7-12-2001

Just got home from a fun filled day! I started off at 7:30 AM leaving my house to pick up our Diamond Manager at his place in Joliet, IL. He is about 15 min. from the Chicagoland Speedway. The Tropicana 400 is Sunday, the inaugural race at the track. I was on a mission for souvenirs.

I worked as the Assistant General Manager of a jewelry store. The company had Steve Park come to our store for a couple hours to sign autographs for the fans! I got a NASCAR flag signed (we used it on the table for decoration), and I bought a die cast model of his car for my son to have signed. He is really a great guy. Got some pics of my son & I with him after the signing too. He is like Richard Petty. It didn't matter how long it took, everyone, got anything they wanted, signed.

Needless to say, setting up for the crowd & security was a chore. It was a well behaved bunch though. There was a radio station doing a remote. ESPN radio even came to give away Sox tickets & T shirts to keep the crowd busy while they waited for his arrival. NASCAR moved the practice times, and we ended up having him from 8:30-9:30, instead of 6-8.

Great Day (Long Day! ;) Go Team Monte Carlo, and Dale Earnhardt, Inc.!
John