up and running before the first of the year.  If you are a BOA member and want your boat featured on the site then please contact Jerry Book with your information and send along a few photos to Jerry as well.

In the office this week I have been sending photographs and information to a couple different people who are interested in purchasing some of our surplus equipment.  Our Hoffman Champ boat is for sale, as is our Seebold composite Formula 2 boat.  We also have five 2.4 liter powerheads that are for sale.  If you are intersted in any of this stuff drop us an email or give us a call.  We found that the Seebold just wasn't what we were looking for for an F-2 boat and for now we have pinned our hopes for improvement in that class in 2012 on our Target/Miller Brothers hull that we finished out the 2011 campaign with at Hamilton.  The Champ boat just isn't something we see an immediate need for, although it could legally be used as a backup for our F-2 boat.

Hopefully I will get some time next week to do a few website upgrades.  We have Herd Racing Foundation t-shirts to add to the Store page and we have our Herd Racing Foundation 5K race shirts to add to our Store as well.  We also have the artists working on our new 2012 team postcard and the 2012 team calendar is at the printer as we speak, so within a few weeks we should be able to start making some of those 2012 items available for you to purchase.

Lastly, I would expect to be able to make a 2012 sponsor announcement within the next week to 10 days.  Talks have been progressing nicely with a company that I am really confident will be coming aboard to support the team in the coming year.  Just a few final touches remain to be put together next week and then, provided it all works out as we expect, we will be announcing the agreement.  It isn't the big dollars we need to make great strides forward, but it does have the potential to be a nice shot in the arm for our teams.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2011 - Months of long hours preparing for the Herd Racing Foundation 5K Off-Road Race to benefit Legacy Powerboat Ministry has finally passed.  We learned a lot from the event, mainly that a handful of volunteers is way too few to put on the quality of event that our team is dedicated to putting on.  We managed, but special thanks need to be passed along to Karen LeGrand and Jeff Webb who did much of the leg work to make the event come off without a hitch.  Also, Rick Adkins, Eric Himes and Adam Himes were a great help on race day.  Lots of sponsors came together to help us create and conduct a very professional and quality event.  Now all that remains is cleaning up the mess and covering the costs so that we can send a donation to Legacy Powerboat Ministry before the Christmas holiday.  We fell well short of our goal of 200 runners for our first event, but more than 50 did finish the challenging off-road event while many more entered but weren't able to complete the race.  Thanks to all who participated, made a donation, sponsored or supported our efforts in any way.  We hope to do it again next year provided we can get a lot more help to pull it all together.

So, 5K race behind us, it's time to get back on the powerboat preparation bandwagon this week.  We will be sending a deposit for a fresh Chris Fairchild powerhead for our SST-120 boat early this week with hopes that we can pay off this purchase and have the motor in hand by early spring.  It will likely move up to our primary power head and our current powerhead will be demoted to a backup roll.  It only has about eight race weekends on it at relatively low RPMs so a peak inside is due but it probably won't need a full rebuild just quite yet.

The race shop has been cleaned up and all the boats lined up nicely in preparation for Shop Night which will begin in just over a week.  We'll be announcing our weekly Shop Night schedule soon so if you would like to stop by and lend a hand this winter there will be plenty of stuff to do.  New six-point belts need to be installed in two race boats, a few powerheads need to be switched out, two boat bottoms need to be refinished and our SST-60 boat needs a complete makeover.

I'm excited to get back to preparing for 2012.  Our 2012 race calendars are at the printer and our sponsorship plans for next season are coming together.  After a few months off, the excitement of racing is back!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011 - We're in the home stretch of planning for our upcoming 5K race this Saturday morning.  If you don't have a boatload of time on your hands and a lot of help don't ever plan a 5K event.  As is the case with many of my ventures, I grossly underestimated the efforts, time and money required to put together a professional race.

But, we are in the final days of planning, should be picking up the t-shirts and trophies the next few days, the banners and course markers are on the way from the printer and we will soon be marking the course and stuffing the gift bags.  The sponsorship search has turned to door prize seeking and trying to shake the bushes to get as many runners as we can to take part in our first ever attempt at putting on a first-class event.

Herr Foods has joined us as a corporate sponsor, along with Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, Marshall University Department of Orthopedics and Department of Surgery, as well as a slew of companies and individuals who have stepped up to donate items, food or door prizes.  It should be a good event and I look forward to Saturday morning when it all finally comes together.  We still need some volunteer help so if you have a few hours to spare on Saturday morning or Friday afternoon please let me know.  I can use some extra hands marking the course and stuffing the gift bags Friday afternoon and putting on the race on Saturday morning.

Our collective brain power at Herd Racing is wrapped up in the 5K planning this week, but the focus will soon shift back to boat racing full time.  My work schedule is starting to take it's annual holiday lull so I should have some time in December to make some calls, get some proposals to potential sponsors and begin our regular routine in the shop.  We are way ahead of last year as far as boats, motors and equipment goes, so hopefully that and an off-season of hard work will translate into some improvements on the track in 2012.

I had some meetings last week with some officials in Huntington about possibly combining television with the 2012 race date should the local promotors be able to make the second annual trip to Huntington a reality next summer, and the folks at the Buckeye Outdoor Association are working on a new website to help promote that group's plans for several race venues in 2012.  Winter may be fastly approaching but boat racing is still make strides behind the scenes.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011 - I just wanted to drop by and let everyone know that you haven't been forgotten.  I know the blog posts have dropped to about two a week, but there is still a lot going on in between.  Once we get through the 5K race and the Thanksgiving holiday we will be past our charity season and will begin posting some news from the race shop on a regular basis.

The Herd Racing Foundation 5K Off-Road Race to benefit Legacy Powerboat Ministry received saction approval and insurance on Monday evening during a meeting of the Huntington Road Runners Club.  Road Runners, a national organization which supports running, has clubs in most major cities around the country.  By being received by the local club on Monday evening our race is now able to be sanctioned and covered by insurance from the national body.  That is good news.  It gives our race more legitimacy and helps lessen our liability should someone be injured during the run.

If you have been hiding under a rock the past couple of months and haven't heard, the Herd Racing Foundation 5K is next Saturday morning, November 26.  We have pre-registered runners from throughout West Virginia, as well as some from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia.  We hope to attact several hundred runners to the first - and what I hope can become annual - event.  If you would like to run, walk, sponsor or just publicise the race you can click on our ad at www.tristateracer.com to go to the race registration page.

In other news, we have been working a little to get the race shop cleaned up and organized.  Today we finally unloaded the trailer from the last race of the year in Hamilton, OH.  That's right, the boat hadn't even been unloaded from the trailer in two months so that should tell you how much work has gone on.  Actually, the primary reason the boat remained in the trailer is that it is the only one we have that doesn't need any attention at the moment.  The Target/Miller Brothers SST-120 boat performed pretty well at Hamilton and will likely be our lead boat in the F-2 class going into 2012.

We have fielded some calls and emails in recent weeks from people interested in the Seebold F-2 boat and the Hoffman Champ Boat so with no plans for those two on the near horizon we would be happy to have the floor space and cash flow to get us through the winter months.  We need another 120 powerhead and a 60 motor rebuilt so selling one or both of those two boats would allow us to move ahead with those projects.

More to come soon.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2011 - As has been the case for the past forty November 14ths, several hundred people gathered on the campus of Marshall University today to remember the 75 people who were killed in 1970 in the most tragic loss of life to ever strike a sports program.  The chartered jet that carried Marshall's football team and supporters clipped the treetops on approach to the local airport during a heavy thunderstorm.  The plane plummeted to the mountainside just short of the runway, killing everyone aboard.

Every year at this time the university community gathers to remember those lost and to turn off the Memorial Fountain for the winter months.  Today's ceremony, drew friends, families, firefighters and total strangers.  They all had something in common.  They remember the loss the crash created and the hole in the community it still leaves.  There may be a time when the annual ceremony doesn't mean quite as much as it does now, but while 41 years has allowed for some healing, the memories are forever etched in the minds of everyone who can relate.

As a graduate of Marshall and pilot of the #75 Herd Racing tunnel boats which race in remembrance of those who were taken from us in November 1970, I pledge that our team will carry on the tradition of honoring those who defined what Marshall University is today.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011 - I arrived home from Wednesday evening church a little while ago to learn that another racing tragedy unfolded earlier today in Key West, Florida, killing two men aboard a Super Boat International off-shore race boat.  Jeff Tillman and Bob Morgan, the pilot and throttleman aboard the 46-foot-long Skater race boat died this afternoon when their huge race boat blew over on the third lap of the first of three days of racing in Key West.  Both were from Missouri and were experienced racers.

It seems like after a few years of relative safety in most forms of nationally-known motorsports that the past several months have been tragic.  From a hydroplane pilot killed in Washington State this summer, to Dan Wheldon's IndyCar crash in Las Vegas, to today's accident in Florida, the sporting world has lost four people doing what they love doing - racing.

The early reports say that both men became trapped in the four-engine, 5,000 horsepower boat when the canopy collapsed when the boat landed upside down in the water.  They reportedly suffered severe head injuries which led to their drownings.  The estimated speed of the crash was over 150 miles per hour.

My prayers are with the Tillman and Morgan families and their crew and fellow competitors.  The races in Key West are set to continue on schedule this weekend, as they should and as I am sure the deceased racers would want, but I am sure the thrill of victory for the eventual winners will be overshadowed by the loss of these two.  I probably allow these types of tragedies to sit in my mind more than I should, but I just can't seem to shake the thought and image that one minute they were loving and living life at it's fullest and the next minute they were gone.  That's just hard for me to comprehend sometimes.

The Miami Herald newspaper has several photos of the crash, a video of the blowover and a news story about the tradegy.  You can view the coverage at http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/09/2494494/two-powerboat-racers-killed-during.html.

In happier news tonight, the Herd Racing Foundation's 5K Off-Road Race to benefit Legacy Powerboat Ministry is steaming ahead.  Our November 26th race date is fast approaching and our registered runners, supporting sponsors and door prizes are also growing in number.  If you want to learn more about the race, become a sponsor or run in the event you can learn more at http://www.tristateracer.com/RaceDirector/race.php?RaceID=394.

I'm planning some time in the race shop the next few days as we begin working on the Hemp F-3 boat and rigging the new generator in the hauler.  After the 5K race is behind us we'll get back on track with weekly shop night activities and I'll keep you posted with some photos of our off-season progress.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011 - I haven't been around tunnel boat racing very long, but in the two plus years I have been involved in the sport I have found that just like in any other sport that the rumor mill is always turning.  If you talk to three different people in the know about a given topic you are likely to get three completely different stories.  That's my take on the plans of many racers and race sites regarding their plans for 2012.

The APR Superleague has announced a tentative schedule with events in Elgin, IL, Pittsburgh, PA, Marietta, OH, Huntington, WV, Aurora, IN, Kankakee, IL, Memphis, TN and Central Florida to close the season in early fall.  The Buckeye Outboard Association, which is comprised of a growing group of drivers and teams with ties to Ohio, could be planning as many as four sanctioned races themselves in Portsmouth, OH, Hamilton, OH, as well as possible race dates near Columbus, OH.  Throw in at least two races in Texas to start and close the 2012 year and toss in Bay City and Trenton, MI in the middle, and a Formula 2 team could possibly have nearly 15 events to choose from come next year.

I love the diversity of sites and diversity of promoters and leagues who are out there promoting the sport.  But the problem, in my opinion, is that the summer racing season is only about 12 weeks long if you consider mid June to mid September in this part of the country.  If we have 15 races within driving distance of the majority of our teams to cram into that window then there will be some tough choices for many teams to make.  Granted, Texas, Florida and Tennessee can probably secure late September or early October race dates, but that still leaves the possibility of 12 races in 12 weeks in the eastern half of the nation if everyone's tentative plans come to fruition.

That makes for a hard time when it comes to deciding what your team's focus will be in 2012.  The questions are many and the answers are few at this time of the year.  How many races will actually become reality?  How many will end up on the same date as another popular race?  When will all of the scheduling be worked out?  All of those questions have to be answered before most teams can pinpoint what their plans for 2012 will be.

Like I said, I haven't been around the sport very long and can't speak to things prior to 2009, but the whether it be the economy or other factors, the 2012 schedule for everyone involved in tunnel boat racing sure appears a little more clouded for next year than what I have observed in the past.

How will Herd Racing fit into the whole scheme of things in 2012?  Just like everyone else involved in the sport, we just aren't sure quite yet.  Stay tuned as I am sure the schedule and the plans of the nation's racers will begin coming together soon.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2011 - As the work week turns to the work weekend a lot has transpired over the past couple of days in Herd Racing land.  Our Hemp Formula 3 boat made the rainy journey back from Pugh Boat Works last night and is now back in the fleet at the shop, where it faces a long winter of upgrades and continued repairs, and our planning for two charity events are going full force.  Here's a little update on all of the news of the day.

Our fundraiser at Ashley Furniture Homestore in Barboursville, WV is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow.  It will feature seven gospel singers and bands who will do one-hour sets throughout the day in front of the store.  Herd Racing will have it's Jesus boat on display and be talking up our upcoming 5K off-road race, as well as assisting the youth of the 26th Street Baptist Church raise money and food for the church's food bank.  Come on by if you are looking for some good entertainment, good food and good deals on some furniture.  Ashley is offering up to 20% off on your purchase if you donate to the food bank effort while you are there.

I spent yesterday traveling to Knoxville and back to pick up our Formula 3 Hemp boat that was broken up in June in Elgin, Illinois.  Gary Pugh has it spliced back into one piece and looking like a race boat should.  During the trip I got to see Gary and his wife and spend a little time with Steve and Teresa Dillard who were picking up Brent's SST-120 boat after it's repairs from Brent's Huntington wreck back in August.  Plans in the Dillard camp are big and after missing 90% of the 2011 race season Steve says Brent is hungry to climb back into the 120 ranks in 2012 and plans to start testing this fall.  Mark Profitt's SST-120 boat was on Gary's operating table yesterday getting a new sponson on it after his Kankakee mishap.  Word has it Mark plans a run for the 120 title in 2012 as well so the competition to unseat Terry Rinker should be fierce.

Back home today, the UPS man delivered a pleasant gift.  No, it wasn't a box full of money, but three boxes of Dewald and Rolla F-2 propellers from Don Jenkinson Racing.  Don, who owns the Formula 1 team that Canadian driver Brian Venton drives for, fielded a 120 boat a few years back with Brian in the cockpit.  They have no plans to run 120 in the future so we purchased their RAM composite 120 boat and their inventory of props.  Since we already have a shop full of 120 boats we were able to sell the RAM before even picking it up from Don and just had him ship us the propellers.  A great experience for all involved.  Don sold a boat he wanted gone, we got a box of props we badly need and someone in upper Pennsylvania is the proud new owner of a composite RAM SST-120 boat.  If you want to see the boat you can check it out on our Boats page at http://www.herdracing.com/boats.php, but hurry because it will soon be yanked from the fleet photo page since it has been sold.

More news about sponsors for our 5K when I update again early next week.  We are hoping for a big turnout with big support come November 26th!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011 - I start today with the wish that all of you had a very Happy Halloween last night.  Halloween, as I have said before, is one of my favorite times of year.  Regardless of the negative reputation many try to pin on the holiday, I think the way we celebrate the annual event here in the United States is perfectly harmless and I enjoy seeing little devils, ghosts and vampires out for a good time as they seek to fill their candy bags.

As threatened for years now, I again said I was going to accompany my daughter along the annual candy route in a Batman costume, but, as has been the case for years now, I have procrastinated in buying a costume and went as myself again this year.  That scares the kids just about as much as any mask you can buy.

Anyway, October is now behind us and November is a big month for us here at Herd Racing.  We get to work on our F-3 boat, making it new again in preparation for 2012, we participate in a fundraiser this weekend for a local church and, most importantly, we conduct our first 5K off-road race.

Plans for that are coming along nicely.  This week we have already added two primary sponsors, thanks to our team hospitality coordinator Karen LeGrand.  Marshall University Physicians and Surgeons is a multi-department group of doctors affiliated with Cabell Huntington Hospital and Marshall University.  Karen, who is a management employee of the group, has convinced two of the group's departments to come on board to help promote our race.  The Department of Orthopaedics and Department of Surgery have joined us as primary sponsors by jointly pledging almost 25 percent of the funds we need to conduct the race on November 26th.  A big thank you to Karen and both departments for their generous help.

Our race, scheduled for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend is going to be a great time for everyone involved.  I hope you will choose to get involved as a runner, supporter or volunteer.  We expect several hundred runners for the race and plan to donate all of the profits to Legacy Powerboat Ministry to help them continue their chapel services in 2012.  To date we have more than 800 runners who have viewed our advertisement on www.tristateracer.com and more than 80 have downloaded the race registration form.  Only two weeks left to get your pre-registration form turned in to avoid the late fee!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2011 - We will be picking up our Formula 3 Hemp/Pugh boat on Tuesday of this coming week from Pugh Boat Works in Knoxville where it has been recrafted into a race boat after our mishap back in June in Elgin.  The old boat, which bore the yellow paint job you see in the photo when bought from Mark Jakob a few years ago, will undergo a facelift over the winter months as we take it back to it's original wood before resealing the hull and repainting the decks and fuselage.  All in an effort to cut some weight and maybe introduce a new paint scheme for 2012.

In other news tonight, our fundraiser to help generate food for the 26th Street Baptist Church's food pantry is scheduled for a week from today at the Ashley Furniture Homeshow in Barboursville, WV.  The team will have a boat or two on display from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. next Saturday and shoppers can get up to 20 percent off of their furniture purchase by donating food or money to the pantry during the event.

And, our 5K to raise funds for Legacy Ministry is still coming up on November 26th.  We are starting to get some corporate sponsors lined up and will be working on getting the trophies and t-shirts ordered in the coming week.  We hope to raise a nice chunk of change for the Legacy folks to help fund their tunnel boat traveling chapel service so if you are a runner or know of one we hope you will spread the word about our event.  I will be running - or maybe walking some of the time - so come join me as we run and walk for a good cause.

And lastly tonight I ask that you pray for a dear friend of Herd Racing who has lost his mother.  Sterling Ayers, a member of our shop staff who works on the boats and hauler, and was part of our crew at Elgin this past summer, lost his mother in a car accident this morning in nearby Milton, WV.  We ask that you keep Sterling and his family in your prayers as he works through this difficult time.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011 - Planning is continuing this week for our involvement in a fundraiser next weekend at a local furniture store to help generate some traction for a local church's food bank, and our involvement in a gospel singing event last weekend went well.

Here is a photo from Saturday's GospelFest in Huntington, WV which featured multiple artists for a 10-hour outdoor concert.  The weather was nice, but the attendance wasn't what promoters had hoped for.  Anyway, those who did come, including Connie Ferguson of Huntington who is pictured here with singer Bethany Himes and our F-3 Jesus boat, got to hear some good music throughout the day.

Next up on our agenda is the food bank fundraiser on November 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ashley Furniture Showcase in Barboursville, WV.  Then, attention will turn to our 5K race for Legacy Powerboat Ministry which is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We are working hard to make this an extra special event in hopes that it will garner a lot of participation from runners, which in turn, will generate a lot of money for our friends at Legacy.

If you are a runner or know one I hope you will refer to them to our race.  There will be lots of food, lots of fellowship and hopefully lots of money raised for a good cause.  You can learn more about the race here http://www.tristateracer.com/RaceDirector/race.php?RaceID=394.

The Herd Racing Foundation shirts arrived from the printer today.  I will make an effort to get them photographed and up on the store page of our website later this week or over the weekend.  Stay tuned!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011 - As you can see from the front page of our website at www.herdracing.com we are going to be busy the next couple of weeks.  One item not mentioned in the front page story, but is a big part of our efforts the next couple weeks, is the publication of our 2012 team racing calendar.  For the first time we will feature 100 percent boat racing action, opposed to sharing car racing and boating last year and featuring strickly car and truck racing in previous years.  This year's calendar - I guess technically it would be next year's - will feature some great shots taken by Eric Himes, Rick Adkins and a few others during the 2011 race season.  We have picked out our 20 best shots of the year and will send the high resolution art files to graphic designer Joe Gilley early next week.  It will be Joe's eye that cuts the list down to the best 12!

By December 1st we hope to the have 2012 calendars on the website and available for purchase along with new Herd Racing Foundation t-shirts and 5K race t-shirts.  The price for the calendar is the same as past years, $10 each which includes shipping to your door.  You can order through our online store and I will be sure to let you know when they become available from the printer.  We have made an effort this year to not only include photos of our boats, but include some racing action that shows some other boats as well.  So, that means if you are a boat racer you will need to get your copy to see if your boat is part of the racing action we showcase in 2012 or at least email me to see if your ride is featured.  We will have photos of all four of the boats we raced in 2011 featured, both F-3 boats and both our F-2 boats which made their way to the water for at least one race.

If you're in Huntington over the weekend or live locally I hope you will find time to stop by the VFW Post 9738 in the Guyandotte neighborhood of East Huntington on Saturday.  The team will be participating in a 10-hour gospel sing to raise money for the Green Acres Regional Center, a residential home for the mentally and physically challenged in Herd Racing's hometown of Lesage, WV.  The Saturday event will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the activity field across from the VFW.  My understanding is that our Foundation President Jeff Webb and Chief Engineer Eric Himes will have our Formula 3 Jesus-themed Yeeeha boat on display much of the day and our Foundation Board Member Bethany Himes will be one of the featured artists.  You can see, or more like, hear, her work on her website at www.bethanyhimes.com.  You can get more details about the sing, if you are intersted in attending, by contacting Jeff directly at JeffWebb@HerdRacing.com.

In the shop things are noisy as usual, but not from boat motors being broken in or tested.  The noises escaping the garage are from the exhaust of a massive Onan generator.  We were lucky enough to find a large RV generator on a wrecked motorhome recently and the mechanics at ECO-FIRST are in the process of mounting the unit in the compartments below our Freightliner tunnel boat hauler.  It will be a long term project to get everything wired up, lighting circuits ran, the microwave, refrigerator, air conditioner and other appliances tied in, but that's OK.  There is lots of downtime during the winter months so come next spring it will hopefully be invisible to the eye and easy on the ear.  That will not only be good news to our team, but will be music to the ears of many of our tunnel boat competitors and league officials who reminded me more than once over the past year that a quieter generator would be much appreciated.  Everyone should be hard-pressed to even hear this one running coming 2012.  Mark Jakob, Jerry Book and Sam Winer, among many others, this project is being undertaken with all of you in mind.  Thanks for putting up with the noise in 2011!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011 - Sunday was billed as the World Championship for the IZOD Indy Racing League as 34 cars took to the high banks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the season finale.  It was to feature higher speeds, a $5 million challenge for Indy 500 Champion Dan Wheldon if he could come from last to first, and boasted a 34-car field, a rarity for anywhere but Indy.

Tragically, just 12 laps into the contest a tire rub touched off a 15-car fiery collision that killed Wheldon and injured three others in what had to be one of the most catastrophic racing crashes ever recorded.  The flaming rubble looked like a video of downtown Baghdad after a terrorist car bomb, not an IRL race event that the league hoped would propel it into the off season with increased fan interest and agressive record-speed racing.

Unfortunately, in racing, just like in life in general, we are thrown some unexpected turns every now and then.  Life beyond the current moment isn't promised to anyone and Sunday's horrible event in Vegas showed how true that is.  Dan Wheldon went to his third race of the year with his wife and two young children, his siblings and many friends and fans.  It ended a mere five minutes into the contest once and for all, without any warning to him or his fellow racers.  No one involved even dreamed such an outcome could even be remotely possible for them.

Rest in peace, Dan.  May this tragic event impress upon the rest of us the realization that life is precious and can come to an end at a moment's notice.  I hope you live your's with the assurance of eternal life through Jesus Christ and awake each morning with a thankful heart for being given another day.  None of us know when it may be our last, regardless of how safe we play the game of life.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011 - Last night's Marshall University homecoming parade in Huntington drew thousands of spectators to the city for the annual event.  Herd Racing's float, I mean boat, drew a crowd as well.  The Chespeake Elementary School E Team football guys, coached by Herd Racing Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz, walked with the boat and the Huntington Hammer professional football team mascot rode along the parade route with the Herd Racing entry.  Throw in a few Marshall cheerleaders, Marco, the university's mascot and a few thousand spectators and it made for a great evening.

The events continue off the water for Herd Racing's boats next weekend, October 22, as the team participates in a daylong gospel sing in Huntington.  The Herd Racing Jesus boat will be on hand and team members will be answering questions about the team, our outreach goals and giving out literature, Plans of Salvation and inspirational DVDs.

Then two boats and the team mascots will take part in a fundraiser for a local church's food pantry on Saturday, November 5 near the Huntington Mall in nearby Barboursville.  That event also will have plenty of food, music and the team's display booth set up to promote our upcoming 5K race which is scheduled for later in November.  Hopefully we can help generate some food donations for the church's pantry to help their clients through the long hard winter that confronts us.

But, its not been all fun and games this week.  We received two reconditioned Performance Propellers for our SST-60 program this week.  That will give us four up to date propellers to test on the SST-60 boats come spring.  The past two years we have ran pretty much every race on the same propeller and only began propeller experimentations toward the end of the year when we got a second good propeller.  Hopefully, we will tackle the 2012 season opener with solid test time under our belts in both SST-60 and SST-120 as we hope to have four good props for each boat before the weather turns warm in 2012.  Starting the season with testing under our belt is key.  We can't afford to use the races as test time in 2012 as we will be working very hard to improve our race performance over what we view as a disappointing effort on the water in 2011.

Keep checking back.  We'll have some more news in the coming days.  We are working on a couple sponsorship proposals for next year, have to pick up our SST-60 rebuilt Hemp boat from Gary Pugh and have another boat that will be delivered to the shop later this month as a backup to our SST-120 boat.  Lots to do and the off season will fly by I am sure.  New 2012 calendar in the works, new 2012 hero cards in the works.  Lot's to share with you over the next several weeks.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011 - As you can see from the photo, parades are something big in Appalachia.  I don't know the connection between this region and the opportunity to conduct, participate in or watch a parade, but some of the nation's biggest are grown right here in our neck of the woods and you would be hard-pressed to have to look more than a few towns over to find a parade on any given fall weekend.  Monday night was no exception as thousands of spectators lined the streets of Huntington to see the annual Huntington Fire Department Fire Prevention Parade.  No, Herd Racing didn't line up a race boat among the dozens of participating fire trucks, but our own Herd kid Allison Himes (daughter of Chief Engineer Eric Himes and Herd Racing Foundation Member Bethany Himes) was part of the festivities.  Allison, a student at Chesapeake Elementary School was named the school's Miss Spark during Fire Prevention Week activities there.  The honor earned her a spot in the annual parade!

Speaking of parades, Herd Racing's Formula 3 Jesus-themed lime and white tunnel boat will be part of the Marshall University Homecoming Parade in Huntington on Thursday night this week to officially kick off homecoming at Marshall.  Homecoming is a big week in town as excitement builds for the annual homecoming football game which this year brings the Rice Owls to town for a Saturday afternoon ball game.  Anyone with any tie to Marshall will be part of the festivities this week.  If you are in Huntington on Thursday stop by the parade at 6 p.m. and visit with Herd Racing Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and see the F-3 Yeeeha race boat.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 07, 2011 - October is always one of my favorite months, personally, as our family does some things each year that are a lot of fun.  We have two weekend camping trips planned for later in the month and a festival to attend next weekend and my daughter's 10th birthday is this month.  But it looks like I won't be the only one with a full calendar this month.  Herd Racing's agenda is pretty full as well.

Gary Pugh has notified us that our F-3 Hemp/Pugh boat which we demolished in Elgin back in June has been resurrected into a race boat and is ready for us to pick up at his shop near Knoxville, Tennessee.  That task lays ahead for one of us in the next week or so.  We also have another F-2 boat we have purchased that needs to be picked up sometime this month.  We didn't buy the boat for the boat, but for what came with it, namely a big box full of Dewald propellers which we can use desperately in our F-2 program.  Once you figure the cost of the propellers, trim pumps, rigging, trailer and other items that come with the boat then you can see the boat was pretty much free if we bought the equipment.  It isn't a boat with a stellar reputation for winning, but it was a solid boat the last few seasons it ran and will make a nice backup for our fleet.  It isn't one we even plan on attempting to race, but it will work nicely as a show boat for all of the fairs and festivals we participate in and could be a great corporate sponsor show boat down the road should a full time primary sponsor come calling.

And on the outreach side of things our month looks to be a busy one as well.  The #75 Formula 3 Jesus-themed Yeeeha boat will be in the Marshall University Homecoming Parade during Marshall's homecoming weekend festivities on October 15.  The parade is typically one of the largest in the area and draws anyone and everyone who has any type of ties to Marshall University.  Being that our team is named for the university's mascot (Herd) and our boat carries the number of those killed in the 1970 Marshall plane crash (75) you can see that the boat is a perfect fit for the parade event.

Then, at least one of the boats will be participating in a fall gospel sing day in Huntington on October 22.  Bethany Himes of the Herd Racing Foundation will be singing at the event which is being partially organized by our Foundation President Jeff Webb.  It will feature a day-long concert featuring many artists and will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 22.

Throw in some meetings and planning sessions for our first Herd Racing Foundation 5-K Off-Road race to benefit Legacy Powerboat Ministry which is planned for two days after Thanksgiving and you can see that our October will be filled with stuff to do.  Oh, we will be getting back into the race shop on a regular basis later this month as well as we begin working on some of our off-season projects like re-glassing the bottom of our Miller F-2 boat and repainting the Hemp/Pugh boat to it's lime and white paint scheme in preparation for 2012.

I'll stop by and blog as the calendar ticks along to update you with details about each event we are involved in.  Happy Fall everyone!

Dana Tomes 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011 - Being recognized as APR Superleague's 2011 Ken Winkle Co-Sportsman of the Year was a surprizing moment for me Saturday night in Cartersville.  I fully expected to leave the 25th anniversary banquet without any awards after our choice to forego the National Championships in Kankakee a few weeks earlier had eliminated us from contention for the Formula 2 Rookie of the Year honors.

But, some things aren't always what you expect.  The final award of the night, named for the late Ken Winkle, who was a championship race announcer during the league's first decade before his tragic heart attack, was one that may have had my name inscribed on the certificate, but it was many more than myself who made it happen.  The award is given annually to the person or persons who the league's racers feel have given something back to the sport.  That is what makes it special, because I know I share the award with the entire Herd Racing team.

Jeramey, Eric, Bryan, Greg, Roger, Rick, Jeff, Karen, Bethany, Melissa and so many others are the ones who earned the 2011 Sportsman of the Year award.  I was just the person who accepted it on their behalf.  They are the ones who spent the longs nights in the shop, the long days at the race events and the long evenings on the charity trail time and time again.  Without all of them I not only wouldn't have been recognized, but just simply put wouldn't even be racing.  Herd Racing is made up the whole Herd and I appreciate each and every one of them for their efforts which resulted in that recognition.

Thank you team for what you have done to get us where we are after Year Two!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2011 -It was a Rinker family sweep Saturday night during the APR Superleague's 25th annivesary banquet at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Cartersville, Ga.  Veteran champion Terry Rinker took home the champion title in APR Superleague's Formula 2 category while his son, Rob Rinker, took home the title in Formula 3 by edging out Canadian Mike Hooper by two points to claim the title.  Both Rinkers were among a crowd of about 50 people who gathered for the league's year-end events.

There was lots of hardware handed out during the event where Marietta, Ohio was announced as the league's best site in 2011 and Hooper was named the league's Canadian Cup award winner for being the highest finishing Canadian racer.  Mervin Bjork was named the Formula 2 Rookie of the Year, while Mark Jakob and Donnie McDowell claimed 2nd and 3rd place in the F-2 year-long points battle.  J. Michael Floyd was named the Most Improved Driver in F-2 for 2011.

In Formula 3, Hooper claimed the award for finishing second in the league standings while Roddy Foreman of Austin, TX, claimed the third place award.  There was no rookie drivers in F-3 in 2011, but Bill Masto of Florida was named the series' Most Improved Driver, finishing 5th in the final standings.

In other awards, Team Hurricane Floyd was named the Best Dressed Superleague program and Roddy Foreman's crew chief John Calley earned the Crew Person of the Year Award.  With a standing ovation from the crowd, the APR Superleague rescue team was named the league's Staff Officer of the Year during which time rescue chief Tim Calhoun officially retired as leader of the crew.  Trent Damron will lead the crew in 2012.

Both Jim McGrath of Elgin, IL and myself, shared the Ken Winkle Sportsman of the Year Award for helping grow the league and bring positive attention to the sport.  All in all, it was a very nice event that far to few were able to attend in person.  The league brought along a scrapbook for nearly every year that the league has been in existence which made it fun to watch all of the old-time racers leaf through and recall memories of years ago.  Many past champions came to the banquet, including multi-time winner and current boat builder Gary Pugh.

Earlier in the day the Superleague rescue crew treated anyone who was willing to a dunk in the outdoor pool where daytime highs hovered around 60.  I was the only driver to take them up on the offer and got the pleasure of taking my capsule test twice which I suspect was punishment for my willingness to require the crew to don their SCUBA suits and hop in the cold water.  Test passed and pilot's training approved for two more seasons which was one of my goals for the weekend.

Lots of news to report from the afternoon meetings, including a potential eight-race 2012 APR race schedule which could include a repeat of 2011, in addition to another trip to Memphis and a November season-finale in the central Florida.  I'll catch you up on the rest of the news from this weekend's meetings in the next couple blog entries during the coming week.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 - This weekend marks the official close to the 2011 race season.  Most all of the tunnel boat races in the U.S. are behind us and focus now turns to recognizing the champions of 2011 and beginning the preparations for 2012.

APR Superleague's season finale is this Friday-Sunday in Cartersville, Ga., where teams and league officials will gather for the league's annual year-end banquet and meetings.  A full slate is set up for Saturday as meetings take place during the day, followed by capsule escape training in the early evening and then the day is capped off with an awards banquet that evening.  If I can get my plate cleared off by Friday afternoon I hope to be able to attend the events and if I indeed make it to Cartersville you can follow the happenings here on our blog.  If I end up not making the trip I will be sure to let you know that as well.

But, while the 2011 season doesn't officially close for a few more days, Herd Racing is already nearly a month into preparations for 2012.  We have tested one of our SST-120 boats for next year, purchased some updated Dewald propellers and have taken some steps to secure either a new backup or primary SST-120 boat for next season.  Pending our successful gathering of funds over the next few weeks it is likely we will show up in 2012 with two totally different SST-120 boats than we fielded for most of the 2011 race campaign.

The Herd Racing Foundation is also full bore in planning for our Legacy Powerboat Ministry 5K Off-Road race which is coming up on November 26th.  The registation forms are out there, we are creating posters to hang locally and the behind-the-scenes planning of a cross country race are well underway.

Check back this weekend for an update of who takes home the hardware from the awards ceremony in Cartersville.  If we are able to make the trip we'll keep you informed.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 - With the 2011 tunnel boat racing season nearly two weeks in the rear view mirror, our attention at Herd Racing is two-fold for the next couple of months.  While we will take a few weeks off from the race shop and our weekly Shop Night activities we by no means are sitting idle at home.  Attentions have turned to searching for equipment and parts for 2012, and more importantly, working our charity side to make sure our team focus remains much about giving back.

Our team participated in Chilifest last weekend in Huntington, raising $848 for the local Ronald McDonald House program.  We had hoped to top our 2010 total of $1,198 this fall, but the supply of chili just didn't hold out long enough to allow that to happen.  A big thanks to Chili Willi's Mexican Cantina and owner Ron Smith, and to Tim Forth and the local Foodfair grocery chain, who were very generous to our cause by donating several pounds of ground beef, beans and other items to our team for the event.  Hopefully, we can top our 2011 performance next year and continue our trend of landing in the Top 12 of the People's Choice competition.

Also, the Herd Racing Foundation is working on a winter fundraiser to help generate travel funds for Legacy Powerboat Ministry.  As most of you know, the Legacy crew travels each week with the APR Superleague circuit providing prayer for each team and conducting chapel services for those who travel with the circuit.  Laurie, Jan and Lauris, as well as Ron, were there every week in 2011 for us and our team wants to make sure they are able to continue their fine ministry work with the league for many more years to come.  So, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving the Herd Racing Foundation will be conducting the first ever Off-Road 5K Legacy Run with all proceeds from the race going to continue Legacy's efforts in 2012.  We are in the process of securing a local cross country running location and contracting with a professional race service to time and score the race.  The goal is to attract 200 runners to the event as well as fifty corporate sponsors.  We will have door prizes, t-shirts, trophies and all the trimmings expected at a top-notch 5K race.  I'll keep you posted on news about this event as it gets closer.  We don't have a specific dollar amount we plan to raise, but I am sure any amount will be a blessing to the Vidal family.  We hope some of you who follow our team will be able to participate in the event or maybe sponsor a local racer who can't muster the $15 entry fee if you don't live close enough to participate yourself.  More information will be available about the race later this month at www.tristateracer.com and on the www.herdracing.com website.

Lastly, we have posted a five-minute slide show video of the Herd Racing Foundation's efforts during the 2011 race season.  The team was fortunate enough, thanks to some great planning by our Foundation President Jeff Webb, to be able to conduct an outreach event at each of our 2011 race events.  We visited children's homes, homeless shelters, community centers and foster group homes, talking with local kids in each race city about Christ and encouraging them to continue working to improve their individual situations.  The video, which can be found on Herd Racing's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhEkOQr-oiQ, lets you see a few photos from each outreach event throughout the year.  It also serves as a little motivation for our team as well.  After our season was nearly wiped out at the opening race in Elgin, it took some teamwork to pull out of the gutter and keep going for the remainder of the year.  Not accepting defeat is one of the video's motivational points there was many times between Elgin and Pittsburgh that quit was a real possibility for us.

I hope you like it.  Stay tuned for more news on the Legacy Run, the APR Superleague annual meetings and more team news in the coming days.  I'm really excited about all of the positive things what are coming up on our schedule the next couple of months!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2011 - The results are in and Herd Racing's chili team has cracked the prestigious Top 12 at the West Virginia Chili Championships.  Eric Himes, Jeramey Wentz and their crew served up 848 bowls of chili during Chilifest on Satuday, raising $848 for local children's charities.  Here is a story from the local newspaper this morning listing the Top 12 finishers http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x1548268059/ChiliFest-a-signature-event-in-Tri-State-for-competitive-cooks.

Last year Herd's team finished 8th, raising $1,198 for charity, but even though the team slipped a few spots to 11th in this year's competition, it is deemed a successful event.  More than 50 teams from across the country competed for the title of being West Virginia's state champion.  The People's Choice favorite, who was crowned king of the event, served up more than 6,000 bowls of chili at $1 a clip.  All of the proceeds from the festival went to charity.

Back later this week with more news.  We're taking off a few weeks in the shop, but things are working in the office this week as we begin our 2012 sponsorship package preparation and begin making calls to contacts who we talked with last year but weren't able to close the deal for various reasons.

Stay tuned. 

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 - There were two shiny powerboats and thousands of people, but Saturday's activities on the streets of downtown Huntington, WV had nothing to do with powerboat racing.  Herd Racing's crew took part in the annual West Virginia Chili Championship, Chilfest, along Third Avenue in downtown Huntington.  Herd's booth was complete with the team's 24-foot vinyl wrapped race trailer, as well as a Formula 2 and Formula 3 race boat for fans the view.  But Saturday was all about giving back.

Herd Racing's crew, primarily Chief Engineer Eric Himes and wife Bethany, and Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and wife Melissa, spent their Saturday dishing out more than 700 small bowls of chili and hundreds of bags of Herr's chips.  The effort is an annual one to help raise funds for the local Ronald McDonald House charities, primarily a home near Cabell Huntington Hospital where families of children can stay for free while their child is being treated at the hospital.  The Chilifest effort raised over $50,000 last year for the cause and we hope this year's totals will be similar.

If you want to see some photos of Saturday's Chilifest events the photo gallery is still in it's early stages but there are some photos there for you to view if you want to take a look here http://www.herdracing.com/photos.php.  The photos are compliments of Herd Racing's photographer Rick Adkins who traveled with the team to many of our 2011 race venues.

Believe it or not we're already thinking about 2012.  Dewald is working a couple SST 60 propellers for us and Sam Haraway has just completed a rebuild of one of our SST 60 gearcases.  Not sure what our plans are for next year yet, but we'll try to be better prepared for whatever we tackle than we were this past spring.

Just because we are in the early stages of the off season don't think we'll be short on news.  Stop by regularly and I'll do my best to keep you up to date on what's going on in the office and the race shop.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 - A decade ago our nation came to a standstill as the 9/11 terrorist attacks made a historical impact on America.  Ten years later we reflected this past weekend during the one decade anniversary of the event on the families, emergency responders and our country in general, and how the events of that day will always stick with us in some way.  It is common for me to use this blog space to express my religious viewpoints and I will attempt to do so again today.  This post is a little long compared to my normal ramblings, but I ask that you read it.  If you ever wonder if God ever exists and if he cares at all for us tiny humans I hope you will take the time to reflect on this story.

A man for Norfolk, Virginia recently called into a local radio station to share his September 11, 2001 memories.  These are his words:

A few weeks before September 11 my wife and I had found out we were going to have our first child.  She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister.  On our way to the airport on the morning of her flight, September 11, 2001, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her.  Shortly after I said "Amen" we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently.  We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight.  Both, very upset, we drove home.  I received a call from my father who was retired City of New York firefighter.  He asked what my wife's flight number was, but we explained that she missed her flight.  My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower.  I was too shocked to speak.  My father also had more news for me; he was going to help.  "This is not something I can just sit by for, I have to do something."

