NHRA 4 Wide Nationals & Tweet Up in Charlotte, NC

I know I am a bit late in getting this blog out after attending the NHRA 4 Wide Nationals in Charlotte, NC. I have been so busy with work, and working on projects with one of my NTG Brothers, Greg Stephenson aka: @NHRAChat on twitter. It is all about the NHRA, so we hope to have it completed in the near future. This blog is all about the fans and those drivers who attended the Tweet Up. I am sure by now you know who won the race in Charlotte, but I'd like to congratulate the winners. Spencer Massey - TF, Robert Hight - FC, and Greg Anderson - Pro Stock.

@LDCRust, @NHRAChat, and @J88Ryan

@PriceWrightIns, @NHRAChat, and @NitroJohn

I flew into Charlotte on Friday evening 4/13/12 to attend the NHRA 4 Wide Nationals with some of my great friends. My Best Friend that I have known for 46 years, John Wright, @PriceWrightIns flew in from Ontario, California about 30 minutes before I landed. We met up at the CLT Airport, got the rental car, then headed to Texas Roadhouse in Concord to meet up with @NHRAChat, Laura-@LDCRust, and Joe Ryan-@J88Ryan. We had a such great evening getting back in touch with each other. I hated the evening to end and wish we all lived closer, but when we do get together it makes it even sweeter. We ended up getting to sleep about 1:00 am, then had an early wake up call to head to the track for the Hot Rods and Hot Cakes Breakfast put on my Doug Herbert's B.R.A.K.E.S.

@AntronBrownTF and @ClayMillican

@TerryMcMillen, @DougHerbert, @AntronBrownTF, and @ClayMillican

@AntronBrownTF and @ClayMillican

We got to zMaxDragway about 7:30 am Saturday morning, and made it to DSR Hospitality where the Hot Rods and Hot Cakes Breakfast was taking place. I was amazed to see all the drivers helping out serving the fans and giving everyone some great entertainment. Here is a link to the entertainment HotCakes & HotRods. Antron Brown and John Force were hilarious. They had us all in stitches. Doug Herbert put on a great Breakfast for the Charlotte Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) and B.R.A.K.E.S. pancake fundraiser. I was embarrassed at on point when Clay Millican was talking and I dropped my pancakes on the floor right in front of everyone. That's ok though Clay said, there is a 5 seconds rule. Hahaha!

@Dixontopfuel, @ClayMillican, and @DougHerbert

@PutOnTheBRAKES Breakfast

Doug Kalitta and @DougHerbert

@GoGrubby

After breakfast we headed out placing our flyer's around at each of the drivers pits for our 2nd Annual Tweet up at Dave & Busters in Concord. The drivers who came to this great evening event were Terry McMillen, Doug Herbert, Hillary Will, Alexis Dejoria, Dina and Andrew Parise ( Remind me to tell you this story LOL, and Blake Alexander. We also had a Surprise guest appearance then none other then Larry Dixon himself. Let me tell you a little story about Larry Dixon at the TweetUp. This had me cracking up. All the drivers had their own Hero Cards to sign, but since Larry is not driving this year, he did not have any. He saw these JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes hand outs, and grabbed a few and used them to sign his autograph. I thought that was improvising to the fullest. Great job Larry, and thank you so much for coming to our event and spending some time with us all. Best of luck in the Future.

Larry Dixon Improvising

Matt Hines, @HillaryWill, Andrew Parise, @Dixontopfuel, Dina Parise, @DougHerbert, @Alexis Dejoria, @Blake_FC, and @TerryMcMillen

@Dixontopfuel and @LBickford11

I had the room set up for 20 people for dinner and ended up with 48 fans and drivers for dinner. It was an extraordinary Tweet Up. I can't tell you all the twitter fans that were there, so if you read this, please DM me so I can add you to the list at the bottom of the page. We started out with drinks and everyone was mingling. We took group pictures, mingled some more then at dinner. After dinner, fans got autographs from the NHRA Driver, and then we had a great Raffle. All the drivers brought hero cards to sign and a lot of great items to raffle off such as Hats, T-Shirts, Terrible Towels, Lanyards, and NASCAR Tickets. The Big Raffle was a set of 16 NASCAR Tickets to the Allstar and Coca Cola 600 Race in Charlotte for each of the race days. Janet/@JanetS67 and Chris/@Zackman1125 won that raffle and we so very happy. They help so much in promoting the drivers, teams and sponsors of the NHRA. Thank you so much to Terry McMillen and UNOH for donating those great Tickets. I also would like to give a Big THANKS to Jason Carey/@StrokerAceKid for helping put together the TweetUp. He is always there to help in any way and does a lot for the NHRA Drivers in promoting and conducting giveaways.

@NitroJohn, @NHRAChat, @JanetS67 and @Zackman1125

Tweet Up Fans and Drivers

Tweet Up Fans and Drivers

Tweet Up Party

Tweet Up Mingle

Fans and Drivers having fun

Track TweetUp on Sunday

Picture with @TerryMcMillen

Daisy with her Event shirt!

