REFLECTING BACK ON CLASSIC XV

Thanks so much for all letters, e-mail and phone calls since Classic XV came to a close on October 19th. We just want to say thanks to everyone who enjoyed the event as much as we did. Hands down, it is one of our favorite events of the entire season. There are just so many fun and imaginative things that transpire over six days and nights, it's truly difficult to put into words. You almost have to be there in person to believe everything that takes place over six days and nights every October.

We'd be remiss if we didn't take a moment and pass along our appreciation and thanks to several who attended this year.

First and foremost—thanks to every member of the Firebird track staff. As most of you already know, every member of our team really work their tails off. From the moment the gates officially opened on Tuesday until the event came to a close on Sunday evening, we are very proud of each and every member of our staff. From Food Service to the Starting Line, Tech Area to E.T. Booth, Tower to Front Gates, it truly takes quite of group of people to host an event of this magnitude and size. We are deeply indebted for all their efforts.

The event wouldn't be what it is today without the partnerships we've developed over the years with NAPA Auto Parts and Peterson Toyota. If you get a chance, remember to support those companies that endorse our events and the track each season.

Mark your calendars for October 7th-11th, 2009, since we’ve locked in the dates for Classic XVI.

We had so much food and goodies brought to the tower and starting line (and elsewhere), each member of the track staff are still trying to work back out of "comfort-fit" sweat pants. My goodness, there are some extraordinary chef's that like to fatten up each Firebird team member throughout the course of the weekend.

The Shrimp/Potato/Corn-on-the-Cob dinner was simply beyond…let's just say "way" beyond belief. Glenn Willett from Evanston, WY, was the master chef of this work of culinary splendor. There must have been 200 shrimp and by nightfall on Friday evening, the staff and many others devoured the generous dish. He’s done this for us for several years now and it’s one of the hits of the entire weekend.

 The Cannelloni Italian meal was absolutely scrumptious. Special thanks to Sharlene Lancaster for her exquisite dish replete with french bread and butter. Now we just want the recipe. Seriously, Sharlene, we want the recipe—pretty please!

We certainly want to mention one of our favorite families from Utah, too. The Matern team, which includes Mom, Dad and Son, has more fun every year thinking up and creating something to surprise us with in the tower. Sweet hand-made candy popcorn, custom pretzels with hand made dip, sticky buns (perfectly timed on Sunday morning) and all the other snacks were perfect additions to what started out as a very lean and mean tower crew, but fattened up nicely as the weekend arrived. You guys and gals definitely know how to sweeten us up a notch or two.

Others who dropped off gifts and food included: the Greenough and Crosby ladies with a beautifully craft candy dish & creative handmade card; Peach dip and chips from Eldon & Doris Twitty; Anne & Bernie Mueller’s famous kitty litter cake; brownies-peanut butter treats-cookies from the Crosby & DuBose family; cupcakes from the Castagno crew and more. There were many, many other generous dishes dropped off for all to enjoy. It's hard to remember everyone that brought us food and treats, but to all who did, we are deeply indebted. Thanks again.

Special tip of the hat to all the teams who had fun decorating their pit area. Bryan Peters organized an amazing group of racers, which they now call OreIdaWa Racing. Essentially it’s racers from Idaho, Oregon and Washington collaborating together on a pit scene. To say the least, their full blown Circus under the Big Top (yes, a full blown decorated tent—was fan-tabulous! Every year when all the dust settles, we say, “there’s no way they can ever top what they’ve put together”. But trust us, they’re probably already planning their pit decorations for 2009.

But they weren’t the only ones decorating. This year, hands down, had the largest number of pit scenes in Classic history. There were dozens upon dozens of pit spots decked out to the nines. And you could really tell, the people (characters) touring the pits were lovin’ it to the absolute max.

Now that the famed Classic bonfire has simmered a bit, we'd like to look ahead to the 41st Annual Award's Banquet, which is fast approaching. Set for Saturday, November 22nd, the Banquet will take place at the DoubleTree-Riverside in Boise. Look for a ticket application in the mail (or click on the hyperlink on our website), plus we encourage you to vote on your favorite nominees for all the special awards, too. If it’s easier to e-mail, just fire us off your nominations and we’ll add it to the growing stack of votes.

Champions will be crowned and all the top finishers will be recognized with special awards, so start making your plans to join us for the festive night of fun. We even have a couple of surprises that you're not gonna want to miss, but you'll have to be there in person to see it "live" and "prime time".

It's hard to believe that the next racing event won't be here till March 28th, 2009 (opening day of testing), but we do hope you plan to join us for one last night to get together with friends and fellow racers on November 22nd before winter arrives. Look forward to seeing everyone at our last blast of 2008.

Enjoy the fantastic array of photographs thanks to Gene Aguilar, Chris Wold, Bernard Greenwood, and Gary & Jessica Himes. If you’re interested in any of these images (or many others we have in our library)—please drop us an email to learn more about ordering some.

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