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but moreso because he had never given his life to Christ.  After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up.  Before he got off the phone, he said "Take good care of my grandchild."  Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.  My joy in that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger.  Anger at God, at my father, and at myself.

I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away.  My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say goodbye.  Then something happened.  In 2003, I was sitting at home with my wife and son when there was a knock at the door.  My wife and I were not expecting anyone.  I opened the door to a couple with a small child.  The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews.  I told him it was.  He quickly grabbed my hand and said, "I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son." He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught under debris.  He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her.  My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this.  He then said, "there is something else you need to know."

His wife then told me as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ.  I began sobbing at the news.  Now I know that when I get to heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves.  When their baby boy was born, they named himed Jacob Matthew in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us realize two things.  First, that though it has been 10 years since the attacks we should never let it become a mere memory.  And second, but most importantly, God is always in control.  We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 - Barring any last minute additions to the schedule, our 2011 tunnel boat racing season has come to a close.  The finale of the year, originally scheduled for October 1 and 2 in Memphis, Tennessee, has been cancelled due to flood damage to the riverfront venue at Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis.  With that said, Hamilton, Ohio's Great Miami River Days last weekend was our season finale and it ended our season in a positive way.

We introduced a new boat at Hamilton and the race venue provided exactly what we were looking for in an effort to break in the boat and myself in a new craft.  A low boat count resulted after several expected entrants crashed the previous weekend in Kankakee, Illinois and that played out perfectly for our team.  A single class race weekend with lots of time on the water with relatively few other boats was what we needed and the Buckeye Outboard Association group provided us with a great weekend of testing which will go a long way toward helping set our course for 2012.  It was my first trip outside the APR Superleague, and while I will continue to support and be a regular in the Superleague, it was enjoyable to race with drivers and teams that until this past weekend I hadn't spent much time with.  It was a pleasant experience in every way.  Thanks to the BOA group for making us feel welcome!  We look forward to racing with those guys some more in 2012.

If you are interested in watching some video clips of the weekend you can view a video of most of our second heat race from Saturday on Herd Racing's YouTube channel by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu5x20Azm8g.  The boat ran very well and we made consistent gains throughout the weekend, finishing 4th in the Sunday finals.

But with racing coming to a close that means our other efforts will begin ramping up.  We have a busy fall and winter season planned, beginning this weekend with the West Virginia Chili Championship, Chilifest, which is going on Saturday in downtown Huntington.  We will have our Formula 2 Miller tunnel boat and our Formula 3 Yeeeha tunnel boat on display at our chili booth and will be selling sample cups of Herd Racing's award winning chili along with a selection of Herr's chips.  The goal is to generate as much money as possible for the local Ronald McDonald House.  Our lead chef Eric Himes is determined to top our $1,100 plus effort from last year and he is browning 60 pounds of ground beef this week to prove it.  If you are in the Huntington area and want to help the cause, or help us in the booth, we welcome you to stop by anytime.  You can find out the location and hours of the event at www.chilifestwv.com.

There is lots going on in the next couple weeks so be sure to stop by from time to time to find out what.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 - Talk about making you feel welcome.  There's no one better at it than the awesome staff at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville.  When the team arrived tonight for a weekend at Great Miami River Days in nearby Hamilton, Ohio, we not only got a block of fresh clean rooms, but a cheering hotel staff who had custom constructed a banner to welcome the team to the hotel.  Both of the desk staff ladies were dressed in their Herd Racing apparel and ready for their photo with the team's newest Formula 2 race boat. (Check out the staff with the boat and banner above).

This weekend marks the second time in the past month we have had the honor to team with the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville.  The great facility and ammenities, which include everything from an indoor pool to spa, fitness center and deluxe kitchen, is starting to feel like our home away from home and making us wish that every race weekend allowed us to lodge in the Cincinnati metro area.  Thanks ladies for making our stay with you so enjoyable!

We got into Hamilton mid afternoon today and made some last minute repairs to the new F-2 boat.  Other than a little cleaning, servicing the gearcase and replacing a fuel pump, primer and fuel filter, we are pretty much ready for qualifying and heat races which await us tomorrow.  Even better news is a weekend with overcast skies, little chance of rain and highs in the low 70s.  My kind of weather!

This evening we spent some time in downtown Hamilton at the Living Waters Center meeting with some local kids.  We talked with about a dozen youth who lived in the area and made sure all went home with a gift bag filled with rubber balls, puzzles, crayons and most importantly, The Plan of Salvation, which details how following Christ can be as simple as ABC.  As always, we had a good time and Karen LeGrand, our team chef and wife of our launch boss Roger LeGrand, pulled double duty by playing Thunder for us.  Thunder, if you haven't see the profile on the crew page, is our full size team buffalo mascot.

Looking forward to a good weekend of racing to use as a gauge for our F-2 program.  One thing for sure is we should have no problem having a great night's sleep at you know where, that's right, the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2011 - Herd Racing will be spending the a little time this off-season attempting to increase our social media following.  As most people know by now, emails, telephones and even websites are fastly becoming a way of the past and the new fads in communication and networking is through Twitter and Facebook.  Facebook, while I am sure is just a fad that will pass or lessen in a few years, is the most popular form of communication in the world right now.  Believe it or not, more people have a Facebook account than have a home phone. That is hard for me to believe and I remain one who continues to buck the trend personally, but I have to admire how it has grown so fast.  In fact, there are nearly twice as many cell phones in service in America now than there are landline phones.  Amazing.

In an effort to help boost our team's presence with those "in the know" Herd Racing is attempting to grow its social media following over the off season.  Our goals, which I think are very, very lofty, are to have 5,000 Facebook friends and 500 Twitter followers by the end of October.  That's just a little over six weeks, or 50 days to be precise!

We will be plastering our marketing materials with our Twitter and Facebook page addresses and encouraging our fans and friends to "like" and "follow" Herd Racing.  In return, we promise to be a reliable portal where you can learn new information about the team and our efforts, both on and off the race course, nearly every day.  While many people only post to their Facebook Wall once in a while or rarely send a Tweet, Herd Racing has faithfully kept both of our social media avenues full of communication for over a year now and we pledge to continue.  Thanks to technology and having a couple "techies" on the team you have been able to read my almost daily Tweets and read the team blog I write several days per week right on our Facebook Wall without my ever visiting Facebook.  That's right, what you are reading now was actually posted by myself into our website and our crew has set up our Facebook page to go "look" for the blog every day and copy it to the Wall.  The same goes with my Tweets.  I type it in Twitter and minutes later you can also see it on Facebook.

You might ask our reason for even caring about social media.  Here's the answer.  I love being involved in racing, whether it be cars, trucks, boats or airplanes, but I don't like paying for the opportunity to race.  I have always been fortunate enough to develop relationships with advertisers that pay our team to promote their products which in turn allows us to race for free or sometimes even make a profit at it.  We haven't been able to get the financial scales to balance yet in our boat racing venture, but we hope to have that effort breaking even by the start of 2012.  Buying lots of boats and motors took quite an initial investment that we will be a few years recouping, but racing from week to week needs to be at least a break-even venture for me to continue to stay interested.  That's where social media comes in.

I have been told by several potential sponsors that while our presentation to them was impressiive, that they weren't convinced we had enough of following to garner their financial support.  In other words, they want to see that we are communicating with and in front of more fans who can purchase their products.  They too want to see a return on the their sponsorship investment.  There isn't a magic number from what I can tell, but 94 Twitter followers and 3,227 Facebook likes just isn't cutting it as far as corporate America is concerned so we have set the goal to increase our Facebook fans to 5,000 and our Twitter followers to 500 in the next 50 days!  Notice the 5 theme going on here?  You can help us by telling your friends and followers to "like" and "follow" Herd Racing.  Once we reach that goal, which I have no doubt we will, maybe we can shoot for 10,000 and 1,000 in 100 days.  Who knows!

The marketing campaign has begun and while we admit we sometimes don't meet our goals in the time frame we set, we are going to give it our best shot.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 - Like many Americans I can remember the exact moment that I learned of the 2011 terrorist attacks on our country.  I was serving as the fire chief in my hometown at that time and was paged just before 10 a.m. that dreadful morning with the information from our local 911 dispatch center.  I immediately went to the closest television to watch as the day's events unfolded.  Few events in the lifetime of an American can compare to the effects that 9-11-01 had on our country and the changes that it spurred that have taken place since.

In honor and remembrance of those impacted directly by that tragic event, Herd Racing will carry a large 18 inch by 18 inch decal on both sides of our Formula 2 race boat at The Great Miami River Days festival this coming weekend to recognize the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.  The championship race will be conducted, fittingly, on September 11th.  The logo you see above will adorn both sides of our race boat to serve as a reminder to those attending the Hamilton, Ohio festival that we have not forgotton what happened a decade ago.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2011 - It wasn't easy but our new SST-120 tunnel boat, carrying primary sponsorship from Herr's Foods, is ready to hit the water this week in preparation for the events surrounding Great Miami River Days in Hamilton, Ohio.  The boat will be pulled in the annual SwineFest parade in Huntington's Guyandotte community at 6 p.m. Thursday as the kids of Herd Racing ride on the boat distributing sample bags of Herr's products to those who line the streets for the parade.  The team's Formula 3 SST-60 Jesus-themed boat will also be part of the parade.

Speaking of Jesus, two youth who are attending the Guyandotte Association Baptist Camp's Labor Day Camp in nearby, Ona, WV, accepted Christ as their Savior during a campfire service last night.  Many of Herd Racing's group is helping organize and operate the annual camp event and it is great joy to hear of the good news that has happened so far.  The camp continues through Monday afternoon.

Things are progressing toward our weekend next weekend in Hamilton, Ohio.  I was in Cincinnati on Friday and drove the 30 minutes north of look at the site and scout out the area.  We are excited to be able to race at the Great Miami River Days festival next weekend and it will be sort of a relief to just field one boat for a change.  Running double duty is extremely taxing on the driver and crew and with just one boat running out of our stable this coming weekend and cooler tempertures forecast for the region we are excited to have a chance to show some improvement in our F-2 program before pulling the boats from the water for the winter months.

Stay tuned.  We'll have more news about the Hamilton weekend later this week.  Learn more about the events at www.greatmiamiriverdays.org.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2011 - Shop Night last night nearly ran into Shop Morning today but we had a good crowd of five teammates turning wrenches which made it kind of hard to stop on schedule.  We made huge gains and are just a few hours away from putting the new Formula 2 boat on the water for some trials next week. (Here is a photo of the boat operated by previous owner Randolph Racing in Texas last season)

We found some carberator issues, some throttle linkage issues and a few other minor things which could have been some of our problem with the performance of the 2.0 liter Mercury V-6 powerhead.  Rick Adkins and Roger LeGrand put those issues to rest, thanks to a massive surplus of Mercury parts available to us through our earlier acquisition of Zebra Racing back in the early spring.  Luckily, many of the parts on the 2.0 and the 2.4 powerheads we have are interchangable which allowed a lot of swapping to take place last night to get the powerhead ready for some testing.

All that remains is some cleanup, tying up some loose wires, testing the electrical and mounting the seat, seatbelts and air system.  Bryan Rozzi and Eric Himes moved over all of the trim components and fueling system from the Seebold boat last night and we had the engine fired and all of the switches and guages working before retiring after about seven hours in the shop.

We hope to finish up the prep work Thursday night during another Shop Night event and then schedule one night next week on the Ohio River at Schooner's to get the weights balanced and the motor ready to race.  It's off to Hamilton, Ohio in about 10 days and we are excited to see how our new boat will run against a lot of boats we haven't raced with much this year.

We plan to run the #75 on the boat unless Michael Floyd enters the race which will cause a numbering conflict.  When that occurs we defer to the #5 and will do so again if needed.  I would like to thank Michael Floyd for allowing us to run his assigned number in Formula 3 and in Formula 2 when he isn't racing.  As most of you know the #75 means a lot to our program as it memoralizes the 75 people killed in the Marshall University plane crash, but APBA only assigns a number to one person in the country and Michael has sported the #75 a quite a few years which resulted our being assigned #175.  Most racing leagues do not allow three digit numbers to be run on race vehicles so we run the #75 when possible.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011 - Our recent decision to not particpate in the National Championships weekend at Kankakee, Illinois this coming weekend will result in a huge hit in the league points standings for our teams.  As of today, Herd Racing's Formula 2 program is ranked 8th out of the 22 boats which have ran in APR this season.  By missing the Kankakee event next weekend we will undoubtedly drop like a rock, most likely from the Top 10 in the year-end points posting.  By missing a race we will forego a 50-point bonus as well as loose the points we would have gained in the races themselves, so I fully expect the current 8th place ranking to end up somewhere around 10th or 11th a week from today.  Here are the current standings showing all races through Aurora http://www.aprsuperleague.com/Formula%20Two%20Standings%20post%20AURORA%20%202011%20FORMATTED%20FOR%20PDF.pdf.

In Formula 3 we also are ranked 8th in the national points in APR.  While there has only been 12 boats running in that series in 2011 we aren't likely to fall too badly, maybe to 9th or 10th at the worst.  There is a possibility that we will hang onto the 8th place spot, but we will also loose our 50 point bonus in this class, as well as not pick up any new points at Kankakee.  Here are the current standings in that class through last weekend's Aurora race http://www.aprsuperleague.com/Formula%20Three%20Standings%20post%20AURORA%20%202011%20FORMATTED%20FOR%20PDF.pdf.

Needless to say we aren't happy with our performances in either class in 2011.  I entered the year with real expectations of finishing in the Top 5 in Formula 3 and 6th to 8th in Formula 2.  By missing the points races at Elgin due to our wreck in June and then skipping the Kankakee races we pretty much killed ourselves in the points department.  The wreck also threw our whole program off schedule and caused me to have to overcome some mental hesitations at Pittsburgh, my first race back in the boats after the wreck, as I built my nerve back up.  Looking back, had we not had the wreck I truly think our whole year would have turned out a lot better, but as is the case in life you have to play with the deck you were dealt.  Things often times don't go the way you plan and the challenge is finding a way to overcome.

Thus, back to the shop tonight to continue rigging the Formula 2 Miller/Target boat in preparation for Hamilton, Ohio's Buckeye Outboard Association race in two weeks.  We'll see if we can improve on what we began building with the Seebold boat and determine what our winter off-season will entail.

Is SST-60/Formula 3 in our plans for 2012?  Should we start from stratch with new boats? Are we really ready for SST-120/Formula 2 at this stage in our growth?  Right now, how we do in Hamilton will go a long way toward helping us determine where to place our off-season attention.  Join us September 9-11, 2011 at the Great Miami River Days regatta as we enter a new chapter!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011 - I often wondered why I feel so exhausted after what one would call a relatively short race.  Tunnel boats in America run 20-30 lap final events, usually on courses somewhere between .75 to 1.25 miles in length.  This amounts to only about a 10th of the distance that a NASCAR driver pilots his or her craft during a Nationwide or Sprint Cup event, but the tunnel boat drivers clearly are much more winded at the conclusion.

A neat video of a boy getting a ride in a tunnel boat recently has surfaced on YouTube and it lets you clearly see the G-Forces at work inside the cockpit of a tunnel boat.  The estimate is 3 to 5 Gs in the turns which is about twice that of a NASCAR or Indy Car race driver and about similar to a pilot of a Air Force F-16 fighter jet.  Tunnel boat racing is rumored to be one of the most severe G-Force exhibiting sports in existence.  I don't doubt it one bit.  I have tried unsuccessfully many times to hold a SCUBA regulator in my mouth during the course of the race, but the force pulls it from my teeth no matter how hard I bite.  That is pretty amazing considering that anyone who has seem me eat knows my bite is pretty strong.  When you drive these boats you can really feel your mouth and eyes being pulled by gravity.  This video is a good look into what that feels like and no matter what you do you can't fight it.  Just roll with it and get your bearings back after the turn is over.

Anyway, check out the attached video and see the kid's facial expressions as he makes turn after turn.  It is kind of funny as you can see he is playing along with the effects of gravity, but there is no doubt his mouth is doing some serious pulling in the turns.  Enjoy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs8MfL64XbA&feature=feedu.

Starting to rig the Miller F-2 boat tonight in hopes of getting it on the water for a test run during The Great Miami River Days Festival in Hamilton, Ohio on September 9-11.  We'll keep you posted over the next few weeks as our racing season begins to wind down and our off-season charity work and appearances start up for the fall months.  Swinefest and Chilifest are the first two events for September.  More about those in a future blog.  Stay tuned.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2011 - There were many bright spots during our recent trip to the Regional Finals in Aurora, Indiana, but if you were one of the thousands of people who witnessed the two-day regatta events in person you know that none of those bright spots occured on the water.  Simply put, our performance at Aurora was beyond embarrasing, so much so that we have decided to not even make an attempt at the National Championships in two weeks.

After Sunday's two finals, which saw our boats get pounded by the other competitors, we have decided that both of the boats we are currently running are destined for the dust in the back of the race shop.  We will immediately begin rigging a Target/Miller Brothers Formula 2 boat to replace the Seebold.  We also will park the Yeeeha in lieu of our old Hemp/Pugh when it gets back from the builder and will make some decisions soon on whether to continue to try to rehabilitate retired race craft - with very little success so far - or bite the financial bullet and have new boats built.

Granted, both boats showed some potential this year, but the efforts we have put into them versus the rewards we have seen thus far just haven't paid off.  While most other teams will be making the trek north to Kankakee, Illnois we will be rigging some new boats and we won't have to wait long to try out the Formula 2 boat.  It will race the following weekend, September 9-11, on the Miami River in Hamilton, Ohio in a non-Superleague racing event featuring about 10-12 boats from the midwest.

But, racing set aside, we did have a great time in Aurora.  We enjoyed our time with the YES kids on Friday evening and loved our nights at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville.  Sheila Runk, the sales manager at the hotel, and her family spent the day with us at the races on Saturday so we hope they had a good time and saw value in our partnership.  We got a lot of feedback about our Hilton sponsored boats and we let everyone know we were very happy at the Hilton and we bet they would be too!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2011 - The team has arrived in the Cincinnati metro area for the 2011 Thunder Regatta and has been busy since arriving just after noon today.  We got both boats through technical and safety inspection this afternoon and Jeramey and Eric spent most of the late afternoon breaking in our new motor at the boat ramp.  Still another hour of break-in in the morning, but the new motor will be ready for our qualifying laps at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

The team spent the evening at the Youth Encouragement Services home near Aurora doing our weekly outreach through the Herd Racing Foundation.  The home, which can house up to 10 children who have been taken from their homes for various reasons, was built in 1882.  Currently, there is only one youth living at the home, but the director of the home, Cathy Piche, rounded up nearly 20 youth from local foster families and other facilities to attend a hot dog party at the home Friday evening.  Thanks a bunch to the Piche family, who operate the home, and our foundation head Jeff Webb for setting up the visit for us on such short notice.

The kids got their fill as every one got to sit in each boat, tug on the steering wheels and race a tunnel boat in their own imaginary race.  The fact it wasn't in the water, was strapped to a trailer and wasn't even running didn't seem to matter a bit.  They had a great time which meant we had a great time too!

All of the kids were given autographed team post cards, some puzzles and had their photos made with the boats.  Here's a sample of a few of the kids posing with the Jesus boat Friday evening.

Our Friday night travels then took us to the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville where the desk staff were dressed in Herd Racing apparel and armed with cameras upon our arrival.  The front desk crew took their turns trying out the driver's seats before we put the tunnel boats to bed for the night.  Thanks to the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville the team and the boats will sleep well this weekend!

Hope to see you in Aurora tomorrow and Sunday.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011 - The leaks have been fixed, the new engine mounted and the tools loaded aboard the hauler for tomorrow's journey to Aurora, Indiana for Round 5 of the APR Superleague 2011 tour.  While at Aurura this year the team will lodge with the fine folks at the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville, just off Exit #15 of Interstate 75, north of Cincinnati.

The team would like to thank the staff at the Hilton Garden Inn and sales manager Sheila Runk for joining our team as an Official Lodging Partner.  We look forward to staying at the Hilton Garden Inn this weekend and entertaining the hotel's staff at the races in Aurora.  Both of Herd Racing's boats will feature the Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati/Sharonville logos for the 40,000 fans who are expected to attend Sunday's Midwest Regional Finals.  It will be our first time staying at a Hilton-branded hotel this season.

Stay tuned over the weekend for Facebook and Twitter updates about our racing and outreach efforts.  We will try to keep you up to date as best as possible.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011 - Just a quick post tonight to tie up a few loose ends that didn't get posted in the past couple of blogs.  One is that the APR Superleague has posted it's standings through the Huntington Classic event and Herd Racing has been fortunate enough to creep up a little in both of the polls.

Granted, a tunnel boat racing season is a lot like a heavyweight title fight.  It is punishing to both driver and boat and the guy or girl who is able to hang on and finish every race usually fares pretty well when the end of the season rolls around.  In fact, very few teams make it the whole season without missing a race or two which helps those who do run the full tour.

As you know we missed pretty much all of the points at the season opener at Elgin due to our crash so we started the second week of the season way back in the points.  In fact, of the boats who had ran to that point we were dead last in both Formula 2 and Formula 3 going to Pittsburgh because we didn't start the final in either class at Elgin, thus taking home goose eggs in the points department.

Well, we are hitting the home stretch of the 2011 campaign and Herd Racing's #5 Formula 2 boat has chissled it's way up to 7th in the standings.  Pretty good considering we missed the Elgin race, and nearly sank at both Pittsburgh and Huntington due to a seam opening up on the hull.  Here is the latest F-2 Superleague points standings http://www.aprsuperleague.com/Formula%20Two%20Standings%20post%20HUNTINGTON%20%202011%20FORMATTED%20FOR%20PDF.pdf.  Considering a total of 22 boats have ran in Superleague's F-2 series so far this year we are pretty happy to be holding solidly in the Top 10 at this point in the season.

As for Formula 3 the Herd Racing #75 Jesus boat was able to get by two teams which were not able to make the Huntington event to solidly grap hold of the 8th place in the standings.  Last year we finished 7th in the points at years end so we hope to at least duplicate that effort, but again, missing Elgin resulted in a horrible start to the season and then the boat was a handful for the next two events as we struggled bad to limp home in one piece.  It got better at Huntington so hopefully we can carry that momentum forward to Aurora this weekend.  Here is the latest Superleague standings in Formula 3 http://www.aprsuperleague.com/Formula%20Three%20Standings%20post%20HUNTINGTON%20%202011%20FORMATTED%20FOR%20PDF.pdf.

While the season is relatively short as far as the number of races is concerned it feels like an eternity getting through a full year in one piece.  Hopefully we can keep it right side up for a couple more weeks and see where we shake out in 2011!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011 - With about 10 days of down time between the East Divisional Championships in Huntington and this weekend's A Roar of Thunder Midwest Regional Championships in Aurora, Indiana, most teams probably were happy to have a breather.  But things on the Herd Racing front have been anything but slow the past couple of weeks.

In fact, they have been quite busy.  The show boat spent the week of the Huntington race traveling around the city to a car lot for three days and then to Schooner's Waterfront Grille for a three-day stay.  Since that time it has been back to the river again, this time at Harris Riverfront Park in downtown Huntington, where Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz opened the boat up to the hundreds of kids who attended the four-day Rib and Music Fest 2011 at the park last Thursday-Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Formula 3 Jesus boat spent last night a free community cookout sponsored by the 26th Street Baptist Church in Huntington where the team's two mascots Humble Bumble the Christian Bee and Thunder the Water Buffalo helped entertain the many kids in attendance at the Back to School bash portion of the evening.

I know a lot of my fellow racers think that my performance in the races could probably be a little better if our team concentrated more on racing and quit worrying about everything else we do.  Well my response to that is pretty simple.  You're exactly right.  But, some of us receive joy from personal achievement and some of us get it from giving of ourselves to others.  I am sure winning a tunnel boat race is a real joy, one that I hope to experience some day.  But real joy to me and our team is seeing a kid's excitement when they sit in one of the boats or sit on the lap of a life-sized bee or hug a large hairy buffalo.  Taking time for a kid who may not get any attention at home provides much more joy to me than winning any race ever will.  That may sound crazy to some people, but making a positive impression on someone who needs any positive they can get in their lives ranks much higher on my 'to do' list than dominating a boat race.  Maybe someday if Herd Racing gets a taste of success our priorities may change to where racing is the most important thing we do.  Let me know if you see that happening so I can get out before it's too late.

Anyway, back in the shop things are progressing.  Roger LeGrand and myself spent Saturday morning and this evening getting the Formula 2 boat back in shape.  We had a seam where to top deck and hull join open up during the final at Huntington and we took on a bunch of water.  We have done our best to remedy that problem and hope it holds for a couple more weekends until we can turn the boat over this winter to make a more permanent fix.

And, the F-3 boat is ready for the new LaBanco powerhead.  We are planning to put it on Wednesday night after church and hope to break it in Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at Aurora, just in time to try it out on my favorite race course, the D-shaped oval in front of Lesko Park in downtown Aurora!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011 - Attention in the race shop this weekend will turn to next weekend's Aurora, Indiana contest which is celebrating it's 13th season this year.  The Roar of Thunder Regatta historically draws between 20,000 and 40,000 fans to the banks of the Ohio River near Lesko Park in downtown Aurora.  Just minutes from the Cincinnati beltway, Aurora is the perfect setting for a tunnel boat race.  Fans have access to the teams, the streets are closed and the haulers and teams set up camp right in downtown, similar to our setup in Marietta, Ohio.  Aurora takes it's tunnel boat racing seriously and last year was voted the Superleague's favorite race site by the league's teams and drivers.  Here is the television spot being show in the Cincinnati area this and next week to promote the event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT8ctkH6FJY&feature=share.

We hope to have the cracks in the F-2 boat patched up early next week so it will have some time to dry and we will be putting a new engine on the F-3 boat and breaking it in early next week as well.  If all goes as planned, both boats will be ready to head for southern Indiana early Friday morning of next week.

But, before we begin our Aurora preparations, Herd Racing's Formula 3 Jesus-themed boat will be making an appearance at a community outing and picnic sponsored by the 26th Street Baptist Church in Huntington, WV.  The boat and many team members will be at the event from 5 to 7 p.m. this Sunday, August 14.  The community outing, which is free and open to anyone who wants to come, is at 2510 10th Avenue in Huntington, on the side parking lot at the church.  Come out and see the boat, enjoy some good food and visit with Herd Racing's mascots Thunder the Water Buffalo and Humble Bumble the Christian bee.  Hope to see you there!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011 - Even two days after the checkered flags fell at the first Huntington Classic powerboat championships the media coverage is still coming.  The Huntington newspaper, The Herald-Dispatch, featured stories and columns about the race weekend beginning last Thursday and they continued daily through Monday.  Here is a copy of Monday's wrap-up story on the event which included a small photo gallery, finishing order and a nice story http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343882/Weekend-of-powerboat-racing-wraps-up-on-the-Ohio-River.  Most race city newspapers may have a small story or two, but The Herald-Dispatch covered The Huntington Classic like a newspaper should cover a national sporting event coming to town.  They listed the starting order on Sunday morning, the finishing order on Monday morning and the schedule of events each morning.  They even did a nice feature story on Sunday morning featuring Jeff and Carole Reno and their boat racing careers.  You can see that story and photos here http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343682/Florida-couples-shared-passion-for-river-racing-takes-them-all-over-the-Midwest.  My hat is off to Herald-Dispatch staffers Dave Walsh and Chuck Landon.  You guys did your jobs well last weekend and powerboat fans around the world were the beneficiaries of some good solid news coverage of a major sporting event.  Here is Saturday's story introducing readers to the upcoming events http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343680/Formula-2-3-racers-set-to-face-off-in-Classic-finals and even a preview story on Friday http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343352/Racers-revving-up-for-The-Huntington-Classic.  Every day featured at least one photo of various boat teams and it seemed that just about everyone in the field got some sort of mention at one time or another throughout the weekend.  There was even a short preview story in the local paper on Thursday of last week letting fans know the races were coming to town http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343032/Twenty-powerboat-teams-set-to-race-in-Guyandotte.  And even a sports columnist's opinion column prepped fans for the coming events http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1812762496/Chuck-Landon-Powerboats-will-put-on-show-for-Huntington.

It isn't often that promoters, organizers and racers are happy with the media coverage they receive after an event, but I think we would be hard-pressed to find anyone who was disappointed with the efforts the Huntington area media made during Superleague's first stop in Huntington in more than a half decade.  If you agree I hope you will email Dave and Chuck and let them know you appreciated their coverage.  Hopefully when racing resumes in Huntington again, hopefully in 2012, they will come back to tell their readers more.  You can reach the duo at clandon@heralddispatch.com and dwalsh@heralddispatch.com.

In fact, yesterday and today, professional photographers who were guests of the teams and promoters at the weekend events began posting their pictures online for race fans and teams alike to enjoy.  Huntington photographer Rick Adkins, who also photographed the Huntington Classic preview back in June, is posting his photos here http://ricksfotos.smugmug.com/Hobbies/APBA-2011-Huntington-Classic/18430422_qN7n74#1421218115_ndzMFJq and plans to add several hundred shots as he has time this week.  Also, professional photographer Adrian Henson has posted many pages of shots he took during the first classic on Saturday and Sunday http://igratify.smugmug.com/Boats/Boat-Race/18443301_wN58rX.

If anyone has any complaints about their experience in Huntington it sure can't have anything to do with the publicity their team received while they were here.  Hey writers and photographers, thanks for helping promote our sport!  You did good! 

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2011 - Pulling double duty in any sport isn't something most athletes look forward to physically.  Offense and defense in football, Sprint Cup and Nationwide in stock cars and Formula 2 and Formula 3 in tunnel boats.  Any of the above aren't easy for the most physically fit and if you are a 41-year-old who sports anything but an athletic build then it is even more taxing.

That was the case this weekend in Huntington as I strapped into both boats for a full weekend of racing.  The results were better than previous weeks, but the heat on Saturday was almost unbearable for me.  After a single lap run followed by two heat races in the F-2 boat, and a single lap run and two heat races in the F-3 boat I was feeling pain in places I didn't know I had and gasping for air as I peeled out of my new Tiger air mask.  While the new Tiger air mask is something I will never climb in a tunnel boat without again, it was my first weekend wearing the mask and I could tell it caused me to have to work harder to breath.  Couple that with four hours on the water in Saturday's heat and humidity and I was in for a five-pound in a single day involuntary diet plan.

Regardless, the efforts were worth it as we began to see very positive gains in our F-2 and F-3 boats.  The boats performed and the crew excelled.  I'm beat tonight, but I'll stop by a few times this week to tell you all about the first ever Huntington Classic and the many positives Herd Racing took home from the race weekend!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011 - Race weekend is here and there is no shortage of things to do at the first, and what we hope will become, the annual, Huntington Classic.  Obviously, race fans will be watching the water from late morning to late afternoon tomorrow and Sunday for some Formula 3 and Formula 2 tunnel boat race action, but if you are hankering for some fun after the checkered flag waves there is lots on the calendar for you to enjoy.

The Huntington Classic, in conjunction with Schooner's Waterfront Grille and the Guyandotte Regatta Festival, has a lot of fun stuff to do each evening at and around the riverfront.  Here is a link to the entertainment schedule for tonight through Sunday at www.huntingtonclassic.com.  Click here to access entertainment lineup: http://www.huntingtonclassic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14:entertainment-abounds-on-water-a-land-at-huntington-classic&catid=2:news&Itemid=9.

If you plan to attend the events at the VFW tonight, Herd Racing will have both of the race boats it is running this weekend at the festival for the kids to see.  Stop by Main Street in front of the VFW in Guyandotte to talk to the team and see the boats.  The team will be giving away We Are Marshall DVDs and giving bouncy balls, fake Jesus Fish tatoos and puzzles to the kids in attendance.  The events are free and open to the public.

And, if you missed some of the preview of the race weekend this week in the local newspaper you can catch up on the news by clicking on the following links.  The Herald-Dispatch's sports page was nearly all boat racing on Wednesday.  You can find that story, standings and photos here: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652342630/Leading-racers-coming.  On Thursday morning, Sports Columnist Chuck Landon gave his take on what he saw at our Huntington Classic preview back in early June.  He and I talked quite a bit that night about how tunnelboat racing is a lot like NASCAR.  Here is his column: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1812762496/Chuck-Landon-Powerboats-will-put-on-show-for-Huntington.  And again this morning, The Herald-Dispatch published the race day schedules for Friday-Sunday at The Huntington Classic events.  You can read the upcoming weekend racing schedule at: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1652343032/Twenty-powerboat-teams-set-to-race-in-Guyandotte.

Off to The Huntington Classic!  Hope to see you there this weekend.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2011 - Having a race venue less than 10 miles from the house is a blessing for any race team when that rarity occurs.  But for our team this coming weekend having a race in Huntington means all of the race team members' kids and spouses can gather as one massive family for a weekend, something we don't get to do at any other race event.  While Marietta is almost a home game for us, just 90 miles to the north, we typically have a crowd for that event, but I expect the whole gang and more to pack our pit area on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

My daughter, Hannah, will be selling "Mother Mouse Goes Camping in the Deep Dark Woods" at the race hauler all weekend.  Her second children's picture book was published earlier this year and arrived from the printer a few weeks ago.  To celebrate, Hannah and her friends will man a table at the race hauler selling the second book in her Mother Mouse series for $4 a copy, which comes with a free autograph from the author.  To help spread the word, Herd Racing's Formula 2 boat will sport a Mother Mouse paint scheme for the Huntington race.  A 56-inch long decal of Mother Mouse herself will be affixed to the rear cowling of both sides of the 120 boat so it should be a pretty cool site to see a flying mouse all weekend.  If you haven't read the orginal Mother Mouse then this weekend is the chance to get yourself a copy of both books for less than 10 bucks.

In other news, both our boats will display a memorial decal remembering a friend of Herd Racing Foundation member Melissa Wentz' friend Candy who was tragically killed a few weeks ago while we were racing at Marietta.  Candy was walking home in West Huntington along a roadway when a car struck and killed her.  Melissa, Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz' wife, was with our team at Marietta and got the terrible news Sunday afternoon before our finals.  The team will honor Candy's memory by displaying a pair of memorial decals on both our F-2 and F-3 boats this weekend in Huntington.

Also, Monty's Pizza of Chesapeake, Ohio has joined forces with The Herd Racing Foundation to help us by providing pizzas for a future outreach event.  We will return the thanks to Monty's this weekend by carrying their logos on our boats and look forward to cashing in on our side of the deal in a few weeks when our team, Foundation and church combines forces to conduct a fundraising event for Legacy Powerboat Ministry.  If you have an extra dollar this weekend please find a Legacy Powerboat Ministry donation bucket at the races.  They are our chosen charity this weekend and we want to raise enough money to be able to rest easy this winter knowing they will be able to be at all of our 2012 events.  Their services and prayers are things we can't afford to not have with us!

And lastly today, our F-3 motor, fresh off the workbench at LaBanco Racing, is scheduled to be delivered via our marketing friend J.D. Leedy in the morning.  J.D. will then pack our wrecked F-3 boat to Knoxville so that Gary Pugh can get started on resurrecting the old boat in time for one of our late August or September races, complete with a new LaBanco motor.

More to come later in the week.  The Huntington race is going to be stressful, but a great time for everyone who is able to come.  If you are in attendance, stop by the hauler for a hot dog, a good children's book and say "Hi" to all the kids!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2011 - The countdown to the first annual Huntington Classic powerboat racing weekend is on and Herd Racing is scrambling to cover all of the bases as our hometown hosts it's first professional boat racing event in several years.  As most know, Huntington used to be home to the APBA's Marathon Nationals and hosted APR Superleague tunnel boats for more than a decade off and on during the 1980s, 1990s and in in the mid-2000s.  Well, powerboat racing is back in Huntington August 5-7 at an new venue and sporting a whole new look!

Herd Racing, while not the official promoting arm of the race event, has seen involvement from the beginning and our boats and crew have played a big part in making sure the potential race becomes reality.  We have helped with fundraising, with a preview of the race by providing two boats for a demo at the venue, and by assisting the organizers by letting them know what teams and drivers "prefer".  While I don't think you will see a world of difference in the upcoming race in Huntington from any other race on the national racing calendar, I think as a driver or team member you will see some little things that will help you like the direction Huntington's race committee is going.

First of all, the hot and cold pit area are in the same location.  You can see the launch ramp from the pit area and no team will be more than 50 yards from the launch ramp.  This will make it easy to stay on schedule and see what boats are coming from and going to the race course, which is about 200 yards upstream from the launch ramp.  Unlike Marietta and Aurora, and some other sites where the teams' pit area and the launch area may a block or two away, the Huntington site is a big improvement from that standpoint.  Also, the pit area is perfectly flat, more than 2 square acres of flat blacktop and features lots of grassy and shady areas around the outside of the pit area, and even a permanent restroom building and several concrete picnic tables so the teams can set up camp in the shade.

In addition to racing, several other community groups have pulled together to offer some entertainment for the visiting teams and fans.  Schooner's Waterfront Grille, the host facility from where the race boats will launch on the starts, will feature live music both Friday and Saturday nights.  The local community of Guyandotte, about four blocks from the race site, will also feature a mini-regatta that showcases some nightly music and carnival games.  If you come to participate in or watch the races and want to stay around after dark there should be plenty for you to do!

And, our own Herd Racing Foundation member Bethany Himes (whose latest album cover is featured above) will be singing the National Anthem during opening ceremonies on Sunday.  Bethany, wife of our Chief Engineer Eric Himes, is a Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter who has at least two CDs out there.  Stop by the Herd Racing hauler this weekend and pick up Bethany's latest release, A Princess of the King.

Dana Tomes

 The Herd Racing team has been busy in the shop each evening this week working on trying to make our Formula 2/SST-120 boat a little better before our next event in Huntington which is coming up next weekend.  Eric and Jeramey have been moving weight to the back of the boat in an attempt to help slide our balance point back further on the hull.  We have had trouble keeping the nose up and had to switch to a three-bladed prop at Marietta in order to keep the boat from bobbing so bad.  It helped, but the real fix is getting a lot of weight as far back as possible to compensate for the fat guy behind the steering wheel.  We’ll keep on it and see if moving the gear case oiler, batteries and trim pumps back about two feet make any difference.

Bryan Rozzi and myself have gotten the Hemp/Pugh Formula 3/SST-60 wreck loaded on a road trailer and cleaned up for it’s delivery to Gary Pugh’s shop in Knoxville, Tennessee early next week.  Hopefully we can get the boat to Gary early in the week next week and get it back in time for Aurora, Indiana’s race in late August.  I was looking forward all winter to driving the Yeeeha hull but after two weekends struggling horribly to get the boat under control I have to admit I miss the old heavy Hemp/Pugh tremendously.  Our new SST-60 motor is ready according to Sam LaBanco so if all goes well we will have the old Hemp/Pugh back in business with new power for Aurora unless we are able to make a miracle turnaround with the Yeeeha at Huntington.

We continued trying to improve our driver safety system as well, particularly the breathing air system, this week.  The team has been able to purchase a slightly used Tiger air mask from retired tunnel boat racer George Galloway in Bristol, Tennessee and have sent it back to the manufacturer for cleaning and a checkup.  I hope it gets back to us via UPS by next Friday so we can strap it on for the Huntington race.  If not, we’ll make due one more race with the old SCUBA regulator in the mouth until we can get the mask in action.  A big thank you to George.  He not only sold us the mask at a very fair price, but made us a great deal on some radios, headset, a backup capsule suit, helmet and some other things.  I told him to throw anything he didn’t want in the box when he shipped it and he did just that - 34 pounds of stuff!  Thanks a bunch George, and thanks to Del and Jerry Book for hooking us together.

Herd Racing’s Formula 3/SST-60 Jesus boat will be on display from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at the AMP’D for Christ Summer Festival 2011.  The massive two-day Christian music festival historically has drawn thousands to the Barboursville City Park Amphitheater.  If you want more information on the festival or many of the bands planning on participating in the event you can visit the organization’s website at www.afcjesus.com.  The Herd boat will be available for photos and viewing near the main gathering area at the concert and driver postcards and Christian literature will be available from team members.  It will be the lime green and white Yeeeha boat with the Jesus fish paint scheme.

The team is planning some outreach events for next Friday night and would like to ask any tunnel boat drivers who are coming to Huntington to race that weekend to join us for the event.  If you would like to participate and bring your boat along to show to some kids in the Huntington area let us know.  The more drivers and boats the better.  I’ll get you more information on this as we learn more but our Herd Racing Foundation is planning to try to get as many kids from local group homes and mission homes there to spend some time with the team and enjoy some pizza and games.

And, we have chosen Legacy Powerboat Ministry as the league’s designated charitable organization for the Huntington race weekend.  Each powerboat race event will support a separate charity and I am extremely pleased that the APR management allowed us to choose Legacy.  I have experienced the love and compassion they offer first-hand during a time of need earlier this year during my wreck at Elgin and I want to do everything in my power to make sure the Vidal family continues coming to the races so that other racers, fans and families can have the comfort in knowing they are praying for our safety and there to counsel and console when we need them.  I will get you more information on this as well over the next week and I am excited because I am working with a local group which may match everything we can raise that weekend so we are hoping to auction off some stuff and raise as much money as can.

