How we spent the day relaxing

This morning, Donna, a very good friend treated us to a wonderful brunch at one of the casinos here in Phoenix. On the way out Will kept telling me I should try my luck at the blackjack table so to make him happy I gave it a go and in less than 5 minutes I was ahead $300. Now that's the kind of brunch I could get used to. While we were enjoying our gracious host I got a surprise phone call. It was Veronica, Bob Bondurant's personal secretary and she said that Bob heard we were in town and had invited us out to see him at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Bob is a long time personal friend and without a doubt besides being one of the greatest race car drivers of all time, he has to be one of finest gentleman I have ever had the privilege of calling my friend. He literally put his entire day on hold and he spent it with my friends, son and myself.

After I got to his facility located at Firebird International Raceway Bob was one of the first to come and great us. After a photo op in front of his school he asked if I wanted to get some seat time on the track. Well that didn't take long to respond to and Will had the car out of the trailer before I could blink! Then Bob pulls up with my friends in his jet-black high performance custom built Cadillac CTSV and says, Gary, follow me and I'll show you the line." When I looked in the seat I could see Donna and Tim and they had such big smiles on their faces I swear they looked like they hurt. LOL.

In a few seconds we were in Lucky following the one and only Bob Bondurant around the race course. After a bunch of laps Bob pulled off the track and into the paddock where he waved us up next to him and said, "There's the track... it's all yours." So as Bob watched we tore up the track for a while and afterwards Bob said, "That is one hell of a great sounding and handling car." Coming from Bob who was one of Shelby's best drivers that's one awesome compliment. What fun it was as we swapped stories and heard him talk about days with Carroll and Ken Miles and so many others.

Afterwards Bob came out to where we were getting ready to load Lucky back in the trailer and asked us to wait because he had sent for his personal photographer to take photos with Lucky and all of us. Not only did he take photos but he signed Lucky's dash and then invited us back inside and autographed his new book which is dedicated to Carrol Shelby and gave us copies. Afterwards he also signed one of my books that I had just signed for our friend Donna and her Tim.

Bob asked us to stop back in on our way back home from Mexico to fill him in on how the race went and he also wants to talk to Will about coming to work for him. Thanks to Bob we had a great day in the Arizona sun, Lucky got a flawless workout and we are all rested up for tomorrow's drive to Fort Stockton Texas.