(Tommy)  Are You Ready to Rumble!?!  Greetings Race Fans!  It’s time to get this race rolling.

(Smokey)  That’s right, Tommy.  After some startling fast qualifying times,  many are wondering how this year’s Dragon Tail Road Rally will shake out.

(Tommy) What’s the word on the street?

(Smokey) The fans are being really quiet about their pick for a winner.  I think they were truly stunned by how close the qualifying times were.

(Aurora)  Gentlemen,  It looks like the grid is in place and we are ready to go.

(Tommy) Race officials will be sending drivers out according to their pole positions.  First on the line and out of the gate is “Live Wire” aka “Ollie the Dragon” for Grand Sport Racing!

(Smokey) With a belch of flame as he shifts, Earl Essex takes the Shelby Cobra out of the first turn and up the hill.

(Tommy) Spud Boy for Nonesuch Racing is quick to follow in the yellow Ferrari.  Since the times were so close,  we expect plenty of cars battling door to door…

(Aurora) Bubba’s on his way for Team Purple in the sparkling Camaro.

(Smokey) Jake the Snake blasts off the line for Rocket City Racing in the Blue with white stripe Cobra 424.

(Tommy) The Cornhusker’s Mako Shark and Tom Bowman’s  Scud Missile are off!

(Smokey) Team Powell’s light blue Ford GT glides away followed closely by Clutch McCoy in the Texas Pete Ghia for Piston Slap Racing.

(Tommy) The red Ford for Strummer Racing leaps off of the line and next the blue Mustang for J.L.M. Racing.

(Smokey) The Junkabilly Racing Corvair and Normal Racing’s Toyota, are out in quick secession.  Pappy and the Kid Racing Team A and B take off practically side by side.   Then the Orange GTO for Next Century Tech and last but certainly not least is “Flower Punch” the VW Beetle for Outlaw Hippie Racing.

(Tommy) All the cars are out on the course for the third DT Road Rally!  Aurora, how’s it looking out there?

(Aurora) Tommy,  Smokey… You weren’t kidding about there be plenty of door to door racing.  These cars were sent out so quickly that they are really bunched up in a coil.  Who’s going to strike first?

(Tommy) What’s going on near the front of the herd?

(Aurora) Well it seems that despite what Spud Boy was told;  to drive the car like he stole it…  He is still a little hesitant to open up that yellow Ferrari.  He is very cautious in the turns,  and looks like he might be dropping back.

(Tommy) How is the Grand Sport Cobra holding up?

(Aurora) So far so good, but Rocket City has managed to get around Spud Boy and Bubba.  We have a real Snake fight going on… Cobra against Cobra.

(Tommy) Rocket City was not too happy about the performance of their Cobra in the last DTRR so team owner Dave Parker sent it back to the lab for some retunage.

(Smokey)  Well he must be pleased with its performance so far today.  I thought that Dave Parker was feeling confident when I saw the oversized shipping container he sent alongside his entries. He must be expecting some treasure this year!

(Aurora) Wow! The Piston Slap Ghia and the Strummer Racing Ford MklV squeezed past Powell Racing, the Scuderia Ferrari, Cornhusker Shark and Team Purple!  These cars are so clustered up, it’s anybody’s race!

(Tommy) How are the rookies performing?

(Aurora) The new drivers are finding the Dragon a bit of a challenge.  Their narrow car set ups seem to be a disadvantage in the turns.  Junkabilly Racing’s Corvair manages to get around J.L.M.’s Mustang.  Interesting seeing these two very different machines side by side.

Pappy and the Kid Team A and B seem to be working in tandem and move up.

Bud Henry at the wheel for Next Century Tech.  has a fight all of his own as he tries to keep the GTO on course but ends up putting some space between him and the tail end of the pack.

The “Punch Power” Beetle for Outlaw Hippie Racing manages to gain some ground despite Lance Ross III swerving all over the road.

(Tommy) Thanks Aurora.  Before we take a commercial break, Let’s look at the board for this leg of the race.

	2018 Dragon’s Tail Road Rally Standings after Heat 1 of 5
	Driver/Car	Team/Owner	Heat 1 Laps	Movement This Heat	Position at Start of Race
1	Earl Essex 1965 Shelby Cobra  white w/blk	Grand Sport Racing owner Greg Carpenter	15		1
2	Jake Snake 1966 Cobra 427  Blue w/ white	Rocket City Racing owner Dave Parker	15	+2	4
3	Clutch McCoy 1964 Karmann Ghia white w/ yellow	Piston Slap Racing owner Tom Hobgood	15	+5	8
4	Jeremy Clarkson Ford MklV  red w/white	Strummer Racing owner Harlan Welch-Scarboro	15	+5	9
5	Bubba 1969 Chevy Camaro Purple	Team Purple owner William Milholen	14	-2	3
6	Skabby 1965 Chevy proto Mako Shark	Cornhusker Racing owner Mark Boesen	14	-1	5
7	Roberto Asconi Maroon ’64 Ferrari 330 P4 red	Scuderia Ferrari owner Tom Bowman	14	-1	6
8	Will Speed 1966 Ford GT light blue w/orange	Team Powell owner Bill Powell	14	-1	7
9	Carl Scarborough, Jr 1963 Corvair  beige w/ blue	Junkabilly Racing owner Scott Scarboro	14	+2	11
10	Spud Boy 1962 Ferrari GTO 250 yellow w/orange	Nonesuch Racing owner Dan Cocke	13	-8	2
11	Noah Vale 1950 Oldsmobile White/green w/ flames	Pappy and the Kid Racing  Team A owner Jeff King	13	+2	13
12	Otto Glide 1953 Mercedes 300s Gray w/ white stripe	Pappy and the Kid Racing  Team B owner Eric Shuck	13	+2	14
13	Bud Henry 1969 GTO orange	Next Century Technologies owner  Joel Hardin	13	+2	15
14	Lance Ross III 1964 VW Beetle Yellow w/ flowers	Outlaw Hippie Racing owner Sal Matthews	13	+2	16
15	Palliden Spencer 1966 Ford Mustang GT 347 blue w/ white	J.L.M. Racing owner  Yobear Jones	12	-5	10
16	Harry Gumala 1966 Toyota 2000 GT  maroon w/ blk	Normal Racing owner Brian Bueschel	12	-4	12