@NitroJohn @Gottogoracing Mitzi Husband, @NHRAChat @JanetS67 @Zackman1125

@Dixontopfuel and @LBickford11

So after a long day at the track and a great evening at the TweetUp, everyone said their goodbyes and rested up for Sunday's eliminations. Sunday was also a great day. We met up with Mitzi/Gottagoracing at the drivers intro with Laura. It was so nice to meet her since I missed her last year. I am afraid if we all went out partying, we'd be TROUBLE. Next year I plan on spending some time over at her camp for some Brats and Beers. I also finally met up with a great twitter friend, Marnie/@maddog202088. It was such a pleasure to meet her, and I hope next year we can all spend more time together. I bumped into Nicci Gustaves and got a few pictures with her. Let me tell you, I have met so many great people at the NHRA Tracks and on twitter. I have been so blessed with their friendship. We also took some group pictures on Sunday, and thank you all for those who came for that. You are all So Awesome.

Laura, me, and Mitzi

Laura, Greg and Mitzi

Laura, John W, and Mitzi

Myself, Nicci, and her husband

I didn't forget about Dina and Andrew Parise. After the evening at the tweet up, Andrew got a new name. It is TOG. That means the The Other Guy! LOL People were joking with them all night because Dina would kid around and say that she was the one that had to sign the autographs first, and then the other guy could sign. We had a great laugh at that. The Parise's are great people and I hope they can find funding to get back racing.

I would like to thank all the fans that made the TweetUp a Success. You all ROCK, and hope to see you next year at the Nitro Twitter Group's 3rd annual TweetUp in Concord. Most of all, I'd like to thank Doug Herbert and Dr Ginger for their help and support. Doug was a great help in keeping the night moving. I also would like to thank Terry McMillen, Hillary Will, Alexis Dejoria, Blake Alexander, and Dina & TOG Parise for their continued support for the NTG and for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spend time with their fans and attending the TweetUp. Hope to see you all there next year.

Video of Hot Rods and Hot Cakes Breakfast

Here are the links to follow these Great NHRA Drivers on Twitter:

Terry McMillen

Doug Herbert

Hillary Will

Alexis Dejoria

Blake Alexander

Dina & Andrew Parise

Tweet Up At Dave & Buster's at 4 Wide Event in Concord, NC!!

"HEADING TO THE NHRA 4 WIDE NATIONALS IN CHARLOTTE 4/13 TO 4/15?"

Just added: Funny Car Driver Alexis Dejoria.

You are all invited to attend the 2nd annual Tweet up at Dave & Buster's in the Concord Mills Mall, Saturday, April 14, 2012. We will arrive around 7:00 pm after the Nitro qualifying session at ZMAX Dragway. We will have a sit down dinner with the drivers in the main dining area, and then hang out in the game rooms, bowling, or around the bar area. Drivers will be signing autographs, taking pictures, and enjoying the evening with their fans. We had a great time last year, and looks to be a great time this year.

As you know from reading my blog on Terry McMillen, that we had a successful Tweet Up at Dave & Buster's last year. Many people came and got autographs from Terry, and hung out with us as we partied the night away!

This year we are hoping to make it bigger and a bit different. We have 3 NHRA Top Fuel Drivers who have committed to coming and 2 NHRA drivers still pending. Those NHRA Top Fuel Drivers who will be attending are Doug Herbert, Terry McMillen, Hillary Will, and Alexis Dejoria. Along with the drivers are Dr. Ginger, Cori Wickler, and Jim Walczak. Pro Stock Car Driver Erica Enders and Top Fuel Champion, Larry Dixon are still Pending. More may also attend also.

Doug Herbert

Dr. Ginger

Terry McMillen

Cori Wickler

Jim Walczak

Hillary Will

Alexis Dejoria

Qualifying times on Saturday, 4/14/12, for Nitro Cars are 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm. So with luck, they should be done by 5:00 pm. I hope to see you there.

Address to Dave and Buster's"
8361 Concord Mills
Concord, NC 28027





Guest List for dinner:
Janet @JanetS67
Chris @Zackman1125
John @NitroJohn
Greg @NHRAChat
John W @PriceWrightIns
Derrick @derrick76
Laura @LDCRust
Jason @StrokerAceKid
Terry @TerryMcMillen
Cori @Cori3516
Jim @JimWalczak
Doug @DougHerbert
Ginger @TheDrGinger
Hillary @HillaryWill
Mary @rgordon31_55
Alexis @AlexisDejoria

Nitro Chris from UK and his Dream!

Chris with Melanie Troxel

You all remember when you were young and had your dreams on what you wanted to do and accomplish. It is like when you get older and then it turns into a "Bucket List". Dreams are not always out of reach, and many times it takes special people in ones life to help it all come to life! That is what this Blog is all about. To find those special people and help one of our great Nitro Twitter Group Member to achieve a dream he has had most of his life. To come to America and attend a NHRA Full Throttle Series Event. This young lad would be Chris Hobson. Many of you know him on twitter as @NitroChrisUK . He is always there to help post results of most of the NHRA Events as they are happening.