Talk to you again this weekend.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011 - When I told you last week I as going to take a little time off I did just that. No phones, no pager, no computer and no contact with much of anyone for a full seven days. Just some South Carolina sunshine and Atlantic Ocean waves filled my calendar pretty much all week. But, now I am back in the saddle and the desk is piled high, the stress meter is already beginning to creep up and my plate, at home, at work and at the race shop, is piled high!

First off today, if you want to look at some photos taken at our first three race events of 2011 then Eric Himes has compiled an online gallery for you to view. I will be transferring many of the photos over to the race team’s website photo gallery as I get time, but if you want to sneak a peak before then you will be able to see a couple thousand shots compiled from several cameras throughout the first three events. You can access the online gallery here: http://himes-family.smugmug.com/Eric-and-Bethany-Photos/Herd-Racing.

The Huntington Classic powerboat races are just about 10 days away and the workers at Adam’s Landing are working hard to get their docks replaced before the event. This spring the raging floods on the Ohio River caused quite a bit of damage at Schooner’s and the facility has been working non-stop for the past couple of months replacing all of their pleasure boat dock. Hopefully, all of this will be done, and moved out of the pit area where the dock is currently being assembled, in the next couple weeks. The signs have gone up at the launch area announcing that the facility is going to be closed to the public August 5-7 so it looks like things are progressing. The APR Superleague has published the race Gazette brochure for the Huntington race weekend for drivers and their crews/families. You can access the publication online here: http://www.aprsuperleague.com/2011HUNTINGTONGazette.pdf.

The league standings after Event #3 at Marietta have been posted. In Formula 2 our #5 entry currently ranks 8th in the national points race through the first three events. We had ranked 9th after Elgin and 10th after Pittsburgh. There have been a total of 19 boats compete in the Formula 2 events so far this year. You can see the current rankings at: http://www.aprsuperleague.com/FormulaTwoStandingsMARIETTA2011.pdf.

In Formula 3 our #75 boat currently is ranked 10th in the national Superleague standings. Missing the finals at Elgin after our wreck caused us to loose a bunch of points in both Formula 2 and Formula 3 so it has been a game of catch up so far this season. When we have two untested boats that have both shown an array of small problems and a pilot who readily admits he isn’t one of the best that has ever strapped into a boat then you can see why being ranked in the Top 10 at this point in the season is some sort of small victory in itself. The Formula 3 results posted through Marietta can be found here: http://www.aprsuperleague.com/FormulaThreeStandingsMARIETTA2011.pdf. There has been a total of just 12 different boats which have competed in Superleague Formula 3 events so far this year.

Lots is happening in the shop this week. I’ll get back as soon as possible with some updates about what is going on and what we are planning for outreach and such for the Huntington race weekend. It will be a busy week. Check the website for updates.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011 - We have a couple weekends off before making the long seven-mile trek to Adam's Landing in Huntington, the site of the fourth of seven races in this summer's APR Superleague schedule.  There is a lot of stuff to do, but while we're waiting on parts and supplies I'm taking the girls to play in the ocean a little this coming week.

We finally found a used Tiger air system for sale from a former boat racer in Tennessee and I am making arrangements today to secure it and get it headed our way.  While I am sure it will take a going over and maybe sending it back to the manufacturer for some updates, it will be a good feeling to know that unless we have some major problems with it that I will have an air mask strapped to my face by Aurora at the latest.  You don't appreciate a little air so much until you go without it upside down in the cockpit of a boat.  Had I had the Tiger air system in Elgin last month the outcome would have been much different and my hospital bills a lot less.  I am doing all I can do to make sure the next time one of the Herd boats go over that we are prepared in every way possible.

Waiting for some Amsoil Dominator II racing oils this week after ordering enough to last the rest of the season.  Running two boats we are going through more than a gallon each weekend to mix our fuel.  Last year this time we were just opening our second gallon jug as the SST-60 boat is very easy on fuel compared to the SST-120 V-6 engine.  To say it likes fuel is an understatement.  It is getting about 4.5 miles to the gallon which as you know isn't very good for a car, let along an 1,100 pound boat.

Don't forget the Huntington Classic coming August 5-7 to Huntington, WV.  If you live locally this will be the only opportunity to see powerboat racing in the Huntington area this year.  If you live further to the west and don't want the drive all the way to Huntington you're in luck.  The Buckeye Outboard Association is putting on a similar show of Formula 2 and Formula 3 racing in Portsmouth, Ohio the same days!  While Herd's boats are bound by contract to the APR Superleague event in Huntington, as are about eight teams in each class, I hope there are enough Formula 2 and 3 teams out there to fill both events.  Nothing would speak more for the strength of the sport than to put on two quality shows 50 miles apart on the same date.  But, lets work it out in future years that we aren't having to try to pull the rabbit from the hat like this.  There are 52 weeks in the year and I am sure if we all work together we can find a way to let all of our teams enjoy competiting in both events in future years.  There's no one to blame for allowing it to happen once, but we are all to blame if we allow it to happen again next year!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2011 - It's been a very busy start to the 2011 race season as we have raced three of the past four weekends and are completely exhausted.  It would be different if racing was all there was to do, but rebuilding our Formula 3 program after our wreck in Elgin didn't start the year off on the right foot, and the fact that everyone on our team has a family and a full time job sort of makes the stress level a little higher as well.  The good news is that we have survived the opening stretch of the 2011 Superleague season and now have three weekends off before hitting the Ohio River in Huntington for Round 4 on August 5-7.

To highlight a few things that have happened over the last week I can say that we visited with a youth home in Parkersburg, WV during the Marietta Riverfront Roar weekend event on Friday evening and spent a couple hours letting the youth sit in our boats, we sang some songs with them and did a few crafts.  Thanks to our chief engineer's wife, Bethany Himes, and our Foundation president Jeff Webb, for coordinating the outreach events in each race city.  Regardless of the outcome we have in the actual races themselves, we can leave the city we race in with a good feeling knowing that at least a few kids got to do something that otherwise they never would be able to experience had we not made the effort.  Getting to sit in a tunnel race boat as a kid would be great thrill for any youth, and is especially a treat for some of the kids we come in contact with, many of whom have been removed from their homes for various reasons.

We got a thank you package from the kids at The Larkin Center in Elgin this week, thanking the team for spending an evening with them during our race weekend there.  We also got a hug and a thanks at Marietta from one of the staff people at the Elgin race who helped us get the Larkin Center kids into the race that weekend.  She said it gave her a blessing to see the kids get to enjoy the race.  Her telling me that also gave me a blessing and let me know that what we are trying to do is important and is something we will strive to continue to do at each race event.  I truly believe that the more you give, the more desire God gives you to give more.

On another note, our Formula 2 team t-shirts will be available online in our team store this coming week.  The team has been wearing the shirts since Elgin, but I just this week had the time to get the artwork to our webmaster to upload to our team website's Store page.  Click on the Store icon on the left of our home page to access the online store.  We ship orders a couple times a week and accept Mastercard, VISA, checks and cash so if you want to wear the same gear the team wears it is available to you!

It is good to have a few weeks off to lick our wounds from the opening weeks of the season.  Regardless of our finishing positions in the races we have been learning as a team and getting better as a team.  I can say that each of us, from driver to crew chief and beyond, are more knowledgeable now than we were a few weeks ago.  While we probably won't show that increase of knowledge in the standings anytime soon, I can see improvements in our performances.  Our F-2 boat gained about 2.5 seconds a lap from first practice Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon's final.  Granted, we're still about six seconds a lap off the pole speed, but there are a couple boats in both F-2 and F-3 that I don't even consider in the same league.  Terry Rinker and Mark Jakob are just flat scorching the water every weekend in F-2 and I don't have any hopes of competing at their level for quite a while with the experience, motors or boat we bring to the table each weekend.  Same goes for Roddy Foreman, Tammy Wolf, Mike Hooper, and on some weekends, a few others in Formula 3.  Watch, learn and be able to document a little improvement are our goals for 2011.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, July 07, 2011 - The upcoming Huntington Classic powerboat race weeked due in the River City the first weekend of August was previewed on local television station WSAZ 3 on during it's newscasts on Wednesday evening.  The event promotor Dan Ferguson, Herd Racing Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and Superleague Rescue boat supervisor Tim Calhoun were featured in the two-minute story.  You can watch the news clip here: http://www.wsaz.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6026622&flvUri=&partnerclipid=.

After our trip to Marietta this weekend for Stop #3 on the 2011 Superleague Tour, our attentions will turn to helping get the Huntington event ready for the fans and the teams.  All of the events are going to be taking place at Adam's Landing in East Huntington and I think both the fans and the racers alike will leave the three-day event with a smile.  In Huntington this year the whole event is the boat race, so not having to fit into a festival schedule will be a relief.  While the festival atmosphere is nice for the fans, it is a hectic time for the racers as we have to hurry here, hurry there and cut this short or that short to fit into the festival's time slots.  In Huntington it will be simply racing and lots of it!

Our teams are off to Marietta tomorrow for the Marietta Riverfront Roar.  We will be running the same two boats we ran in Pittsburgh and hope to improve on the performance.  We have major issues with both boats, handling on the 60 boat and a weak motor on the 120 boat.  We will adjust all weekend trying to get them both better as the weekend goes on.  While we love boat racing, I personally can't wait until we get home from Marietta and have three weekends off.  The start of the season has been a hectic pace and with our wreck in Elgin and the mechanical problems we have been having I will be happy to resort to a slower pace for a couple weeks.

Stop by the website this weekend for updates or follow our weekend on our Twitter and Facebook pages.  If you're in the Marietta area stop by the festival and see our Mod U show boat which will be on display the whole weekend along with several other vintage boats.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2011 - With less than 72 hours left before we leave for the North American Championships in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, our Herd Racing staff has been hard at it all week rigging our backup F-3 boat for competition.  The motor is hung, the rigging is nearly complete and all that remains is a few switches to wire, steering to adjust and decals to apply.  Barring any major disasters we should have the backup Jesus boat ready to load on the hauler come Friday night for our Saturday morning trek to the Steel City.  Thanks to crew chief Jeramey Wentz, a bunch of crew members, and an endless supply of Herr's chips to fuel the crew, the boat will be ready to race come Sunday morning!

Pittsburgh is one of our favorite venues and was home to our first race of the 2010 season.  There is a huge crowd and lots to do in Pittsburgh, and the boat count is expected to be much improved from our season opener a few weeks ago in Elgin, Illinois.  Speaking of Elgin, congratulations to racer/promoter Jim McGrath.  For a first year event in a city that hasn't recently undertaken such as task on a piece of land that hasn't yet been developed for community use, the event was a resounding success.  The site has a lot of potential and I think if Jim and Superleague choose to team up again in 2012 the Thunder on the Fox can become one of the better stops on the annual tour.  The water is great, the spectator viewing area is great and I can personnaly confirm that the local EMS and hospital network is first class as well!

Our foundation president, Jeff Webb, is finalizing our outreach events for Pittsburgh.  It is looking like we will be spending a good part of Saturday evening with youth who reside in residential group homes for those recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.  Like our event in Elgin at The Larkin Center, we try to reach out to a group of kids during each race weekend to help build their confidence, spirit and self esteem by letting them know we care about them and want to spend part of our weekend with them.  I have heard nothing but great things from the staff at The Larkin Center about how our visit has impacted those kids.  Keep Jeff in your prayers as he continues to line up our outreach programs for each of our 2011 races.  We hope we can be a small blessing in some way to some of those we interact with.  Touching just one kid in a positive way is worth the effort.

Lastly today, the Huntington Classic event scheduled for the first weekend in August has been designated as a Divisional Championship by the APBA.  This is a pretty high honor for a race event, especially a first year event.  There are only six divisions in APBA and to be able to host a Divisional Championship is pretty big news.  The planning for the Huntington event is in high gear and the committee there is planning a big time for everyone who attends, both racers and fans alike.  You can follow the event's preparations at www.huntingtonclassic.com.

I'll try to stop by blogland again before we leave for Pittsburgh and let you know the status of everything.  Looking forward to teaming up with Chad Beahr, Will Clark and Joe Gilley in Pittsburgh as the heart of our former Nationwide Series and ARCA Re/Max crew will be together to help us at one of boat racing's marque events of 2011!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011 - While the bruises and scrapes - on our boats and people - will still remain for a while, all attention at Herd Racing has turned to next weekend's EQT Three Rivers Regatta in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa. where the North American Championships in both Formula 2 and Formula 3 are up for grabs.  We will be burning the midnight oils in the shop again most of the week this week as we continue rigging our new F3 boat for the water.  It's first stint on the water in about a decade will take place next Sunday when we unload for practice in Pittsburgh.  The boat, a Paul Pittman design built by Yeeeha, was last raced as #101 by Joe Quartero back in the late 1990s.  It was built in 1996 and only raced short time before finding itself in a garage and later moved to Herd Racing where it has undergone a complete rebuild over the past offseason.

Luckily we have a full week to work this week and don't have to leave for Pittsburgh until early Saturday morning.  We have check-in and inspection on Saturday afternoon, but nothing on the water until Sunday.  Pittsburgh is the only venue where the F3s are showcased and run their final on Sunday and the F2s are showcased and run their final on Monday, July 4.  There is usually a F2 practice on the water on Sunday, but no F3 action at all on Monday when the F2s highlight the major regatta which draws more than a half-million people over it's three days.

We have a full week of work to do as the hauler is getting four new airbags and a couple new tires this week and we strip down the old F3 and move the air system and radio controls over to the new F3.  Other than a gearcase external oil line which needs to be added the F2 boat is pretty much ready for a wipedown and be loaded for the trip to the Allegheny River on Saturday.  It didn't see much action at Elgin due to my being knocked out of Sunday's races, but it was on the water for about 31 laps on Saturday and performed as good as we had expected.  We are way behind on propeller technology on that boat and hope to have some other options to try at Pittsburgh which will give us some more straightaway speed.

I'll try to stop by and update you with information a couple times this week and let you in our what our Foundation group has planned for us in Pittsburgh.  If you are traveling to the Steel City to watch the races we hope you'll choose to stay where the team stays, the Quality Inn University Center right downtown.  Talk to you again soon.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2011 - Competitors in most sports tend to develop relationships with others in the sport, whether it be fellow competitors or team members and their families.  I can report today that the amount of care and support exhibited this week by my powerboating family has been tremendous.  As I am sure everyone knows by now, I was involved in roll-over crash at Elgin on Saturday and was trapped inside the boat under water for a short time.  No sooner did I arrive in the emergency room by ambulance at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin did my extended family begin reaching out to see how I was doing and to offer their support.

The Legacy Powerboat Ministry team was by my side immediately in the ER as doctors worked on me, and within minutes our crew chief Jeramey Wentz, who never left my side that evening, began getting emails, phone calls and texts from people across the sport.  Fellow driver Dan Bunting and his crew, as well as the Superleague rescue crew who pulled me from the river, were at the hospital that night.  The following day I got a hug from I think everyone I had ever met in powerboat racing, including several people I met for the first time at the conclusion of those hugs.  Even Monday, Tuesday and today I have still been getting calls, emails and posts to our team's social media pages wishing me a quick recovery and offering their prayers.

Thanks to all of you who have been asking about my recovery and praying for my safety.  I am doing fine, feeling much better today and looking forward to taking the seat in both the F2 and F3 boats at Pittsburgh next weekend.  While the crash experience was terrifying, to say the least, I feel like I need to get right back on the horse in order to move on.  God provided me with protection throughout the event and I feel this experience provides me with another testimony on how great God's love can be to those who are willing to accept it!

If you don't have a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ his Son I pray that you will seek one.  There is no safer feeling when you are in dire straights than to know your future on Earth lies in the hands of your Saviour.  Regardless of what the outcome on the Fox River on Saturday would have been, I am so thankful for my relationship with Jesus.  He calmed my nerves and let me continue to work on my situation long after I should have lost all sanity.  I prayed for help from God and he gave me all the tools I needed, including calmness, coolness, a little air, rescue crews and emergency personnel, to get out of the situation I was in.  I can only praise Him even more now than ever before!

Jesus Saves . . .  in more than one way, and I am a living example of that!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011 - Well you have probably heard by now that our luck in the season opener at Elgin wasn't what we had hoped for.  It started with a marathon week getting the F2 boat prepared and then transitioned to a five-hour breakdown on the highway enroute and then a terrible crash on Saturday which caused us to have to withdraw both boats from their respective finals on Sunday.  I got to spend the night in a Chicago-area hospital and then break down two more times on the way home on Sunday evening.  You might think that a weekend like this would be enough to cause someone to quit, but you know, every weekend in my racing career has pretty much been filled with problems of one type or another.  This just made me think of my old friend Brett Rowe and the disasters we endured last year in the Nationwide Series as our luck always seemed to turn from bad to worse just in the nick of time to doom whatever we were trying to do at the time.

But the collateral damage from this past weekend is behind us now.  If you want to see the video from the F-3 qualifying race on Saturday you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jhtFBWj_XY.  Our crew chief Jeramey Wentz gathered footage from the bank, still shots from spectators and video from our GoPro onboard camera to put the piece together.  In case you are wondering, my two minutes on the bottom of the Fox River was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.  I had trouble getting the boat canopy opened, the steering wheel off, the seatbelts released and finding my air supply before gulping a couple breaths of river water.  It's one thing to surface in a pool after choking on water, but still being trapped upside down under water in a crashed boat while coughing water and trying to systematically get yourself out is more stress than I had counted on.  Did I panick?  You know it!  I thought several times during the ordeal that my days on Earth may be over, but I was able to get the air I needed to keep working on getting free and the Superleague rescue divers did their jobs perfectly to result in a happy outcome for everyone. God does intervene to help his children when they need him and I felt his presence with me on Saturday without a doubt!  I asked him to help get me out of that boat and he used the tools at his disposal to make it happen for me.  If I had ever lacked a testimony about how good God's grace can be I sure have one now.

All that remains are a few bruises and a crashed up boat that will need some major work before heading back to the water.  In fact, I think this may be what results in our switch to the new F3 boat we have been rigging for the past several months.  We'll try to get through this week and get some truck repairs done to prevent future breakdowns and then tackle the F3 boat next week.  We don't have to be in Pittsburgh until early on Saturday, July 3 so we have a week or so to get the wrinkles worked out.  With a new prop and some changes the F2 boat is ready to race and performed pretty well for it's first time on the water.

On another note, we enjoyed a great evening at Elgin on Friday with members from the Larkin Avenue Baptist Church and kids from the Larkin Center.  The kids from this residential group home for victims of abuse were able to sit in our boats, get their photos made with our mascot and come to the races as our guests on Saturday.  Thankfully they had left for the day before our accident occured.

Thanks to everyone who played a role in our trip, including the Country Inn and Suites in Elgin who treated us like royalty.  I'll be back with some updates later in the week and in case you thought I might allow us to pass over our near tragedy without some sort of religious message then you would be wrong.  You know you can count on a little preaching on the blog later this week.

Dana Tomes

 THURSDAY, June 16, 2011 - Pretty much all-nighters for the past three days, but the F2 boat has been stripped, refinished, repainted, relettered and is being loaded into the hauler as we speak.  Things have been hectic, but I think it is all coming together.  Hoping to leave for Elgin later this evening and arrive north of the Windy City by early morning for inspection and testing on Friday.

Both boats are running good and looking good so all that awaits is for us to perform well!  Keep our outreach efforts in your prayers as we visit The Larkin Center and host the Honor and Remember folks this weekend.  May God work through our team in Elgin to spread the good news!

Follow our weekend here on the blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages as we will attempt to update daily on what's happening at Thunder on The Fox, www.thunderonthefox.com.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011 - A week from tonight we'll be loaded up and heading home from our season openers in Elgin, Illinois, but a lot remains to be done before we get to that point.  With the demo event for The Huntington Classic behind us we have to focus on getting ready to race in Elgin this week.  While our crew chief, Jeramey Wentz, is on a business trip to Indy, and our chief engineer, Eric Himes, begins his first week of a two-week summer family vacation, the rest of us will be pulling double time in the shop starting tomorrow making sure we're ready to pull out by Thursday afternoon.

The big project left undone is painting the F2 boat.  That is a two-day project so hopefully I can get all of the body prep and taping done tomorrow and the final sanding, wiping and painting done on Tuesday, with decals to be applied on Wednesday and Thursday.  Our boat chief, Greg Smith, still has a couple days labor in the hauler trailer getting cabinets hung and desks secured, but I think it all goes well we should be able to be loaded and ready to pull out of town by early evening on Thursday, in time to catch a few hours sleep along the highway and slip into downtown Elgin by noon on Friday.

It looks like we'll take on 2011 with a six-person crew with two people assigned to each boat and myself and Jeramey as floaters, making sure everything gets done.  Eric is on vacation the next two weeks and our dock chief, Bryan Rozzi, can't pull out of his day job for two days so we will make do with a couple fill-ins for the first weekend.  Roger LeGrand who made the first NASCAR Sprint Cup trip with me as a tire specialist back in 2006, will come along, as will Sterling Ayers, the gasman and mechanic on our 2008 ARCA ReMax Series team.  Both are more than capable with a wrench and are avid boaters so there shouldn't be a letdown in quality.  In addition to myself, Jeramey Wentz, Greg Smith and our Foundation President Jeff Webb will make the trek to Elgin this week and make up our six-person crew.

There is a whole lot of stuff to do over the next four days, but I'll try to find a few minutes a couple times this week to stop by the blog and let you know how it's coming along!  Thanks for your support and keep checking back for updates here, on our Facebook wall and through our Twitter posts as the 2011 season quickly approaches!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JUNE 09, 2011 - The Huntington Classic preview was a big success from what I can tell.  We ran the F3 and F2 boats as planned and did some starts from the dock as well as some fly-by runs for the crowd.  I think everyone involved has to be pretty pleased with the turnout at the event which packed the restaurant barge and had cars parking in the street nearby.

The F3 Jesus boat ran like a charm.  In fact, it is better now as far as speed and positioning on the water than at any time since we have owned it.  The F2 boat is wicked fast at times but has some weight balance issues we need to address which kills our straightaway speeds.  I think it is a problem we can get corrected, but sometimes balance issues are trial and error type things that takes a while to work through.  Luckily we are a rookie in the F2 class and will be at the usual rookie disadvantages anyway so we can take the time we need to make the boat right in the first couple races.

Thanks for everyone's effort to get us to the demo last night.  All of our boat crew, Jeramey, Eric, Bryan and Greg, worked their tails off this week getting both boats prepared.  We had the engine off the F2 and all of the steering off and the boat partially stripped after Monday night's test so Tuesday and Wednesday was filled with hard work at the shop.  It all continues to come together well.  Thanks also to Superleague rescue and the Ceredo Fire Department for keeping us safe on the water last night.

If you want to look at some photos from last night's events you can find them on professional photographer Rick Adkins' site at http://ricksfotos.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Dana-Tomes/17459751_3T8jJX#1328755366_H8dt2dJ.  You can watch video of the event on WOWK TV 13 at http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=101150.  The local paper also carried a story this morning about The Huntington Classic preview event.  You can read it and look at their photos here http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x740104313/Drivers-give-preview-of-August-event.

The F2 will be in the paint shop Monday and Tuesday getting our yellow jacket paint job in preparation for Elgin and then the packing begins Wednesday with the loading of the haulers.  The caravan heads to northern Illinois next Thursday night, exactly one week from today we will be racing in APR Superleague!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 08, 2011 - Herd Racing will be conducting an on-water demostration of a Formula 3 and Formula 2 tunnel boat today from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Schooner's Waterfront Grille in Huntington, WV.  The event is a meet and greet for potential event sponsors of the upcoming Huntington Classic powerboat racing event which is scheduled for August 5-7 at the same location in East Huntington near the confluence of the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers.

On display tonight will be our refurbished Mod-U powerboat, and we will do two 20-minute on-water segments featuring our Hemp/Pugh SST-60 Formula 3 boat and then a short run with our SST-120 Seebold composite Formula 2 boat.  The Superleague rescue crew and Ceredo Fire Department will also be on hand managing river traffic and setting up a mock course for our boats to run and all of the race boats and rescue boats will be on display at the end of the event at 7:30 p.m. near the entrance to Schooner's barge.

If you aren't busy we invite you come down to the river and check out the boats tonight.  If you are a business person and interested in promoting your business through local racing then tonight's event would be a perfect opportunity for you to meet the event's planners, organizers and the league's management team.

If you want to check out a story that was in the local newspaper yesterday you can link to it here: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1301414222/Powerboat-racing-on-the-Ohio.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011 - The time has come that we have to make a hard decision about which boat we will field in the 2011 Superleague campaign in the Formula 3 class.  We have worked non-stop since October rebuilding the Pittman/Yeeeha which we believe is a much lighter, shorter and thus, faster boat.  But, for several reasons out of our control, we haven't been able to get our new motor back from the builder in order to get the boat on the water and do any type of testing to get a comfortable feel for the boat.  So, it looks like we have made the call to run the Hemp/Pugh from last year at least for the first two races of 2011 and then look at where we are.  You might think that it would be a simple fix to simply take the motor off the old boat and put it on the new one, but it really isn't that easy.  The two boats are completely different in setup, the new one built to allow the motor to mount in an automatic rising plate which will allow us to move the motor's position up and down on the transom with a wrench, rather than having to loosen up the whole mounting and shim it up and down with shims.  We could make the switch but I really hate spend a lot of time and effort switching it back over to the old way and putting a worn down motor on a brand new boat.  I would rather wait for the new motor and know what I have rather than running a weaker motor and then switching over to a better one mid-stream.  We know the old Hemp/Pugh is a solid boat and will perform decently until we can get the new one ready for the water.  Not the way I wanted to start off 2011, but things happen and the motor situation is something we can't control.  Our builder is waiting on machined parts from another party and there isn't anything either of us can do to hurry that process along.

But, in the F-2 class, we will be going to Elgin with fresh power on that boat.  The Seebold composite F-2 is very near ready for the water and was test-run in the shop on Saturday after the powerhead was mounted to make sure all of the connections were proper and secure.  We had one little electrical glitch, but that is what test firing is for.  We found the problem and Jeramey and Eric corrected it real quick.  We hope to take both the Seebold F-2 and the Hemp/Pugh F-3 to the Ohio River Monday evening to get the motors up to operating temperature and run them a little.  No real testing at full speed because we won't have a rescue crew on hand, but we will be getting them ready for Wednesday night's demonstration for the APR Superleague and Huntington Classic race committee when Superleague's rescue boats will be on the water with us.

Just about 12 days until we leave for Elgin and there is still a world of stuff to do, but we will know after Wednesday where we stand on quality of equipment.  After Wednesday's test we should have a feel for the motors, the boats and have our prop choices for Elgin.  Working out the bugs sometimes takes a few weeks, but we still feel we will be entering 2011 in much better position than we did in 2010.  All that will be left, hopefully, is a new paint job and decals for the F-2 which we haven't started on yet.

If you live close and want to get a sneak peak of some powerboat action in Huntington, stop by Schooner's Waterfront Grille in Huntington from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011 - Here is a press release being sent out today by The Huntington Classic race committee regarding a powerboat racing preview event set for next Wednesday night.  If you are in the Huntington area and would like to see some powerboat action on the river stop by and see us next week.  While the event on the deck is limited to potential sponsors and the media, the general public will be able to watch this event from the restaurant if you want to stop by and have a snack or meal at Schooner's that night.  Hope to see you there!

HUNTINGTON CLASSIC OFFERS POWERBOAT PREVIEW JUNE 8

HUNTINGTON - The Huntington Classic race committee, APR Superleague and Herd Racing will offer Tri-State powerboat racing fans a sneak preview of top notch racing action June 8 at Schooner's Waterfront Grille in Huntington.

The free event, which is open to the local media and interested potential event sponsors will be hosted on the east deck at Schooner's and will feature two 20-minute powerboat demonstrations on the Ohio River in front of the restaurant and marina.  The event will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Light snacks and drinks will be available free of charge to those attending.

Huntington Classic race committee chairman Dan Ferguson said the event is being hosted in an effort to provide local businesses, media and fans with a sneak preview of what they can expect to see August 5-7 when the Huntington Classic powerboat championships bring more than 20 top boat racing teams from across North America to Huntington.

"We want to build fan excitement, sponsorship support and media interest for the event," Ferguson said.  "We need corporate support from Huntington area businesses and organizations to bring this type of event to town.  We hope business owners will come out see how powerboat racing can be a great way to promote their business.  Only seven cities across the nation will be hosting a Superleague tour event in 2011 and Huntington is very fortunate to have been chosen to be part of that elite group of host cities."

The demonstration will include a retired race boat being staged in the Schooner's parking lot which visitors can actually climb into to get the feel of a real race boat cockpit.  Both a Formula 2 and Formula 3 race boat from West Virginia's only professional powerboat racing team, Herd Racing, will do a short racing demonstration on the river.

More information about the event is available by contacting organizer Dan Ferguson at 304-544-9191.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 01, 2011 - The guys spent Tuesday night in the shop tying up the loose ends on the Seebold F-2 boat in preparation for mounting the powerhead and test firing the engine later this week.  Our crew chief Jeramey Wentz and chief engineer Eric Himes tweeked the trim indicator cable in the cockpit, wired up the switches and buttons to the driver's liking and spent the evening making sure the boat is in first class shape when we hit the water with it in a few days.  We got the seat mounted, seat belts adjusted, air and radio systems completed and began zip tying and taping up the wires neatly in preparation for a full season of racing.  We are hoping some gaskets arrive from Seaway Marine tomorrow and another Odyssey battery from JEG's so we can spend one more evening finishing up the boat and then hit the water.  Plans are for a Saturday afternoon test or at worst next Monday evening on the Ohio River at Huntington.

Then, unless we have some major issues, we can turn our attention to getting the motor mounted and ready on the F-3 boat and take the backup F-3 boat to the water for a little testing.  Plans are for a full-scale test session one night next week complete with rescue boats and buoys.  We should have more information on that in the next couple of days after all of the details are worked out so if you live close and want to see an F3 and F2 boat on the water you will have the opportunity.

Back in the shop Thursday night to keep things pointed in the right direction.  Almost time to start loading up the haulers for Elgin!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2011 - In just three short weeks we will be unloading the haulers in Elgin, Illinois for our first weekend of Superleague racing that will carry us through the summer and into early October in 2011.  We are still making daily progress in the office and race shop preparing for the 2011 season and today was no different as all of our radio cables, push-to-talk equipment and two-way radio wiring arrived.  I spent much of the morning yesterday at Huntington Sport and Commercial Diving Center as our unofficial safety consultant Charlie Carroll rigged regulator hoses and mounting brackets for the two breathing air systems that will be fitted in our boats.  All in all, things are coming along well and with a couple more shipments from Seaway and Mercury Marine next week we should have about everything we need to get the F2 boat out of the garage and onto the water with a week or 10 days to spare to fix any bugs that crop up prior to leaving for Elgin.  Not as early as we had hoped last fall, but much better than our intro into 2010.

As for the F3 boat, that is a different story.  We still don't have our new motor in hand for that boat and the earliest we may have it is probably still a week or more away.  It got held up majorly after we had to get a new block and head for the motor, something we weren't planning on having to do.  Then the machining of the parts to get the performance edge we hope to gain slowed the process even more.  The good news is if for some reason we don't get the primary F3 boat on the water before Elgin we have a solid backup in the Hemp/Pugh which performed pretty well for us last year.  We have significantly lightened it up from last fall with a new motor cover, new cowling and by removing some frills that were adding weight.  The driver hopefully will be a few pounds lighter as well.  I started last summer just under 220.  I am starting this summer around 210 so an extra 10 pounds off the scale should help a little.  Still would like to get under 200 before Pittsburgh, but progress is slow for a guy who hates exercise and loves to eat.  Regardless, I'm much happier with 210 than the 243 I had ballooned to when making the decision to get into the cockpit of a boat last April.

Now back to the opener at Elgin being three weeks away.  Promoter Jim McGrath has been at it since late summer last year.  Here is a story that appeared in the Elgin newspaper this past week talking about the race and how the city is preparing for it's first time hosting a Superleague event.  Click here for story: http://couriernews.suntimes.com/news/5415286-418/elgin-revving-up-for-thunder-on-the-fox.html.

We'll be in the shop Monday and Tuesday nights mounting seats, rigging seat belts and installing air systems and radio harnesses.  Stop by and see us if you can!  Everyone is welcome.  We usually get in there around 6 and work until at least 8, many times much later.  We would love to see you.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011 - The Magnuson Hotel & Suites on the Interstate has joined Herd Racing this week and has been named the team's Official Lodging Partner for the 2011 Marietta Riverfront Roar activities July 8-10.  The hotel is part of the world's largest chain of independently-owned hotels and specializes in the three things Herd Racing team members and their families desire the most while traveling.  A nice clean room, a free breakfast and a cool, refreshing pool for the wives and kids to cool off in each evening.  To learn more about the Magnuson Hotel & Suites on the Interstate and their partnership agreement with the team you can click on the 2011 Sponsors icon in the upper left corner of the the page and visit the Lodging Partners page of the website.  The team would like to thank the management and staff at The Magnuson for coming aboard!  Housing a group the size we take along to the races can be expensive so we do greatly appreciate their sponsorship.

Meanwhile, the gang has spent the past two nights hammering it out in the race shop while the UPS and FedEx trucks have been nearly passing one another on the driveway the past couple days.  We got out first half season shipment of race fuel from VP Racing Fuels in today, seatbelts for the F-2 boat, breathing air regulator hoses and spare breathing air bottles, yada, yada, yada.  You can really start to see the progress coming together this week as we have the mid-section and lower unit mounted on the Seebold, have the trim pumps purged out, new lines ran, new batteries installed, new auxilliary oil tank mounted for the gearcase and the fuel tank mounted.  Next up for the weekend is mounting the breathing air system, radio system and seat in the capsule and doing a little wiring of the switches for the trim pumps, radio and such on the dash and steering wheel.  All that remains after that is mounting the powerhead and getting a test day lined up to make sure everything functions before sending it to the paint shop for a couple days.  Then the same story is to be repeated on the F3 boat.  Still lots to do, but I think we will be OK and hopefully will be able to get both boats in the water at least once before heading off to Elgin.

Any carpenters out there need a couple day's work?  We have six new work station tables and seven wall cabinets to mount in the hauler trailer in the coming days to allow each team member to have a small work station within the hauler on race weekend.  Any help is appreciated.  You don't wan't me hanging cabinets, believe me!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011 - Herd Racing's official team website, www.herdracing.com, continues to draw boat racing fans from around the world.  As of May 22 the site had received more than a million hits already this calendar year and continues to receive more than 100 new unique visitors per day.  As of today, 2,626 unique visitors had stopped by so far this month, 34,887 so far this year.  In all 1,098,749 hits had been recorded by the website's hosting software tracking system.

Pretty good news considering several factors.  For one, switching from NASCAR to boat racing we fully expected to lose followers due to the pure number of followers being a lot less.  Also, being that boat racing has a very, very, very long off-season we also thought the interest would drop off over the winter months.  In fact last June when we were full-bore auto racing we saw about 78 new people a day on average.  Now we see about 117 a day on average so apparently there are some boat racing fans out there!

In other news, Superleague Media has announced that the 2011 North American Championships in Pittsburgh on July 2 and 3 will again be nationally televised.  Last year's race ran on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh many times and also was picked up by several cable networks across the eastern portion of the country.  Speaking of television, the 2010 showing of the Can-Am Championships from Memphis continues to be aired by SportSouth.  The event will be aired on May 25 and three times during the first week of June.  If you have SportSouth check your local listings for air times.  Most are late afternoon or early evening hours with one scheduled for 9 p.m. in early June.

The family stopped by Schooner's Waterfront Grille in Huntington for lunch after church today.  As you know by now, Schooner's will be hosting The Huntington Classic race events in early August.  The restaurant barge will provide VIP spectators with the most awesome view you can imagine for a boat race.  The entire front of the restaurant opens up and there is a deck that is about eight feet above the starting dock so spectators will be overhanging the starting dock just feet from the boats.  A pretty cool view for a boat racing fan.  If you want to know more about The Huntington Classic stop by the event's website at www.huntingtonclassic.com, and if you want to be on the deck watching the races get your sponsorship packages soon as VIP tickets for access to the restaurant during the race weekend are limited to 250 people.  Free admissions to the event get to pick their viewing spot from the shoreline, about 100 feet away from the action.

Lastly, the team will switch it's weekly Shop Night events from Monday nights to Tuesday nights until further notice.  A couple of team members had scheduling conflicts with our Monday night events so we will be changing in an effort to help get the whole team together at once at least one night a week.  The public, as always, is invited to stop by any Tuesday night, but don't come by on Monday's because there is no guarantee we will be working.  Someone is typically around the shop several evenings a week doing something, but Tuesday will be our only day of the week we will observe regular posted hours.  I'll try to post some photos from the shop activity this week as it has been a couple weeks since you saw what is happening there.  Hopefully we'll begin hanging tables and cabinets in the hauler this week as well and the Seebold F-2 boat is about a week away from getting a new paint job.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011 - Powerboat SuperLeague has secured the center feature story in an international boat racing magazine which hits newsstands with it's lastest issue this week.  The publication, Raceboat International, follows all forms of professional boat racing, including tunnel boat circuits from around the world.

The story, which mentions Herd Racing's intent to compete full time in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 ranks, is found on pages 32 and 33 of the magazine.  An online electronic copy of the magazine can be found here: http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1s34s/raceboatinternationa/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raceboatinternational.com%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D256. You can scroll over the page 32 and 33 to see the story.

As you can see in the story, Herd Racing's Formula 2 boat will be the #5 at races when J. Michael Floyd is racing his #75 F-2 entry.  Otherwise, Herd will run #75 on both the F2 and F3 boats, but if you see a #5 on the F2 entry you'll know it is to simplify the scoring efforts by not having two boats with the same number on the course at the same.

While Herd Racing is far from being the star of the story, anytime you get a mention in a magazine, especially an international one, you have to be pleased.  I really think that 2011 will be one of the most competitive Superleague fields ever.  Like I have said before, I can honestly see 5 or 6 teams in each class capable of winning every week.

We should be picking up our F3 motor from Sam LaBanco Racing in Northbrook, Illinois next week and will then send the SST-60 boat to the river for some engine break-in work.  Awaiting two or three more parts and our F2 or SST-120 boat will be ready to roll as well.  Like I mentioned last week, our goal is to get them ready for the first week of June in order to have a couple weeks of window before Elgin to get them broke in and set up.

All we need now is the river to cooperate.  The Ohio River has been running high and muddy for about four months and right now there just isn't any way to even consider putting a tunnel boat out in that mess.  Hopefully it will clear and lower in the next couple weeks as we continue our push to be ready to test when it does.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011 - The Huntington Classic Powerboat Championships launched it's event website this morning so tunnel boat racers and fans can learn more about the festivities being planned for the first weekend in August in Huntington.  The site can be found online at www.huntingtonclassic.com.  While there is some basic information up on the site for the time being, I can assure you there will be much more exciting news before the summer ends.  Right now the race committee is still raising the necessary funds to contract the race with APR Superleague so once that phase is complete efforts will beging toward creating a top-notch entertainment venue for the whole family.

Also, the Herd Racing Formula 3/SST-60 boat took part in Crash and Turn 2011, a contemporary Christian concert conducted at Boyd County Middle School near Ashland, KY on Saturday night, May 14.  Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and Foundation President Jeff Webb spent the evening dodging thunderstorms to talk to fans and those attending the concert about Herd Racing and it's tunnel boat outreach programs and race efforts. I'll check to see if the guys snapped a few photos and if they did I will try to get them posted for you to see.

Things are progressing on schedule.  Jeff and his crew of The Herd Racing Foundation are working to set up outreach events for us at each race city we visit in 2011.  It looks like we will be visiting a Boys and Girls Club in Elgin, Illinois for our first event and our mascots may be visiting the University of Pittsburgh Children's Hospital during our second stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a couple weeks later.  As we have said before, we want to be able to make a positive impression on children each race weekend and use our blessing of being able to race tunnel boats to help create a smile on a child's face.

It will be back to the race shop Monday night for the Herd Racing crew as we try to finish up the wiring and mounting of the fuel pump and trim pumps in the new SST-120 boat before bolting on the powerhead and heading for the river in a few weeks.  I'll start the painting on the 120 sometime this week or next after we get done walking and crawling all over it.  It is going to be a yellow jacket bee theme with massive yellow and black diagonal stripes and just a touch of red trim.  Should look pretty neat.  If we can't have a fast boat then at least we hope to have a nice looking one.  Who knows, it would be great if it turned out to be both!  I guess we'll find out the answer to that question in Elgin on June 19.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011 - The Herd Racing Mod-U boat which was resurrected from the dead over the winter months is finally ready for its first event, promotion of the 2011 Huntington Classic boat races coming to Huntington August 5-7, 2011.  The 18-foot wooden-hulled Seebold open cockpit boat and it's vintage Mercury Black Max V-6, manual Mercury mid-section and Speedmaster #4 gearcase will spend many a summer weekends docked at Schooner's Waterfront Grille in an effort to draw interest in the August race events scheduled to be conducted there.  The Huntington Classic's website is set for launch this coming Sunday, May 15 and will continue to see upgrades as the race dates near and more community events are added to the racing schedule.  I think the event will be something that will re-energize Huntington's desire to become a regular stop on the SuperLeague tour as it once was.

