After whatever the hell 2020 was supposed to be, 2021 was supposed to be better. Decide if that is the case for yourself, but as far as I’m concerned, 2021 was good. Not great, but good. Oh, make no mistake, things could’ve been a lot better. But compared to the raging dumpster inferno of 2020, I’ll take it. 2021 has been a bit of a reset year for me, since I’m juggling a few irons in the fire now. It’s allowed me to take stock of what I want to do, what I don’t want to do, and what I need to focus on. You know, the thing that inevitably leads to New Year resolutions, plans, hopes and dreams…and all of that good stuff. So, as I like to do, let’s take one last look at the year gone by before we steel ourselves for what the next twelve months have in store for us.

I started this year off buried in the Rough Start Fox, the 1989 Ford Mustang LX project that I had been messing around with for the better part of 2020. It got close to done. It ran under its own power, but that’s right where that car’s story ends with me. The breaking point was the driveline…I was never able to get one made, and when the Charger showed up, all interest in the second Fox body pretty much flamed out. The roller-motor 302,  Adam Cox-modified T5 transmission and other good parts have been set aside. I’m not 100% sure what to do with it, but the same story can be said for what’s left of the “Dirty Cougar”, which has been sitting since its accident from the fall of 2019. Maybe we’ll just bite the bullet, slam the parts from the two cars together and move it along. That’s to be determined, but for now, the roller 302 is destined to go into the “Great Pumpkin” Mustang instead, a project I intend to start once good outdoor weather returns.

Work took quite a bit of my time this year. “But wait…we haven’t seen much of you this year,” you’re saying. You’re right…the day job at Holley eats up quite a bit of the clock and I’ve been using the other side of my time to relax a bit, do some things like repairs around the house, grow my garden (including zucchini for the first time), and generally reduce the stress a bit. I can’t thank the guys enough for their patience with me, it’s been beyond helpful. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t gone to events. I’ve just been on a different side of the coin compared to years past. I’ve gotten to see the work and planning that goes into Holley’s main shows like LS Fest, Ford Festival and MoParty. I’ve been able to walk around and take in the sites at events like the Hot Rod Reunion. I’ve been able to research my projects properly, which was very helpful with the biggest news I had this year: the Charger.

Leave it to Mr. Random to finally settle on a car. Even with the few problems that have cropped up, I’m still as over the moon with this car as I was the day I bought it. I’m just about ready to cram the HVAC box back into the car, but that work is slow and deliberate. In the meantime, I did something kind of dumb to make up for this great decision…

No, you aren’t seeing double. That’s a 1976 Plymouth Fury Sport. I picked it up for a couple hundred bucks because the shop that had it prior to me yanked the 318 and 904 for a different car…then didn’t use either and let the car sit outside for a couple of years. I’m hoping to have this car ready for this year’s King of the Heap race at NCM Motorsports Park, even more so now than I did when I bought it. Why? Well, if you’ve watched the news in the last couple of weeks, here’s why:

I had never intended to show the store that gave birth to the Unknown Parts Counter Guy, but O’Reilly Auto Parts 1027 was one of the many buildings that got taken out in the F3 tornado that struck Bowling Green, Kentucky in the very early hours of December 11, 2021. That building is straight-up destroyed, but it’s still somewhat recognizable. The Advanced Auto that was roughly across the street and up the road a block was swept away like a dust bunny, and that doesn’t even begin to describe what Bowling Green went through. My family and I got lucky, many did not. Prior to the tornado, the wildest weather phenomenon I’d ever experienced was a Pacific Northwest windstorm (the 1993 Inaugural Day Storm, the 2006 Hannukah Day storm and the 2007 Great Coastal Gale specifically) and there’s no comparing the two forms. One knocks over trees and drops branches. The other straight-up annihilates anything in the way of it’s trajectory. But that doesn’t keep anyone’s spirits down. Bowling Green is cleaning up and is helping those hit hardest to put the pieces back together. NCM Motorsports Park has already said that they will be racing, even though the timing tower and garages got mauled during the twister.

I could go on and on about this year. I got to spend time with friends I still can’t believe I have. I still got to travel. I still got to spend time with my wife, I still get to play with cars for a living. I’ve met plenty of new people, and I’ve lost friends from back in the day. The world moves on, up down or sideways, and all you can do is roll along. Here’s to 2022. Look up, stay positive even in the face of adversity, and here’s to seeing you out and about on the highways and  backroads this summer!