It's Been a While. . .

It seems like a long time since I sat down to put my thoughts to paper- so to speak.  A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks as well.  Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas clinched the Daytona Prototype title in the Rolex series, and its something like Scott’s 5^th and Memo’s 4^th.  Those guys are definitely deserving Champions and excellent road racers.  Though I’m not a huge fan of the man, Brad Keslowski has made a statement in the Sprint Cup Chase; winning 2 of the first 3 Chase races.

As for me, the last week was spent with my wife.  We kind of took the honeymoon we didn’t take last year when we got married.  Last year, 6 days after we got married, instead of taking a honeymoon my wife went along with me to a race that we had scheduled.  The best part about that weekend ( heavy sarcasm here) was that it rained both days and never climbed out of the low 50’s.  She sat in the clubhouse or the truck most of the day to keep warm and dry.  I figure that was pretty special for her to do for me, so I let her plan the week that she wanted this year.  We spent a lot of time out on the boat- which is something we both love, so it was a really nice time.

I wanted to mention a foundation we had on the car a couple weeks ago at Mid-Ohio.  The Motorsports Rehabilitation Foundation.  While it is something no driver likes to think about, getting hurt inside a racecar is a very real possibility.  As I get older, I find that I think about it a little more than I used too.  Now that I’m married, and with the possibility of a family- what would I do if something happened?  Worse yet- what would my wife do?

That’s where MRF comes in- they help out families of injured drivers in those times of need.  Scott Lynn founded the MRF about 15 years ago after an accident while competing at Watkins Glen.  He exited turn 1 at 125 mph, and hit the retaining wall head on.  It was then that he realized that while he was extremely lucky- it could have very easily gone the other way.

The MRF is able to step in and help those that have been either injured or the families of those who have been killed in sanctioned motorsports events.  They understand that the medical bills, legal fees, and everyday bills that tend to rapidly accumulate at the time of an injury can be a real burden.  A burden that can very easily become too much to deal with for most people.  It’s not something we think about when we load our racecars up, but life can change very quickly at the racetrack.

Michelle Randall, a co-founder, and Eugene Hahn, a director, not only are educated in  economics and business, they also understand the business of racing.  Better yet- they understand WHY we do what we do.  More often than not, that is important as well.  When someone gets hurt- the question or statement is “why did he/she have to be out there”.  It’s what we love, and to know that a foundation like MRF is out there- makes it easier to climb into a car.

Regardless of who you are- a fan, a crew member, a driver- I ask you to log on to www.gomrf.org and check these guys out.  They are an outstanding group of people, and it is a wonderful service that they provide in a terrible time in someone’s life.  Learn about them, read about who they are, donate to the cause- and hope that you never have to use them.

The wheels are turning over here at Onderko Motorsports.  I wish I could tell you about all that is happening behind the scenes.  I hope to make some big announcements in the near future- but you know how that goes- nothing- nothing-nothing and then BAM!  All kinds of good stuff comes out.  Anyway, I will be staying busy the next 2 weeks, and hope that you will too.  By the way- we will be unveiling a new website very soon, so we are really excited about that as well.  Log on to www.gomrf.org and check those guys out!  Till next week. . .

Down Time

This week was a rare week for me and the team.  We decided to take some time off and get away from the shop.  I didn’t go far, actually- I spent a little time over at the shop going over some notes from Summit Point.  I didn’t get to watch Brad Keselowski take the flag at Kentucky, but I heard it was a pretty good race.  Hats off to the speedway for making the necessary changes to its facility, last year was a fiasco with parking and lack of roads to the speedway.  Grand-Am was in New York, at the Watkins Glen International Speedway.  Joao Barbosa and Darren Law from Action Express Racing took the win.

Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  After Matt Kenseth announced that he wouldn’t be back with Roush-Yates next year, Ricky got his dream shot to the Cup Series.  I hope Ricky makes the best of it, and I can’t wait to see where Matt ends up.  If I were Joey Logano, I would be passing around my resume, because I think that’s where Kenseth made his deal.

As for me, like I said I took some time to be with my wife and family.  It’s just been a couple of days but it was nice to recharge for Pocono.  After the rush for Summit Point and the backlog of work that always follows a first race in a new car, I was glad to put away the tools.

While I was going through the notes from Summit Point, and looking at what I wanted changed for Pocono, it hit me.  With a quite shop, and no one to bug me, I realized how fortunate I have been.  Even to now, my racing career has been pretty good.  I’ve gotten to pilot more than a couple different types of cars, and gotten to race against some really talented drivers.

For me, I would work sun-up to sun-down on these cars if my body would let me.  Sometimes though I forget about lessons from my past and start to neglect the people in my life that are close to me.  My family is just like my crew- they are the best around.  It’s actually a truer statement than you might think- I have quite a few family members that come to the track and crew the car on race day- so they are just like my crew.  My parents have always been there for me, both as a guiding force and to lend a hand when my racing dollars ran out- I told them that when I sign my first contract I’ll pay them back- I’m good for it.  My sister, who is in Annapolis, MD- and does great hair and make-up so give me a shout and I’ll get you a good deal-  has always been there to give me a boost when I needed one.  The person who I lean the hardest on is my wife. though.  She puts up with a lot, and my family would back me up on that.  So, we enjoyed the last couple of days together and are ready to go back at it.

I have had some great sponsors over the years as well.  Everything from a twenty dollar bill a guy gave me just to help out, or free garage door springs from a guy who enjoyed looking at the car (it’s a long story-feel free to ask about it in person), on up to today with our latest sponsor OC2 Interactive- and everyone in between.  All of you help us to go out and prepare our cars and win races- without you in would be impossible.

Speaking of OC2 Interactive- we have a couple things in the works, but since I am contractually obligated to not release the details- I will say this; stay tuned and keep checking the website.  The staff at OC2 is top notch and has been a pleasure to work with.

 Sometimes we get wrapped up in how much we think we do, that we forget how much others do for us.  I couldn’t drive the way I do, if I didn’t have all of these people behind me, and the downtime made me remember that.

Pocono is in 10 days, and the car is just about wrapped up.  It goes on the scales Tuesday, and loaded Thursday afternoon.  Pocono is only 2 hours from my house, so it will be nice to be in an area that we all know. 

If you live in the northeast, and can make it, head over to Pocono and feel free to seek us out in the garage area.  If you can’t get to the racetrack follow me @justinonderko for live updates and don’t forget to friend me on facebook to catch up on things as well.  I’m looking forward to more in-car video with a few different angles.  Happy 4^th of July to everyone in the United States- and a big special thanks to all of our service men and women who keep us safe and let us do what we love!  Please return home safe to your families.  Till next week. . .