During Shop Night last night, Eric Himes and Jeramey Wentz, got the new-style midsection mounted on our composite Seebold SST-120 boat and transferred the old-style midsection, which was on the boat when we purchased it to the Miller SST-120 backup boat.  Lots of work remains like wiring, plumbing and getting the weight distribution the way we need it on both boats, but it was an accomplishment just to get the midsection mounted, the first step toward getting the Seebold to the water in the coming weeks.

Just six weeks remain before the season kicks off in Elgin, Illinois and we are no where even close to being ready to put a boat in the water.  Time is quickly passing, but from talking with most other racers around the country we don't seem to be as far behind as most so hopefully we will be ready to take to the water by June 1 and get a few practice sessions on both boats before heading to the suburbs of the Windy City.

Like we have mentioned before, the team is looking for some more help so if you ever wanted to get into racing boats and learning how to crew then we have some opportunities.  We would love to have a couple more to add to our traveling pit crew each week, as well as a couple more to help us in the shop with boat preparation.  If you are interested drop me an email at danatomes@herdracing.com or contact our crew chief Jeramey Wentz at jerameywentz@herdracing.com.

Parts are still arriving on a regular basis and progress is being made daily.  Keep checking back for more updates as we get them and be looking for the launch of www.huntingtonclassic.com this weekend!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, MAY 06, 2011 - Thankfully, progress is beginning to show after a long winter sort of kept work in the boat racing shop to short and infrequent bursts.  The weather began to swing the other way this week and we were slammed pretty much all week painting, working on the mechanics on the hauler and getting the exterior trailer decals put on.  There is still a long way to go on the hauler's exterior makeover, but as you can see from the attached photo it has changed quite a bit already.  Still to come are some chrome updates to the tractor, a grill screen, lots of buffing and waxing and some paint work on the trailer and liftgate.  Hopes are for it to look pretty sharp when we roll into Elgin on June 17 and you know my moto on appearance.  First impression is everything.

Work will continue over the weekend to finish up the show boat.  I picked up the murals for it from Amtek Signs this week and will try to get those applied over the weekend along with a little touch up painting.  The murals are a 72-inch long river scene which will run down both sides of the boat promoting the Huntington tunnel boat race events coming up in August.  We'll try to get some photos of the boat on Monday night when everyone is in the shop and post them on the website for you to see if we can get it completed over the next couple of days.

Speaking of working in the shop, we can always use volunteer help so if you want to come by for a couple hours on Monday nights we would appreciate the extra set of hands.  There is always something for everyone to do, from peeling decals to mixing paint to backing up a wrench.  Don't think you need to be a professional boat mechanic to fit in.  Just bring whatever skill you have and we'll find a place for you.  And, if you are interested in making boat racing and outreach a part of your summer, we still need a couple good hands to travel with us for the full season.  We typically leave early on a Friday morning on race weekends and get back sometime real late Sunday night into the early morning hours of Monday.  There isn't any pay, but the team will cover your room, travel and keep your belly full so if you think this might be of interest to you then give us a call or come by the shop some night.

From what I am seeing and hearing it looks like there will be several new faces in the SST-60 and SST-120 classes again this year.  For the past several years the league has added a new team or two each season and this year looks to bring more of the same.  I know of at least two new teams coming into SST-60 and at least two teams that haven't raced in a few years returning to SST-120 so it looks like the race fields will be bursting at the seams in 2011, a great thing to hear!

Check back when you can.  I'll try to get back here for an update and keep the photos coming as often as I can as we hopefully continue to make progress.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2011 - Herd Racing is pleased to announce that the Quality Inn University Center in downtown Pittsburgh has joined the team as our lodging sponsor for the North American Championships on Independence Day weekend.  If you plan to attend the races in Pittsburgh we hope you will choose to spend your nights with us at the Quality Inn.  Herd Racing will display one of the team's boats at the hotel on Friday night, July 1 and will participate in a team meet & greet event at the hotel that night to kick off the Pittsburgh race weekend.  If you still don't have your lodging plans for Pittsburgh, click on the link to the Quality Inn on our 2011 Sponsors pages to the left to get your reservations set.  The hotel is just a stone's throw from the race events.

I can happily report that the team's Mod U show boat is finally behind us.  The restoration project got it's final painting last night and is now in the decaling process.   I have to thank my daughter Hannah for her help last night as I held the mid-section and gearcase on the boat while she racheted down the transom bolts.  The boat's first assignment will be to promote the Huntington Classic powerboat events which are scheduled for Huntington, WV in early August.  The show boat will spend several weekends at various venues around Huntington promoting the Huntington Classic events.  The boat will be getting a large 72-inch photo banner applied to its' sides this coming weekend and will then be ready to hit the race promotion circuit drumming up support for the inaugeral Huntington Classic.

The Huntington Classic website, which can be found online at www.huntingtonclassic.com, will be turned on to the public on May 15.  It had been originally scheduled for May 1, but is being held up while Superleague management and the event's promoter finish up the details of the race and the promoter secures some last-minute funding commitments to make sure the race goes off as planned.  The website is pretty much done and will be one of the better event websites out there, featuring videos, photos, river levels, weather conditions and other elements that I think the race fans and participants will enjoy.  Check out www.huntingtonclassic.com on May 15 and follow the site regularly as we add new features and events surrounding the Huntington race event.  It should turn out to be a neat little community event, similar to what we have in Marietta and Aurora.

Lastly, our Herd Racing online store is finished and will be up and running according to our webmaster by the end of this week.  It will feature several hats, a few shirts and other team merchandise for sale.  All of the items are in stock and can be shipped immediately upon receipt of your order.  You can access the store later this week by clicking on the Store icon to the left side of our homepage.

And, it will be off to Indiana tomorrow night for the Formula 2 team hauler to get some lettering and graphic work done.  I'll get some photos of it this weekend when it returns to let you see what the new look will look like.  We're progressing a little each day, sometimes slower than expected, but still progressing.  Back with more updates later in the week.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2011 - With less than seven weeks to go before our season-opening event at Elgin, Illinois you would think that a race team that has worked steadily since last fall's national championships at Kankakee in early September would be more than ready for the upcoming season.  Well . . . you would be wrong.  As of today we have six boats filling the production floor in the race shop and not a single one of them are ready to race.

We have left our 2010 F-3 parked pretty much as it returned from Kankakee last fall with the exception of installing a new rear cowling and purchasing a new motor cover. Both new parts will save about seven pounds from the old ones we ran last year should we need to put that boat back on the water in 2011.  The problem is that the motor needs some work before running another season and we purchased a new motor for the other F-3 boat we plan to run this season which is still on the work bench at our engine builder awaiting some cylinder sleeves from the machinist.  With that said, it is almost too late to tear into last year's motor and my worry about having time to break in and test our 2011 boat with the new motor is growing more every day.  We really need to get our boats on the water for some setup and testing by Memorial Day weekend or we will be behind the curve again this year, exactly like we were last year.

If you remember last year, my first time strapping in the F-3 boat for the 2010 season was about two hours before competing for the North American Championship in Pittsburgh.  You might imagine my lack of confidence going into that race weekend, a situation we will do everything possible to avoid in 2011.  I want to go to Elgin tuned, polished and ready to compete when the boat backs into the Fox River north of Chicago on Friday afternoon, June 17.

I am sure everything will work out fine over the next 45 days or so, but I am just one of those people who likes to have everything organized, set in stone and practiced well before the performance, so running late isn't something that helps me relax.  Anyway, things are progressing consistently around the shop and office as the show boat is about four hours away from being a finished project and we have dug into the F-2 Seebold and have the body on it about ready for paint.  After that, we can mount the new mid-section, gearcase and powerhead and should have that boat ready for some testing with 2-3 nights work.  Honestly, I feel more comfortable about getting that boat done with time to spare than I do the F-3 boat which we began working on in mid-September.  The only things we really need to change on the Seebold is the seatbelts, radio wiring, air system and a few other mechanical issues, all of which are pretty quick and easy projects.

The shop is open to the public tomorrow night if anyone wants to come by from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 2, to help out or just chat.  We plan to mount the motor on the show boat and begin some striping and lettering on it, as well continue to remove the decals and prepare the bodies of the two new boats we got recently from Washington State.  Barring another week of wild weather in the mid-west, the big hauler will hopefully make the trip to Salem, Indiana sometime this week for an exterior trailer makeover after heavy thunderstorms cancelled that trip last week.

I'll try to get some photos of the updates going on this week and see if our technical department leader, AKA Eric Himes, can post them to the Facebook wall.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011 - Herd Racing will unveil a new online store on May 8 dedicated to the team's boat racing efforts where team members, their families and fans can purchase a variety of boat racing items related to Herd Racing.  The store, which will be able to be accessed online by clicking on the "Store" icon on the left side of the website will also feature a variety of three-dimensional art products produced through a new retail arrangement with Custom Cutouts.

Custom Cutouts, found online at www.customphotocutouts.com, has produced a line of Herd Racing items, including a three-dimensional 8X10 cutout of our 2010 F-3 boat in action at Pittsburgh, and a refrigerator magnet and a Christmas tree ornament featuring our hauler break-through image which is featured on the front of our website and will soon be plastered on the sides of our F-2 hauler.  The web store will also feature our 2010 F-3 team t-shirts and hats, 2010 hero cards, DVDs and our 2011 apparel line, which will include three varieties of hats, a sunvisor cap and an F-2 t-shirt design which is currently in production.  There is no danger of the page rivaling Wal-Mart's online store, but it will provide a simple place for our fans to pick up a shirt and hat like the team wears.  Items can be ordered via email, mail or phone and payment methods can include a check, money order, cash or Mastercard and VISA.  I'll remind you in the blog before May 8, but check it out late next week and see what we have to offer.  If there is a particular item you would like to see let us know and if the numbers work (costs vs. sales estimates) we will see what we can do to add it.

In other news, our Foundation president Jeff Webb is planning to be in the office tomorrow setting up our charity appearances for the Elgin and Pittsburgh race weekends, as well as an appearance for our boat in Kentucky at a Christian concert in mid-May.  More about those things as they develop.

And, I hope to spend some major time in the race shop Friday and Saturday finishing up the Mod-U show boat since our hauler decaling project originally scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed due to the weather forecast for Indiana.  We'll try to reschedule that project for mid next week.  Hopefully we can get some photos of the finished show boat up on our Facebook wall during Shop Night next week and maybe the hauler images by the following weekend.  Stay tuned for the mascot story.  It is coming as soon as I can get enough help together to fill the suits and take the photos.  Each day is getting more hectic as the countdown to the 2011 season-opener at Elgin is coming on fast!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2011 - Marshall University's annual ceremony to turn on the Memorial Fountain for the warm weather months took place this morning and it took place on a fitting weekend for rebirth and celebration.  As most of you know, Marshall football, and the community as a whole, has come a long way since that rainy November night in 1970 when the team's jet crashed into the mountain short of the runway killing all 75 people on board the flight.  It is the number Herd Racing still carries today, 75, on its racing vehicles in remembrance of those who were forever taken from the Marshall community.

But revitalizing the fountain each spring brings happiness and smiles around Huntington.  It is sort of like the memories are brought back to life after a long winter during which the fountain is silenced each year.  While it obviously doesn't compare in magnitude I can understand the joy the fountain brings to those families and the community members who were so tragically affected by the Marshall crash which became the story behind the Warner Bros. film "We are Marshall" a few years ago.

As a Christian, the sight of an empty cross brings me similar joy each Easter weekend, but fortunately the joy only compounds each spring and is never dampened in the fall as the fountain's waters must be.  Christ is risen and is alive today!

Here is a link to some photos taken this morning during the fountain ceremony if you would like to see a glimpse into what our town does each spring just a few hours before the university's annual Green and White scrimmage football game to close the spring season.  Click here: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x1478439937/Gallery-Turning-on-of-the-Marshall-Memorial-Fountain.

If you are curious about the whole story behind the Marshall crash and Herd Racing's founding and adoption of the #75 as its marque number I hope you will watch "We are Marshall".  The Herd Racing team gives the package DVD out for free at the race events we participate in compliments of Warner Bros. and Marshall University so if you don't have a copy and would like one for yourself just let us know.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2011 - I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter from everyone affiliated with Herd Racing.  While the Easter weekend has turned into a time for new clothes, baskets, colored eggs and big dinners, I hope you will take some time to reflect on the true story behind the holiday.  Oh, I'll be hunting eggs with the church kids tomorrow morning and eating a big spread prepared by the mother-in-law Sunday afternoon, but this Good Friday morning as the sun rose on my weekly drive to Cincinnati for a meeting the song "My Redeamer Lives" played on K-Love radio. God gave me the opportunity, as he always does on Easter, to reflect on what life is really all about.

Good Friday, this particular day is a somber yet happy day on the Christian calendar.  Good Friday was the day 2011 years ago that Christ died for the sins of the world, including those I commit as a human each and every day.  Three days later on Easter morning he arose from the dead and ascended to Heaven to prepare a place for those of us who have accepted his free gift of salvation and do our best to live the life he guides us to live.  My annual unofficial Easter sermon won't last long, but I do hope you have a personal relationship with Jesus.  Having no doubt what life is about, why I am here and where I'll spend eternity is a wonderful feeling, and just knowing that on a hill in the Middle East a little over 2,000 years ago the burden of my sin was lifted from me.  Had it not been for Jesus, oh how our would and destiny would be so different today!

If you don't know Jesus as your redeamer then the solution is as simple as ABC.  Simply acknowledge you have sinned and come short of God's glory, tell Jesus you believe he came to Earth, died for your sins and rose again to conquer the grave, and confess your sins before him, asking him to save you from spiritual death and become ruler of your life.  As the Lord says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son for whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  Getting started on the path to heaven is really that easy.  If I can ever help anyone in their walk with the Lord I hope you know I am always here and willing to provide whatever counsel I can.

Neither myself, nor any member of our Herd Racing team, is perfect or without sin, never will be and will never proclaim to be.  But, rest assured, any race car, boat, plane, horse, lawn tractor or anything else our team fields on the race course will always proclaim who is Lord of all and Lord in my life - Jesus!

Happy Easter to all!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011 - We got some photos up on the Facebook wall this week (thanks to Chief Engineer and Techie Supreme Eric Himes) showing some action from Shop Night on Monday and from our completion of the SuperLeague training capsule.  Attention this week and next will turn to completing the old Mod-U show boat in preparation for some summer appearances in the area and then the focus will shift to the F-2 team hauler which needs a little TLC before the season begins.

We got new tires on the trailer last year and new tires on the tractor a few weeks ago, as well as all of the mechanics gone over.  Next is the exterior appearance which isn't bad by any stretch, but there are a few faded spots, surface rust spots here and there and some paint issues that need to be fixed up.  A lot of the trailer will be painted in the next month, but first it will go to Amtek Signs in Indiana next weekend to have a partial trailer wrap done on it.  Amtek has been with the team since our inception and also is a supporter of our sister racing program Faith Motorsports, so John Stingel and his staff have always been more than willing to give us killer deals when it comes to trailer wraps and vinyl cut lettering.  They did our F-3 hauler a few years ago with the desert skyline and large bison image.  I am eager to see how the big hauler turns out.  It looks pretty simple and clean now and I am confident a wrap will make it really show up going down the road and will leave no doubts to passing motorists that race boats are inside!  While many in the racing realm don't agree with me on this one, I truly believe that appearance is everything.  First impressions are important and it you are attempting to attract money from corporate America to run your program you have to look the part or they won't give you a second thought.

We spent some time in the shop today getting about a third of the paint work on the show boat done.  One more day of green and then a day of white and it will be ready for a buffing and some decals.  The Mod-U hull design was ran by Buck Thornton back in the 1980s and is a complete wooden Seebold boat with an open cockpit, in surprisingly good condition.  We bought it last summer at an auction where it had been hanging from the ceiling of sports bar for about a decade just the way it was raced in its final race back in the IOGP days.  We bought the boat to get the mid-section and gearcase off of it, but once we got it home it was in such good condition that we decided to paint it up and use it as a show boat.  The open cockpit will allow kids to be able to be seen good for photo opportunities.  We plan to use the boat for Bible Schools, sponsor appearances and to help promote the upcoming Huntington Classic powerboat race in August.  The facility which is hosting the races in Huntington has asked us to bring the boat down to be displayed in their parking lot several weekends this summer as they attempt to build interest in the race events.  Like most of the projects we seem to tackle, it has taken much longer then we originally planned.  I remember starting the body work on this boat before winter so I am determined to see it completed within the next week or so.

Lots has been happening at the shop and office the past couple weeks.  We got our new gas grill in today through a sponsorship deal and I must admit I wanted to take it home and donate my old one at the house to the team, but our Resident Chef/Dockmaster Bryan Rozzi probably wouldn't like that very much.  Bryan, who has training as a professional chef, is going to keep Jeramey Wentz and his crew in eats this season as we will have both an F-2 and and an F-3 crew to feed, and if all of the 2011 crew eats like Jeramey and Eric did last summer then restaurants are definately out of the question.

After a frustrating night Monday during Shop Night finding the right screwdriver we were able to get one of our primary sponsors to buy us a couple combo packs of Husky drivers from The Home Depot today.  It is a amazing that you can't seem to find one single Phillips head screwdriver in a toolbox that is nearly big enough to hide a crew member in.  You know there were plenty of flatheads in there, but not a single Phillips we could use.  That problem is now solved as the box is running over with 52 new screwdrivers of every size and shape imaginable.  Mark my word, they'll all be lost by mid-June.

My 2011 F-2 driver uniform has arrived and is ready for our pre-season photos to make up postcards and the Herd Racing Foundation received a second mascot this week to go along with our water buffalo who arrived a few months ago.  I promise to introduce you to both of them next week with a front page feature story on the website.  They have names and I have just been too busy to get a photo taken of them and introduce them publicly.  Jeff Webb, our Foundation president, will be at the office most of next week working on outreach events for the Elgin and Pittsburgh race weekends so I'll get him to help make sure we get a good photo.

Talk to you again soon with more updates.  I feel summer coming!

Dana Tomes 

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2011 - Herd Racing would like to welcome Country Inn and Suites by Carlson Hotels for joining our team as a lodging partner for the season-opening race in Elgin, IL.  Although Elgin is a new race on the SuperLeague tour in 2011, I know it will be a first-class presentation and promotor/racer/marketer Jim McGrath is working his tail off securing contracts and filling the entertainment schedule.  While in Elgin, our team will be staying at the Country Inn and Suites and we will likely bring a boat by the hotel Friday night so the guests there can have the opportunity to see an outboard tunnel boat up close.  If you are traveling to the Elgin area for the races I hope you will stay with us at the Country Inn and Suites.  Click on our 2011 Sponsors icon to the left of the page to learn more about the hotel.

In the race shop tomorrow we will put the final touches on the SuperLeague test capsule and get it ready to ship out sometime later this week.  In fact, we will have to do a whole lot of work just to get the capsule to the door this week as the 24-foot box truck full of boat parts from Washington is still sitting inside the front door waiting to be unboxed and moved to the storage shelves.  Hopefully we'll get some downtime at the office this week and I will get to sneak over to the race shop a couple afternoons to try to get some of our projects moving along.  I doubt this will happen since I pretty much took last week off work, but I can still hope can't I.

Also, I got news last week that Michael Floyd, a longtime SuperLeague racer, will be returning to the F-2 class this summer.  That was the good news!  The bad news, for us anyway, is that Michael also runs the #75 on his boats.  Since he officially is assigned the number by APBA then he has first rights to use it on his boats meaning we will have to remove the #75 from our F-2 boat when we compete in races that he will be competing in.  No word on if he plans to run the full schedule or just a partial one, but I have talked to him via email a couple times in the past few weeks and look forward to meeting him this summer.  So, what number will we fly on the Herd Racing banner when Michael's at the race track.  I'm not sure yet.  While it is going to be painful to see a Herd Racing vehicle race without the #75 on it, it won't be the first time it has happened.  If you remember, back in 2008 in the ARCA Re/Max Series we had to run the #89 because another team had higher priority on the #75 in that series as well.  We were fortunate that we were able to bare our favorite number in all of our NASCAR efforts, but things like this happen.  My daughter, Hannah, is bending my ear to run the number "00" to honor Dick Dasterdly and his sidekick Mutly who run that number in the old Wacky Races cartoon show.  I guess we'll toss the question around and see what we come up with, could be something as simple as 74 or 76 or something off the wall.  My vote is for something way out there!  I'll let you know what the verdict is before the first race.  Also, this will only affect our F-2 efforts.  Our F-3 boat will remain #75 unless Michael fields a boat in that class as well, which I don't think he is planning to do.

Lastly tonight, I spent the last week traveling on Spring Break with the girls.  We broke out the RV for the summer and spent some time in the Smoky Mountains.  While I can say I had a good time just about everywhere we went, one special place was Christ in the Smokies in Gatlinburg, TN, where they have a wax museum that depicts the life of Christ.  While we were away from our home church last Sunday, we spent our Sunday touring that attraction and it was well worth the price of admission.  There aren't many things I would rather do during the Easter season than reflect on what Christ did for me 2011 years ago!  Those who know me know I am a sucker for a t-shirt that carries a different message and I tend to like shirts that show my faith without being down right pushy.  My latest addition found in a God's Country store is a simple one with a drawing of a loaf of bread and a fish sticking up out of a brown paper bag and reads  "if Jesus can feed 5,000 with a kid's sack lunch just imagine what he could do with your life."  Those types of messages make me reflect so I bought it in hopes it will do the same to those who see me wearing it!

We'll update you this coming week on what's happening in the shop and hopefully post some photos of the boats to our Facebook wall in the coming days.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011 - I've been on the road quite a bit this week and haven't had an opportunity to stop by and keep everyone in blog world up to date as to what has been happening the past few days at Herd Racing.  As you can see in the attached photo, the APR Superleague training capsule is pretty much done.  All that remains is finishing up the installation of the seat belts and finishing the painting on the inside of the cockpit.  The outside is finished, painted and lettered, as you can see.   Overall, it turned out pretty well.

The new F-1 and F-2 boats arrived from Tacoma, Washington Saturday morning.  We had about seven or eight guys at the shop waiting on it so once we put down some furniture blankets it pretty much slid right out onto the new Hustler dolly trailer it will be paired with in 2011.  Both the Hoffman and the Seebold boats are in great condition and will be pretty easy to convert over to something we can race.

We got the new powerhead in from Donny Lick up in Minnesota late last week so it can bolt right on the Seebold allowing that boat to be ready for testing as soon as the paint work is done.  A new Bald Spot bead seat, new belts and a few minor updates and the Seebold will be ready for testing as soon as the Ohio River warms and the debris from the spring rains clears out.

A special thanks to JD Leedy who spent five days on the road bringing the boats back from Washington for us.  JD also brought both Hustler trailers to us from Tennessee, the Yeeeha from Pennsylvania and the Miller boat from West Texas so in the past several months JD has logged about 6,000 miles for the Herd Racing program.  Yes, he is getting paid for his efforts, but even considering that it isn't a job anyone else I know would be willing to fight him for.  I'm thankful he has been willing to make the trips because I simply don't have the time in my schedule to add anything more than I have already.

The shop is pretty well full now with a total of six tunnel boats on trailers in the main bay.  Hopefully, we can finish up the paint work on the show boat in the next couple weeks and then begin rigging the rest of these boats for testing.

A lot more is happening in regards to the Foundation efforts and sponsorship, and we will be making some announcements about those things early next week when I temporarily land from my travels.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011 - Progress continued in many areas at Herd Racing this week.  As you can see in the attached photo we are about done with the Superleague training capsule.  It wasn't much to start with, but I think the final product will be pretty nice and will be something that will last our league many years to come.  It will be nice to have a training capsule at the race sites whenever we need it so anyone whose certification is about to expire can locate the nearest swimming pool and get it taken care of.  As you can see, it will be the Superleague colors of royal blue, white and lime green.  After the decals are put on it next week I think it will really begin to look nice.

As for our boats, JD Leedy, our friend from Springboro, Ohio, who volunteers for just about all of our road trips to fetch boats and trailers, called me this afternoon.  He was in Southern South Dakota heading our way.  The ETA to the shop is sometime Friday night so if all goes well we will have the boats unloaded this time tomorrow.  JD reports that it hasn't been easy as the Budget rental truck we obtained in Washington State rides pretty rough and the radio stations across Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas were few and far between.  I think once he completes this mission he can get back to his day job for a while because I really don't see any more major purchases in our 2011 plans.  Six boats will be quite enough to last us for a while and I think the new rule we will have to institute pretty soon is that we aren't allowed to add one unless we sell one.

Some more good news with the Zebra Racing equipment purchase is the final tally of equipment coming along with the boats is five 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter Mercury power heads, two mid sections and two gearcases, along with an assortment of props, test wheels, ignitions and other parts.  I think it will definately turn out to have been a wise purchase and after we sort through everything should put us in great shape equipment and boat wise.  Now all we need is some money to run them every week!  The other new power head we bought from fellow racer Donny Lick a few weeks back is also on a truck to us from Minnesota so we should have enough engines before long to power half the league's fleet!

Turning to sponsors, we added our first lodging partner of 2011 this week as the Country Inn & Suites in Elgin, IL signed on to host our team.  As we do with each host hotel we offer them an autograph session, VIP passes to the race, a tour of the boat, some photos and lots and lots of traditional and social media coverage.  We will begin adding hotels for our entire 2011 season to the website soon so if you plan to travel along to the races in 2011 we hope you will stay with us at our host lodging facilities.

I'll try to get Eric, our chief engineer and techie specialist to add some photos of the capsule and the work being done around the shop to our Facebook wall.  As you guys probably know, I don't do much when it comes to technology so if you ever want to contact me just send me an email or call me on the phone.  I wouldn't have a clue how to "Facebook you" or reply to your "Tweet."

Back with more this weekend!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, April 05, 2011 - Things are hopping in the race shop this week and the Easter Bunny is still a few weeks away from his annual visit.  We have been working frantically to get the Superleague test capsule painted and outfitted so it can be behind us when our new fleet of race boats arrive from Washington later this week.  The trip began yesterday afternoon as Tim Bennecker's Zebra Racing team was able to load our new composite Seebold F-2 boat into the back of a Budget rental truck along with all of the motors, equipment and supplies.  Our Hoffman F-1 boat, all covered in shrink wrap for the cross-country trip, is being towed along behind.  The truck left Tacoma about 7 p.m. Monday and we hope to see it arrive here safely late Thursday or sometime on Friday.

As for what's going on in the shop, we got the Superleague capsule sanded and masked off last night and will be applying the paint to the bottom of it today, and hopefully the sides tomorrow and the top and canopy on Thursday.  I am trying real hard to get this project done this week so it can be turned over to the Superleague rescue crew and we can move on to working on our stuff in preparation for preseason testing.  I'll ask our techies to post some photos of the capsule to our Facebook wall when we get it done.

The other big focus this week is getting our haulers ready for 2011.  By running both the F-2 and F-3 boats full time this year we will have to take two haulers to each race event in order to have enough tow vehicles to launch the boats at the race course and to have enough storage to take along twice the people and equipment.  We got new batteries for the Freightliner tractor last week and today it is in the ECO-FIRST garage getting all of the lights checked, fluids topped off and oil and filter changes.  Tomorrow it will go for eight new tires on the drive axles which will get us to the point where all 18 wheels will have pretty new rubber on them.  Nothing is worse than breaking down on the way to the race site, and while some things just happen, we are taking every precaution to take care of as many of the obvious factors as we can before the season starts.  The second hauler trailer is also in the garage today getting some DOT reflective tape added and getting a little paint work on the tongue and rear door hinges.  Both should look pretty sharp by the time we head to Elgin in a little over eight weeks!

I got word from Sam Winer at Superleague that the planned testing event on May 8 at Buckeye Lake in Ohio has been cancelled due to lack of interested teams to participate.  The deal was that they needed 10 teams to come in order to make it affordable so I guess we will plan a couple evening tests here in Huntington on the Ohio River in late May and early June to get our stuff ready.  This will probably work better for us as we can now just take one boat each time and be able to concentrate on one boat only instead of taking two or three with us to Buckeye Lake and switch our thoughts from one to another.

I'll stop by again later in the week and give you another update.  Back to work for now!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, April 2, 2011 - One of the most common things asked by those I come in contact with is "How can I drive one of these boats?".  Well, if you are one of those who have asked me that question over the past year then here is my answer.  APBA is sponsoring a driving school where you can learn to drive a boat and get your capsule training certification.

In fact, last year this time is when the boat racing bug landed at our shop and I went to the APBA driving school at Wright State University in Ohio to take my capsule training certification.  This year's event is the 21st and 22nd of May and you can get your capsule training, practice driving a race boat, classroom training and your APBA pilot's license for just $350!  Don't expect to leave the two-day school an expert, but it will provide you with enough information to be able to make a decision on whether or not this sport is for you.

If you're interested, here is a link where you can learn more and download an application form http://www.apba-racing.com/Forms/2011/DRIVE8x11.pdf.  Also, if you want to keep up with all forms of boat racing which is sanctioned by the American Powerboat Racing Association you can read the sanctioning body's monthly magazine online.  It can be found at http://www.apba-racing.com/Propeller/01104APR.pdf.  APBA is trying real hard to get new people into the sport of boat racing.  Like just about every motorsport, the economy has hit the sport hard and has resulted in less boats and less participants than in previous years.

In other news, we hope to get the APR SuperLeague training capsule painted on Monday night.  I think we're about two or three weeks away from completion on this project and having it ready for it's maiden voyage on May 8 at Buckeye Lake.  We'll probably have it all painted and lettered up and ready to hand over to the league's rescue team a week or so before that date.

And, our two new boats begin their journey from Tacoma, Washington on Monday.  I expect them to arrive at our shop probably Thursday or Friday.  I'll stop by a couple times this week to update you on what's happening in the office and the race shop.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, March 29, 2011 -- It wasn't too many months ago that our Herd Racing shop was packed full of Camping World Series trucks, a race simulator, a superspeedway Nationwide car and lots of racing equipment.  Fast forward less than a year and our once humble NASCAR shop has fastly become a pretty nice home for one of the country's fastest growing powerboat racing programs.

Granted, powerboat racing doesn't hold a candle to car racing when it comes to the size of the shops, the fancy haulers and dozens of crew members, but just 11 months removed from our Easter weekend Nationwide Series race in Nashville in 2010, and our race shop now houses a half dozen tunnel-hulled powerboats and is beginning to take the shape of a nice little powerboat racing program.

Our second Hustler dolly trailer arrived this afternoon from the factory in Lake City, TN.  This new addition will allow both our primary F-2 and our primary F-3 boats to be transported to the race courses each weekend inside our enclosed haulers.  Both of the two entries will have its own enclosed hauler and tow vehicle allowing both the F-2 and F-3 teams to function separately when needed on race weekends.  We will likely beef up our crew numbers a few people in 2011 to help make sure we have both entries prepared and ready to race each time they enter the water.

The dolly trailer got here just in time to receive our new composite Seebold F-2 boat which is scheduled to be delivered late next week.  Our two new boats and parts purchased from Zebra Racing in Tacoma, Washington, will be loaded up and begin their trek east next Monday.  They are expected to arrive here next Thursday.  The Hoffman F-1 comes on it's own road trailer, but the F-2 will make the 3,000-mile journey in the back of a Budget rental truck.  The plan is to slide the boat right out onto it's new dolly trailer and go right to work getting it painted, lettered, powered and ready for the May 8 season-opening test session.

Speaking of testing, Jeramey, Eric and Bryan spent shop night last night rewiring the new F-3 Yeeeha/Pittman boat, getting it ready for the new LaBanco powerhead which we will hopefully be receiving in the next few weeks.  We are all really excited about getting this boat on the water for the first time with a new motor, updated hull design and all new riggings.  We are hoping for much better performance and the anticipation of finding out how it stacks up against the competition is starting to eat at me a little.  F-3 will probably be the most competitive in it's long history in 2011 as there are new teams, improved teams and new equipment galore.  I honestly think there will be 5 or 6 different race winners in 2011 and if any one of the competitors wins more than two or three I will be surprized.  Instead of one or two dominant teams, I can honestly see four and maybe five capable of winning any race they enter.  In case you are wondering, I do NOT include our program in those four or five quite yet.  We're hopeful, but also pretty realistic in our expectations.  Not many teams win in NASCAR in their second season and I think the same holds true in powerboat racing as well.  Steady improvement is our goal for this summer, hopefully logging a few Top Five runs along the way in F-3 and taking our lumps as a rookie in F-2 where the delayed starts and orange rookie stripe will be familiar ground for me.

Anyway, we'll hopefully have the F-3 rigged, lettered and ready next week and then just have the motor to mount.  Then, attentions will turn to the F-2 boat when it arrives next week.  Spring is sprung around the shop and you can tell because the activity is definitely picking up!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2011 - Things have been hopping at the race office and shop this week as we have been negotiating back and forth about obtaining an SST-120/F-2 motor for our Miller F-2 boat.  In fact, the negotiations went so well that we ended up buying out the complete race team we were working with, adding a new F-2 composite Seebold boat to our fleet, as well as a new Hoffman F-1 Champ boat.

We are real excited about the deal because we feel like the composite Seebold boat will allow us to be more competitive when we are introduced to the SST-120 ranks later this summer.  Seebold built a great boat and the fact that it is fiberglass and not wood is another plus.  Less weight and better durability are traits that most fiberglass boats have so should we get involved in a wreck or hit something in the water it is our hope that the composite boat will hold together a little better.  This purchase will likely relegate our Miller F-2 boat, which we thought was going to be our primary boat just a week ago, to a backup role.

We have no plans to run the F-1 in the immediate future due that class of boats only having a four-race season, only one of which is part of the same race venue as the F-2 and F-3 boats we will race.  The Hoffman F-1 boat, with the 2.4-liter engine it comes with, could be run in the nationals at Kankakee in September in the Formula 150 class but other than that it will most likely become a show boat and a second backup to our F-2 boats.  F-1's are heavier and longer than F-2 boats, and while it is legal to run them in F-2 as long as you use the 2.0-liter F-2 engine, they are usually not very competitive due to their size and weight.

The assets from Zebra Racing, which is in Tacoma, WA, will begin coming east on April 4.  I would expect them to arrive here toward the end of that week and then immediately be hustled into the shop and worked on.  We will be under the gun to get the Seebold painted and ready for the May 8 scheduled test at Buckeye Lake, OH, but that is our goal.  If it doesn't happen then we'll run the Miller F-2 boat and one of the F-3 boats at Buckeye Lake so I at least get some seat time and get the motors broken in before the race season starts Father's Day Weekend in Elgin, IL.  The good news is that we will begin the season with two good F-3 motors and three or four F-2 motors so we will be way ahead of our plans for 2011 in the equipment department.

In the office this week we got another GoPro camera in which will allow us to run two cameras full time on both the F-2 and F-3 boats getting cockpit footage and front and rear footage during each race.  Having four cameras will allow us to assign two to each class and not have to worry about changing them from one boat to the other.  I also got a new pilot's helmet in this week, a Zuess-designed German helmet which I think will catch on pretty quickly in the U.S. once people find out now light it is and the features if offers.  It is a full-face helmet like most motorcyclists wear, but the front ratchets up over the head to allow for the wearing of an air mask which straps on your head.  Most air masks clip into the front of open face helmets so this will allow me to wear a full face helmet and an air mask similar to a jet figher pilot.  The helmet is one of the few that also comes in solid orange.  If you noticed, last year I wore a green helmet the match my driving suit and the boat, but the rescue teams asked me to put lots of orange duct tape on it so it would be visible in the water should our boat get involved in a crash.  The APBA rules recommend the pilot wear an orange helmet so rather than tape it up this year we'll be in full compliance.

It seemed like the UPS truck was at the shop daily as new breathing air bottles and fuel cans were delivered, as well as stuff for the Herd Racing Foundation that began trickling in from our sponsors and outreach partners.  The plastic gift bags, bouncy balls, Crayons and other stuff are beginning to accumulate so the gift bags we hand out at local hospitals in the race cities we visit in 2011 should be filled with lots of joy.

Join us Monday night for shop night if you are in the area.  We are hoping to paint the APR SuperLeague training capsule and get that project out the door in the next week or two to make room for some new boats in a couple weeks!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, March 20, 2011 -- APR Events Group and Superleague Media continue to announce improvements to the 2011 television programming lineup for Powerboat Superleague races across the U.S.  The latest agreement will allow professional tunnel boat racing to be seen on TuffTV in 2011.  TuffTV is a digital cable channel with about six million viewers whose programming lineup includes many extreme sports such as drag racing, motocross and now, powerboat racing.

In other TV news, SportSouth has added more air dates for the 2010 Memphis race which was conducted last August 1 on the Mississippi River.  The Canadian-American Cup Challenge can be seen beginning on March 26 on SportSouth cable channels across the southern U.S.  Air dates and times are Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m.; Monday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, March 30 at 11:00 a.m.  SportSouth currently is piped into about nine million homes across the south so this is some more good exposure for our sport.

In other racing news, Brett Rowe continues to do well in NASCAR's Nationwide Series for Faith Motorsports.  Brett has made the past three races on time, finishing 40th yesterday at Bristol Motor Speedway in the #55 Salvation Army/Imperial Bedding Chevrolet.

And, Chad Beahr, another Herd Racing stock car driver from years past, opened his 2011 season in the USAR ProCup Series with a 20th place run at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida on Saturday evening.  Chad will run the #89 under the Beahr Racing banner from his Mechanicsville, VA shop this year as Herd Racing abandons the asphalt for America's waters.  All former Herd Racing stock car efforts will be farmed out to other programs in 2011 as we focus all of our efforts on the powerboat front to try to get competitive in that arena.  If things go well then we may venture back to the oval tracks of dirt and asphalt, but for now the corporate focus of our West Virginia shop is all boating for the moment.

The guys will be back in the shop tomorrow night to do some work on the APR Superleague training capsule and more paint work on the show boat.  I'll try to have Eric post some photos to the team's Facebook wall on Tuesday showing you the progress we are making in the shop.

And last tonight, we are still working on the engine situation for the F-3 boat and are beginning to piece together our F-2 boat for preseason testing.  We hope to have engines on both boats and broke in wtihin time for our May 8 season-opening test session at Buckeye Lake near Columbus, OH.

Stay tuned this week for more as our mascot is almost ready for public debut and work on the sponsorship front and in the shop continue.

Dana Tomes

 MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011 - One of Herd Racing's Formula 3 tunnel boats was on display Saturday evening for the annual awards ceremony for Upward of Huntington's youth basketball program.  The event, held annually at Christ Temple Church in Huntington, WV, draws several hundred youth and their parents to celebrate the end of another year of youth basketball.

Our crew chief, Jeramey Wentz, is a coach of one of the Upward teams which are sponsored by local churches.  If you aren't familiar with Upward, it is similar to other youth basketball programs, but is church-based and provides positive influences for the participants and their parents.  In fact, score isn't even kept for the younger ones as the emphasis is more on developing charactor and not so much about winning.  A great organization if you have kids and want them to be involved in something positive.  Upward offers basketball, soccer, cheerleading and probably some other stuff I don't know about.

Anyway, Jeramey took the 2010 F-3 boat to the event and it seemed to draw quite a crowd, and was the subject of lots of photos throughout the night.  With a race planned in Huntington in August, the team will be using the boats in conjunction with local organizations and businesses throughout the year to build interest in powerboat racing in the area.

It's back to the race shop tonight to get the show boat and the APR SuperLeague training capsule in primer.  It is our goal to get both in primer or at least ready for primer this week and then paint them both over the next couple of weeks so we can have the capsule ready well in advance of the SuperLeague's first planned event on May 8th at Buckeye Lake State Park in Ohio where capsule training will be offered to any APBA pilot needing it.

We will be testing our F-3 and F-2 boats that weekend as well at Buckeye Lake if things continue progressing.  We are still awaiting motors from the engine builders for both boats, but the UPS and FedEx trucks are coming several times a week bringing our stock for the race season.  Breathing air bottles, in-boat cameras, propellers, air mask, seat and a helmet are on the delivery list for this week if things go as planned.

If you live in the Huntington area and want to come by and visit you are more than welcome.  We are in the shop most Monday nights from about 6 to 8.  Usually a little earlier and sometimes a little later, but at least there from 6-8 at a minimum.

Watch the website the next day or two as we are about to announce a national partnership to honor America's fallen veterans.  More on that on the homepage in day or two when our agreement with the sponsoring organization becomes solidified.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 - I just wanted to drop by and update you on some news that has been coming about concerning the team this week.  As you can see from the photo, Jeramey Wentz and Bryan Rozzi have finished up the body work and paint work on the new F-3 boat which we will run in the SuperLeague's SST-60 category in 2011.  The boat has been gone over from top to bottom and sanded down to the bare wood and recoated and sealed as it was when it was new.  We are hoping to see some increased performance from the boat this coming season as the hull design is one taken from a guy named Paul Pittman who is one of the best tunnel boat builders out there.  Sam LaBanco and Brent Dillard run pretty much the same hull as we have and they both have had great success so we are expecting to show some performance gains in 2011.  We won't know, obviously, until we hit the water, but as we have been blogging about for months, we should have the big four peroforance factors in order that we need to take a shot at making some good gains, 1. boat design, 2. weight, 3. power, 4. props.  We will have those four covered.  As I have said before, if this boat doesn't get us some Top 5 runs then there is a pretty good chance it has something to do with the lack of skill and experience of the guy in the cockpit.  As you can see, pending a few sponsor changes, the 2011 boat will look pretty much identical to our 2010 Pugh boat as far as the paint scheme goes.  We like lime!

