Getting Closer...

Spent the weekend getting the car prepped for the race: changed the oil, filter & trans/diff lube. Wrapped up the front brakes & decided it's worth the $13.49 to put new shoes on the rear so I got them ordered (they'll be in today).

I attempted to replace a blown out exhaust flange gasket (between the downpipe & manifold)...and promptly snapped it off. $#!t. I can't reach the backside to drill it out so in the spirit of Lemons, I'm likely to grab a tube of Permatex & try to seal it up best I can.

Oh, and I mounted the TraqMate data system...which is worth more than the car itself.

Up next, get the tires mounted & balanced & load it up!

6 Weeks & Counting...

...until we race again!

"I'm feeling good" says Hammer's Heroes team principal John "Hammer" fresh off a weekend in his Spec Miata at Road Atlanta.

The rest of the team is gearing up too; Zack Skolnick & Todd Chapman are both going to be at New Jersey Motorsports Park this coming weekend...and as much as they need the practice, neither will be behind the wheel of anything more virile than a golf cart. Zack is spending the Summer with Ferrari North America & Todd is a part time crew member for ARCA's Eddie Sharp Racing.

Stephanie Reaves is fresh from a run at VIR and a corporate event in Atlanta where she got to rub elbows with singer Usher.

Hammer is going hunting for used tires off Legends cars this week; that's what the team uses on the BMW's stock 13" wheels. Why? They're cheap & last a long time! Brakes just came in too; a brake job is due up in the next couple weeks.

Think this whole mess sounds wild? It is! Wanna be part of it? Of course you do! Drop a line to Crew AT HammersHeroes.com & come to the track in September... and you too can be one of Hammer's Heroes!

Chchchanges....

Got a good news / bad news note today.

• The bad news: Wayne Shaver had to back out of the team...the economy is tight & it is what it is.
• The good news: Stephanie Reaves is going to replace him. Love you Wayne, but she's better on so many levels...she 1) has money, 2) is a chick...sure to bring us notoriety! and 3) has money.

We had our first team conference call tonight & discussed the couple of things we need to do to prep the car: brake rotors & pads are ordered. We're going to wire up an old Miata radiator fan as a spare since we had cooling issues in the last race. We're also trying to figure out the fuel system mess...we'll hope a replacement seal on the fuel cap fixes our vacuum issue there. Hey, we've seen dumber things fix stuff!

Gearing Up To Grind Gears!

They're in... After a year out of competition, Hammer's Heroes are back in the mix at the 24 Hours of Lemons, the endurance race for $500 cars.

A new cast of characters are making the team this time around:

• The Heroes are still led by team principal John "Hammer" Palazzolo. "I've said it before, Lemons is the most fun I've ever had in a racecar. To have these guys join me at the track is going to be huge fun!"
• The rest of the team includes Wayne Shaver who worked with Hammer at both Xtreme Measures (a teen driving school) and Chrysler's SRT Track Experience.
• Zack Skolnik is an up & coming shoe who's spending his summer in New Jersey under the wing of Ferrari North America.
• The novice member of the team is an old friend & crew member for Eddie Sharp Racing's ARCA stock car team; Todd Chapman. Todd has never raced anything in his life...this is his first opportunity to pull on fireproof skivvies & live his dreams.

And that's what Hammer's Heroes are all about; living the dream. Want to be part of the Heroes? Drop a line to Crew@HammersHeroes.com. Race weekend is September 24-26 at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. See you there!