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Thursday, April 19
Not much to say ... yet
By Chuck Etchells
Special to ESPN.com
I'll have to ask you to cut me a little slack on this week's column. As you might imagine, with everything that's going on, things continue to be rather hectic here at Etchells Racing, with my mind trying to be in many places at one time. Due to the extremely sensitive nature of my situation, I can't go in to the specifics quite yet, but I can tell you little has changed in the last week.
I have been fortunate to never be involved in this type of predicament before with either of my businesses, so I've been covering a lot of new ground lately, some I hope to never see again. However, the events of the last few months have forced us to finally consult with a top law firm here in Connecticut.
As a result, earlier today, I had what turned out to be an eye-opening experience. My wife Shelley and I spent this morning meeting with several high-powered attorneys who specialize in this area, and what they had to say blew my mind. Naturally, we will be following their advice, releasing the details as they see fit.
But for now, the Etchells Racing team will continue to conduct ourselves in the same professional manner that we have displayed all season. That means heading south to Gainesville for the resumption of rain-delayed Gatornationals and a first-round matchup with my pal John Force.
By the way, I can officially squelch one rumor. We are not going to roll my car to the line just to collect the money, as some people have said, nor are we going to shut off after the burnout. I have never given John Force an inch on the racetrack, and I'm not about to start now. The Etchells Racing team is going to Florida with one purpose, and that is to race John Force and hopefully send him home early.
We fly into Jacksonville tomorrow, where we'll meet up with my crew chief Terry Manzer. We'll spend the time driving down to Gainesville discussing our strategy for advancing both my Kendall/Matco Tools Camaro and Jim's Mötley Crüe/Matco Camaro. As you can imagine, a lot has changed since qualifying was completed a month ago, and in some ways defeating John will be an even bigger hurdle.
Jim's task isn't any easier, as he will take on Tommy Johnson Jr., winner of the Las Vegas event two weeks ago. However, we are both as determined as ever, with everyone on the team ready to do whatever it takes to win. Whatever happens, it won't be for a lack of effort.
Over the years, I've had many memorable encounters with John, and it's always been a matchup I look forward to for many reasons. I know I have been the most vocal opponent to his third car this season, but just because I don't agree with his tactics doesn't mean I don't respect him.
After all, not only is he the 10-time champion, he's also one of my best friends, and our rivalry is one I cherish. I've raced him fifty times, and I've lost more than I've won, but each one of those W's is a most rewarding experience.
I've faced him twice this year, and each time he's punched my ticket, but we didn't make it easy for him. In fact, I'm sure he'd agree that we came as close as you could to parking John without actually getting the job done, especially in Houston. That is something I'll look to rectify this weekend.
For those few moments on Saturday, I plan on putting everything else out of my mind and focus on getting my race car to the finish line ahead of his. To be honest, it's something I'm really looking forward to.
Chuck Etchells, driver and owner the Kendall Oil/Matco Tools Camaro Z28 Funny Car, provides a diary to ESPN.com throughout the NHRA season. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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