The SuperLeague announced that it will be conducting a league-sanctioned and insured test session on Mother's Day weekend at Buckeye Lake State Park Lake in mid-Ohio so pending disaster we will be hitting the water for the first time in 2011 with both the F-2 and F-3 boats that weekend.  We will know a lot more after that weekend about what we need to do regarding some local testing before heading for Elgin, IL for the league opener on Father's Day weekend.

We will be introducing you to our new mascot with a web story this weekend.  The new guy or gal arrived from its creator in China on Monday and it looks real cool, much better than I had even hoped.  I think he or she will make a big impact with our outreach programs and go a long way toward spreading some joy to sick kids.

If you missed the Sunday finals from Lakeland, Florida in SST-60 and SST-120, Roddy Foreman of Texas raced his new Pugh SST-60 boat to victory over Brent Dillard in Sunday's finals.  The finishing order was reversed during heat racing on Saturday with Brent taking the checkers.  Terry Rinker, the Amsoil sponsored boat, took both Saturday and Sunday's events in the SST-120 class.  Here's a link to a video of some of the race action and practice runs in various powerboat classes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC-5yyJysWs.

If you haven't had a chance to read up a little on Roddy Foreman there are several good stories about him on www.OPCRace.com and that site's Facebook page.  Roddy, 46, was a former SuperLeague champ in SST-60 about a decade ago and had to give up racing because of a battle with cancer.  I know Roddy probably sees life from a different light now that he has been given a second chance at living life.  Heres a link to one of the stories about Roddy's comback: http://www.theledger.com/article/20110307/NEWS/103075019?p=1&tc=pg.

For those of you that know me pretty well you will know I had a pretty serious battle with cancer of the urinary system back in 1993 at age 23.  I spent today in the hospital getting a bladder cystoscopy and after today's consultation with the doctor I have managed to avoid a recurrance of the disease for 18 years now.

Life-threatening illnesses can be life-changing events as I have found out.  I know the things that are important to me today - faith, family and friends - probably aren't listed in the same order now as they were prior to my experience.  God has a way of pulling us back to Him when we stray and in 1993 I can maintain that I was a Christian, but not at all living the life He wanted me to be living.  Thanks to realizing that "I" can't do much of anything without "His" help, much in my life has thankfully changed for the better!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2011 - A congratulations is in order for Brent Dillard and his Dillard Racing powerboat crew!  While the results aren't official yet, it is rumored that Brent has started the 2011 pre-season off with a win in the 2011 Orange Cup Regatta in Lakeland, FL this weekend.  The pre-season powerboat racing event, which isn't an APR SuperLeague points event, allows teams from around the country to try out their stuff on the competition before the league points events begin in June.  I would assume there will be another running on Sunday, March 6 at Lakeland so we'll have to wait until early week to see who comes out on top in the second heat running.  Another event is scheduled in Florida next month, followed by an official league test session probably in May before we all head for Elgin, IL for the SuperLeague opener on Father's Day Weekend in June.

I understand six SST-60 boats showed up in Lakeland for the event this weekend with former champion Rodney Foreman taking second, followed by Carole Reno in third, Mike Webster in fourth, Steve DiNick in fifth and Bill Mastro taking sixth.  Congratulations to all of the racers.  I wish we could have been there to get a hint as to how we might stack up against the compeition this year, but we simply just aren't anywhere near ready to hit the water with any of our boats.  Being a relatively new team to the sport we are taking every minute of time we can find to get boats built, motors rebuilt, equipment upgraded and brought up to championship caliber.  It will be interesting to see the results of next month's second Florida race.  Looks like last year's frontrunners and the new addition of Foreman are going to be looking to repeat their performances in 2011.

More details of the Huntington powerboat race are coming together.  I have met with the race promoter twice in recent weeks and Herd Racing is going to be involved heavily in helping put the race event together.  The event will be known as "The Huntington Classic" and will feature SST-60 and SST-120 competition from Adam's Landing in front of Schooner's Grille on August 6-7.  A lot of neat stuff is in the planning with local officials and groups so I anticipate it will be another nice stop on the SuperLeague schedule with that small-town feel like Marietta and Aurora provide.  While the event will be in Huntington, it will be conducted in the Guyandotte area of the city, several miles east of Harris Park where former powerboat racing has taken place.  The Guyandotte area has that small Civil War-era town feel and I expect the town to be very happy to have the opportunity to host a powerboat race so we anticipate a lot of sideline activities to occur around the race events themselves.  The Huntington Classic will have a race website which will debut live on May 1.  It will be found at www.huntingtonclassic.com, but don't bother checking right now because the committee hasn't gotten it up there yet.  I will remind you before May 1 when it will go live.  If everything falls in line as I suspect it will and the sponsors come along as we hope then Huntington may become another annual stop on SuperLeague schedule like it was in the 1980s and 90s.  That is my hope.  Sleeping in my own bed and not having to travel to race will be great!

Lastly, the boat team will be back in the shop Monday night to try to get the SuperLeague training capsule in primer and finish up the lime green paint work on the F-3 boat.  Then, all that remains to be painted will be the show boat so I would suspect everything to begin looking pretty spiffy in the next month or so, and ready to have some motors mounted.

I hope you have had a chance to read the front page website article on our new foundation president Jeff Webb.  If you haven't, please do.  Jeff is quite a guy and his heart is into what he is doing with us so I feel like our community involvement and outreach programs in 2011 will be awesome!  Thanks for coming aboard Jeff.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 - Hopefully March will come in a like a lion today as the winter-loving portion of me has about had his fill of snow and cold for one season.  I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get in the shop, get some boats prepped and get on the water as soon as possible.  Hopefully we will continue to have some decent weather so we can get the boats readied in time to do some testing in May or June.

The guys worked in the shop a good bit yesterday getting some more paint work done on the F-3 boats and work continued on preparing the APR SuperLeague training capsule.  We hope to get the body work done on it in the next week or two and then get it in primer.  The target for completion date is the end of March so we don't have a lot of time to sit on our hands.

The voting for the naming of our mascot has concluded and the three finalist names are Polo, Thunder and Splash!  The Herd Racing Foundation has the duty of choosing the final name and gender of the water buffalo mascot so we'll hopefully be introducing you to our new mascot as soon as it arrives from the manufacturer and is properly named.

Also, hoping to get that story up about the Herd Racing Foundation members soon.  Still waiting on some bio information from the members so I expect to have this wrapped up in the next few days.

Meeting with the promoters for the Huntington powerboat race this evening to work on sponsorship plans for that event which is set for August 6 and 7.  We are all hoping that Huntington's return to the APR SuperLeague circuit will be a great one in 2011!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 - Work continues this week on getting a training capsule fixed up for use by APR SuperLeague officials and we continue working on getting two boats prepped and painted.  Now that we have some decent weather with daytime highs in the 40s and 50s we can get in the shop and get some work done.

Not a lot to report today, but here is what I know.  Chad Beahr is considering a full season in the USAR ProCup Series with his former Dodge Nationwide Series and ARCA Series cars.  The first race is in mid-March in Florida so I will update prior to that date if things progress and if the effort will have any affiliation with Herd Racing or not.

Sam LaBanco continues to update us on our F-3 motor situation.  Things are progressing, but we are kind of in a holding pattern now until we get some machine work done and some new pistons, rings and rods get shipped in.  Should have a pretty good motor come spring for the new F-3 boat.

DeWald Propellers is still working on a couple propellers for us at their shop in Pennsylvania.  We hopefully will get those back in the next few weeks so we will have at least four good props for the F-3 boat when we begin testing in a couple months.

We have contracted with Hustler Trailers in Knoxville to build us another dolly trailer, this time for the new F-2 boat.  A dolly trailer, with a narrower axle width, will allow the trailer and boat to be loaded into our haulers and keeps the boat and motor out of the weather during transport.  This year, on the weeks we will be running both classes of boats, we will need to take two haulers to the track so getting both boats rigged up and on dolly trailers just alike is our goal so the ATV can easily switch between boats during launching and loading activities at the dock.  And, we are still talking to several people about acquiring an F-2 motor, mid-section and gearcase for the new F-2 boat we hope to run part time this coming season.

We will be announcing the Herd Racing Foundation members this weekend with a web story and the marketing guys are still out hitting the streets trying to sell some advertising on our boats in 2011.  Keep checking back.  I'll give you the news as I get it.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2011 - You have probably seen on the main home page by now where Dave Wechsler has been named the new marketing director of Herd Racing.  We really haven't had anyone in that position before and sort of relied on several people working independently, but things have progressed to the point that we need one particular person out there making the sales calls to major corporations and organizations.

Dave Wechsler is a perfect fit for that role.  Dave has more than a decade of experience working within the federal government and other public sector work and has lots of ties to corporate and political America.  We are hoping for a very successful 2011 season in terms of sponsorship and I know Dave will dedicate some time to making sure our name gets out in front of the decision-makers out there.

I have known Dave for about four years and he has worked with us at Faith Motorsports and Herd Racing, primarily seeking sponsorships for our race cars when they race in Richmond, Dover and New Hampshire.  His focus will now be to seek sponsorships for our APBA boat racing program nationwide, but I am sure some of his contacts along the East Coast will be the place his efforts will focus a lot of the time.  Since our series is pretty much an East Region touring series we are hopeful his many contacts will pay off for us.

On a similar note, we will be announcing the formation of the Herd Racing Foundation in the next week or so.  Three of the five members needed to make up the foundation board are in place and we anticipate getting that group off and running with our charitable and outreach program agendas real soon.  Jeff Webb, who you'll hear more about in a few days, will serve as head of the foundation in the early stages.  We'll introduce you to Jeff with a story on the home page in the next week or so.

Spent several hours in the shop today putting tool chests together, transferring tools to the chests and hauling out trash.  Boxes, bags and more seems to be overrunning the shop so it took a while to get all of that gone, but a little more effort this week and things should begin to look a lot better.  The goal is to get the APR SuperLeague F-1 boat into the shop so we can cut the capsule out and hoist it off of the boat.  I am hoping to get that done as soon as possible so we can move the boat and trailer out of the way to get to some needed floorspace for our upcoming painting projects.

Jeramey, Eric and Bryan got the white paint work done on the F-3 boat this past week and their plan is to work on painting the canopy, cowling and paint the white on the Mod-U show boat this coming week.  Then we will concentrate on adding the colors to the boats, lime green on the F-3 and a darker green on the show boat.  Hoping to have all of the painting out of the way by the end of March so we can begin rigging and hanging engines on those things.

Speaking of engines, all of the news from our builder up north, Sam LaBanco, has been bad about our F-3 motor.  Everything that could be wrong with it apparently is so that will add time and money to the project, neither of which is a good thing.  The good news, if there is any, is that the motor should be a heck of a lot stronger when it gets back than it was when it went.

Lastly, most of the former Herd Racing Nationwide Series team is heading back from Daytona tonight after the second consecutive miserable experience at SpeedWeeks.  Brett Rowe just missed the starting field during qualifying for today's race.  Our boat chief, Greg Smith, was at Daytona working the pit crew for the #55 Faith entry, along with former Herd ARCA and Nationwide guys Kenny Black, Will Clark and Morris Van Vleet.  We are all hoping that Brett catches a break soon.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011 - The guys in the shop last night got our new SST-60 boat completely in primer and got the white portions of the boat painted.  Next is adding our lime green to the decks and then we will be ready to begin reassembling it for action.  The white really looks nice but once the green and the decals get on the boat it will really start to come alive.  Warm weather brings progress and temperatures this week are in the 50's so it sort of puts you in the mood to get out and work again.  I missed out on Shop Night last night due to Valentine's Day.  I wasn't told I couldn't spend the evening at the shop last night, but I pretty much knew from experience that February 14th was probably a Shop Night experience I had better plan on missing.  It worked out well.  The guys got a lot done and I got to be part of winning 455 tickets in Ski Ball with my girls.

I picked up the APR SuperLeague boat on Saturday to begin preparing the capsule from it into a training capsule.  As you can see in the attached photo the boat is long past it's usable lifespan, but the capsule is solid and will make a great trainer.  Hopefully if I get some free time later this week I can get it cut from the boat and begin working on it.  If things go well we will have it done by the end of March and ready to turn over to the APR SuperLeague for use.  It will be great to have a capsule within the league so our drivers can test as needed.  Right now it is pretty hard once the race season gets going to find somewhere to test.  This will be a great addition to the league and Herd Racing is happy to be able to help out by getting it ready for the water.  You can follow the training capsule progress at www.aprsuperleague.com under Buzz.

We began the hunt for a motor for our SST-120 boat today in hopes of being able to have something rounded up that will fit in our budget in the next month or so.  My initial findings through several phone calls and emails today found that there aren't very many units out there and many of those which are for sale are not within our price range so the look will continue.  We have plenty of time before panic mode so as long as we round up something by mid-April we should have plenty of time to get the boat out on the water for a couple test runs before we plan to race it.

Still no decision on how often it will race.  Possibly just the Huntington race in August, but possibly a lot more.  It all depends on the sponsorship that comes along between now and then, and how I feel about driving it as a driver.  SST-120 is a big step from SST-60 in speed and power so after a few test sessions I'll know whether it's something I want to try to tackle every week in addition to our SST-60 racing or if it is something I may want to put off for another year and just run once or twice this year.  The transition from one boat to the other on race weekends will probably be a challenge for me as both have opposite handling charactoristics since one motor is a right-handed rotation motor and one is a left-handed turning motor.  That means one will continuously pull toward the inside of the course while the other will continuously push to the outside.  When you add in my natural IQ to this equation then learning how to drive one boat at a time may be a better option for the guy we have in the driver's seat.  We'll see how it goes.  If a sponsor comes along I would be up for running three classes of boats if I can find the time to do it and can make money instead of spending money each weekend.

The good thing about considering to run two boats during one race weekend is that Jeramey still will only require one set of meals but will have to do twice the work so it will make the crew guys more efficient without really increasing our costs that much.  Seeing Jeramey and Eric eat, and having to pay the bill when their done, really makes you want to be able to make them work harder to feel like you are getting your money's worth.  Just kidding!  I have the best crew in the business and every dime invested in their stomachs is money well spent.

Anyway, I hope all is well with you.  More news to come later in the week.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011 - Things have been busy this week at Herd Racing as we continue to prepare for our 2011 APR SuperLeague racing season.  I spent one day in the shop this week loading another trailer full of NASCAR parts and supplies to take to the auction which we accomplished on Thursday.  That makes two trailer loads of goods we hope to sell next month.  It sure makes the shop look a lot different to get rid of some of those big pit road boxes, tire carts, fuel cans and things.  I thought it would be hard to say good-bye to some of the items it has taken years to gather, but focusing our West Virginia shop on boats only will pay off to be a good move for us in time.

Speaking of NASCAR, I have been spending a lot of time keeping the news flowing over at our sister website www.racewithfaith.com as both Morgan Shepherd and Brett Rowe are preparing to leave for Daytona in a few days.  If you want to keep up with what the Faith Motorsports bunch is up to we will try to keep as much news as possible posted over there for you to read.  I also do a Q&A on the Fan Forum page over there so if you have a racing question related to our NASCAR efforts you can check out the Forums over at that site.

Meanwhile, I am hoping to pick up an old F-1 Champ boat tomorrow to begin making it into a training capsule for the SuperLeague.  The boat, originally owned by Sam Harraway, was donated to the SuperLeague rescue team by longtime racer Howie Nichols a few years ago to assist in their training activities.  Since the boat has pretty much seen it's best days the Herd Racing guys will remove the capsule from the boat and refurbish it over the next couple of months so the league will have the ability to offer capsule training at any race venue we go to.  I know this will be fun for our crew chief Jeramey Wentz as a recipricating saw and a wooden boat will create quite a playground for him later this week when he begins the transition.

We also got a load of roller tool chests in this week through a sponsorship deal that will allow us to replace our aging pit box with a new stainless steel roller chest to put on the hauler for race weekends.  It also provided us with three new big roller tool chests for the shop to help us organize our hand and power tools a little better.  I hope to get a few minutes tomorrow to tear some of the boxes down and start putting these things to use.

Lastly, we are sending our canopy for the SST-120 boat to Pugh Boat Works next week to have a new windshield made for it.  The one in there is showing it's age and the original manufacturer of the capsule, Target Marine, isn't around any more so Gary Pugh as agreed to try to fabricate us a new one.  I have no doubt he will have us a new one in there looking better than ever in short order.  Still waiting on word back from Dewald Propellers about a couple SST-60 props we sent up there a few weeks back for upgrades and I reached out to Jeff Titus at Performance Propellers this week about building us a few new ones for our SST-120 rig.

Things are forging ahead.  I hope to get some photos and maybe even a little video from shop night next week so you can see what's been going on behind the scenes.  We are expecting some high temps around 50 next week so we might be able to do a little primering and painting real soon.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 - As we have mentioned a few times before in our blog, Herd Racing is getting a mascot in 2011 and we need your help to find a name for our newest family member.  The team is conducting a "name our mascot" contest at www.herdracing.com so we hope you will click over to the front page of the website and submit your suggestion.

The team will spend a good bit of time each race weekend in 2011 trying to give back to the community and the new mascot will be an important part of that outreach.  Our views are simple.  God has so graciously given us the health and ability to go racing and do the things we love with our families.  We owe it to Him to spend some of our time at these events sharing His love with those who aren't able to enjoy the things we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy.

The Herd Racing Foundation, a non-profit planning group of five individuals which is currently being formed, will help the team plan these visits in each race city where we will spend some time with kids at a homeless shelter or children's hospital and hopefully have the opportunity to encourage someone who may not be having the best of luck in their lives.  The new mascot will be a great ice-breaker for us and thanks to Herr Foods and some of our other sponsors we will be able to leave a small gift bag with the kids we come in contact with each week so that hopefully they can enjoy the visit even after we leave.

Here is a sneak peak at the new mascot.  No, that's not the exact one, but our's will look like this sample photo and will be brown in color instead of black.  We will get him or her a neat uniform to wear, at least a shirt, so fans will recognize him immediately.  He or she may even wear a life jacket to help promote safe boating.

Lots of good things are planned for 2011 related to both racing and mentoring.  We hope you can be a part of one or both during the upcoming year.  If any of our fellow drivers and teams are out there and would be interested in participating with us in some of these events just let us know.  We would love to be able to take you along so that the kids get to meet the many faces and personalities of boat racing.

We're really looking forward to a great 2011!

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2011 - You may continue to notice the transition going on at www.herdracing.com.  We have added the rotating propellers on the sidebar in the past week and just today switched out the TV screen to show the new image which is also shown here with this blog entry.  The new logo photo illustration created by our graphic artist Joe Gilley was originally created as part of our tractor hauler wrap for next year, but I liked it so well I asked our webmaster Shane Ward to put it up on our YouTube channel entrance screen.  What do you think?  Hopefully, you like it as well.

The logo of the boat ripping through the white background will be featured in 2011 on both sides of our Freightliner hauler trailer to the tune of about seven feet tall and twelve feet long right in the center of both sides of the trailer.  Being that our trailer is already white this will allow for a major splash without our having to wrap the whole trailer. Couple that with the 2011 sponsor decals and some other stuff like the APBA Racing and SuperLeague logos and I think our tractor trailer will look pretty sharp next season!

Spent much of the day today in the shops cleaning out some more NASCAR stuff to begin loading on the trailer this week for another trip to Gavel Auction in North Carolina.  Hoping to drop off a load down there again on Thursday if the weather cooperates.  Need to raise enough money to get a F-2 motor and get it rebuilt and readied for 2011 so if we don't have plans for it then it is going in the auction trailer.  I didn't realize we had created so much stuff in just a couple years of Nationwide racing, but it seems like the stuff just keeps on coming.  The more the better as the more we can raise the better powerhead we can get for our SST-120 in a couple months.

Our webmaster is working on a new main logo badge for the upper left corner of the website.  It will remain the circular white button with the Herd Racing logo on it, but hopefully in the next week or so you will notice it behaves a little differently and creates a little more of a nautical feel.

The weeks just keep ticking away.  Pre-season racing in Florida begins in just three weeks but we have decided to forego the two pre-season events in Florida and just run the seven points races which are sanctioned by the APR SuperLeague.  I would love to get in a couple practice races before the season starts and had hoped to run the two Florida non-points events, but right now we just don't have either one of our primary boats ready to go as both are missing engines.  I don't really see any reason to run the F-3 Hemp/Pugh boat for two races and then change boats and motors to the Yeeeha so we're going to concentrate on being ready for the June 17-19 season-opener in Elgin, Illinois.

More tidbits coming this week regarding sponsorship.  Stay tuned!

Dana Tomes

 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011 - Bright House Sports, a cable sports television group with major coverage in Florida and the south, will be showing two of the 2010 APR SuperLeague powerboat races to its millions of subscribers in the next couple weeks.

The 2010 Pittsburgh races will be shown on Wednesday, February 16 at 3 p.m. and again on Sunday, February 20 at 4 p.m. eastern.  The Memphis races will be televised on Wednesday, February 23 and again on Sunday, February 27 at 4 p.m. eastern.

This addition is a great achievement and the folks at SuperLeague Media are to be commended.  This brings SuperLeague racing into the homes of 45 million cable subscribers across the U.S., so while it still isn't network TV numbers, it is pretty impressive for boat racing.  Tune in and watch the Herd boats run 6th in both the Pittsburgh and Memphis races.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2011 - We got the SST-120/F-2 boat delivered yesterday and spent a good bit of time today and tonight getting it cleaned up and ready to rig.  Other than the typical road grime that would be expected from a 1,600-mile cross-country trip and some goo left over from previous decals the boat is surprizingly in excellent condition.  We went over it from stem to stern tonight covering every inch of the bottom, peaking into the sponsons and going through the capsule and fuselage of the boat.  Other than bolting on a powerhead, mid-section and gearcase, this boat is pretty much ready to race.

We will make some minor improvements, replace the windshield which is a little worn, rig it with a breathing air system and move some weight around and do some paint touch up, but overall I am more than pleased with the Miller machine.  I was surprized at one thing, the capsule is smaller than the Pugh capsule on the SST-60 boat we raced last year so it will be a tight fit.  But after I got used to the Pugh last year I kind of liked being in there tight.  It seems that once those seatbelts are pulled down I didn't move around much at all and I think the tighter fit in this F-2 boat will be something I will like even more.

Our next venture is rounding up some cash to get us a top-of-the-line mid-section, gearcase and powerhead which is where the auction of our NASCAR stuff in early March will come into play.  That gives us about six weeks to find the equipment we want and work a deal for the purchase.

That leads me to the sneak peak I promised to you during our last blog.  Tomorrow, Herd Racing will be announcing a 2011 sponsorship agreement with Herr Foods.  Herr Foods manufactures and distributes hundreds of different types of snacks and is well known nationwide for its potato chips, pretzels, cheese curls and other bagged snacks.

We are very happy to have Herr's on board with us this year.  Their decal will appear on both our F-2 and F-3 race boats as they will support not only our racing efforts, but have donated several hundred bags of product to our charitable efforts that will be distributed to those groups and individuals our team comes in contact with during our charity visits to hospitals, shelters and other places.  A sizable story about the Herr Foods agreement will appear on our website tomorrow.  If you want to thank Herr Foods for their involvement with our team and their interest in powerboat racing in general it would be great if you dropped them on a line on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/herrs.

Finding a major corporation with nationwide appeal to get involved in powerboat racing is very encouraging.  There are very few teams with major corporate sponsors in powerboat racing today.  It wasn't like that 20 years ago, but powerboat racing in general has dropped off significantly from what it was a few decades ago.  The announcement tomorrow brings me confidence that many race teams are going to get tunnel boat racing back to the forefront of the minds of advertisers in the next few years and pick up some of those companies who have been priced out of sports advertising markets by other forms of racing in recent years.

Finally, I dropped by Downard Racing today in West Portsmouth, OH to see fellow F-3 pilot Gordon Downard.  Gordon builds motor covers and pans for the SST-60 boats and I took him a used one for him to refurbish and paint to match the other new one we bought from him a few months ago.  That will let us have brand new motor covers on both F-3 boats when the season starts later this summer.  If you ever want to tour a homegrown museum of boat racing then you need to spend a few hours at Gordon's place.  There are photos on the walls of tunnel boats all the way back in the 80s that he has built, worked on or raced.  His shop is packed with boats, cars, hot rods and about everything you can imagine, including a 1974 Corvette which he has refurbished.  Quite a guy that Gordon is.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011 - PitZoom has announced that they will be back with Herd Racing for the 2011 powerboat racing season as a supporting sponsor and website advertiser.  You may recall that the online racing fan forum joined us a couple months ago when they launched.  Their advertisement appears at the bottom of our website pages here at www.herdracing.com.

Thanks to a new partnership between PitZoom and the Richard Petty Driving Experience's 2011 Driver Search, PitZoom will be continuing their website advertising with us again this year and may do some on-boat marketing of their site later in the year as they secure more contracts with advertisers.  You can visit the free racing forum at www.pitzoom.com.  The site is a place where fans can meet up on line and share photos, stories, news, schedules, photos and more.  It is all racing, all the time so if you enjoy boat racing, car racing or anything in between, head over to www.pitzoom.com and get in on the conversation.

Meanwhile, Herd Racing's charitable side, The Herd Racing Foundation, will be adding a team mascot to the mix in 2011.  The mascot will be traveling with the team each weekend to boat racing venues around the country to meet and greet with children at local hospitals.  As part of our outreach program in 2011, the team, our boat and our new mascot will be visiting a children's hospital sometime during each of our weekend races.  We are working with our sponsors to fill small gift bags to leave with each child we come in contact with during the year so if you or your company would like to make a donation to the foundation's efforts please let us know.  As for the mascot, once he is constructed and ready we will get some photos of him and let the fans help us come up with a name.  We finalized the drawings last night and construction is said to take about 6-8 weeks.

And last for now, we will be making our first new sponsorship announcement on February 1!  We got the contract faxed back on Friday and will be making the deal public on Tuesday of next week.  This partnership has the potential to be a great thing for our team, our Foundation and the sponsorsing company, as all three parties stand to benefit greatly.  As we always try to do, stop by late Monday night and I'll let you in on the announcement several hours before the company makes the announcement public.

We hope Tuesday's announcement is one of many to come down the pike over the next few months.  To date we have sent out more than 230 marketing kits to varoius companies and are in talks with several so I am confident our F-2 and F-3 tunnel boats will have no shortage of decals on them when we hit the water for SuperLeague action in Elgin, IL in mid-June!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011 - Mother Mouse Books, publisher of the Mother Mouse series of children's storybooks for which my daughter Hannah is an author will be back with Herd Racing in 2011 as a supporting sponsor.  The original Mother Mouse book was displayed on our F-3 boat all year last year and the new book title and logo will probably be on our race entry in some fashion in 2011 as well.

The publisher is in production of Hannah's second book in the Mother Mouse series entitled "Mother Mouse Goes Camping in the Deep Dark Woods" which is scheduled for release in June.  Mother Mouse is planning a special event for the release of the book and we may do a complete boat paint scheme on our F-2 entry at Marietta in July to celebrate the release of the second book.

Hannah went with us to Marietta last year and sold a few copies of her first publication there.  We hope to have Hannah and her artist, Joe Gilley, join us for the Marietta weekend again this year where they can sell and autograph their newest book since that race venue is a great place to interact with the public.  If you want your own copy of the original Mother Mouse book or the upcoming title you can contact Hannah at www.mothermousebooks.com.

Elsewhere in Herd Racing land, you may notice our switch to a boat racing theme is continuing on our homepage little by little.  Soon you will see the Goodyear Eagle tires along the page title icons to the left of the page be removed and replaced to continue the theme switch.  Things will continue little by little over the next several weeks as we continue to add to and hopefully, improve the website.

The new F-2 boat is still in transit from West Texas where it was picked up Monday night.  Last night the boat was in Oklahoma City and tonight when I called in for an update it was in Louisville, KY so it should be here tomorrow or we may hold up delivery until Friday since we are in the middle of another snow event here in the foothills of West Virginia.  We are pretty excited to get on it right away because we are kind of shut down on the F-3 makeover project until we get warm enough weather to paint and we get the rebuilt powerhead back from LaBanco Racing in Illinois and our gearcase from Mark Schminbauch who is reshaping the exterior of the skeg to get us the best flow through the water.

Lastly, you should begin seeing some sponsorship announcements on a regular basis pretty soon.  We have one that is pretty much ready to release and are just waiting for the company to edit the press release and sign the final contract.  We hope to have that one by first of next week and will be sure to announce it here first.  We also have three or four supporters from last year who have pledged to continue their support in 2011 so we will be announcing their companies as well real soon.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2011 - Well, I guess today is as good of a time as any to let you in on the preliminary arrangements for our planned venture up to the APBA's SST-120 or Formula 2 class in 2011.  Herd Racing has acquired an F-2 boat from a team in West Texas and we will continue with our plans to possibly run among the Formula 2 ranks next summer in at least a couple of races.

While F-3 SST-60 racing will be our full time focus in 2011, it is time to begin plans for the eventual move up in ranks to the bigger, faster boats.  It's like the guy to drives in the Nationwide Series longing for his day in Sprint Cup.  The F-2 boats are the big boys as far as a national touring series goes in the U.S. for tunnel boats so that's where we'll try to head in time.  There are a few F-1 boats out there, which are even bigger and faster yet, but weekly racing of that type of boat has crossed the ocean to Europe in recent years and has pretty much dried up in the U.S. as only a handful of races are set each year in the states for the F-1 boats. 

Things are still in the preliminary stages but it is looking like we will secure sponsorship to run the F-2 boat at Huntington on August 6-7 and possibly at Marietta on July 9-10.  We are still quite a ways away from those two events, but time does fly as we have found in recent months.  If we plan to have a boat ready to hit the water by July we need to get the ball rolling so we bit the bullet a few weeks ago and made the purchase to get the process started.  The boat, a Miller Brothers designed capsule and hull, has a pretty good track record.  I have traced the boat back to find that it is a multi time race winner but it probably isn't a boat that will end up in victory lane again so don't expect miracles from us.  Boat building technology is just like car building technology in NASCAR.  It is pretty hard to win with something that isn't something with the latest hull design.

This boat was last ran in 2009 and was said to be a mid-pack boat which ran the west coast and southwest circuits of California, Arizona and Texas.  It's safe, solid and tested, and will afford us the opportunity to turn some laps and learn the ropes as a rookie again in a new class.  Once we get seat time we can then improve the equipment, similar to what we are trying to do in F-3 this year.  The old Hemp/Pugh we ran in 2010 was as solid as a tank and allowed us to learn how to race in a cost effective manner in a sport in which we had no past experience.  That's what we hope this new Miller provides us.

Now you see why the auction plans the past couple of weeks have come to being.  You got it, we need a new motor, midsection and gearcase to get the F-2 outfitted and on the water and those things cost money.  Prices for the Mercury V-6 2.0-liter F-2 motors aren't cheap.  A decent used one will fetch $10,000 while even a junker that has been retired will garner $8,000 or more even before rebuilding.  Then the rebuild begins which tacks on to the final tally once cylinder sleeving, pistons and the like come into play.  You'll have $10,000 to $12,000 in it minimum before you ever even hang it on the boat for the first time so that's where the auctions come into play.  Remember, this is talking used equipment.  We don't even want to talk about new equipment which, like NASCAR again, is not even a possibility for us.

Anyway, here's a photo of the boat as it sits today in West Texas waiting for a shipper to pick it up for us tomorrow evening and begin the 1600-mile hike back to West Virginia, hopefully arriving at the shop sometime on Wednesday.  Plans are to leave it in its current yellow paint scheme as the sponsor's colors which will likely fill the sides of the boat in 2011 is, you guessed it, yellow and red!

We'll be posting story on the main website page by tomorrow night, but like we always do, you blog followers get first crack at any breaking news.  Back to the shop tomorrow night to clean out some more floor space as our fleet has now grown to four!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011 - The Canadian-American Challenge Cup which was ran in early August in Memphis will be rebroadcasted a couple times in early February on the SportSouth cable television network.  SportSouth will air the Memphis International Riverfront Regatta coverage of both the Formula 2 and Formula 3 finals at 3 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, February 1 and again at 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, February 3.  Herd Racing finished 6th in that event in 2010.

I know the times that they will be showing the races aren't the best time slots available for high volume viewing, but these two airings will be the 11th and 12th times the network has shown the races since August.  The original agreement was for one single airing so that indicates that SuperLeague racing must be appealing to SportSouth viewers or they wouldn't be re-airing the show so many times.  Considering SportSouth claims to be in the homes of 9.1 million customers, the chances are pretty good that several hundred thousand, if not a few million, people have learned a little about powerboat racing thanks to SportsSouth.

In other powerboat news, the APBA's annual meetings are January 26-29 in Detroit, MI.  I understand from others in the sport that the annual meetings draw a large majority of the teams and drivers together each January to discuss the important issues facing the sport, safety changes coming in 2011 and to establish the official race schedules for the coming year.  Herd Racing won't be going to the meetings but I'll keep you posted on any major news that comes our way.  I am sure I will be talking with a few drivers who will venture up north for the three-day event.

Lastly, we will be announcing soon the official formation of The Herd Racing Foundation.  The foundation will be made up of a handful of volunteers who share our team's excitement for racing, but also share our passion for serving the Lord and helping others.  The Herd Racing Foundation will be the non-profit charitable arm of the team that will raise funding and help coordinate charitable events that the team will participate in.  The foundation's mission will be to do things that help promote and support faith and family.

What exactly does that mean?  Well, simply put, the foundation will raise funds that will allow the team to interact with the community in each race city we visit in the coming years.  Some of the things the foundation is planning is for the team to visit children's hospitals and share gift bags with the kids and allow them to get their photos made with our #75 race boat.  While this doesn't sound like much, I think allowing a sick kid to think about something fun will hopefully get their mind off of what they are going through and let them know that others do care about them.  We are counting on our many sponsors and the foundation's members to help us out by rounding up items we can give away through our visitation program such as balloons, small toys, a t-shirt, coloring book, a DVD or something that we can use to help fill a gift bag to leave with the children.  I hope some of the other drivers in the SuperLeague will want to come along with us to some of these visits as well.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 - You may have began noticing the changes to our website homepage as we transition slowly this month to a mostly boat racing site.  We have added a direct link on the front page where you can access the American Power Boat Association's monthly racing magazine, Propeller, directly from our site, and we have added a direct link to powerboat racing's most popular fan forum, Boat Racing Facts.  You also may notice that the APR SuperLeague logo and APBA Racing logo can now lead you to their respective websites.

Each week over the next month or so you will notice some changes to the home page and interior pages of the website as we continue our changeover.  I am excited about making this change because of the significant stake that boat racing will be playing in our overall program.  To this point we have sort of dabbled in ARCA, NASCAR, SuperLeague, Modifieds, Sportsmen, Legends and Late Model racing but I think you will begin to see that our focus will be on the boats in 2011 and I think you will see that the dedication will be there.  Don't get me wrong, you will still see vehicles bearing the Herd Racing banner on the race tracks around America, but those efforts will be secondary unless a sponsor comes along with desires for that particular type of racing.  Our goal is to adequately fund and field a winning tunnel boat program in 2011 and that will be our primary focus.

In other news, we have began the changeover in the Herd Racing shop as well this week.  The guys in the shop spent much of Monday and Monday evening sorting through parts and loading a 24-foot cargo trailer for a trip to the auction, hopefully this weekend.  Gavel Auction is having it's monthly sale in Mooresville, NC, on Saturday morning and we hope to drop off our goods there for their upcoming February event.  If you are interested in racing auctions Gavel is a good one.  You can access their site at www.gavelauction.com.  I try to hit about half of their auctions when I have time.  It is a long drive, but you can usually come home with a pickup load of tools and equipment for little of nothing.  If you are interested in any used ARCA or Nationwide parts, our stuff at next month's auction will include everything from a large pit box to fuel cans to cool down units.

Also, we are creeping slowly toward what could be a pretty substantial announcement for our tunnel boat program in the coming weeks.  We took another step forward in the negotiation process today and should know within the next week or two if this particular venture is going to materialize or just fizzle as many of them do.  While I don't want to say too much at this point because most of time these things don't materialize, I will tell you that if things work out the way it looks like they may then that second air mask we bought a few weeks back will get put to use on a regular basis in 2011!  You can read into that what you may.

Keep checking out the website and if there is anything we can do to make it better and more fan friendly just let us know.  Our goal is to make Herd Racing your portal to the powerboat racing world.  Stop here first and click your way to anywhere you wish to go in the sport of powerboat racing.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011 - You will notice over the next week or two that our main homepage at www.herdracing.com will begin to take on more of a boat racing feel and slowly creep away from our NASCAR roots.  The reason for that is two-fold.  For one, we have decided not to field an entry in NASCAR's touring series this spring and our driver has transferred over to our sister organization, Faith Motorsports, to drive in 2011.  Secondly, we have found that it just isn't feasible to try to market for and race cars and boats at a major league level from the same shop.  The cars running under the Herd Racing banner in 2011 will be fielded through Michael Gaier Motorsports in the Charlotte area and Beahr Racing in the Richmond area.  Our shop near Huntington will begin being transformed to a "boat only" garage beginning this coming week as we attempt to fight off the cold and get back in the boat business.

You will begin seeing the change on the website in the next few days as we attempt to make it more boat racing friendly.  We will have a link to a well known boat racing fan forum and begin implementing some nautical changes so you will know when you log on that you have found Herd Racing's boat racing platform.  Part of soliciting boat racing sponsors is providing them with a quality website from which they can learn about our team, advertising value and marketing options.  You will begin to notice a few changes a week over the next several weeks as we switch over to an all boating site.

In other news, we shipped off a couple propellers for the SST-60 boats to Craig and Dave Dewald in Pennsylvania to have their staff at Dewald Prop upgrade them to the latest and fastest contour and style.  You might recall we got a couple others redone in the fall by Jeff Titus at Performance Propeller in Florida so that should give us four top notch propellers from which to choose from once 2011's testing begins here in a few months.

The hope is that we will have some of the best props out there when racing begins later this spring.  It will be up to us to get some test time on the waters this spring and determine which one or two are the right ones for us.

Just like in NASCAR, boat racing is an ever changing sport where teams strive to get new technology, better horsepower, more sleak boats and better biting propellers on a constant basis.  We went into 2010 with quality older equipment that hadn't been run full time for a couple of years so hopefully many of our off-season improvements will show at the finish line as we bring our stuff up to 2011 standards.  We'll just have to wait and see if it affords us the gains we are seeking.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011 - The snows just keep coming here in the mountains of the great State of West Virginia.  The only problem is that I'm not even in the mountains and it is still dropping snow on us anyway.  As you can see in the photo, we seem to get 1-2 inches of new snow each night and the latest band last night resulted in our decision to stay home from the Piedmont Racing Expo in Raleigh, NC where we planned to spend the weekend.

The roads aren't all that bad, but if you have ever been to our shop it is at the top of a hill with about 1,500 feet of hilly driveway leading to it.  The drive is completely snow covered and packed on top of ice which makes it pretty tricky even in a four wheel drive or an ATV right now.  The opportunity to steer an 80,000-pound semi down the hill just isn't something that I was thrilled about.  Reflections of Daytona last February keep entering my mind as we got stuck up on our own property twice on our return trip from Florida, resulting one new tire and two tow bills.  That was the result of attempting to come up the hill.  I don't want to think of what the result of going down could include.  Anyway, we'll sit out the Expo this year and hope to get to go and show the boat and promote the team next January.

In other news, Dan Schwartz is back home in California and will continue his rehabilitation at a local facility later this week.  He is walking on his own with some assistance and while his recovery is going very slow, it is progressing steadily.  It is such a blessing just to hear that he has done as well as he is doing.  Flash back four months ago and I was one that was fearful that the next update we got from the hospital was going to be one that we were dreading to hear.  Thankfully, he will recover, a great accomplishment from where he started.

The phones are pretty quiet this week as just about everyone in our area is home from school and most are home from work so we'll probably spent most of the day today continuing our marketing efforts and planning some upgrades to the website.  We will be changing the main site at www.herdracing.com to more of a boating theme from our current NASCAR stock car them.  You will see these changes slowly over the next couple of weeks.

We will begin making some sponsor announcements soon as partnership and trade agreements are in the works with several who are either renewing or coming aboard for the first time.

Stay warm!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2011 - After a couple weeks of negotiating between all parties involved Herd Racing's sister team in NASCAR, Faith Motorsports, will make it official later today that Brett Rowe will move from Herd over to Faith in 2011 to drive in the Nationwide Series.

We have decided collectively that Herd Racing will not field a team in NASCAR's second-tier series in 2011, but Faith Motorsports will attempt to field two teams, at least at the beginning of the year.  Morgan Shepherd will drive one car while Brett will be behind the wheel of the second.

Lots more information about the deal will be available later today at www.racewithfaith.com so you can check out that site if you want to read the details.  But, as for what is happening at Herd Racing in 2011, we still have not gotten to the point that we can release anything and feel comfortable that what we release will pan out to be accurate.

We do know we will run full time in the APR SuperLeague's Formula 3 category with myself driving, but our plans for ARCA, dirt track racing and possibly a second boat team are still coming together.  That's the way the offseason has historically been in racing.  Nothing seems to happen for 90 percent of the time and then at the last minute everyone seems to work out a deal.

