Excellent post YeleyFan76!! I always love how you speak your mind!! And you are one of my favorites on here!! I wish somehow I could meet you at Kokomo tonight bc I would most certainly shake your hand and buy a beverage of your choice!! Same with you Flagboy55!!

My favorite race of the year is tonight!!!! With Smackdown being a very close 2nd lol!! Tonight and tomorrow, myself, my family, and my friends celebrate my late father's life who worked the backstretch gate at Kokomo through the 80s and early 90s.

On July 3, 2021 I had finished my work for the day and went out to my dad's farm to help him and my kid finish shaving, trimming, and grooming her goats to get ready to take them to our 4H Fair the next weekend for her 7th year of 4H. As I got there my dad acted like he was 40 years old and didnt have a disease that was taking his life from him. Acted like he was in the best shape of his life!! He told me to get the **** off of his farm, that him and my kid had it under control and to get to the races and enjoy my life that he felt great and would see me tomorrow...all my kid could do was bust out laughing and say hey bro, papaw said get the **** off the farm and get to the races bc we got this...little did her or I know the next day she would have heart, soul, and backbone ripped out and away from her...when tomorrow rolled around, that would be the last time I ever seen him alive and he was taking his last breath!!

So the July 3rd fireworks race at Kokomo has since been a staple to me, my family, and my friends to celebrate my dad's life in a good happy positive way knowing every July 4th is tough for us!! We have been pumped up for this race for a while!! Its all we have talked about since Montpelier Saturday!!

Awesome show coming up tonight with Sprints, UMP Mods, and Thunder Cars...normally one of the best fireworks displays in this part of the state!! Hopefully its a packed house for the O'Connor Family and the Teams and Drivers!!

Yeleyfan76 and Flagboy55 we will be on the backstretch, back row, grilling out, celebrating my dad's life if you want to come by and introduce yourselves!! Safe travels to all!! Happy Independence Day tomorrow!!