Thanks to so many racer tributes to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, welcome to Pink City! In this week’s installment of The Recliner Report, we get gooey with a biker, try to locate the Batphone, and then watch as a driver kisses another driver after both win a round! Let’s recline!

Thanks to so many racer tributes to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, welcome to Pink City! In this week’s installment of The Recliner Report, we get gooey with a biker, try to locate the Batphone, and then watch as a driver kisses another driver after both win a round! Let’s recline!

Think pink! Antron Brown returned to Vegas in his pink and black Matco Top Fuel ride, and that rail still has the baddest wrap in the show. AB, the matching shirts are epic!

This gator can haul the mail--Terry McMillen, you are the man! Your hot pink Amalie dragster is killer! The staff at TRR has never seen a pink gator running 300 miles per hour, but you pulled it off!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Alexis Dejoria and the Nevada Health Centers joined forces at the track to provide free mammograms for any woman over 40 years of age who signed up at their booth. That’s just absolute cool in action. Alexis, you are too amazing for words!

E3 Sparkplugs Hotshot of the week—Alexis was also featured on this segment, and we learned that she’s now a resident of Austin, Texas, having arrived in the Lone Star State from Los Angeles. She and husband Jesse James are the owners of a “petting zoo” which includes two pigs, four dogs, two chickens, a rooster, two ferrets, and in addition, four kids. An amazing parent, she spends her off days taking the kids to their activities while making sure they have dinner together at home…at the table! The TRR staff is also in awe of Alexis, as she and Jesse recently took the family to see their first concert, featuring the one and only Iron Maiden. The TRR staff LOVES Maiden. Maybe you’ve heard of them. They are what you call a heavy metal outfit, with the emphasis on heavy and metal. Alexis is now the musical idol of the TRR bunch, as she loves hard core rock and roll, heavy metal, punk, rap, and classical. Gotta appreciate a girl who can love Maiden along with a screaming cello!

Dressing gaudy! Kurt Johnson wore a pink firesuit. Jeg Coughlin sported a similar outfit, along with a pink JEGS logo. Tough guys can wear it well!

Say it ain’t so! Mike Edwards has driven the past few weeks with a torn rotator cuff. In his top-end interview with Gary Gerould following a loss to Kurt Johnson, Edwards commented, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s time for this old man to do something else.” Hopefully that’s just the disappointment of knowing that the championship was out of his reach talking. Racing needs standup guys like Mike Edwards.

Yuck! That’s icky! Matt Smith was wired for sound between the first and second qualifying rounds, and viewers saw him at the starting line searching for the optimal spot from which to launch his Pro Stock motorcycle. After feeling the track with his hands, Smith chose a spot because it wasn’t as “gooey” as other locations on the line. After all the thousands of bucks spent creating and developing a bike, along with an equal number of hours invested working on the ride, success hinges on a “gooey” spot. Crazy stuff, this racing biz.

A screaming pink eagle sighting--Eddie Krawiec. A Harley man who wore pink leathers. A Harley man riding a pink bike. Sweet. Dude rocked the new paint.

It helps when the helmet’s off--It’s not often that a driver kisses another driver from the same category after both earn a round win. But in Pro Stock Motorcycle, you just never know. OK, here’s the deal. Viewers witnessed Angie Smith puckering up for husband Matt following their separate first round victories. Oh, and she kissed him while her helmet was still on. That was different.

Dad, what’s a whompus? Gary Gerould is the man. Describing Brandon Bernstein’s engine following a giant kablooey that took place just before the finish line in his second round match-up against Steve Torrence, Gerould said the misplaced powerplant looked “kaddywhompus.” Perfect word selection. That engine was whomped.

Might as well jump! John Paul DeJoria, father of Alexis, has got to be the Tequila Patron pilot’s biggest fan of all time. Shown at the starting line during her Sunday appearances, the hair product magnate was jumping, cheering, screaming, beaming, rocking, rolling, whooping, and hollering for all his daughter’s efforts. Dude is one supportive dad. Very cool guy. Just one reason she’s so successful!

What’s the number for the Batphone? Did anyone see the Batman logo over the Vegas strip during the weekend? If you did, it was probably Shawn Gann, who rocked a Caped Crusader costume during Sunday eliminations. From all of us at TRR, we’re down like four flat tires on that outfit. We’re also taking up a collection to get Shawn a cape. Imagine that little jewel flying behind Shawn for the final race of the year. That would be flat-out epic.

Get out your dictionary--Watching John Force win a pedalfest over Alexis Dejoria, Dave Rieff reminded Mike Dunn that his usual description of such an event was that the car was “sashaying.” Dunn laughed, and then added that Force’s hot rod was “…getting jiggly.” Either way, the TRR staff loves Dunn’s choice of words. He always says a lot with just a little.

Let’s have a Brontosaurus burger! Lots of “Yabba, dabba, doo!” from V. Gaines following his multiple victories on Sunday. You’ve got to love a guy who is having such a great time on the track.

Double the fun! Matt Smith must feel twice as nice following his race win, one which also gave him the 2013 Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. The victory meant that the Winners Circle was chock full of Smiths, as he joined dad Rickie, who claimed the Pro Mod title for the year. Ummm, the staff at TRR is betting that their party will be, like, really fun…bet they even have a deejay…and lots of chips and dip.

Where’s the bean dip aisle? Shane Gray’s win in the Pro Stock category was his first in two years, and the third of his career. His party is going to be killer, too. As always, the TRR staff will bring the bean dip, Shane…just give us directions and we’ll bring as many cans as you want!

I’m not done yet! 16 NHRA championships. What else can you say about John Force? OK, we’ll try. After a season with so many changes in personnel and sponsors, winning his Sweet 16th speaks volumes about the man and his willingness to never, ever give up. Look in the dictionary under “Racing legend” and you will find his photo. Best of all, he’s not even close to calling it a career.

Father knows best--Finally, where did Force immediately go after climbing from his hot rod following the final round win over daughter Courtney? Yep, he ran to congratulate and comfort the blonde Traxxas pilot. Though he may love racing, his kid matters more. That’s big-time cool.

Still in the hunt--Antron Brown is still keeping the hopes for retaining his Top Fuel championship alive. His 25th career win ties him with Gary Scelzi on the all-time victory list. Told you…pink goes fast.

He didn’t win, but he’s a winner--Though defeated in the final, Clay Millican wins the “Dude, you are the coolest” award after he made a beeline to congratulate Antron on his win. You’ve got to love a guy who can be positive in any situation.

One more event to go before the offseason begins! Let’s crown the champs, then buy some extra cans of bean dip and start the party! See you in Pomona!




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