While Brett has been the focal point of Herd Racing since we began back in 2008, I am excited for his move to Faith Motorsports - not just because I am a partner in that organization as well - but because I think his chances of making races and competing there are better than if Herd were to field an entry for him in NASCAR like we have attempted the past couple years.  Being in West Virginia opposed to the Charlotte area makes it hard to get the best personnel and makes even the simple things like getting parts a hassle sometimes.

This will allow Brett to start off the year with a fighting chance, driving for an established team and and having an established team car to share information with.  Congratulations Brett!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JANUARY 9, 2011 - This coming weekend marks the beginning of the "non-racing" racing events for 2011 for Herd Racing as our primary Formula 3 tunnel boat from the 2010 race season will be on display Friday and Saturday, January 14 and 15, at the Piedmont Racing Expo in North Carolina.

If you are in the Raleigh area come by and see us.  The event, held each January for the past 25 years at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, features a large auction of race parts, memorabilia and other stuff, as well as race driver appearances, seminars, race car displays and this year - for the first time -  a race boat display!

We will be loading up a trailer full of NASCAR goodies to sell at the auction so we have some seed money to get our 2011 racing programs off the ground in the next couple of months until we hope some sponsor money begins paying the bills as the weather begins to turn warmer.

We will get some photos at the expo and post to the photo gallery next weekend so you can see what went on and since the photo gallery has been dormant since mid September.

In other news, another snow storm is expected to hit here on Monday night.  The ground has pretty much been snow covered since mid December and the daytime tempertures have been below freezing more days than not since that time.  I love winter, but I would love a break for a week or so that would allow us to get the heat up in the race shop enough to paint a couple boats.  Hopefully, the weather will break sometime this month and let us get caught up on the show boat and primary F-3 boat painting projects.  You may have wondered why you haven't seen any Shop Night photos on the Facebook page since late November.  That's the reason.  While lots is getting done in regards to preparation for 2011, there isn't much going on that shows in pictures so hopefully we'll have some photos of some painted boats up for you to view as soon as we get a warm spell.

We have some positive news on the sponsorship front with three major possibilities seeking more information.  I will have phone meetings with at least two of them this week.  I am hopeful that at least one of them will pan out, but I have been down this road many times before and know that nothing is final until the check clears the bank.

Talk to you soon.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 06, 2011 - If you remember back in September our trip to the Powerboat Nationals in Kankakee, Illinois then I am sure you will remember my talking about all of the crashes and injuries associated with the weekend.  I have good news to report tonight.  Dan Schwartz, the California pilot in the Formula 2 finals who was so badly injured, is finally going home.

Dan's wife Jean today posted to his Caring Bridge page that the family is planning to return home to California on January 8 after spending a full four months in two Chicago area hospitals as Dan recovered.  That is such great news and a true blessing to hear.

If you remember, Dan's accident involved three boats and resulted him being shot onto the bank of the Kankakee River and upside down on a golf course where he was extricated from the remains of his boat.  He suffered massive head injuries, neck injuries and leg fractures and was on a ventilator for some time before slowly beginning his recovery.

I know he and his wife Jean continue to need prayers so I hope you will continue to remember them as Dan's road to recovery is just starting and his rehabilitation is expected to last many more months.  If you want to follow Dan's progress or encourage him by signing his guestbook you can access his Caring Bridge website at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danschwartz.

In other news, our new breathing air masks arrived this week so I will spend a little time retrofitting them to our needs in the next few weeks and then visiting my friend Charlie Carroll at Huntington Commercial Diving Center to test them in the pool a few times.  They are similar to what an airplane fighter pilot would wear, but have a SCUBA regulator affixed to the front of the mask.  They are set up with a valve that allows you to breath air from the boat's cockpit during racing, but then they switch over to bottled air should you turn upside down or come in contact with water.

We need to change the air fittings to adapt to our hose system and change the radio speakers in the masks to match our NASCAR radio systems, but other than that our primary Formula 3 Yeeeha boat will have a new system when we hit the water in the spring.  Our old system from last year will remain with the Hemp/Pugh F-3 boat should we run it as a backup, secondary or part time entry.  That leaves us with an extra mask doesn't it.  What do you think that might indicate?

Just a morsel to keep you coming back for more.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JANUARY 04, 2011 - We sent our first Formula 3 motor to Northbrook, IL today for a complete rebuild from LaBanco Racing.  I have been researching engine builders for our OMC Evinrude F-3 powerheads since we got into the sport in 2010 and while there are many options out there for us we have decided to entrust our engine components to fellow SuperLeague racer Sam LaBanco.

Despite only running the final two races at Aurora and Kankakee in 2010, Sam was a threat to win at Aurora before getting into a wreck with Brent Dillard.  He backed up his Aurora performance with a win at the National Championships in Kankakee, IL in September.  While Sam has built his own motors for some time, he has started in recent seasons doing work for other teams as he has cut back on his racing schedule.  There is no secret that LaBanco builds the power into his motors which often ends up with his boats in victory lane.  In fact, Sam was one of the engineers back in the day at OMC that helped design many of the outboard racing engines so he knows the powerheads inside and out.

Fellow racers Toby Hood and Sammy Miller have used Sam the past couple years and I am happy to announce that Herd Racing is a LaBanco customer beginning today.  After Sam gets our primary motor as hot as the rules will allow we will send up our backup motor so when the 2011 opening gun fires we hope to have two of the best powerheads in the league.  Couple that with new props, a better boat and a lighter driver and we hope to show some improvements when we unload for the first race this spring.

Also, as you can see from the photo with this blog of Miss Pennsylvania Courtney Thomas and the #75 boat, the Herd Racing boat was featured in the annual media report put out by the EQT Three Rivers Regatta in Pittsburgh.  The regatta report indicates that about 600,000 fans attended the two day event over the July 4th weekend last summer making it the biggest inland regatta in the U.S.  The total Neilson audience was estimated at 1.2 million people with a combined media publicity value of about $2 million for sponsors!

This is good information to have when courting sponsors for next year's event.  There aren't many sports that can provide this type of return on investment which is why I continue to have high hopes for our team's involvement in outboard tunnel boat racing in 2011 and beyond.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JANUARY 02, 2011 - I spent some time this afternoon after getting home from church digging into the statistical data provided by our team's web site host.  Web statistics are interesting to look at, but if we don't use the data we gather to our advantage then what good is it to have it.  Here is a little overview of our website activity at www.herdracing.com for 2010.

For starters, the website saw more than a million visitors during the year 2010 with a total of 1,198,497 visits being recorded from January 1 to December 31.  The total number of individual people who logged on to the site was 31,051 so that gave me some good information.  Realizing that more than 30,000 people had the desire to come to our site during the year is pretty impressive, but knowing that when you run the averages and see that they came back about on the average of about 40 times throughout the year lets me know they liked something they saw once they got there.

Not to be unexpected, February was our biggest month followed closely by September and November.  I fully expected February to be big since we announced our intentions on running full time in the Nationwide Series and we kicked off our year at Daytona.  But, I was a little surprised to see that there was just a tad less than 200 people on board in September than there was in February when we had pretty much folded the Nationwide program by then and were concentrating pretty much solely on the tunnel boat efforts.  November was just a little behind September and we were solely in the powerboat racing mode and early off season then so either some of our NASCAR fans from earlier in the year stuck around to learn about powerboat racing or we garnered a new audience between February and September.  It is possible that our Facebook and Twitter programs also drove more fans to the site in the latter part of the year once those programs were introduced. Interesting.

We tended to average about 2,000 unique viewers per month over the course of the year and while the numbers bounced around pretty good we usually got about 85 people on the site per day.  I am sure a lot of those who visited one day came back several more times that month, but when you add up 85 per day times 30 days in a month you can see that most of our daily viewers weren't the same ones.  That too is interesting to me.

We drew visitiors from 56 countries throughout the year, but more than 85 percent of those who visited the site on a regular basis were from the U.S. and the second largest country of users was Canada so I am confident that our powerboat racing is what attracted fans from up north.  About a fourth of the drivers in our SuperLeague racing league hails from Canada or has roots there so I would assume their following has found our site as a source of information.

There is a vast amount of information available and I can see already some challenges for us in 2011.  Most notably will be how to get more people to our site and how to find a way to keep them coming back more often!  If you have some suggestions let us know.  There is lots more information in these spreadsheats to digest, including when you guys logged in, what pages you looked at most and more.  Back to descrambling the stats before retiring to bed for my nightly brainstorming session as a drift off to sleep.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2010 - On behalf of the team and families at Herd Racing I would like to wish you a Happy New Year!  The year of 2010 is nearly behind us and as far as racing goes it was one full of ups and downs for the Herd Racing program.  Here's a quick review for those of you new to the blog.

We kicked off 2010 with great expectations of running a full schedule in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.  We had staffed up with a crew chief, car chief, PR person and more and hit Daytona in February with a crew that nearly reached a dozen.  It is neat looking back how the rest of 2010 was completely shaped by a cold front moving across upper Florida that rained out qualifying for the season opener at Daytona.  Thus, having limited owner points from the previous year and through a random selection process I can still say I don't quite understand, the Herd team was sent packing just hours before the first race of the season without having the opportunity to attempt to qualify.  Our plan to run the full season had been derailed before it even started.  With no winnings from Daytona we couldn't dream of going to California and Las Vegas.

We packed it in until race #5 of the schedule at Nashville where again the deck seemed to be stacked against us from the very beginning.  Again, through no fault of the weather this time but a glitch in the car's electrical system, we were sent home without logging a qualifying lap.  Second race, second financial bath, 2010's NASCAR Nationwide plans were pretty much shot at this point.

So by Easter weekend we began licking our wounds and looking for another racing series where we could compete with the financial dollars we were able to generate for the remainder of the year.  It was clear that Nationwide in 2010 was not for us and if our sponsors were going to get the exposure we wanted them to get then we needed to find another playground.

The team rebounded to run a couple races with Michael Gaier in the PASS Late Model Series and a couple more in the Legends Car Series in North Carolina, Chad and Kevin Beahr were able to run several races on the Virginia short tracks in their Sportsman and Modified entries and we ventured into the APR SuperLeague where the second half of the 2010 calendar year went much better.

While we weren't as competitive as we know we could have been, we finished our rookie season with a 7th place points finish, received Rookie of the Year honors and enjoyed two 6th place runs at Pittsburgh and Memphis.  Again, not performances we would be proud of in year three or four, but for our first month in the sport we accomplished our goals of qualifying for the races, learning from the races and finishing the races.

Like I have said before, we are still a while away from announcing the team's full intentions for 2011, but you can rest assured that you will see Herd Racing back on the asphalt, dirt and water in the coming year.  Where, how often and at what levels are yet to be determined.

Just like was the case in 2010 which is coming to a close, what you make of a year is really what you put into it.  I know 2011 will bring many challeges but it is how we handle those challenges that will determine where we are as a group and as individuals at this time next year.  We can handle those challenges as defeats or we can handle those challenges as opportunities!  God willing, I choose the latter.

We sustained some bruises, so to speak, in 2010, but everyone emerged healthy and happy.  Looking back on the year I am thankful for most everything that happened.  While every day wasn't a picnic, even the hard ones made me a better person, a better businessman and a better racer and that's what is really important in the long run.  Building on your successes and learning from your failures.  I hope we can continue to do both well into the New Year.

Happy New Year and may God Bless you and your efforts, whatever they might be, in 2011!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2010 - Now that another Christmas holiday is behind us it is back to the office this week and, believe it or not, it is one of my favorite weeks of the business year.  Things are open like banks, the post office and the like, but it is a week when the phone rings very little, most people in the business world take their vacation time and while the business world moves along, it is anything but a stressful week.  My kind of environment!

As a result, I got a lot done yesterday in the office and hope to have another similar day today before hitting the road for some work on Wednesday.  Much of my time this week will be focused on tying up the loose ends of 2010 and beginning to pull together the pieces of the Herd Racing marketing puzzle for 2011.

Most of our marketing agreements with sponsors run for full calendar years so beginning next week you will begin seeing new announcements for those who have come on board for 2011 and you will see some of our 2010 sponsors move on which will result in some shuffling of advertisements on our website home page.  I am excited about 2011 being here and the potential I am seeing over the horizon, especially for our boat racing ventures.

I think sponsors want to be involved in a nationally-recognized racing program just to be able to say they are out there and the tunnel boat series in which we run is a great financial deal for the company looking to promote themselves at minimal cost.  Corporate America is tired of the multi-million-dollar price tag that has been attached with racing for the past several years and while the overall exposure of boat racing isn't what NASCAR can boast the price is a drop in the bucket.  With our Nationwide and ARCA programs a sponsor's $2500 sponsorship gets a set of tires and a small decal on the lower rear quarter panel which race fans rarely see.  That kind of money in boat racing can garner a full boat paint scheme for a race weekend or a nice sized decal for the whole season.  I think potential sponsors are seeing that less really is more in this troubled economy.

To date we have sent out about 115 marketing proposals to companies all across the U.S., both big and small.  As to be expected, many have indicated they have no interest in motorsports marketing, but we have a small number who have been very receptive and a few who looks like will be coming aboard to help us fund our racing in 2011.  The push will continue well into the new year as our goal is to contact 500 companies per year so as you can see there is still a ton of work to be done.

We should begin announcing some supporters soon so check back often to the website and blog to see whose joining the team for 2011.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2010 - On the eve of the most important day in the history of Earth I wanted to take an opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Chistmas!  In a small Middle-Eastern village 2010 years ago this evening a Saviour was born and each year since that time mankind has celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.

I know there are many religious beliefs out there and I am a person who respects that.  I try very hard to respect the fact that not everyone believes as I do and I do not attempt to force my spiritual beliefs on those who I know have a different take on things.  That said, I also don't shy away from letting them and everyone else know my beliefs.  I think that is what God commands us to do.  Present the gospel to our fellow man and allow him the choice to choose whether or not he desires to accept it.  It isn't our job as Christians to force it on those who don't wish to hear it, but just to make it clear to them what we believe.

Anyway, I hope that you are a believer in Christ and have forged a lifelong relationship with him.  If you haven't then I feel obligated on Christmas Eve to provide you with the Kindergarten version of how easy securing that eternal relationship can be.  It's as simple as A B C.

A - Acknowledge that you are not perfect and that you have sinned and fallen short of God's expectations for you.

B - Believe that Jesus Christ came to Earth and died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the third day.

C - Confess your sins before God and accept the gift of eternal life that Christ provided to you through his death and resurrection.

This is a very simplified version, but accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour truly is that simple.  All it takes to know Christ is to sincerely pray to God that you know you have fallen short, you believe that Christ was sent to die for your sins, and that you accept his gift and choose to follow him.

If you have seen one of our team postcards from the 2010 boat racing season then you have no doubt seen the Plan of Salvation we have printed on the back.  Like I said earlier. it isn't my duty to force my beliefs on you or to shun you if you choose to believe another way.  I have many close friends who embrace other beliefs and many more who claim no religious connection at all.  It is my job, however, to make it clear to you how I believe and to provide you with encouragement and direction in hopes that you too will come to choose Jesus as your Saviour.

From the Jesus fish which adorns our boats, hauler, literature and uniforms, to the fish necklaces, postcards and other handouts we distribute at the track it is my hope that there is no doubt as to which side of the issue the Herd Racing program stands!

It is my prayer that those of you who do not know Christ may soon come to know him as your Saviour and that our team does a better job in 2011 of helping reinforce that desire through our actions on and off the race track.

Merry Christmas to all!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2010 - If the cold weather and snow keeps you indoors this upcoming Christmas holiday and you have couch time to fill then how about some Powerboat SuperLeague to get your racing fix before the start of the New Year.

Romesburg Media, producer of Powerboat SuperLeague races for Fox Sports, SportsSouth and AmericaOne cable outlets, has many races archived for your viewing pleasure on the Internet at various locations, and Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh still has two more airings of the July 3-4 Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta scheduled for later this month.

If you have FSN Pittsburgh on your satellite or cable system you can tune in for the Formula 3 and Formula 2 finals from Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. on December 28 and noon on December 31.

If you want to watch other races from last year and previous years, including Memphis and Marietta, you can find them with set broadcast times on RaceFans TV.  You can find those races at the following link: http://racefanstv.com/channels/powerboat-racing/powerboat-superleague/.  RaceFans TV has broadcast times that you can tune in online and watch the races, or you can access their archives to watch races from year's past.

In addition, SuperLeague Media also has 2010's televised races set up on their site where you can view everything from qualifying to post race interviews.  You can access those races by clicking here: http://www.romesburgmedia.com/superleaguemedia/.

And, don't forget Herd Racing's YouTube channel where you can find our scanner traffic and highlight videos from 2010.  You can find that by clicking on the YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/herdracing.  You can subscribe to our team's video updates and you will be notified when an updated or new video is posted.

In other news, be sure to check out the front page of our homepage at www.herdracing.com over the holidays as we continue to spotlight our Formula 3 boat team members.  You have already met Greg Smith, our boat chief, and Jeramey Wentz, our crew chief, is currently profiled on the home page.  We still have our Chief Engineer Eric Himes and our Dockmaster Bryan Rozzi to feature so be looking for their profiles in the coming weeks.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2010 - I'm not sure what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but from where I look out onto the world it is pretty white right now.  In fact, it has snowed pretty much non-stop for the past 24 hours and we had a little snow on the ground before this storm hit.  What a way to usher in Christmas!  Although it does slow down things at work a little and messes up the scheduling quite a bit, snow isn't something you'll see me complaining about very often.  Three days of no school this week alone has made the girls (both wife and daughter) pretty happy.

In other news, our F-3 boat will be one of the featured displays at the Piedmont Racing Expo on January 14-15 in Raleigh, NC.  The expo is one of the biggest gatherings in the south when it comes to racing and I spoke to the organizer today about his plans to display the #75 boat in the main gathering area at the NC State Fairgrounds complex.  I'll get you a website link and some more information as it becomes available, but being the only race boat invited to an all race expo means all of the boating attention will be coming our way which is what we want.  All hands on deck will be working toward educating the southern racing public about tunnel boat racing and showing the historically auto racing sponsors in attendance that boat racing may be a nice change of pace for their marketing dollars in 2011.  Herd Racing's ARCA driver Chad Beahr and Nationwide crew members Will Clark and Joe Gilley will also be in Raleigh with the boat display for the two-day event to hand out sponsorship literature and answer questions about the team.

Meanwhile, things in the car and boat shops are pretty much at a standstill until after the New Year's holiday.  While our boat plans are bsically confirmed for 2011, much of our car racing plans are still up in the air.  We will be running some cars on both dirt and asphalt, but it will be another month or two before we have the plans for the spring and summer finalized.  I would suspect you'll see a little ARCA action back on the schedule in 2011 from possibly both Chad and and Brett Rowe.  Herd Racing hasn't competed in the ARCA Series since a 26th place run by Chad at Pocono in 2009.

Michael Gaier is also preparing for some more racing in 2011 in the PASS Late Model touring series and he may also run some USAC races next.  Hopefully that #75 will be seen at many race venues across the nation come next spring and summer!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010 - That sickness I told you about last weekend that I thought was about half-way through its run was quite a bit more powerful than I had anticipated.  Looks like I ended up with a bacterial infection in my lungs for which I started my second round of antibiotics today.  While I have continued to function over the past week, I haven't felt worth a lick for about two weeks and that has showed in my attention to blogging and keeping the website updated with news.  Here's what I have failed to update you on the past week or so.

Brett Rowe and his family are taking part in the Morgan Shepherd Charitable Fund annual mission trip to the Virginia mountains today.  The Faith Motorsports program, and namely Morgan Shepherd, has made the trek to Stuart and Galax, Virginia every December for about 24 years now to help those who need it for Christmas.  The event features a private gathering at the PARC Workshop in Stuart where the charity helps with a donation to run the workshop for another year.  The workshop teaches those with mental and physical disabilities how to learn life skills and work in the workshop where they refinish furniture to sell.  The trip also includes a public concert at the Rex Theater in Galax this evening where country and gospel groups will deliver some cheer to the needy in that area.  The team will give out probably 1,000 or more gift bags to those in attendance at the two events today.  Thanks to Brett and his family for taking part in the program the past three years.  I would love to be there but right now I have to concentrate on recovering from this breathing thing which has pretty much sidelined me from everything except the basic tasks I have to perform each day to get by.

In other news, it is about 15 degrees here again today so the paint work in the shop has come to a standstill the past couple of weeks.  I suspect we will take a few weeks off and get through the Christmas holiday before hitting it hard a night or two each week beginning in January.  Things are coming along pretty nicely.  The show boat and the new F-3 boat are pretty much ready for paint and then reassembling so the hard work is behind us.

We purchased a new F-3 Evinrude motor for the Yeeeha F-3 boat this week.  I will pick it up in Cincinnati, OH on Friday of this week and get it to our engine builder to be modified and built for our use.  These motors which we run in the F-3 class are very hard to find and haven't been manufactured since the early 1990s.  I would suspect there are less than 50 of them left in existence so they are very hard to come by and pretty pricey when you do find them.   Luckily, we were able to find a former racer to had one sitting that we were able to get at a good price.  I am confident once our engine builder gets done with it that it will be top notch and ready for the new boat in 2011.

I have come to realize that there are four things which play a big role in performance in outboard boat racing.  They are the boat, the motor, the prop and the driver.  We hope to improve in all four areas from 2010 to 2011 as we have purchased a faster boat, will have two motors built by one of the best builders in the business, have obtained newly reconditioned propellers and our pilot will have some seat time behind him.  Couple it all together and we hope an improvement on the performance front will be noticable come the 2011 SuperLeague schedule.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010 - You may wonder why the news has been AWOL for the past week.  Well, I'm about half way through my annual two-week battle with sinus, lung and other flu-like conditions which seems to nearly kill me every winter.  To top it off, the past week has been one of my busiest at work in quite a while with early mornings and late nights pretty much every day.  Add in an uncontrollable cough, a sore throat, body aches, runny nose, headache and a few other complaint-filled conditions and you have the perfect reason not to sit down and blog.

I am two days into my antibiotic so things I hope are on the mend.  Here's what you didn't get to hear over the past several days due to my absence.

For starters, our 2011 team wall calendars are done and at the printer.  We will update the webpage this weekend with the images and will begin taking orders so if you want one you can give us a call or just send in your money.  They are $10 which includes postage to get it back to you so basically you are paying about $6 for the calendar and $4 to get it sent to you, a pretty good deal I think for a wall calendar.  The 2011 version will be filled with 12 monthly 8X10 photos showing everything from our NASCAR Daytona car to our boating debut in Pittsburgh to our Virginia dirt track action to our late model touring series races in North Carolina (photo above).  All of the shots are from 2010.  Overall you will see at least six different cars and boats showcased in the calendar.  We raced a few more vehicles over the past year but didn't have any high resolution photos of them to put in the calendar.  Next year we plan to up it another notch so expect some more racing action in years to come.  There will be an order block on the front page at www.herdracing.com on Monday where you can click to view the calendar, download a .pdf copy of it to your computer for free and order a wall version if you want.  Thanks again to all of the photographers whose photos appear in the 2011 edition and a special thanks to Joe Gilley for coming up with another great design, and to Chad Beahr for an excellent printed version.

In other news, we got our two refinished propellers back from Performance Propellers this past week and they look great.  I can't wait until spring to get them in the water and see what they do for us in terms of getting off of the dock quicker and getting us to the first turn with or ahead of the pack.  The "Rookie" stripe will be gone in 2011 so we expect to be drag-racing to the buoys with the veterans come next summer.

On the Facebook front, it looks like our goal to get 1,000 fans by January 1 wasn't as much of a challenge as we thought it would be.  We have began publicising our racing to powerboat fans in Europe through Twitter and other social media outlets where tunnel boats are pretty big and many of our new Facebook friends are from Europeon countries so our venture across the pond in terms of exposure is apparently paying off.  We are up to 999 Facebook fans as of this afternoon so hopefully we will see our goal met by later today or before the end of the weekend.  How high will it go?  Who knows, but it's pretty cool to watch it grow and see the emails coming in from all around the world.  There are supposedly about 500 million people on Facebook so at least a small percentage of them "like" Herd Racing now.  And, a European sponsor of powerboat racing called and asked us to send a proposal to their U.S. office for consideration.  They sponsor four boats in Europe are interested in expanding their products to the states.  Hopefully, something will develop on that front.

I'll try to get back with some more news before the end of the weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2010 - Herd Racing would like to welcome PitZoom.com as a new supporter of our team website.  PitZoom, a new internet forum for race fans, will become a website advertiser with the team through the end of December 2010 and we hope will return as a supporter of our programs in some way in 2011.

PitZoom is a place where race fans, racers, track owners, promoters and others can meet online to talk about racing, share thoughts, insights, predictions and upload photos and video.  The site is a members-only site which charges a small fee for your entrance into the forums.

You can find out more about PitZoom.com by clicking on the link www.pitzoom.com or by clicking on the advertisement that will appear on the bottom of all pages at www.herdracing.com in the next few days and will remain a featured ad for the next five or six weeks as PitZoom announces it's site launch and begins to build members.

There also is a feature story about PitZoom in the Supporting Sponsors sections of this website.  Welcome aboard PitZoom.com!

Speaking of advertisers, our drive to add new supporters to our Herd Racing team is progressing each week.  To date we have sent out about 75 marketing kits to various companies around the country and are talking with several companies and organizations about everything from single race sponsorships to product trade agreements to website advertising.  We'll keep working on that front pretty much throughout the calendar year and will announce new supporters as they are signed.

We also continue to add Facebook fans in hopes of topping 1,000 friends on that forum by January 1.  To date we have about 254 fans of our page, a gain of about 50 in the past two or three weeks.  We need to pick up the pace so if you are a visitor to this blog or the website but haven't logged in to join our Facebook page then we hope you do so.  If you a follower of Twitter you can hook up with us there also by logging in and requesting @75boat to see our regular "tweets" about what's going on in Herd land.

Hopefully you are in the middle of a very enjoyable and well deserved Thanksgiving weekend break.  I had a wonderful day yesterday with family and friends and knocked out a few hours today at the office before coming home and helping drag out the big evergreen and other stuff for next month's big celebration!

Probably another day or two of overeating before getting back on the 2011 weight loss plan.  I dropped 32 pounds in 2010 and hope to knock off another 20 this spring before squeezing into that boat for the season-opener in early March!

Talk to you again soon.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2010 - From the Herd Racing family to your Herd where ever you might be, we would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  I'll be brief and reflect on the holiday today rather than racing.  I truly am thankful for the life I am able to live each day and I hope you are too.

I hope that you take a little time on Thanksgiving Day or over the extended holiday weekend if you are fortunate enough to have several days off to spend with family to reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  As we tend to do with most holidays we sometimes really forget the real reason for the holiday and what we are celebrating.  I think most people think of Thanksgiving as a time for family dinners and watching the Detroit Lions lose to someone on TV as we drift off for a catnap on the couch.

But I hope you will take a minute to examine your situation and realize how fortunate we are to be who we are this November day.  I'm far from perfect in nearly every way.  I don't have the best health, I'm not the best businessman, I'm not a perfect husband or even a Top 10 dad, but I thank God every day for making me exactly who he made me.  You might think that sounds crazy, but I truly am thankful for everything I have - faith, health, family, job, home, friends and foes.

What would it be like to be spending this Thanksgiving huddled in a tent in Haiti or sitting down with family in South Korea not knowing when or if war was about to break out?  How about living in Iraq or Afganistan where chaos is the norm, or for that matter, living just about any place other than where we live.

Just about everyone I know will sit down with family tomorrow in a dining room or kitchen or family restaurant and share a meal while reflecting on their individual situations and lives.  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't change a whole lot, even if I had the opportunity.  God has delivered blessing after blessing to me and my family and while life isn't always a bed or roses I sure am thankful for the gift of waking up each morning and being able to live it!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010 - Lots of things are starting to come together for the Herd Racing program and while they may seem like little steps to most they are indeed steps which is what it takes to move forward.  Here are a few tidbits of the news from the office and shop this week:

We got our test buoys and prop covers shipped in last week.  The buoys will be used by our Formula 3 boat team next spring to set up a mock course on the Ohio River near the shop so we can try different prop combinations, starting tactics and driving styles to try to achieve the best lap times.  The prop covers will help protect our props from damage at the track and keep people from cutting themselves on the props as they are very sharp and pointed, not the rounded kinds of props you see on pleasure boats.

J.D. Leedy at SportsRetro is in the process of redesigning his webstore which hosts the Herd Racing store page.  In the next couple of months we will be unveiling our 2011 team store page where you can have choices of buying custom-made apparel directly from the manufacturer or you can purchase other Herd Racing gear directly from the team.  The internet store page hosted by SportsRetro will have three or four custom boat racing designs that you can have printed on shirts, hats, hoodies, coats and more.  The local team store will include items such as embroideried hats, screen printed t-shirts, lanyards, 2011 team calendars and that sort of thing.

Speaking of the calendars, graphic artist Joe Gilley is finishing up the layout now for the 2011 calendar and we hope to have it proofread and sent to the printer in the next week or so.  Our goal is have these in the hands of our supporters by mid-December.  You need to make sure you get one when they become available in the Herd Racing store later next month.  The picture you see with this blog will be one of many that will be included from our 2010 events.  You will see photos from our Nationwide races at Daytona and Nashville, our SuperLeague boat racing season, our community events like Chilifest, and our late model and dirt track racing efforts.  It should be a nice product featuring a different image each month showing a lot of the racing events our team participated in during 2010.

Our winter calendar of events is also beginning to be put together.  The Herd Racing Formula 3 boat has been invited to be displayed in the midway at the Piedmont Race Expo in Raleigh, NC at the North Carolina Fairground Complex in mid-January.  The expo draws thousands of visitors from throughout the country and features row after row of race vendors and displays.  Typically there are about 10 race vehicles from throughout the country which are part of the midway display so we are excited that our Jesus boat will be there and will most likely be the only boat in the mostly car racing themed event.  I think it will be a great opportunity to introduce our team to the stock car world and potential sponsors who may be looking for a less expensive racing opportunity than what NASCAR and ARCA provides.

That's just a sampling of what's happening this week in Herd land.  I'll be back in a few days to talk about the holidays.  Hope you come back too!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 - With the off-season in full swing for the boat program and the car racing guys putting in their final appearance this weekend in Miami we have some time on our hands to do some fun stuff that isn't necessarily directly related to our racing efforts.

One thing we are undertaking is trying to seek out 1,000 Facebook fans for Herd Racing by January 1.  We have been hinting about this in our Twitter posts the last week or so and we have gained about 40 new fans in just the past five days alone.  We are up to around 245 fans as of today and hope to top 1,000 by the start of the New Year.  That will be quite an undertaking since that will involve our getting more than 750 new visitors to our Facebook page in the next six weeks and giving them reason to "like" what they see.

You may ask what this has to do with racing and here is the answer.  America's progressive companies are relying heavily on social media exposure to push their products and services and right now you will notice just about every newspaper advertisement, TV commercial or billboard ad will feature the little "F" and "T" logos at the bottom.  That means that the company advertising has a Facebook and Twitter following.  This is how much of America is advertising these days and in order to attract a major corporate sponsor for our team we need to show them that we are in the Facebook and Twitter game as well and that we have fans out there who can become customers should the sponsor come on board with us.

Sponsors these days want much more than just their decal on the race car or boat.  They want a full marketing effort that includes contests, social media, video, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TV exposure, news coverage and public appearances.  The teams that can show they can provide what the customer is seeking is the team that will get the financial worm.  By spending some time in the off season boosting our social media programs we hope we can show those potential advertisers out there that Herd Racing is the right place for their marketing dollars in 2011.

So, if you haven't already, visit Herd Racing's Facebook front at www.facebook.com/herdracing and become a "fan" by "liking" the team today!  Our techies, Eric and Jeramey have made it easy for you to follow our Twitter posts and this blog all from the Facebook page wall.

In other news, I have spent quite a bit of time on the telephone with Jeff Titus at Performance Propellers in Florida this week and from what he is telling me we should have two state-of-the-art props ready for our short course and long course tracks next summer for our Formula 3 boats.  Jeff, who also serves as an inspector for several of the racing series, is a longtime prop man who builds many of the propellers in the APR SuperLeague we run in.  From what he tells me by phone this week, we should have two of the best he's turned out to date when 2011 rolls around in a few short months.  That's good news, because we will need some good bite to put behind those new powerheads in 2011, but that is another story for a future blog.

The off-season really isn't that long when you come to think about it.  Preseason club racing begins in March and if things work the way we hope then our team will be in Lakeland, Fla. the first weekend of March testing and running our boats.  There is usually a May or June race in Minnesota and a new promoter has just about secured a major event for Elgin, IL which will most likely kick off the APR SuperLeague schedule in June next year.  You couple those with already announced SuperLeague events in Pittsburgh, Marietta, OH, Huntington, WV, Aurora, IN and Memphis, along with the annual National Championships in Kankakee, IL and you can see that 2011 is already showing to have a full slate of races for us.  There also is an August race in nearby Portsmouth, OH we would love to run if we are not already racing elsewhere that weekend.

Talk to you again before Turkey Day.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 - As you can see from the attached photo the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words certainly is true many times.  Marshall University on Sunday conducted its 40th annual memorial service for the 75 people who died in the November 14, 1970 plane crash.

Several hundred people attended the event, several hundred shed tears and several hundred shared smiles.  There were children of the crash victims, siblings, parents, friends, fellow Marshall graduates and complete strangers.  But everyone there every year has some sort of reason for being there, whether it be to pay their respects, take a moment to reflect or to just honor those who were lost and the university, city and football program that still fills the sting of this tragedy every day.

If you want to look at some photos from Sunday's service, here is a link to the local newspaper photo gallery: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/galleries/news/x594482753/Gallery-Memorial-service-for-the-1970-Marshall-University-plane-crash.  The event tends to get people thinking about several things.  For me it is always how fragile life is.  That plane was just a few miles away from landing, probably less than a minute and without any notice it was all over as it clipped the treetops and plowed tail-first into the mountain side.

In a flash there was family after family altered forever.  Some lost parents, some lost siblings, some lost children, and yes, some lost all of the above.  It always makes me think about if my last moment of life was approaching would I do anything different in the next minute, hour or day?  I hope you live your life as if tomorrow isn't a guarantee and your relationship with Christ is what He intends for it to be.  If it isn't I hope you will pursue that relationship immediately because tomorrow shouldn't be taken for granted.  For 75 people back in 1970 it all ended in a second.  The same will happen for all us one day, whether it be one at a time by natural causes or some other end.  Thank God for every day of life he gives you and do your best to live it in a way that will honor Him.

I'll be back to racing with some blog news later this week.  Our Nationwide Series season is over as Brett Rowe narrowly missed the field at Phoenix last weekend and things are progressing on our boat racing front.  I'll make some time later this week to catch you up on everything!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 - This Sunday is November 14th and if any of you don't know the story behind our team and our number then here is short history lesson for you.

Herd Racing is named for the Thundering Herd of Marshall University.  The university's campus is about 10 miles from our race shops and each year on November 14 they have a memorial service that commemorates the anniversary of what is probably America's most devastating sports tragedy.

During a thunderstorm on the night of November 14, 1970 a chartered jet carrying the Marshall University football team home from a game at East Carolina University crashed while on approach to the Huntington airport.  All 75 people on board the plane were killed instantly and that one moment changed the whole complexion of Huntington, Marshall and the surrounding area forever.

That is why our race cars and boats carry the number 75 and why the number almost always appears in black on our haulers, uniforms, cars and boats.  It serves as a memorial to the 75 people who were killed on that tragic night.

On Sunday afternoon, as is the case on November 14 of each year, several hundred people will gather at the memorial fountain on the university campus to turn off the fountain's water flow for the winter.  It is a very tearful moment for this town and everyone affiliated with Marshall University.  It is just one of those dates that you remember like your own birthday or like Christmas and is a topic that draws up emotion every time you think of it.

Pretty much everyone in this area knows someone who was impacted directly by the crash.  My wife is friends with a fellow teacher who lost both parents in the crash.  I am friends with a few guys who lost a parent or sibling on the plane.  My brother-in-law was at the crash site that evening as hundreds of residents gathered in hopes of at least news of a single survivor.

Here is a link to a video clip of the annual ceremony. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Sz3cyUX9Q&feature=related)  If you notice the water is turned off as soon as the memorial wreath is laid and, yes, there are 75 pipes atop the fountain's structure.  If you want to learn more about the whole Marshall story you can click on the black wreath on the www.herdracing.com website homepage to go to the Marshall crash history page or email us here at Herd Racing with your mailing address and we will gladly send you a copy of the movie "We are Marshall" which brought the tragedy to America's attention in 2007.

In other news, Herd Racing's Nationwide Series driver Brett Rowe will be the driver of the Faith Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway in the second to last Nationwide Series race of the 2010 season.  Morgan Shepherd will be in the #21 this weekend and Brett was asked to fill in with the #89 team.

As for Herd Racing's direct Nationwide efforts, they are done for 2010 and all of the cars have either been sold or are up for sale.  There is just one intermediate car left which is owned by Brett himself.  Everything else has found new homes as 2011 will see the Car of Tomorrow chassis introduced full time in the Nationwide Series and all of the current chassis cars will be retired.

We will announce our 2011 Nationwide plans in a few months.  You will see the #75 on the track again next year, but how often will depend on a lot of questions that we are still looking for answers to.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2010 - I just wanted to let you guys in blog world know that we are still here.  While there is some things happening on a regular basis there just hasn't been any breaking news to blog about this week that I thought would interest anyone.  So, since the other option is no blog updates at all, then here is the few tidbits that we have to report tonight.

We shipped a couple propellers off to Performance Propeller in Florida earlier this week in hopes of getting them tuned up with a little extra pep for next spring and we worked in the shop a good bit Monday and Monday night.  We finally got the show boat completely in primer so there isn't much to do on the decking there before we can paint it, and we got the bottom of the Yeeeha F-3 boat gel coated, numbered and the bottom of the capsule painted.  The next step on it is to flip it back onto the trailer and begin sanding and fixing the few issues on the topside.  Hopefully both of these are painted and ready for decals around Thanksgiving.

We ordered a handful of propeller covers this week so we will have something more than a towel to cover the sharp edges of the propeller when the boat comes out the water.  For those of you who aren't boat racing rule fanatics the props are taken very seriously by APBA.  Anyone firing up an engine out of the water with a prop on is in big trouble since it can mangle someone's legs pretty badly.  So, every time a boat comes out of the water a towel or cover must be put over the prop to make it more visible and most teams remove it all together to protect it and the crew members.  These new thick nylon prop covers will snap over the props kind of like a spare tire cover so those sharp blades will be nicely padded should someone's legs bump into them.

We also ordered four floating buoys that we can use next spring to set up our own practice course at the local boat dock.  We plan on practicing a good bit next spring to get ready for the 2011 campaign so we want to be able to make the course as real as possible so we can practice in conditions similar to those we will see at the races.

And, we went to the Marshall University suplus sale this week and picked up a whole bunch of nice furniture we can use in the hauler and shop.  We got about 50 nice green chairs that will fit with our color scheme and we got a truck load of nice tables that we are going to hinge to the interior walls in the hauler so they can be dropped down after the boats are removed to use as tabletops for eating, working, computers and the like.  We are going to spend a good bit of the winter months working on the appearance and functionability of the hauler since we anticipate having all of the boats ready for the water by shortly after the new year rings in.

That's about it for tonight.  If you are still awake after that update I hope you will check back in a few days for more news.  I will try to update you on some sponsorship numbers over the weekend and will introduce you to our new dock master, Bryan Rozzi, after I get some bio information on him next week.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2010 - Happy Halloween everyone from the team at Herd Racing!  Yes, I am one of those people who sees absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating a holiday which I believe gets a bad wrap from the religious right.  I claim to be a Christian and guide my household and businesses in that manner, but when it comes seeing Halloween as a dark and vicious night then I think you are reading much to much into what the modern celebration is all about.

Yes, I know the story behind All Hallows Eve, but allowing your kids to dress up like cartoon charactors, pirates and the like and canvass the neighborhood in search of some treats is a far stretch from calling up the dark spirits that many people will have you believe the holiday promotes.

I enjoyed Trick-or-Treating as a kid and I enjoy watching my child do it today.  In fact, I even tag along to talk with the neighbors and catch up on what's happening in their lives.  That's what Halloween is to 99 percent of the world - a time to get out and mingle with your friends and children in a safe and happy atmosphere.

Anyway, now for some race talk.  We are back to the shop tomorrow night to finish up the hull of the Formula 3 Yeeeha boat and then turn it topside for some upper body work.  We anticipate having this boat back in paint before Thanksgiving and ready for the water by the first of the year.  We also have made some pretty good progress on the show boat and continue to work on the weight and performance of the Formula 3 Hemp/Pugh boat.

I have a couple props boxed up to mail to Jeff Titus at Performance Propellers in Florida this week.  I talked with Jeff last week about helping get us some more speed from our props and he is going to work on helping us get the top end speed we need to complete in 2011.  I will continue to work on losing the weight we need to be close in that respect and we will be sending our powerhead off soon to get it resleeved and ready for next season as well.  If all goes well we should be able to take a huge step forward when we unload at Pittsburgh next July.

On the sponsor front, we have two contacts from the past few weeks who definately want involved in our 2011 race plans. I have sent detailed sponsorship proposals to both but I expect both to come on board in the coming weeks to support us financially in 2011.  The search continues as we have now sent out proposals to about 47 companies in the past three weeks alone.  Our goal is to hit up 500 companies per year in hopes that we can fully fund our Formula 3 program and possibly a part or full time entry in the Formula 2 or Formula 1 ranks.