Chris enjoying a Drag Race

Chris with Tommy Johnson Jr

Chris with Kevin Poynter


Let's learn a little bit about Chris Hobson. Chris was born March 27, 1990 in the UK, and is nearly 22. He was born into the sport as his father was involved in a couple of Drag Racing Teams in the 80's. As a child, Chris attended many drag races with his parents at Santa Pod and Avon Park, and it is where is Passion grew to love the Drag Racing Sport. Chris is a big Die Hard Race fan, and started following the NHRA in the US. Since 2004 he and his dad have attended at least 2 races a year together.

Chris with his Father.

In 2009, Chris became a Drag Racing Tweeter. That is when Chris and I hooked up on twitter and he helped with the Posting of rounds at the NHRA Events, and was a Very Big Help in getting the Nitro Twitter Group off the ground. He had such great Ideas and has even helped with spreading the NTG overseas.

Chris with Lex Joon spoerting the #NTG Decal on his Car.

One of Chris's favorite memories is when he was 6 years old, and he got to sit in a Top Fuel Dragster. The rest is history. He has been an avid fan of Drag Racing, and now hopes he'll make it to America to attend a NHRA Full Throttle Event.

This is what I am on a mission to accomplish. I am looking for those special people that I talked about in my first paragraph, to help make this dream of Chris Hobson come true. Last year we tried to get Chris here, but did not raise enough money to fill his dream. We have a total of $265 thus far going towards his airfare. That is all I am asking is to help with his airfare. I will take care of the rest for accommodations and make sure he gets fed. What do English people eat! I have a lot of Tea and English Muffins LOL! Oh yes, and Fish and Chips. If that doesn't make him happy, not sure what will

So if you feel it in your heart to help us with " A Dream Come True" for Chris Hobson, please send your support to my PayPal account "nitrojohn12@yahoo.com and we will then keep all posted to let you know what race he will be attending. Thank you for all your support!

Chris with Urs Erbacher


Links to Follow Chris Hobson:

Chris on Twitter

Chris on Facebook

Meet Super Comp Driver Kelsey Lay

NHRA Fans, Nitro Twitter Group Fan, Motorsport Fans! I'd like you to meet Super Com Driver Kelsey Lay. She is an up and coming young NHRA Drag Racer making her way up in the racing categories with dreams of becoming a NHRA Top Fuel Dragster pilot! I say pilot because it takes a lot more to drive these 8,000 horsepower, 320 mph, 3.800 ET Top Fuel Machines. If they had wings, they'd fly almost in Stealth mode. Although with using 16 gallons every 3 seconds, flight would not be very far. So I recently talked with Kelsey while she was in Utah on a Skiing trip on spring break. She took a few minutes out of her vacation time to talk with me about her career, what is in store this year and future goals. The picture below is Kelsey as she was talking to me on the interview after a day on the slopes.

Let me tell you a little about Kelsey Lay and then you can hear more from her in my interview with her. The interview can be reached from the Kelsey Lay Interview. Kelsey always had the passion for car racing and drag racing. She started out young from watching her dad race, and has tremendous support from her family. There is more on the interview about her younger years, so I won't elaborate on it too much here. In May of 2012 and at the age of 17, Kelsey got her NHRA competition drivers license as she graduated from Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School. She also attains an IHRA License. On her 18th Birthday, she entered her first National Drag Race, the Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL. Since then she has been living her passion and getting the experience needed to move up in the ranks in the NHRA. She is currently working on her Top Dragster License which is the next level up from Super Comp. I know with her passion, her drive and education, she will be the one to look out for as a successful NHRA Professional Driver. Speaking of education, Kelsey is currently attending the University of Tampa majoring in Marketing and Communication. This is an awesome choice in her path to gain knowledge to put a Pro NHRA Team together in the future. Being young and very marketable I believe will help with her dreams to become the best she can be in the path she chooses. I would love to see her someday in the future working with a prominent NHRA Top Fuel Team.

I have never met Kelsey in person, but have spoken with her and communicated with her through twitter and emails. I have found her to be loyal to her fans and she takes the time for question and answer sessions on twitter. She is devoted in all she does, and that in itself is the key to success. Someday at one of the NHRA events, I am sure our paths will cross and have the pleasure of meeting Kelsey.

There are many ways that you can follow Kelsey in the Drag Racing World and through the social media outlets such as her web site, twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also check out how she does at events through her tweets or Drag Race Central. I put all the links below so you have just one click to learning more about her and follow her throughout her career. You can see where she is racing this year on her web site and hopefully get a chance to meet her. I was fortunate to get a couple of signed T-Shirts from her and I believe they will be a great collectors item in the future.

Kelsey Lay Interview

Kelsey Lay on Twitter

Kelsey Lay on Facebook

Kelsey Lay on YouTube

Kelsey Lay's Web Site