Social Distortion's cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" came on the satellite radio as we made the turn off for the Bonneville Salt Flats. It felt somehow appropriate. Racing hasn't started and already, the place is awesome. Gallery below.
We landed in LAX last night at 11 PM with one bag full of camping gear and one of clothes, picked up a car and headed north towards Wendover, stopping only in Vegas to pick up supplies and watch the sunrise over Sin City. By noon we were stepping foot onto the most legendary salt in the world. By 12:15 it was decided this is going to be a spectacular week. The rain has kept at bay, and the salt is hard and smooth, the temperatures are cool for August, in the 70's for the weekend and in the 90's towards the end. It'll make for denser air and fast times for the beginning of the week.
Yesterday was only Friday and the pits are already a mile long, filled with everything from cobbled together garage machines, Caminos and Rancheros and tons of retro rods have descended to take in the spectacle. Tech is busy working through inspections with all kinds of cool stuff, high dollar streamliners, belly tankers, giant-turbo'd RX7's (seriously the bus turbo on the blue RX-7 is almost as big as the block), diesels, a modified Honda Dream of all things. The Buick Straight 8 is a flipping amazing piece of machinery.