Well, back to raiding the kid's pumpkin bucket for a few more chocolate bars before retiring for the night.  If you are one of those who disagree with my views on Halloween then I totally respect that right and I admire you for your conservative beliefs.  But if you are ready for another shocker, listen to this.  My daughter is a Christian child, and knows and celebrates the real story of Christmas, but she still sits on Santa's lap at the mall every year and I dread the day when she looses the desire for the fun that so many holidays provide our kids.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2010 - Herd Racing will be spending a significant amount of time in the off season getting it's social media networks developed and working, and beginning today you can begin following the team and what's happening in the shop and office through Twitter!

You will see a change to the front of our www.herdracing.com homepage in the coming few days where the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube logos will appear on the right sidebar of the website homepage where the Facebook icon is currently located.  You will be able to click on any of the three logos to be directed to the team's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages where you will find an assortment of news.  In the meantime while the website is being upgraded you can access the pages directly at www.twitter.com/75boat, www.facebook.com/HerdRacing, and www.YouTube.com/HerdRacing.

We will typically use Twitter 3 or 4 times a week for quick updates or news announcements.  Our Facebook page will carry this blog, as well as notes from fans and followers, and some photos of our work in the shop.  Our YouTube channel will be dedicated to team videos and will get busy again once race season starts up next summer.

As you have probably noticed by now, most of America is doing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and if our team is going to compete with everyone else on the internet for viewers and advertisers then we need to be out there as well.  I hope you can follow the team through these medias to keep up to date on what's going on at Herd Racing.  I suspect there is a way you can suscribe to our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages so you are automatically notified when we post something new, but those of you who know me know that I am what Eric Himes and Jeramey Wentz refer to as "technically challenged."  I can't deny the claim.

You wouldn't think that a small-time boat racing team would have much going on in the winter months, but I can assure you that our boat racing efforts and car racing efforts are continuing daily in some fashion and lot's is happening behind the scenes, something occuring almost daily!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and visit us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to learn of the most up to date information and posted videos.

Thanks for following the team!

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010 - The hunt for sponsorship for 2011 officially begins tomorrow as our team members will begin canvassing the nation for potential advertisers for the coming season.  We got a very late start in 2010 and thus had to pretty much rely on our smaller NASCAR supporters for the finances needed to field a boat.  But with 2011's season-opener at Pittsburgh still a full nine months away we are expecting a fully-sponsored boat - or two - next season.

I know you have heard more in the blog in recent weeks about sponsorship than you have racing, but that is what drives the off season - and the race season for that matter.  Without some funding the racing doesn't happen at all and without sufficient funding the racing quality suffers.  We don't want either of those issues to be an excuse in 2011.  Advertisers, both in quantity and quality, result in a better effort both on and off the track.

If anyone in your circle may have an interest in promoting their company through a nationwide motorsports marketing campaign then I hope you will send them to the following link: http://herdracing.com/2011sponsor.php where they can learn about tunnel boat racing and some of the many opportunties we have available for advertising and marketing partners at Herd Racing.

I have been a part of organized racing for several years now and have been part of racing everything from a local short track dirt modified car to fielding an entry in two NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2006.  I can assure you that powerboat racing is the most cost effective racing outlet I have found to date and the exposure is right up there with some of the bigger motorsports opportunities.  Granted, it isn't going to get the sponsor the notice that a full-car paint scheme will get them in Sprint Cup, but what it costs to sponsor a Sprint Cup car for just a single race can fund a powerboat team for a couple years which will result more views overall!

For whatever reason, many corporate marketing and advertising executives still have no clue how to market their companies.  I have sat across the table from countless executives attempting to convince them that our NASCAR team can do more for them than the one they may be leaning toward.  Time after time they have chosen to throw millions of dollars into a program that simply plasters their name on the hauler, car and uniforms and happily cashes their checks.  The advertiser figures out about half way through the season that the fun they are receiving is costing way too much and the results they thought they would see at the cash register have never come.  It seems like our team has been able to do more with $5,000 than some teams do with $5 million, believe it or not.

Anyway, advertising is more than just colorful logos, it about relationships, social media, website networking, fan interation, and so on.  The logos on the cars and boats highlight the sponsorship, but it is the hard work of the team and drivers who really make the venture a success or a bust.

Oh and did I mention that you can get a piece of the action if you help guide a sponsor our way?  Herd Racing has always paid a "finder's fee" to those who help us make a connection with a sponsor.  Just shoot me an email with the name and contact information for someone you think may be interested in advertising with us and if things work out we will send you a check for 10 percent of the deal!

We will be back in the shop tomorrow night getting ready for 2011.  See you soon to update you on the progress!

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 - The Sporting News Magazine's October 11th issue ranked the Top 400 cities in the United States when it comes to being a "sports town" and our hometown of Huntington was ranked in the Top 100.  In fact, four West Virginia cities made the Top 400, including Charleston, Bluefield and Princeton where minor league baseball rules.

Huntington, home of Marshall University, Herd Racing, professional indoor football and in 2011 - Powerboat SuperLeague - was named the 96th best city in the U.S. for sports fans.  Hopefully the addition of a great SuperLeague event in 2011 will help the city climb a few spots in next year's poll.

Three areas where we race powerboats on a regular basis, Pittsburgh, Memphis and the Cincinnati metro area, made the Top 100 list as well, Pittsburgh coming in 12th, Cincinnati 16th and Memphis 47th.

Meanwhile, Herd Racing's Nationwide Series driver Brett Rowe spent his weekend October 15 and 16 racing in the CRA Super Series season finale in Winchester, Indiana.  While qualifying on the outside pole and leading the first eight laps of the 400-lap feature event, Brett blew a tire, hit the wall and finished well back in the pack.  While Herd Racing wasn't part of the event, it was good to see Brett back behind the wheel of a stock car.

I'll be back next week with some news to report.  See you then.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 - Well, the eight-hour hike back from Atlanta is behind me and as I write this blog tonight the 2010 American Performance Racing's SuperLeague season is officially closed.  The good news is that the annual year-end meetings and awards cerebration last night in Cartersville, Georgia was a nice affair where Brent Dillard was crowned champion of the SST-60 class and veteran racer Donnie McDowell (boat pictured at right) was named champ in the SST-120 category.

About 30 people attended the banquet last night where the awards were handed out.  In our F-3 SST-60 class, Brent Dillard was named champ while Tammy Wolf-Jakob and Mike Hooper took second and third respectively in the final points standings.  Our boat, the #75, placed 7th in the year-end standings.

In the F-2 SST-120 class, Donnie McDowell won his second championship in three years while Terry Rinker and Mark Jakob finished two and three respectively.  Donnie also won the league's Sportsman of the Year award while engine builder Sam Harraway won the Crew Member of the Year Award.  The Amsoil team of Terry Rinker was crowned Best Dressed and myself and F-2 counterpart Jimmie Merleau were named Rookies of the Year in our respective classes.

The two-day events were a good time and congratulations to all the winners!

In other news, the SuperLeague released the unofficial 2011 race schedule and there will be a total of six league-sanctioned events next summer beginning on July 4th weekend in Pittsburgh.  The season will conclude October 1-2 in Memphis with races in between scattered about at Marietta, OH; Huntington, WV; Aurora, IN and Kankakee, IL.  It will very nice to host a SuperLeague event in our team's hometown of Huntington where it will be a fun to race our Jesus boat in front of our church family and friends.

And, as promised, the 2011 boat program sponsorship DVD is complete and posted.  You can find it on the front page of www.HerdRacing.com or access it directly by clicking here: http://herdracing.com/2011sponsor.php.  I owe a huge amount of gratitude to Eric Himes and Jeramey Wentz for getting it put together for us.  Another great job on both their parts!

I'll be back with more news later in the week.  Happy blogging!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2010 - Herd Racing is happy to announce the addition of a second website advertiser in as many weeks as we begin our nationwide search for supporters and advertisers for the 2011 season.  The Nevada-based online auto classified advertising service, motorspost.com, which just lauched yesterday, has joined the team as a website advertiser through the remainder of 2010.

The company, found online at www.motorspost.com, is a place you can list your car or other motorized vehicles for sale with no listing fee.  It also is a place where you can go to purchase that car, RV or boat that you have always wanted.  The site is easy to navigate and cuts out all of the listing categories and clutter often found on larger listing sites such as Craigslist and eBay.

So, if there is anyone out there who has a car, boat or something like that for sale, or if you are looking to buy one, then Herd Racing recommends you check out motorspost.com and list your ride today.

Also, if you know of a business or service which would like to advertise their message or products to thousands of people each month from all across America and beyond we hope you will refer them to www.HerdRacing.com.  We offer our website advertisers monthly statistical data so they can track the effectiveness of their advertising and our rates are very competitive.  For just pennies a click or a low monthly fixed fee your products could be featured on our team website so don't let the nation's troubled economy keep you from promoting your products or services!

In other news, this weekend is the American Performance Racing's SuperLeague year-end meetings and awards banquet in Cartersville, GA.  Herd Racing will be there for all of the events so stay tuned over the weekend for the latest news on what happens at the season-finale event for tunnel boat racing.

And, news from the shop this week includes the addition of two new GoPro SD Hero mini cams which we obtained from Romesburg Media Group, the company which films and televises the APR SuperLeague races for cable TV outlets such as Fox Sports Net, Sports South and America One.  Romesburg switched all of their cameras to the HD Hero model so all of their standard definition stuff is for sale at rock bottom prices.  If you are interested in something for your racecar, motorcycle of ATV, give Jarred Romesburg a call.  You can find his link on the APR SuperLeague site by clicking on the SuperLeague Media block.

This year we had one SD camera we mounted on various spots on the boat each week, but next year we will be able to have a full time cockpit, front mount and rear mount camera to make sure we don't miss any of the action.  When you see the new 2011 sponsorship DVD which we will post to the website in the next couple of days you will see how great these little waterproof cameras are.  We used a couple pieces of video in our DVD taken from a rear-view mount on our boat at Pittsburgh.  The city skyline looks pretty neat behind a spray of prop wash!

And speaking of the 2011 promotional DVD, it is done and the first sponsorship packets were sent out in the mail today.  Keep checking back as we will post a link for you to see it real soon!

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2010 - Just a quick note tonight to let you know that our #75 Jesus boat was part of a feature photo piece in the October issue of Propeller Magazine which came in the mailbox this afternoon.

The photo, taken by photographer Chance Brockway at the Regional Finals in Aurora, Indiana, shows our boat entering a corner around a pin while being chased down by Brent Dillard in his #80 Vivrant Thing SST-60 tunnel boat.

The photo was one of two that anchors a two-page spread on pages 6 and 7 and provide an overview of the 2010 APR SuperLeague season with a short recap of each race weekend.

If you want to see the photo you can view Propeller online at: http://www.apba-racing.com/Propeller/0110OCT.pdf.  Propeller is the official publication of the American Power Boat Association which has mailed out a monthly magazine to APBA members for 64 years.

Any time we get a mention in a regional or national publication it is a good thing that we can show our potential sponsors.  There were nearly 40 boats at Aurora so being one of two chosen to be featured in the magazine is pretty cool!

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010 - If you look at the front page of the website and see the same ole stories you have seen for a few weeks now you may think nothing is happening in Herd Racing land, but that isn't the case at all.  We are busy pretty much every day getting ready for the 2011 race seasons in both APBA boat racing and our NASCAR efforts.

We will be updating the front page stories in the next few days as some things come together, but for now I can keep you informed via the blog if you want to check in here every few days for the unofficial updates.

For starters, our 2011 marketing kits are just about done.  We got the printed two-page flyers and 20-page sponsorship catalogs back from the printer this week so we can begin sending out our sponsorship proposals for next season real soon.  As soon as Eric Himes gets the promotional DVD ready to duplicate, which I think will be any day now, we will be on our way.  Once we get that stuff together we will post the DVD to the website and will post .PDF copies of the sponsorship information so if you know of anyone who may want to promote their company you can send them our way.  All of the information is pretty generic when it comes to pricing, but it will give them a good overview of boat racing and our capabilties to promote their business.

Jeramey Wentz and Bryan Rozzi have been working in the shop on a regular basis stripping down and redoing the show boat and the 2011 Yeeeha boat.  Both had some problems, but things are progressing nicely on both fronts.  Both boats have all of the patch work done now and are being puttied, glazed and sanded for painting.  We will go into 2011 knowing first hand that everything is solid and in good structural shape which is good news because the Yeeeha had a couple bad spots on the bottom that were hidden until we lifted it off the trailer to begin prepping the hull for stain and sealant.

Our 2011 race calendar is in production.  I talked to our graphic artist Joe Gilley today and he has the images and is working on laying out the calendar.  We usually produce that sometime in November so it is ready to send out by December 1.  It too will be available on the website later this fall as we update our store page and will begin offering boat team merchandise like calendars, t-shirts, hats, hero cards, lanyards and more.  I will let you know when the new store page is ready to launch here in the blog like I always do for our loyal readers.

I am off this weekend for some relaxation to the Bob Evans Farm Festival in Rio Grande, OH.  It is a good time to mingle with crafters, campers and have a good weekend with my two girls (wife and daughter).  It will probably be the second to last trip out for the RV this fall as we finish off the traveling season with our annual trek to Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky the weekend before Halloween.

Smashed in between those two camping weekends is a trip to the APR SuperLeague awards banquet and year-end meetings in Cartersville, Ga. which is October 15 and 16.   I will be sure to take some photos there so you can see the winners from this season and I hope to learn a lot more about the 2011 race schedule, league sponsors and plans while there as well.

And, we finally posted a few shop photos from Monday night to the Facebook page so if you want to take a look at the shop and what's been going on there you can click on www.facebook.com/herdracing to find out.  If you ever want to come by the shop on Monday nights and lend a hand or trade stories just let us know.  Friends are always welcome, especially those who bring food.

So, keep checking back.  Things are happening behind the scenes and within a few weeks we will begin pulling the curtain back so you can peek in and see what everyone has been working on.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 - Herd Racing would like to welcome Marshall University Online as an advertiser for the next 12 months.  MU Online will be featured on our team website for the next year and our team members will work to inform those we come in contact with about the university's online distance learning program.

Herd Racing and MU Online joined forces earlier this month when we shared a charity tent at the West Virginia Chili Championship where our combined efforts raised nearly $1,200 for the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities.  We displayed our #75 Formula 3 boat at the event which featured a large MU Online decal on each side to compliment Jeramey Wentz's new shiny paint job. (See photo above for logo and that nice shiny lime background)

If you are considering going back to school - or would be interested in learning how you can complete a degree you may have already started - I urge you to contact the folks at MU Online.  There is no better university in the world than Marshall and had online learning been an option back in the day when I was in school you know I would have opted for that method.  Back when I went to Marshall I worked full time which is why my four year degree took almost seven to complete.  Had I had the option of taking courses online instead of attending classes every day I think it would have taken off a lot of the pressure and a lot of years.  If only Al Gore could have invented the Internet earlier maybe I could have taken some courses from the comfort of my home! 

Anyway, check out what they have to offer by clicking on the ad on the front page of HerdRacing.com or connect directly to them by logging on to muonline.marshall.edu (www.marshall.edu/muonline).  If you want, feel free to drop them an email or leave a post on their Facebook page thanking them for becoming an advertising partner of Herd Racing.  It takes many partners to field race teams and we appreciate their support and commitment to us for the next year.

We hope to continue our relationship with MU Online and grow our involvement with Marshall University as we have continued to do over the years.  Who knows, you may see some MU Online staffers at the races with us next year registering fans for online courses and showcasing their offerings on our boat!  That would be real nice and I think places like Marietta and Aurora would be great venues for them.  Both are within a three hour drive and both provide lots of fans to interact with.

Keep checking back to see what's happening on the sponsorship front.  Our email sponsorship campaign has begun already and in a week or so we should have our DVDs and printed materials ready so we can begin mailing out packets to corporations.

I'll try to get back to you early next week with those shop photos I have been promising and some news about a new crew member, Brian Rozzi, who we have added to our boat program for next year.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 - Well another big crash in boat racing occured over the weekend and thankfully no one was hurt this time.  After the major crash at the Nationals earlier this month I was hoping that the wreckage for 2010 was behind us, but this weekend's incident on the Sabine River in Orange, Texas, is bringing the issues of boat pilot safety back to the forethought.

I don't have any photos I can show you because the wreck footage is copyrighted by the only photographer who captured the images.  But, he did capture a couple great shots of the wreck in action and it shows how lucky both of these drivers were to be able to walk away.  Here is a link where you can view the photos of the incident if you want: http://mims.smugmug.com/Events/Boat-Races/2010-Showdown-on-the-Sabine/13921311_3GgsT#1022007798_C9yYh.

I'm not getting in to who was at fault, what could have prevented the wreck or anything like that, but my main concern is do we need to look at boat pilot safety like we did driver safety in NASCAR a few years ago?  If you remember after we had about three deaths in a span of a year or so NASCAR began implementing major safety improvements like soft walls, HANS devices, Cars of Tomorrow and the like.  Fortunately, it isn't very often that a tunnel boat pilot is killed in action, but this year has seen two very close calls.

As I have mentioned a couple times, Dan Schwartz is still recovering in a Chicago hospital with multiple injuries he suffered in a big wreck at the Nationals in Kankakee about three weeks ago.  The two in this latest wreck were lucky enough to walk away, but I hope the photos captured of this event as it unfolded leads to some discussion about safety.

You might be surprised to learn that most of these SST series race boats we pilot are kind of what you would call "home made."  They are for the large part unregulated.  Yes, the have to meet a minimum length requirement, meet a minimum weight requirement, have SFI rated seatbelts and an approved cockpit capsule, but I was amazed when I read the rulebook for the first time and saw the lack of rules that really exist.  If fact you can piece many wrecked boats together to make a good one if needed, as was the case this weekend where the badly damaged boat was apparently the combination of a capsule from a previously destroyed boat which had gotten a new body built around it.

Our own primary boat is often referred to by it's previous owner, Mark Jakob, as the "Frankenboat" because like the mythical charactor Frankenstein, it was pieced together in a laboratory - more likely a dimly lit garage - from several other boats.  The cockpit was built by Gary Pugh and came out of an SST 120 boat which was totalled in a crash.  The body was built by Sam Hemp and later worked on a couple more times by various people who owned or drove the boat.  The good thing about our boat is the Pugh capsule is rock solid and everyone who worked on the boat made it better and safer - and unfortunately, a lot heavier.

Anyway, I know the APBA and Outboard Performance Craft guys will be talking about safety a little more this off-season after this year's events.  As wasn't so much the case in NASCAR at the time, boat racing in this country is very much walking a financial tight rope and a newly designed boat, capsule or even sweeping safety upgrades could cripple the the sport by knocking most of the racers out of business.

Boat pilots are typically self-sponsored and virtually none are career racers to speak of.  Most all of us are of the weekend racer variety who have a day job, and even more of us probably couldn't afford to buy a completely new boat or wouldn't lean toward voting for tougher APBA safety regulations for existing boats because of the financial hardships we know the rule change would cause the sports and competitors.

Unfortunately, boat pilots will have to continue to weigh the risks and benefits each time they strap into these little rockets and pray that it holds together for one more ride.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 -- Happy Fall Y'all!  Today is the official start of my favorite time of the year.  I spent the evening mowing the yard and the leaves are already starting to turn and fall to the ground.  This weekend is outdoor decorating at the Tomes home for fall with all the hay bales, pumpkins, gords and stuff.  Lot's of fun when you live in the country.

Anyway, since there isn't much going on this week at Herd Racing I thought I would update you on the condition of Dan Schwartz, the F-2 pilot who was badly injured in the Nationals a few weeks ago in Illinois.  Dan's boat collided with two others before going up on the shore at over 100 miles an hour.  He came to rest upside down on a golf course and suffered head injuries, neck fractures and leg fractures.  He is still hospitalized in Chicago and is improving very slowly.  Actually, his condition is not good enough yet for the doctor's to even mend all of his broken bones, but he is opening his eyes and communicating a little now.

If you want to follow Dan's recovery there is a website set up to update his friends about his condition.  It can be found here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danschwartz.  Like I said before, I didn't know Dan personally but the prayers will continue for him.

In other news, we have finished up the majority of our boat team marketing kit for 2011.  The main booklet consists of 24 pages printed and bound by our ARCA driver Chad Beahr at Fidelity Printing.  The booklet will have a stiff cover and is completely color throughout with nearly 50 color photos and logos mixed in.  It is a real nice piece.  If you know of a company that might want to consider powerboat racing as an advertising option in 2011 let me know.  As soon as Eric and the media guys get the promotional DVD ready I will begin sending out marketing packets to potential sponsors in hopes of nailing down our primary sponsorships over the next several weeks.  I have never done a boat racing proposal before and I am not sure what our competitors are using to attract funds, but I know I spent a lot of nights researching information, demographics, buying power, etc. that I hadn't seen anywhere else.  We'll see what happens with it.  It will compare to what we have done in NASCAR so I hope it is attractive enough to get a look from someone.

All of our boat team marketing materials, including the sponsorship booklet, some shorter fact brochures and the DVD, will be available for viewing on our website in a secure section so if you have a company who is interested let me know and I can email you the login information once we have those pages set up.  You may wonder why we aren't just putting the information out there where everyone can see it.  The answer is simple.  From our experience in NASCAR, it is funny how your competitor always seems to land the sponsor you were talking to for just a tad less than you were seeking.  Wonder how they would have known how much we were seeking?  I know you see where I'm going with this.  There is just some information our fellow racers don't need to know.

Jeramey continues in the shop, this week he got about a third of the Mod U boat sanded down.  Another couple nights and that project will be ready for primer.  The goal is to have all of the boats painted and ready for rigging by January 1 so we can have them all ready for the water by around Easter.  In the meantime, I will be sending some props to Jeff Titus for rebuilding in the next few weeks and sending the motor off for rebuild while continuing to try to raise funds for a backup motor.

I'll try to update some more in a few days as things progress.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 - Chilifest 2010 is behind us and we can report tonight that our team, along with our boothmates at MU Online, raised $1,198 for the Ronald McDonald House.  I am not sure how much the whole event generated for the charity, but I know the Top 10 teams alone in the competition worked to generate more than $15,000 so that will be a great help to the cause.

Chilifest was a great time for everyone, but thankfully it is over and it was successful.  A special thanks to Eric Himes for a weeklong dedication to the cause and to Dan Bunting for bringing his Monster Energy boat down from Columbus, OH to compliment our team's display.  Dan ended up being the main attraction of our booth as fans bent his ear from early morning until early evening.  He said it was because his boat was the one parked in the shade, but he didn't know we set him up.  We didn't want hundreds of kids climbing on our boat all day so we gave Dan the shady side of the road.  Just kidding, but we do owe a ton of thanks to Dan for coming and giving away Monster to the fans and talking about boat racing all day.  He did manage a couple bowls of Herd Racing chili as you can see in the photo here.

Thanks also to MU Online.  They are a team marketing partner and we carried their decals on our boat for the event and we will have an ad on our website for the next year in support of their mission.  If you are out there looking to finish up your degree and don't have the time to attend regular classes then I would suggest you check out MU Online.  You can access their site at: http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/.

With Chilifest being the last public display for our boat for a while we will begin tearing into it again this week.  We need to paint the new cowling we got from Gary Pugh a few weeks ago and send the motor and lower unit off for a rebuild over the next couple of months.  At the same time we hope to get our show boat painted in the next month or so and ready for some work this coming spring, and our second boat will begin being prepared in the next couple of weeks.

In addition, a big push will be on the marketing side over the next couple of months.  Big corporations set their budgets in September and October so we have to hit the streets hard the next six weeks or so to find the money we need to fund our racing programs in 2011.  Some talks are already in the works with some potential supporters, but nothing is solidified as of yet.

Check back later this week to see what's new at Herd Racing.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010 - We learned today that I will be named Rookie of the Year for the SuperLeague's 2010 season and while we are proud of being recognized for the accomplishment you need to be aware that there were less than 40 other drivers in the F-3 class who were in the running for the award.  OK, I'll level with you.  I think I was one of just three rookies in our class and I further believe I was the only rookie to run the full season, although the other two candidates did combine forces to finish ahead of us in the season points race.

Regardless, any honor bestowed will be gratefully accepted.  Thanks APR SuperLeague!!  In fact, being named Rookie of the Year will do nothing but help our off-season hunt for sponsorship support.  We are currently revamping our Powerpoint slide shows, marketing packets and advertising rate cards to include packages that allow sponsors to support the boat program, as well as our NASCAR and ARCA cars.  Actually, I think the boat sponsorship packages will be more attractive than the the car racing because the costs are so much less - and on paper, it looks like we have a shot at being a Top 5 program next year, which is what sponsors want to hear.

It seems like boat racing in general could do a lot more to promote itself, but I think things have progressed each season in recent years.  The SuperLeague, undoubtedly the best, oldest and most respected league in the world when it comes to tunnel boats, has had TV contracts in place the last two years and has multi-year race dates set with several cities so I think the future of tunnel boat racing is pretty bright.  Now it is up to the teams to step up our side of the program by showing that we are professional race programs which are capable of promoting a sponsor's product to a nationwide audience.

I think if two or three teams step up and land a major sponsor it will boost the sport to the next level.  Adding the Amsoil program this year to the SuperLeague tour took that first step.  Seeing a nice rig, uniformed personnel and professional equipment hopefully will encourage others to pick up the pace.  I know our Formula 2 friend Jim McGrath in the #55 Valvoline boat will do his part in 2011.  He will be coming to town next year in a new tractor trailer purchased from Seebold Racing with sponsorship from a nationally-known company.

It is our hope that Herd Racing will show up with the goods in 2011 as well, including a tractor trailer hauler, additional support crew members for audio and video production and some perks that our potential sponsors can enjoy.

Just like Kevin Costner said out in Iowa.  "If you build it they will come."  Now it's up the race teams to build the sport so sponsors will not be able to ignore boat racing any longer!  I pledge that Herd Racing will be happy to take the lead on this one.

Dana Tomes 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 - The Formula 3 boat piloted by Dan Bunting of Powell, Ohio, will be part of Herd Racing's public display on Saturday during the West Virginia Chili Championship in Huntington, WV.  Dan's boat, the black #50 which is sponsored by Monster Energy Drink, will be displayed alongside Herd Racing's #75 lime and white Jesus boat.  In addition, the whole Herd Racing booth will carry a racing theme complete with a NASCAR pit stop simulator, checkered flags galore and various other racing displays.

Come on by if you are in Huntington on Saturday and see the gang.  Dan Bunting will be on hand throughout the day signing autographs and talking to race fans about boat racing.  And, make sure to buy a handful of chili tickets as all profits go to the Ronald McDonald House at Cabell Huntington Hospital.  We appreciate Dan coming to the event to help us raise money for this important charity.

Speaking of the chili, Chief Enginner Eric Himes, our esteemed chef of the event, began cooking his brew Monday night and cooking will continue each night through Friday.  His final batch will be made on Saturday during the event and the prior batches heated and served to the thousands of people who are expected to attend the event.  The chili team which collects the most tickets wins the People's Choice Award so that is our goal.  Eric has browned up 100 pounds of meat for the event and his pots will include up to five gallons of beans and five gallons of tomatoes when done on Saturday.  Talk about a massive chili pot!

The event runs from 10 a.m. to about 4 p.m. so we hope to see you there.  But, if you can't make it be sure to check back next week as we will post some photos to the Facebook album and we will post a photo gallery of images in our photo gallery on this website as well.

In the shop last night, Jeramey Wentz and our newest crew member, Bryan Rozzi, finished up the body work and began the repainting on the Formula 3 boat we had worked on last week at Gary's Pugh's shop.  It will be repainted and ready for Saturday's event before being disassembled again and varoius parts shipped off for upgrades and repairs, including the power head and props.

The guys in the shop also stripped down the Mod U boat and began stripping the Yeeha Formula 3 boat so they could be touched up and prepped for painting over the next month or so.  It looks like the Mod U boat, which has an open cockpit, will be our sponsor show boat and will be available to travel around to sponsor events and media opportunities.  People can climb in and out of it easy without the canopy and we will paint it a neutral color so any corporate logo will stand out when applied.

I know summer is a long time away, but we have a whole lot of work to do to be ready for next season. Keeping checking back regularly to see what we're up to next.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 - It hasn't even been a week since we got home from the Powerboat Nationals in Kankakee that things are in full throttle mode for the off season.  It doesn't involve racing in the truest form of the sport, but there is lots going on the next few months that will hopefully reflect directly on our performance in 2011.

For starters, Crew Chief Jeramey Wentz and myself spent the day on Friday at Pugh Boat Works in Knoxville, TN getting some updates done to our #75 Hemp/Pugh race boat.  It is the boat we ran in 2010, and while we are undecided if it will be our primary boat in 2011, we still want to do everything we can to make sure it is as fast as it possibly can be.  Gary Pugh worked Friday getting a new cowling molded and fitted to the boat to help keep the water out of the carberators.  Most of the Pugh-designed boats out there have a cowling cover that shields the motor to keep the spray from getting into the motor, but our boat is one of the older designs on the circuit and had one of the original cowling covers on it.  In addition to shading the motor, the new cowling will give the boat a more sporty and newer look, and most importantly, it will cut about four pounds from our overall weight which translates into tenths of seconds improved on our lap times next year.

Gary fixed the damage from our Aurora crash so once Jeramey does a little paint work back in the shop next week the boat will be cosmetically ready for the 2011 season.  Our next step will be sending the motor off for repairs and going through the whole boat to try to cut the weight down.  With driver dieting and eliminating needless weight from the boat, I think we can loose 40 pounds before next spring which will get us well under 900 pounds and not so far behind the curve.

Our next big event for the boat crew is the West Virginia Chili Championship in Huntington, WV next Saturday, September 18.  It will run from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Third Avenue in front of Pullman Square in Huntington.  Herd Racing will have a booth in the event and will be competing for the "People's Choice Award."  Tickets to the event are free so come by and see us.  We will have the NASCAR Pit Stop Simulator there, some racing stuff for fans to look at and our #75 Formula 3 race boat.  Our sponsors will be on hand to talk about their organizations and companies, including MU Online, whose staff members will be promoting how you can attend Marshall University through internet classes.  Also, my 8-year-old daughter, Hannah Tomes, will be in the booth Saturday afternoon signing copies of her first book, Mother Mouse.  Mother Mouse was displayed on the boat all year this year and Hannah set up shop and sold books at the track at Marietta earlier this year when she went to the races with us.

We will be giving away Herd Racing t-shirts and sweatshirts each hour to those who score the lowest times in the pit stop challenge so come by and test your skills at changing a Nationwide Series front tire in record time.  I may be fat and old, but I guarantee to give you a run for your money, as will our Boat Chief Greg Smith who was a front tire changer on our ARCA Re/Max Series team in 2008.  We'll be sure to get some photos so you can laugh with us.

As for the chili, tickets to sample chili are $1 each or $5 for six tickets.  Each tickets gets you a small bowl from any of the more than 100 booths in the festival.  All of the ticket sale proceeds will go to benefit the Ronald McDonald House at Cabell Huntington Hospital which provides free lodging to families of people who are here from out of town while their loved ones are in the hospital.

More about Chilifest later this week or you can visit their site at http://www.chilifestwv.com/index.php.  Hope to see you there as we help raise money for a very worthy cause.

The off season is in full swing so stay tuned to see what we're up to this fall and winter!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2010 - Our first trip the the Powerboat Nationals in Kankakee, Illinois was an eye-opening experience in more than one way.  The lasting impression I will take away from the event is how most of us in the sport travel to the races each week with minimal fears that something real bad is going to happen.  Yes, we worry about wrecking and the fear that going upside down carries with it, but most drivers have an on-board breathing air system so if you get trapped in the boat under water you can survive until the divers get you out.  In fact, I personally have added more than 10 pounds of weight to our boat - a sacrifice I insist to make - in order to have air to breath in one of those situations.

We witnessed probably 20 wrecked boats in the three days we were at the five-day-long event.  I had never seen a boat blow over in person until Saturday morning when Chip Wavro's #10 boat just took off like a jet leaving O'Hare Airport.  While coming to the checkered flag on his qualifying lap it just lifted off and seemed like it was elevating in slow motion before blowing over upside down into the water.  Chip got out OK, but I heard it wasn't easy for him to get unbuckled and swim out.  About an hour later, Brent Dillard barrel-rolled his #80 boat within feet of our boat in Turn 2, he too going upside down and under the waters of the Kankakee.  Brent wears an air mask so he was OK and had the air he needed to get out OK.  (Attached is a photo of Chip's boat after his blowover and video of Brent's crash can be seen on our Facebook link on the front page of the website.)

Just as our boats were preparing to load into the water for our national championship race on Sunday afternoon, a major crash took place in the SST-120 qualifying heats in Turns 3 and 4.  A boat shot across two other boats and then shot up the riverbank and rocketed about 100 feet into a golf course at full speed.  The driver, a veteran pilot from California, had to be cut from the boat by rescue workers and left the site unconscious with multiple injuries.  We heard early this morning that he was flown to a trauma center in Chicago and his condition was very, very critical.  Please pray for this driver and his family, some of whom had to witness his terrible crash which also sent a second pilot to a local hospital by ambulance.

The races were delayed more than an hour as the debris was cleared and the race officials were able to compose everything together.  All the time I am sitting there ready to back the trailer into the water as our crew chief Jeramey Wentz is assisting rescue personnel pick up the pieces.  I had plenty of time to reflect on what had just happened and what is really important in life.

I know it is rare that a racer in a major racing series is killed or critically injured.  When Dale Earnhardt died several years ago I really had some trouble sleeping that night as I kept rewinding the wreck in my mind.  I just thought about how one minute he was here and the next he was gone.  I wasn't an Earnhardt fan, but I just felt a tremendous loss that night.  I felt the same way about Kenny Irwin Jr. when he died at New Hampshire and when Adam Petty died when his racing career was just getting started.  There is sometimes no warning when your time comes, when your life may be altered completely or even lost.

The driver who was badly injured on Sunday wasn't someone I personally knew as he does not race in the same touring series that I race in, but I do know the two other boat pilots in the wreck so it hit pretty close to home.  In fact the one driver is someone I talk to every weekend at the race track and who I had waved at and gave a thumbs-up signal to just 20 minutes earlier as her boat was being backed into the water for the start of her race.  Thankfully, she was released from the hospital early this morning and will recover to race again, but the one driver injured faces a much longer and harder road to recovery.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I feel led to tell you that tomorrow isn't a guarantee.  It could be a car wreck, a heart attack or who knows what.  I hope you will examine your life every now and again and ask yourself if today was the last day are you OK with your life's decisions.  In short, is Jesus Christ a part of your life and if He isn't, I urge you to seek Him?

I know that I will probably take a few less risks in the future and I spent today with my wife and daughter, thinking about how precious life is and how blessed I am to be able to live the life that I live.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2010 - The windy city may be 50 miles to the north of Kankakee, Illinois, but wind gusts have been the norm for the past two days and the attrition of boats impacted by Mother Nature and other things have resulted in a highlight reel of crashes and the finals aren't even until tomorrow.

Rob Rinker blew over in the #6 boat, Chip Wavro blew over in the #10 boat, Carole Reno headed for shore after knocking a hole in her sponson when her boat careened out of Turn 2 and into Brent Dillard.  Dillard's boat shedded it's damaged sponson in the next corner as he barrel-rolled at about 80 miles an hour and our #75 Herd Racing boat was in the exact same spot as we were two weeks ago when Chip Wavro rolled at Aurora.

Luckily, we ran through the wreck without any damage and Brent, Chip and Rob all walked away unhurt.  That was just our class of boats who were attempting to qualify for the Powerboat Nationals which continue tomorrow and Monday in Kankakee. At least one 45 boat blew over today and one 150 boat lost part of his bottom.  In all, I would estimate at least 8 boats were either towed in, nearly sank or blew over today alone.

Fortunately, we were able to avoid all of the major wrecks today and will run tomorrow, most likely starting somewhere around 10th for the finals.  We ran about 14th in single boat lap times and then finished 7th and 5th in our two heat races.  Somehow after the math is done we will likely start around 10th tomorrow.

Check out our Facebook pages for more photos and stories at www.facebook.com/herdracing.

If you want to watch tomorrow's finals live you can log on to www.hydroracertv.com and see Herd Racing's live internet streams of the video and audio feeds from the Powerboat Nationals.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010 - The team arrived in Kankakee tonight and will take to the Kankakee River waters tomorrow morning to begin time trials and qualifying races in an attempt to quality for Sunday's Powerboat National Championships.

We will most likely blog tomorrow night with our results of the day and you can follow our Facebook page during the day for some photos and periodic updates.  Here's the link: www.facebook.com/herdracing.

If you want to follow the local paper's coverage of the events you can log on to their stories at http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=461114.  The paper's main website is www.daily-journal.com if you want to check daily for news updates.

The races will be streamed live on the internet at http://hydroracertv.vodspot.tv/video/4357068-2010-power-boat-nationals-on-the-kankakee-river-live-stream so you can follow that site if you want to watch qualifying and tomorrow's heat races live and learn the Herd team's fate in real time.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010 - We continue to work toward the season-finale this coming weekend at Kankakee, Illinois as our Formula 3 boat team competes at the Powerboat Nationals for a shot at seeing where we stack up against everyone from the powerboat racing world from across the U.S. and Canada.  To this point we have been competing against teams from our league and some regional racers who have come to one or two of the events.  This weekend's races will see boats from every racing series out there, including the SuperLeague, PROP Tour and others.  I suspect the core racers will be those we compete against weekly in the SuperLeague, but I do expect to meet some new people and see some new teams this weekend.  We hope to continue to learn and posting a Top 10 finish would be a plus.

In other racing news, our Nationwide Series driver Brett Rowe was loaned to our sister organization, Faith Motorsports, this past weekend for the NAPA 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.  Brett held his own in the #89 Chevrolet and even sat on the race pole after the first group of six racers went out for qualifying laps.  Brett bettered the times of teammate Morgan Shepherd, Nationwide veteran Kenny Wallace and a handful of road race ringers.  Brett had to retire from the race early but it was a major accomplishment to have made that race on time and the team's payday of about $25,000 wasn't half bad for a 41st place finish either.  Congratulations Brett!

Herd Racing will have a presence this year in the annual ChiliFest in Huntington, WV in two weeks.  The event, which draws dozens of chili cooks from across the country to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House charities, pretty much shuts down the main downtown area of Huntington along 3rd Avenue near Pullman Square.  Herd Racing plans to have a booth at the event and display one of our race boats, possibly one of the #75 Nationwide Series race cars and we may even pull out the pit stop simulator so visitors can see their time at changing a NASCAR tire.  Eric Himes is working on a Herd Racing 2010 highlight DVD that we can play on the big screen throughout the day.  If you are in Huntington that weekend come on by the display and sample some of Chief Engineer Eric's famous chili.  The team will be competing for the People's Choice Award so cast your vote for the race team in green and stop by for a free DVD, some driver post cards and probably some other giveaway items.  I'll blog more about this as we get a little closer.

The team may also be participating in cruise-in event that same weekend at Glockner's GM Superstore in Portsmouth, Ohio, again to help raise funds for charity.  Morgan Shepherd's #89 Chevrolet show car is on display at Glockner now through the September 18 event, and we are working toward possibly Brett Rowe joining Morgan at the event to sign autographs and meet with fans.  About 2,000 people are expected at the annual fund-raising event.  The team and its equipment will be committed to Chilifest that day, but Brett is considering slipping over to Portsmouth for the evening event there to help the cause raise some money.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010 - Getting weighed is something every race boat and pilot do on a regular basis.  In tunnel boat racing, each series has a minimum weight that the boat and pilot together must collectively weigh.  In the Formula 3 or SST-60 class that we race in the minimum weight is 825 pounds.  Every week, most of the teams venture to the scale at one time or another during the weekend to make sure they are at "fighting weight".  Some teams have to try to trim a few pounds to get close to the magic number while others have to add a little lead or some extra gadgets to build up to the weight.  Just like in NASCAR where the magic number is 3420, boat racers try to get as close to the published minimum as possible.  More pounds equals less speed as we have found out.

If you are wondering where I am going with this, here it is.  We hadn't gotten weighed at all this year because we were confident we were well over the minimum and didn't have to worry about being busted in inspection for being under the minimum.  The previous pilots of our Hemp/Pugh boat were always a few pounds over and I outweigh them by about 20 pounds or more so I knew we were OK.  I suspected we would weigh about 860 and have a 30 pound or so cushion after we added our breathing air system and our heavier pilot.

SuperLeague inspector Jeff Titus talked me into weighing at Aurora to find out exactly where we are so we can begin making decisions that can increase our speeds, like different props, shifting the center of gravity and so forth.  We know we need to get faster and we are at the point where we are pretty much running the boat wide open all the time now so the accelerator pedal isn't going to provide us with any additional speed at this point.  It's up to us to find better lap times from better driving, less weight and more suitable props and the like.

