And again, no data! And, we turned six of our pistons into paperweights, one with a new blow hole on the backside. We dragged Todd Paton of Racepak over to our trailer and held him hostage until he extracted information from the expensive gadget (note to self: become a computer expert by the next race).

That left us with one shot to qualify.

Let’s just say the last pitch was a swing-and-a-miss. It hooked to the right, I put it back in the groove, the rpm never got high enough, I short-shifted, all to no avail.

The data helped a little, but an undiscovered issue in the powertrain kept us from bettering our position. I would go into what it was, but it would require a pot of coffee, a powerpoint presentation and clearance from the NSA — okay, maybe just an ok from Smokey, but if he ain’t talking, neither am I. The result can be summed up in three letters: DNQ.

What would be a “bummer, dude” moment for most was actually a significant victory for us at this point. Given our circumstances, I think we rocked it! We are doing something truly unique, and our energy is contagious. In starting from scratch from a veritable no-man’s-land, we’re certain to stub a toe or two while feeling around in the dark. But Smokey’s pragmatic persistence and pigheadedness will soon turn on the light.

Click here to see the contributors behind our campaign: www.co2tv.net/darkside.

Buy their stuff and Smokey and I can keep racing!