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"Storming Norman" Weekly's Remember's
Volume 2

The Second Car

   Around the time we won the #1 spot from "The Greek" I started driving a second car. "The O.C.M.P. Special" When I first got into the car I did not realize the people that were doing the engine work were not to sharp, but I had been spoiled by Demar Ray and Jim Fox and Dennis Holding. To explain, we broke parts in "The Frantic Four" car, but they were not being tossed at me as they were in "The O.C.M.P" car. I never went for "The sitting low deal", sorry Pat. <grin> After the first week in the car I went to the owner and told him some changes needed to be made if I was going to continue to drive the car, new engine people. He said O.K. who? I told him Fox and Holding. He got together with Dennis and worked out a deal. We got the car over to Fox and Holding`s shop and they got the engine straighten out. We then challenge "Waterman and Goodsell" for the #8 spot and won. Now I hope you understand this is not and ego trip, but we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. We had the # 1 spot with the orange car and the #8 with the O.C.M.P. car. I could be wrong but I think the only other person to hold two spots at the same time was Vance Hunt. We are at the shop one night and I will be honest with you, pretty full of ourselves, at least I was. <grin> and wondering what we could do to top what we had done. Somebody said let`s race both cars at Pomona next weekend. It could have been me. I have never been shy. <grin> So that is what we did with me driving both cars.
   I want to make this very clear, I do not think any of us thought we would get both cars to the final round. Reason being the O.C.M.P. was not in the same class as the orange car performance wise. I think I should know about that. Well as they say when you hot you hot. We were lucky enough to get both cars to the final round. Now the fun begins. Since I am under contract to O.C.M.P. I have to drive that car in the final round. Ron Rivero our partner was there, but he had never driven the car before, but had good experience in other cars in Texas when he was in the service. We put him in the orange car. Now back to the fun part. At the time Ronnie weight about 140 pounds and I weight 175, so I told Ronnie to pull 10 pounds off the front of the orange car. I don`t like to ever lose a race, but I wanted the orange car to win. We go to the line, I leave and keep waiting for Ronnie to go by me. I get in the lights and still no Ronnie. I knew then something had to happen to the orange car. He did a giant wheel stand and when it came back down it broke the left front wheel. To this day he thinks I set him up by pulling the weight off the front end. Not me <grin> and really Ronnie knows better. I just guessed wrong.
   Next story. How I lost all confidence in my driving ability after "The Rat" blew me off two straight and I ran quicker and faster both runs for the # 1 spot and it was the beginning of the end for the orange car, or how to get humble real fast!!!!

Norm

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