Are you ready for this?  Our weight topped everyone in the Formula 3 class by a whopping amount last weekend as we came in at just over 940 pounds!  You heard me right, 940 pounds.  No wonder we struggle to run in the Top 10 each week.  We are 15 percent heavier than our competition.  I was extremely discouraged when I heard what the scale had to say.  I was hoping to lose another 10 pounds of body fat and be right there where we needed to be.  I admit I am on the hefty side as you can see in the attached photo, but I just don't have another 115 pounds I can afford to lose.  I started the year at 227 and am down today to 210.  I hope to continue to try to trim that number to about 190 before we start racing next season, but for my build I think that is about as low as I can go.  That leaves us with about 95 pounds of excess weight compared to the competition.  What is left to trim?  I'm not cutting out the breathing air system which is about 13 pounds.  I would rather finish last than drown so that isn't an option for me personally.  We can lessen the fuel load about 10 pounds, cut a few extras from the boat to lose another 10 pounds and hopefully our new cowling cover and motor cover will cut another 5 or so, but that will still leave us about 70 pounds over.

Our only solution, get started on the Yeeeha boat and compare some weights over the winter.  One thing is for sure, we will be much lighter when we return for our sophomore season next spring.  We may not be ready to contend for the wins in season two, but we will do what it takes to continue to make our move toward the front of the pack.

In other news, the APR SuperLeague featured our boat on the front page of its season-ending Gazette publication.  The league mails out copies to the teams as previews for the upcoming races and then publishes an updated version online.  Our boat's photo didn't make the printed copy, but was the front page featured photo in the online version.  Here is a link: http://www.aprsuperleague.com/2010AURORAGazette.pdf.  Not a big deal, but when you're new it is nice to be noticed and feel like you are part of the group.

We'll start working Monday night on our Kankakee entry and will be leaving next Thursday evening for the OPC National Championships in Illinois, the final contest of the 2010 boat racing season.  One good thing, we won't have to worry about being penalized for being underweight!

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 23, 2010 - If you haven't checked out the main story on the front page of this website I hope you will do so before you log off today.  If you have checked it out then you are aware of some awesome video footage that our crew was able to capture during our trip to the Region 7 APBA Championships this past weekend in Aurora, Indiana.

I have always said in my business ventures that you are only as good as your people and I can truly say that without our dedicated boat crew our #75 Formula 3 program would not be nearly where we are today.  Granted, we have a long way to go before we are running up front, but we are making great strides in many departments each and every week and our lack of performance on the water has nothing to do with the quality of our people.  You must remember that three months ago, none of us - including myself - had ever laid eyes on a race boat.

I want to thank everyone who travels with the team each week, especially crew chief Jeramey Wentz and chief engineer Eric Himes.  Both have been there since the beginning of our program back in May and their work doesn't end when we hit the hotel in the evening.  Both of them are technology nuts and I am just amazed at the things they do.  By Sunday morning they already have recap videos, slow motion shots of our wreck and statistical data ready for our viewing.  They were even a step away from broadcasting the first ever APR SuperLeague race live to rans around the world on Sunday if the internet connections in Aurora could have supported it!

I continue to be more and more impressed with the quality of our people each week.  They are more than just good at what they do, they are just plain good people and that's what makes a team owner proud.  During Sunday's final they even had gadgets on the boat that recorded our GPS positioning, top speeds, average speed, G-Forces, elevations, lap tracking and all sorts of stuff I know nothing about.

So Jeramey, Eric, Greg and our recent part time filler-inner, J.D., you guys deserve a pat on the back for your efforts this year.  Hopefully before the start of the 2011 season we will have a lighter boat and a leaner and more experienced pilot behind the wheel so we can begin to use this technology to improve our performances on the race course.

In other news, Michael Gaier finished 4th Saturday night in his U.S. Legends Series race at Concord, NC, in a 25-car field.  Michael has now raced a couple late model events this year and a couple Legends races so he will now turn his attention to some dirt modified racing in the next couple weeks.  I'll keep you up to date on that front or you can follow him directly at www.michaelgaier.com.

And, Brett Rowe will fill the seat of the #89 Faith Motorsports entry at Montreal this week.  Herd's marque driver was slated to be in the #75 at Montreal, but Richard Childress Racing moved Morgan Shepherd back to the #21 at Montreal so that left the #89 seat open.  We will move Brett over to the #89, but he will be driving the same Herd Racing car that he drove last year to a 21st place finish at Montreal.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010 - It only took about 15 laps into the morning practice today for Herd Racing to experience it's first wreck of the 2010 SuperLeague boat season.  It wasn't a huge wreck for us, but the boat we hit will go home tomorrow without an opportunity to race.

Veteran driver Chip Wavro in the #10 boat was in the outside lane in the middle of turns 1 and 2 when he trimmed down too far, hooked his front picklefork into the water and barrel-rolled the boat.  Then, the boat caught the water and it shot up onto it's side and darted right in front of us.  All I saw was a black #10 on the bottom of a boat fly in front of my eyes and then I felt the impact.  No time to even consider how to react.  It was all over before I even processed that it had happened.

We got to the dock and I thought we had broken the whole front of our boat off, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, as you can see in the attached photo.  As for Chip, if we had not hit him he would have rolled on over onto his lid and been under water.  While our hit devastated his boat, knocking a hugh hole in his sponson, it kept him out of the drink which is the good think.  Going upside down in a muddy river at 70 miles an hour is everyone's fear.  Luckily, Chip landed upright and was unhurt.

Kudos to Jeramey Wentz, our crew chief, and his guys.  They went right to work getting the repairs made so we could go back out for qualifying in just over an hour.  They got it done with some help from veteran drivers Bill Mastro and a some tools and wood, compliments of fellow competitors Jeff and Carole Reno.  Boat racers are truly one big family, which is nice.  Everyone chips in to help get their competition back in the race which is really neat.  Once we got our boat back on the water our guys went right to Chip to see if we could get him back going again for tomorrow but his crew chief decided that the repairs might be too much to take on at the track.

I'm not sure what we finished today in qualifying or either heat race.  I think we qualified about 9th or so in single boat laps at about 34.5 seconds which was somewhere in the middle of the pack, but I don't have a clue where we finished in either heat race.  I would suspect around 8th to 10th which should get us in the Top 10 for tomorrow's finals, but there were so many breakdowns, wrecks and freak things happening today that I have no clue who finished where.  Mike Hooper lost his hood in qualifying off of the #52 boat, he and Tammy Jakob in the #8 boat got together, knocking holes in both boats, and Dave Henzel in the #99 boat snagged a buoy and drug it with him for nearly half a race.  What a day!

I'll get back to you Monday and let you know where everything shook out this weekend.  If you want to see the in-boat footage from the crash you can find it at our YouTube channel here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fry0azXjcHc&feature=player_embedded.  Notice Chip's boat flying over our boat out the left side of my window about 5 seconds into the clip.  You also can keep up to date from our crew posts on our Facebook link here http://www.facebook.com/HerdRacing.

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2010 - In case you watched the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol tonight and wondered why you didn't see the #75 you can rest easy.  We withdrew the entry yesterday after looking at the entry list and realizing that most of the other teams were not going to withdraw and we were going to have to work some miracles if we expected to make that race.

Honestly, we probably would have not been able to beat enough teams to make the show and when that fact is known before you even run a practice session then withdrawing is the only smart thing to do.  Sure, we could have sent a team to the track, bought 2-3 sets of tires and earned our right to go home early, but our answer was much more cost effective.

We just don't have the personnel and equipment to compete when there are 9 more entries than there are slots in the race.  Three or four more than a full field, maybe; 8-9, probably not.

As for the other teams out there, Michael Gaier will race his U.S. Legends Series entry tomorrow night at Concord Speedway in North Carolina and our Formula 3 boat team has passed technical inspection at Aurora, Indiana and will attempt to qualify and run a couple heat eliminators tomorrow.  There are lots of boats at the Midwest Regional Championship so I'll try to blog tomorrow night and let you know if we'll be running in the finals on Sunday afternoon.

Stay tuned over on the Facebook page as Eric will probably provide you with photos and updates there more frequently than I can here.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 - We spent our shop night tonight getting the big hauler unloaded and some basic cleanup in the shop.  It seems that regardless if anything happens or not, the shop some how creates full trash cans and boxes of trash weekly.  Greg and myself spent most of the evening unloading the big hauler from the Memphis race while Gregory wiped down the boats and began removing decals from the Yeeeha 60 boat so we can start the body work on it.

We are going to Aurora this week in the 24-foot hauler instead of the tractor trailer for a couple reasons.  Mainly, Aurora is rumored to be extremely limited on space and secondly, the families are not going this weekend so we won't need anywhere for the kids to play and the wives to hang out.  Just us boys most likely this weekend and probably at the Nationals at Kankakee in a few weeks as well since all of the kids will be back to school later this week.

We finally got all three boats in the shop at one time and Gregory got the pleasure of wiping them all down so here is a photo of the three lined end to end.  Of course, you recognize the green and white one at the front of the line, the middle red boat is the SST-140 or Mod U boat we bought a few weeks ago and the white one in the back is the Yeeeha SST 60 boat we plan to fix up and run next season as our primary boat.

We will make some more setup changes this week at Aurora to see if we can pick up speed.  We had been using VP 93 fuel at the recommendation of a lot of people, but some 60 series engine builders have told me to try the VP Marine blend which has a higher octane, flashes at a lower temperature and builds more power.  I ordered enough fuel from VP today for the final two league races and we will begin mixing the Marine this weekned to see if that helps us with RPMs and top speed.  We also plan to change props at Aurora and run two different props during practice and see which one gives us the best forward thrust.  We picked up a mobile radar unit this week so we should be able to get accurate straightaway speeds of the boat this weekend and hopefully pick up a little speed as we try different things.  The bottom line is simple.  We need to get some more speed down the straights because that is where we seem to be getting beat by the front 3 or 4 teams.  Our boat can turn with the best of them, but we lack the thrust getting off of the corners and getting down the straightaways.

We got the entry list from Bristol this morning and were shocked to say the least.  A total of 52 cars are attemping the race, not a good time to pull out the #75, but we'll see what happens anyway.  Looks like we will have to beat the right nine just to get to make the race, which usually means you have to beat about 15 since some of the Top 30 teams will fall to a provisional at Bristol.  A tall task to say the least.  We have moved Morgan over to his #89 and Johnny Chapman will drive the #75 at Bristol.  Brett Rowe is still slated to be in the #75 next weekend at Montreal.

Hopefully Herd Racing will have some good reports from Aurora and Bristol this weekend.  Stay tuned!

Dana Tomes

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010 - Plans are continuing this week to run the #75 Herd Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series car a few more times this fall, hopefully as soon as next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.  The details are still being worked out, but it appears that Clint Bowyer will be back in the #21 Richard Childress Racing entry at Bristol next weekend which will leave Faith Motorsports with just the #89 entry that Johnny Chapman has been driving of late in place of Morgan Shepherd.  We have sent in the entry for the #75 as a team car to Johnny at Bristol with Morgan slated for his first run in the #75 since way back in the mid-90s when he piloted the #75 Remington ride for Butch Mock in the Cup Series.  There still is a chance that Morgan will be in the 21 and there still is a chance that Morgan and Johnny will trade seats with Johnny filling the Herd Racing entry, but as of tonight we plan on Morgan driving the 75 at Bristol next weekend.

Brett Rowe will be in the seat of the 75 in a couple weeks at Montreal.  Unfortunately, that too could change several times between now and then based on what happens with the #21 ride.  It may revert back to RCR for the remainder of the season with a sponsored driver in it, it may stay with Morgan with Morgan driving it or it may simply be shut down.  Childress and NASCAR have met several times over the status of the ride and it is still kind of up in the air as to what will happen after Bristol.  If Morgan shifts back to the 21 then Brett will go to the 89 at Montreal and we will withdraw the 75.  I bet you didn't realize there was so much drama in just deciding when to enter a car and who to have drive it, but there is.  NASCAR is kind of like a secret chess match where every team determines what they do based on what the others do and how they do it.

Regardless, I think you will see the #75 at the track in Nationwide at least 3-4 more times in 2010.  In other #75 news, Michael Gaier is working toward his next appearance in the U.S. Legends Car Series where he finished 3rd in the feature race a couple weekends ago at Caraway Speedway.  Everyone is waiting on word from the team's sponsor as to when funds will be allocated.  I would suspect an announcement on this front in a week or so.

And to boating, the Herd Racing #75 Formula 3 team is readying for Aurora, Indiana where we will be competing in the Midwest Regional Championship next weekend.  We will be leaving early Friday morning for a full weekend of racing on the Ohio River in southern Indiana.  According to press releases from the league this week, this race may draw more entries than any to date in 2010.  Sammy Miller, who helped us spot in our debut at Pittsburgh last month will fill the pilot's seat of his #7 boat for the first time this year and veteran racer Bill Mastro from Florida will be in his #89 so there will be at least two boats we have not seen so far this year.  The midwestern races in Indiana and Illinois also tend to draw some upper midwest racers from Wisconsin and Minnesota so we will probably have a pretty full field come Sunday afternoon, with at least a handful of boats we have not yet raced with.

Our 6th place run at Memphis a few weeks back bumped us from 9th up to 8th in the points standings so we hope to improve a little more this coming week at Aurora and possibly move up another notch in the standings.  My goal at the first of the year was to learn a little more each week and hopefully finish in the Top 10 at the end of the year, but it seems we are getting a little more greedy as time goes by.  I would love to get up into the Top 6 or 7 by year's end, but regardless, we will take what we can get each week and will continue to race courteously as we have all year.

The guys will be in the shop Monday night and we will have some visitors that night as well, as a local resident called this week and plans to bring his son by for a visit with the team and see some racing equipment.  As always, anyone who wants to stop by on Monday evenings is more than welcome.  Open shop night runs from 6 to about 9 each Monday where if you stop by you can help out with whatever might be going on.

See you soon.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010 - The boys from Mechanicsville will be at Bill Sawyer's Virginia Motor Speedway tonight as Kevin Beahr looks for another Top 20 in his Herd Racing #75 dirt modified while Chad Beahr will likely sit out his second consecutive race after roasting an engine a few races back.  I'll update you in the next blog how things turn out there or you can follow the results yourself at www.virginiamotorspeedway.com.

Michael Gaier is coming off his best finish of the season a weekend ago as he came home 3rd in the feature at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC in the U.S. Legends Car series.  If you want to keep up with Michael and his #75 Legends ride you can follow him at www.michaelgaier.com or check back here and we'll keep you informed on all of our Herd Racing entries as new news comes in.

Brett Rowe appears healed up and ready for the driver's seat so it looks like the Herd Nationwide team may be back in action at Circuit Gil Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec on August 27-29.  The famed road course north of the border was the site of our best Nationwide finish of 2009 as Brett ended up in 21st on the lead lap as NASCAR raced its first race in the rain last August.  That was an awesome weekend as we thought going in we were going to be able to hire a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series team to help pit the #75.  At the last minute we were informed that only those crew members with Nationwide Series licenses would be permitted over the wall so we sported a four-man pit crew against everyone else's seven-man teams.  I can't say we would have won any championships in the pits that day, but it was fun pitting the car in Montreal and seeing our driver stay with the lead pack all weekend long.  I'll update you on our plans as we get a little closer and we get things worked out on the Faith Motorsports side on whether we will continue running the #21 or go back to a single-car team there, which will promote the #75 back to the track on a more regular basis.

As for boating, we got the 120 boat last Tuesday, or what we thought was a 120 boat.  Turns out it is probably an older 140 boat which is a little bigger than a 120.  Regardless, it is pretty cool looking and the price was right.  Right now we are waiting on some more information from the manufacturer before we tear into it.  It may be a race boat next year or it may just be a show piece.  Regardless, we need both.

In other boating news, we were informed by the league this weekend that the final race of the year at Lake Erie has been cancelled because the promotor could not secure the sponsorship required to put on the event.  Even the sport of boat racing is feeling the economic crunch that has found its way to all forms of racing the past couple years.  As I have said before, I think 2011 will show a lot of changes in the racing world from top to bottom as the economic crunch begins to show itself across the board.

We are continuing to round up photos from events this year and are uploading nightly to the photo gallery pages so stop by there for a view of some of our events if you have some time.  Also, Eric, Jeramey and J.D. have been keeping the Facebook updates going.  You can see the final six laps of the Can-Am Challenge on our Facebook page taken from some video that Bethany Himes shot from the shoreline last Sunday afternoon.  For those of you who have computer navigation skills that rival mine, here is a link you can click on to get there: http://www.facebook.com/HerdRacing.

Check back this week for some updates on our next boating event at Aurora, Indiana on August 20-22.

Dana Tomes

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2010 - This weekend was my first trip to the blues and barbeque capitol of Memphis and believe me, it looks much closer on the map than it really is.  Tennessee is one wide state!  If you haven't had the opportunity to drive 10 hours, spend three full 12-hour days in 100-degree sun and then drive 10 hours again then you have missed out on one of life's many joys. (Do you sense the sarcasm here?)

The hauler arrived back home this afternoon after spending the night in a Kentucky truck stop, while the crew drove straight through the night to get to work this morning.  Everyone is home in one piece and thankful that the longest SuperLeague trip of the year is behind us and even more thankful that the results of the weekend were fruitful.

Overall, we had a pretty good weekend.  The boat motor seems to be pretty much back to normal.  It doesn't seem quite as fast as it was at Pittsburgh, but that may be because of the currents and river conditions at Memphis were pretty severe compared to those in Pittsburgh.  Our top speed in qualifying on Saturday was 93 miles per hour which I think is pretty good considering the eddies, currents and 15 knott flow of the mighty Mississippi.  Again, we weren't the class of the field by any means, but I can see progress in all of our people and our performance wasn't too bad for a team with just three weeks of experience.

The families had a good time touring Graceland and we ate dinner each night as a team, one night at a local pizza place and one night at Corky's Barbeque out in Germantown, TN.  It was fun to have all of the wives and kids around the table and see everyone interacting and enjoying family time together.  That is one of the most rewarding parts of racing to me, seeing relationships between team members and their families forged and grow.  A month ago, Eric's little one, Emily, wouldn't let me pick her up for a million bucks.  Now she passes out in my arms just as well as she does the next guy.

As for our other racing ventures, Michael Gaier performed well in his second outing in the U.S. Legends Series at Caraway Speedway in North Carolina on Friday night.  Michael's usual team leader, J.D. Leedy, got drafted to go with the boat team this week to fill in for Greg Smith who is sick and wouldn't you that Michael would win his qualifier and place third in the Pro-Series final at Caraway.  I guess we will have to keep J.D. away from Michael for a couple races and see what happens.

J.D. was a great help to us at Memphis.  He drove Tonya's car there and back so the girls would have a ride while in Memphis to shop and visit Graceland.  It seems like the past couple weeks that J.D. has pretty much been in full time Herd Racing mode and has covered everything from delivering boats and trailers to launching the boat off the start dock.  Hopefully Greg will be back at Aurora later this month and we can have J.D. and Greg along to fill out the crew.

I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight and will get back to you with some more information in a day or two.  We are picking up the SST-120 boat tomorrow so hopefully I can get a shop photo for you before long.  We got the pickleforks done for the Yeeha SST-60 boat and Sterling will begin the body work on it later this week in hopes that we may have it ready for Kankakee or Huron in the next month or so.

Dana Tomes

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010 - I just wanted to give everyone a re-cap of Herd Racing and the many series in which our affiliated cars ran during the past week and offer little preview to our next APR SuperLeague boat race at Memphis this weekend.

Brett Rowe's debut in the CRA Super Late Model Series turned out pretty good on Monday.  Brett, seeing his first action since having his leg operation earlier this summer, qualified his Chevrolet 25th for the 27-car field and was able to bring home a 20th place finish in the race that featured more than 40 potential entries and had Cup stars like Kyle Busch, Ken Schrader and others in the field.  Brett said his leg swelled up, but a few days off his feet and he should be good to go.

The concert in which Brett participated on Sunday evening went even better.  Nearly 150 people were in attendnace to see and hear Beyond Measure, which features five adult musicians and nine young vocalists ranging in age from seven to their late teens.  It was a great concert and one young girl turned her life over to Christ after the event, while a few other teens sought out someone to talk with about their Salvation.  If your church is looking for some good contemporary Christian music by a bunch of youth who aren't ashamed of Jesus then you may want to contact Brett and have Beyond Measure sing at one of your events.  Their abilities are "beyond belief."

Over the weekend, Kevin Beahr recorded a Top-15 at Virginia Motor Speedway in his #75 Modified entry.  Chad Beahr took the week off from his #75 Sportsman entry while he does some engine work.  After a couple of finishes inside the Top 20, Saturday was Kevin's first time cracking the Top 15 this year so improvements are happening on that front each time he takes to the dirt at VMS.

Michael Gaier's debut in the U.S. Legend car series was rained out Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  He ran a qualifying race Tuesday afternoon, but the rains fell and the race was postponed.  He will hit the track again this Friday night in a U.S. Legends event at Caraway Speedway in North Carolina.  I have attached a photo of the #75 Legends entry which carries sponsorship from EyeEarn.com and TripleClicks.com.

As for boating, we tested Monday night and still had some bugs to work out when we put it back on the trailer.  The engine performance we are looking for and had at Pittsburgh just isn't there.  Sterling tore into the top end today and found some issues with the timing on the motor so we'll have to just wait and see what it has in store for us Friday afternoon when we hit the Mississippi for the first practice session at Memphis.  If it isn't back to where it needs to be we will pull the power head and rent one from another team for the Memphis race weekend.  We can't afford another points hit like we experienced at Marietta by not finishing the final.

Look for some Facebook updates as events unfold from Memphis at the Canadian-American Challenge Cup on Saturday and Sunday or watch the race on Fox Sports Net on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. eastern if you have that channel in your cable or dish package.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010 - This coming week is building as a very busy one for everyone involved with Herd Racing and it's many programs. 

Things start out tonight as Chad Beahr and Kevin Beahr take to the track at Virginia Motor Speedway in their respective Sportsman and Modified race cars.  Chad, who recorded his first Top 10 of the season two races back, finished 11th in his last outing last Saturday night.  Kevin broke into the Top 20 last week with a 19th place run at Virginia Motor Speedway.

Tomorrow, Brett Rowe will be singing during the evening service at 26th Street Baptist Church in Huntington, WV, as the group "Beyond Measure" performs.  Youth from various area chuches are expected to attend as Brett, his two daughters, and other members of his youth group from Roach Baptist Church put on an hour-long show.

On Monday, Brett will be getting his racing legs back under him as he climbs into the cockpit of a #5 Chevrolet in the CRA Super Series late model division at Anderson Speedway in Indiana.  The race, the annual Redbud 300, usually draws a bunch of Cup and Nationwide drivers who have held over from their weekend at Indy to run at Anderson.  In addition to Brett, Ken Schrader and Mario Gosselin are entered in the 300-lap event.  Hopefully Brett's leg will be back to normal and he can get used to the heat because he is likely to be running in Montreal, Quebec again in the next few weeks in either a Herd Racing or Faith Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS in NASCAR's Nationwide Series.  Brett's run in the CRA this week isn't a Herd Racing entry, but some seat time with another team as he continues to recover.

While Brett is tackling Anderson, the F-3 boat team will be on the Ohio River in Huntington shaking down the boat and motor in preparation for next weekend's Canadian-American Cup Challenge in Memphis.  We will run the boat a while hoping our motor woes from Marietta are behind us.  We will be leaving Thursday afternoon for the Memphis event and will likely blog a little more about the weekend before we leave.

Michael Gaier will tackle the asphalt mini oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday night as he debuts in the U.S. Legend Car series in a Herd Racing #75 EyeEarn.com Legend.  Michael's unofficial manager, JD Leedy, spent much of last week at the boat shop getting our new F-3 boat delivered before heading to Charlotte early this morning.  JD will hopefully return Wednesday with a good report from the Legends race and have a Hustler dolly trailer for our boat hitched behind his truck.  We need that trailer by Thursday afternoon and all indications are that Jeff and the guys at Hustler will have it ready for us to pick up Wednesday morning.

Lots happening this week.  I'll try to bring you up to speed on the boat test and some car racing results early in the week.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 - We have lots going on this week so I will use the blog space tonight to keep you up to date on what is happening in Herd Racing land.

First off, our Yeeeha Formula 3 boat was delivered today and it was much nicer than I had thought it would be.  I knew it was a pretty nice boat, but it is really in much better physical condition than I had hoped.  It will need a little body work, but overall, a coat of paint and some decals and it is ready for a motor and some testing.  We haven't torn into it yet, but the exterior and what I have seen of the interior so far look pretty promising.  It is about a foot shorter than our Pugh boat, right at 14 feet, which is the minimum length requirement for the SST-60 or F-3 class.

We also finalized the purchase of our first SST-120 or F-2 series boat today.  We will hopefully have it picked up next week.  It is an older boat that was ran under the Budweiser sponsorship back in early 2000s by Buck Thornton.  It was a very competitive boat in its day and was built by Seebold Racing in Missouri which is one of the pioneer families in F-2 powerboats.  It will take some work to get ready for the water, but the boat has the potential to be a front-runner in the 120 class with some work and a little sponsorship.

Our next step is finalizing sponsorship videos and presentations so we can begin selling the 2011 race seasons to potential sponsors.  Preliminary plans are for a two-boat team, racing in both the F-2 and F-3 series.  We still have another F-2 boat we hope to pick up this summer and then spend the winter months getting a primary boat and a backup boat ready for each class.

We hope to test our Pugh F-3 boat on Monday night on the Ohio River at Huntington.  It got swamped at Marietta and we blew a head gasket so we will get the motor up to temperature and run a few laps in calm water to make sure our power and acceleration are there before we head out to Memphis.

Speaking of Memphis, we hope to have a Hustler dolly trailer ready early next week so we can haul the boat in the hauler to Memphis.  Taking a second trailer to Marietta wasn't a big deal, but a 10-hour hike with two trailers just isn't in the budget.  Jeff at Hustler Trailers is working on the measurements and we should be able to pick it up next week in Knoxville, TN when we deliver our hood down for Gary Pugh to measure and build our new hood to help protect the motor from being swamped again.  We won't have the hood painted and on the boat for Memphis, but I suspect we will be sporting a new hood and motor cover for the Aurora race weekend in mid-August.

Crew Chief Jeramey is working on some sponsorship deals for next year and Eric and Bethany are working on hotel and catering sponsors for Memphis so things are progressing daily.  I'll post a shop photo one day when I can remember to take the camera to the shop and get a few shots of the new Yeeeha being worked on.

Also, Sam and Sherron Winer of the APR SuperLeague are visiting a potential site and meeting with possible promoters tomorrow in Huntington.  The hope is to bring SuperLeague racing back to the Ohio River at Huntington in 2011 like we used to enjoy back in the 90s.  I'll keep you posted on this as well as I learn more.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010 - While much of our attention has been on boat racing the past couple of weeks, Herd Racing is still present at a handful of race tracks around the country on a regular basis with it's cars as well.

Brett Rowe continues to recover from his leg surgery and should be ready to buckle back in a Nationwide Series car in a month or so.  While our Nationwide cars have been garaged for the most part this year due to funding and Brett's injury, we were able to run the #75 at New Hampshire last month.

We had hopes of running the car tonight at Gateway, but last week the Faith Motorsports program worked a deal to put Morgan Shepherd in a Richard Childress car in the Nationwide Series.  That pulled Johnny Chapman from the #75 to fill Morgan's seat in the Racing With Jesus #89 Chevrolet.  Hopefully, Brett can hop in the seat of the #75 in a month or so.  We may run the Herd car at Montreal in August where we saw of 21st place run last year.  I'll keep you updated on that as we see what happens with Morgan in the #21 and Johnny in the #89.  The worst thing (I can speak from experience on this one) is trying to do too much with too little.  Basically the Faith bunch is fielding the #21 and #89 right now so adding a Faith/Herd #75 may be more than we have the manpower to do right now.

In other Herd entries, Michael Gaier will run an EyeEarn.com Herd Racing partnership entry in the U.S. Legends Car Series later this month at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Michael has ran the #75 twice this year in the PASS Super Late Model Series, but is cutting back to the Legends Series due to the money it costs to field a late model each week.

Meanwhile, Chad and Kevin Beahr continue their full season run at Virginia Motor Speedway in the Sportsman and Modified classes, both bearing the #75.

Speaking of sponsorship, Herd Racing was mentioned today in an article it the Charleston, S.C. newspaper.  A reporter there covers the NASCAR business angle and talked to many of the smaller teams about Danica Patrick and her impact on sponsorship.  You can find the article here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-42294-NASCAR-Business-Examiner~y2010m7d17-Is-media-coverage-of-Danica-Patrick-hurting-the-small-NASCAR-Nationwide-teams-and-their-sponsors.

The sponsorship hunt right now is the worst that I have ever seen it.  Full time teams in NASCAR are just hanging on by a thread and even the smaller racing series, from cars to trucks to boats, are feeling the pinch.  I really think that even though the economy is starting to turn a little for the good, this year and even next year will be horrible for motorsports.  Remember, many of these companies who sponsor have multi-year deals they can't just walk away from.  Just think how many race cars would have a blank hood if contracts weren't holding some of these sponsors in place.  Even Lowe's Motor Speedway has returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway.  The reigning four-time Sprint Cup champion (Lowe's) is even feeling the economic pinch.

I think next year will be a year that just about every form of racing gets humbled because the funding to run like they have in the past couple decades just won't be there.  Grass roots racing will be back, sooner than many of us may think.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2010 - The disappointment of underperforming at Marietta is still pretty evident to us, but while we hoped to make solid progress in Week 2 of the SuperLeague tour we didn't come home without some gains.

First off, we are working with Gary Pugh, the designer and builder of many boats, including portions of our boat, to get a new rear hood designed and produced over the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully we will have this constructed, painted and on the the boat before we go to Memphis at the end of the month.

When we looked back, it was a simple hood that could have deflected the water off of our motor cover that could have resulted in a much different outcome on Saturday and Sunday in Marietta.  I stuck the inside picklefork exiting Turn 4 during a heat race and burried up the sponson tip in the water which threw a big burst of water over the boat and into the motor cover.   The motor immediately stalled which ended our day three laps short in the final heat race.  In fact, that water ended pretty much our whole weekend.

The water can be traced right up the ladder to our poor Sunday performance.  Once the water entered the motor cover and thrust right into the carberator openings it was pushed into the cylinder of the motor where air should have been pushed.  The water caused the cylinder to not fire and most likely the cold water and action of compression within the cylinder caused the weakest link to break.  That being the head gasket.

We thought that because the motor started later on after we dried it out that we would be OK, but our Sunday morning test showed otherwise.  We traced everything down and found a broken probe on the top coil, but an earlier test showed we had fire on all three cylinders so I really doubt that coil was our biggest problem now that we look back on it.  The probe was still delivering fire, it was just probably limiting our performance some, but likely wasn't the biggest issue we had going.

It was the head gasket that was limiting our RPMs, but being pressed by time and thinking the coil problem would fix it, we went back out for the final without checking it.  Lesson learned.  If we ever get swamped again, which I hope the hood addition will prevent, we will pull the head before going back out just to make sure.  Our inexperience with this type of motor bit us.  A rookie mistake for a rookie pilot and crew that we will learn from.

Anyway, hopefully that hood will solve this from happening again and we have ordered a new engine mount and cowling which will hopefully help keep the moisture out a little better as well.

Also, our Yeeeha Formula 3 boat should be ready this week.  We will be picking it up and bringing it to the shop to get started on rigging it up and getting it ready for paint.  We won't have it ready for Memphis as we had hoped to, but we will be running it before the end of the season somewhere to see how it does.  We are still looking for a motor for it, but if we need to, we can pull the motor off of the Pugh boat to test the Yeeeha for one weekend somewhere.  Our goal is to have two fully rigged and functional boats on the hauler so if we get into something again like we did at Marietta we could just switch out power heads and continue on knowing that we have a good motor on the boat.

Honestly, I really like the Pugh boat and at this point I think we can get it performing pretty well by season's end.  We were running 5th place times in practice on Saturday morning but fell to 9th in qualifying and both heat races.  I suspect that maybe the coil probe had us a little down on power when we were under load because we just couldn't figure out why we couldn't run the times in qualifying and on the race course that we were running in practice.

For your viewing enjoyment I have attached a photo of Herd Racing's #75 Jesus Boat getting towed in after we swamped the motor Saturday in Marietta.  Check out some other photos we are beginning to upload on the photo gallery.  We should have more downloaded off of the cameras this weekend and posted in the gallery.

Dana Tomes

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 - Well it's pushing midnight on Sunday night and we just got in from the APR SuperLeague Regional Championships in Marietta, OH where we experienced exactly the opposite racing luck that we enjoyed last weekend in Pittsburgh.

At the North American Championships last weekend things just kept getting better and better as the weekend went on.  At Marietta this weekend we endured the opposite.

The first practice session on Saturday went great.  We improved our lap times by about 2.5 seconds during the course of the 45-minute session, running times that were in the Top 5 of the F-3 boats which were competing.  We made some setup changes for the qualifying runs and heat races and the luck quickly turned sour.

In single boat qualifying we turn the 9th quickest time, about a second slower than our practice times.  In both heat races the boat just didn't handle the way it did in practice and the forward bite just wasn't there.  You can tell that in boat racing by the height of the rooster tail the boat shoots from the prop and by the angle that the boat rides on the water.  We needed more lift on the nose to get more of the boat up out of the water and we needed more depth on the prop to get more forward thrust which would help elevate the boat.

After we swamped the motor coming out of Turn 4 late in the second qualifier we changed the setup, lowered the engine and thought our performnace on Sunday would show better results.  The problem was that our swamping of the motor led to problem after problem in the motor department including a blown coil and a blown head gasket.  We went out for testing on Sunday morning and were down a cylinder.  We replaced the coil and thought that would fix the problem thanks to some troubleshooting by F2 champion Mark Jakob.  We went out to start the final and could tell all three cylinders were hitting, but we weren't able to get the RPMs up.  That ended our day early and resulted in a motor teardown to see what was happening.  We suspected a blown head gasket or a bad piston, but the inside of the Evinrude looked great except for a big blowout between the first and second cylinder on the head gasket.  A big thanks to boat builder Gary Pugh who oversaw the engine teardown for us Sunday afternoon!

But our off the track events went great all weekend long.  Greg and Krystal and their kids were on vacation this week and didn't make the race, but my Tonya and Hannah went to Marietta, along with Eric's Bethany, Allison and Emily so we had some help at the trailer with our outreach program.  Hopefully Greg and Krystal will be back with us at Memphis and Jeramey's wife, Melissa, and son Spencer are hoping to come along as well.

Hannah and Allison made sure every passing kid got a Jesus Fish necklace and Bethany and Tonya talked to people about the team and our mission while handing out about 100 "We are Marshall" DVDs and some Christian outdoors videos.  Everyone seemed to love the free movies so we owe a thanks to Marshall University for helping us spread the word of the university to those in and around Marietta.

We spent dinner Saturday night at a downtown Marietta restaurant with Dan Bunting and his Monster Energy Drink crew, as well as fellow F-3 pilot Toby Hood and his family.  Thanks to Dan and Britt for inviting all of us out to dinner.

I'll try to blog a few times this week, but honestly, I have to work about a hundred hours this coming week to have any hopes of getting caught up at the office anytime soon.

We had a nice interview on a local NBC station which you can see on our Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook icon on the front page of the website.  And, as you can see from the picture with today's blog, I was honored to have my photo taken with the Queen and Supreme of the Marietta Riverfront Roar.  Normally Tonya wouldn't be real pleased if I posed for photos with the local beauty queens, but since these two beauties were about 5 years old I guess she'll let me slide.

Dana Tomes

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010 - It doesn't seem like you are as ever as prepared as you wish you could be.  That's our situation again this week as we head off for Race #2 in the APR SuperLeague powerboat season.  We will be leaving tomorrow around noon for the 95-mile trek to Marietta, Ohio, site of the APBA Regional Championships.

Marietta is the closest race in the series to our shop, just a two-hour drive up the Ohio River.  I had hoped to switch over to the dolly trailer this week and leave the pickup truck behind, but tonight as we finished loading the hauler and went to set the boat over on the dolly trailer we saw that we had some balance issues that we need to address.  So, the hauler is already loaded, washed and ready to go and now we find out the trailer we need to load the boat into the hauler won't work.  You guessed it.  This week we are taking the hauler, and a pickup truck to pull the boat.  Luckily it is just a skip to Marietta and we can get the dolly trailer lined out for the next race.

Otherwise, things are progressing.  We made some improvements this week with the breathing air system, did some work on the radio cables in the cockpit, touched up some paint issues from last weekend, fixed a lot of the technical things that were pointed out about our boat from last week and we got our blog set up to automatically post to our new Facebook page so those of you who Facebook don't have to check both places to find our updates.

We hope to be able to upload some photos, scanner traffic and video this weekend from Marietta so stay tuned as the weekend progresses.

Dana Tomes

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 - We spent today getting ready for the APBA's Regional Championships which are coming up this weekend in Marietta, Ohio.  We will be leaving Friday morning to arrive for afternoon inspection and then two days of racing on the Ohio River.

We spent some time blowing the dust off of the old #75 ARCA/Nationwide hauler tonight.  It hasn't been moved since April's Nationwide race at Nashville but it looked like it had been sitting for years as it had spider webs and bugs everywhere.  Jeramey finished wiring up all of the LED marker lights and I went to the Freightliner dealer today to pick up the tractor from it's clutch replacement.  I will hook the rig up and pull it outside for some cleaning tomorrow night after church and we will begin the load on Thursday night.

We still have a little work to do on the dolly trailer before we switch the boat over to it, but if everyone can come out Thursday night we should have the rig loaded and ready to pull out Friday morning.  It will be nice at Marietta to be able to work out of the trailer where we can have an air conditioned place to sit, eat and talk.  The arrangements at Pittsburgh weren't the best as the dock was about a mile away from the pits and you had to leave all of your equipment at the pits and just take the boat and a pickup truck to the river.  Everyone managed, but few were real happy about the setup.  Everyone I have talked to says Marietta is one of the best stops on the tour.  They say the whole city shuts down for the races and the haulers park in the city streets which are closed off for the weekend.

If you want to learn more about the Marietta Riverfront Roar you can access their website at  http://www.mariettariverfrontroar.org/.  Rumor has it that we will have a lot more boats entered this week because the event is very fan friendly and the drivers seem to love it.

We aren't really making any changes to the boat for this week, with the exception of some changes in the cockpit.  We are adding some foam in some places to help hold me in place a little better and keep my legs from bouncing around so much.  There was a bolt on the left side of the cockpit that just wore a quarter-sized hole in my knee last week.  This week we are adding some rubber and knee pads.  I really think that if I can get more comfortable in the boat I can get a lot more speed out of it as I continue to get the feel for the boat.

If you want to listen to the scanner traffic from last week's final in Pittsburgh you can find it on YouTube or you can click on the attached link to listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HQ8eWWIqtI.  The radio traffic sounds a lot like a NASCAR race as each boat has at least one spotter and sometimes two.  We had crew chief Jeramey Wentz spotting and fellow F-3 pilot Sammy Miller as an adviser helping Jeramey and me throughout the weekend.

I'll try to get you some more information before we pull out Friday morning.

Dana Tomes

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2010 - What an awesome day with blessing after blessing from the Lord.  Herd Racing's "Jesus boat" as the fans have named it, enjoyed a wonderful day of racing at the American Power Boat Association's North American Championship in Pittsburgh.

We started the day with a lengthy practice session that I have to admit I was very, very jittery about.  I am not usually someone who gets nervous or anxious about much, but my stomach was twisted all morning and I had to chew a bunch of Pepto tablets to try to get it under control.  I had no idea what to expect when we lauched that boat this morning, but after about 10 laps on that course the boat just kept feeling better and better after every lap.

We started the afternoon qualifying session by qualifying 8th for the first qualifier heat race.  We finished 8th in the first heat race and then they inverted the field and we pulled off a 6th place run in the second heat race.  We were all very, very happy with the improvements in our performance as the day wore on.  To be honest, I expected to be dog last in everything today, but we saw pretty early in the afternoon that we could compete.  Had our boat had someone driving it who knew what they heck they were doing then the Jesus boat could have been well up in the Top 5 in that final race.  I left a bunch of speed out there, which is great, because I know next week at the Regional Championships in Marietta, OH that we will have much smoother water and I can push the boat a lot harder as I continue to get the feel for it!

The combination of the qualifying laps and the two heat races allowed us to qualify for and start 10th in the 10-boat North American Championship final Sunday evening.  We were not only very happy to be racing in the final, but we were able to pull off a sixth place finish in one of the biggest races on the circuit.  Jeramey, Eric and Greg were just hopping as we kept getting better and better.

We owe a huge "thank you" to the Tunnel Vision Racing team.  Mark and Tammy Jakob, Dan Bunting and all of their crews helped us all day with pointers, fuel mixtures, propeller choices and just about everything.  Sammy Miller, a Tunnel Vision pilot who usually runs the #7 boat didn't run this weekend and he helped as our spotter.  He was awesome!  So calm on the radio and so much encouragement.  Thanks Sammy.  You're the man!

Well, it's real late and we're all beat, but check out the Facebook page later tonight or early morning hours.  There is a link to it in yesterday's blog.  Jeramey and Eric are nite owls and they are working up some more photo slides and audio and video posts for YouTube and Facebook.  They posted a short video early this morning which was an intro for today's races. 

We will be watching and learning from the Tunnel Vision crew tomorrow during the F-2 events and will be travelling home tomorrow night.  I will try to blog some more updates and get the photo gallery going Monday night.

It was also cool that Fox Sports chose our boat as one of four in the finals to carry in-boat cameras.  We had two Fox cameras on the boat, as well as our own camera so the SuperLeague Media broadcasts that will air many times on Fox Sport affilates the next several months should have some footage from our boat.

Dana Tomes