Introducing...

…the newest member of the Forst Family and newest driver of the TF American Racing Team.

Jasper Thomas Forst
Born March 15th at Royal Oak Beaumont at 7:50am
Weight - 7 lbs 5 oz.
Length - 20.5 inches

J.T. and Mom are doing great.

Waterford Hills Road Racing debut set for May 2028
24 Hours of Daytona debut set for January 2032

Sponsorship Opportunities are available! ;-)

Current focus industries - diapers, customized strollers (roll cage, 6 point harness with 20" rims), and baby clothing. LOL

Daytona and our favorite restaurants

So I watched the Daytona 500. I was in a hotel room on Monday night. It was an interesting race. Juan driver (I crack myself up sometimes) wrecked into a jet dryer and that caught fire. DW made Danica sound like she was the second coming of Richard Petty. He just needs to make his mouth shut. Danica didn't teach any NASCAR driver to keep their hands off the wheel. Come on DW. He needs to watch and listen to old ESPN and CBS races by Bob Jenkins, BP and Ned Jarrett. No bias, no selling up someone or something, just informing the fans what was going on. Even his brother is better...and that isn't saying much.


Congrats to the #17 team. The Roush power was ahead of everyone at Daytona. I am sure their experience with building engines in other series with EFI gave them an advantage. At least that is what I think.


I didn't watch the Phoenix race but the #11 team seemed to be the team to beat so far.


Anyway, it is funny how I sit here and can't think of anything to write. Work was a lot of focus lately, especially being out of town. Baby Boy's room / car seat / stroller / high chair is ready to go. Seriously we have had the pack n play with the infant bed on top next to our bed for over two weeks now I think. If you walked into our house you would think he was already here...minus a huge pile of laundry...LOL. Jenna has watched all his clothes too.


Jenna and I have been making dinners this week. She is such a great cook. We are trying to balance making dinners and heading to our favorite restrautants in the last few weeks and this weekend. Because we know we are not going to be going to them in the near future...LOL

Keep your eyes on the road, stay safe and God Bless.

Until next time...

Its almost time

Got to start them early :-)

I hope all is well in your world.

Less then two weeks away from arrival of Baby Boy Forst. I haven't been able to keep up with this much. But this blog may turn into a monthly update...LOL.

I have been away on business for 4 of the last 6 weeks. Not too much fun, especially for Jenna. But I am home now until he decides to join the world.

God Bless

Birthday Ramblings...OR...Things I think while I can't sleep

So, here it is...my 30th birthday. And sleep is not coming easy at 1:30am in the morning...(shhh! must be the Mt. Dew I had before I got on the plane tonight).
So, I flew back from Peoria, IL tonight...Feb.3rd. Now its Feb. 4th..and I can't sleep.

I was in Peoria for business...top secret stuff (not really)...fun stuff...but trust me not the reason I am staying up. (And I stayed away from pop all week...it was so good though..LOL)

My lovely wife Jenna I think called my phone four times on the ride home to see if I was home yet...she missed me. :-)

It is kind of funny sitting here thinking about my life of 30 years. My first memories, which I talked with Jenna tonight about was sitting on a beach. I am quite sure I was with my parents at a sail boat club event which they use to be a part of. The next memory I remember is Christmas Day...not sure if I was two or three. But I remember it clearly. I remember running down the hall of my old house in Madison Heights...was there until before my 4th birthday. And turning the corner to see many presents...all wrap and in different boxes under the tree, a brightly decorated Christmas tree. But the thing that stuck out for me was the blown up Santa. I just remember it...I think it is still in my Father's attic somewhere.

Ah memories...LOL.

Most of what I think about now a days is the future. I turn 30 today. I was born at 8:38pm...so I am not there yet. But I wonder how good of a Father I will be? I wonder who is going to still be in my life in the future. And how many people have had such an effect on my life. I mean everyone who knows me has had an effect. But God does it in such a way that...I am just amazed by him. Its those people you don't expect.
The people who are just so positive. People who see in you the gifts God has given me. Amazing how people so close didn't see it but they do. They just say 'You have it kid, make the most of it, you have it in you'..and my favorite 'we are here to support you no matter what'. And they do, support you throught the thick and thin. and LOVE like Jesus does. Unconditional.

I love people, I really do. I think about so many people all the time. I wonder how they are, what they are doing. What do they believe in? How they think the way they do? How did they become who they are today? How little good things effected them in a great way? Or how a bad deck of cards made them so bitter...or make them live or be the way they are?

And I look back at my friends and family that did the above, loved, and just loved. Some are gone now...and I wish I asked more questions to them. Advice for me...but I think it is selfish sometimes. I have learn many lessons down the path and the journey called life. Probably would of felt cheated out if I didn't experience them first hand. My view I guess.

I think about the people who I am no longer in contact with anymore. Sometimes it was hard to separate..sometimes for their own good....
I pray those that I hurt and made enemies of can...learn to forgive. It is tough for me sometimes to move on knowing others were hurt by me...eats me up sometimes. But I know God's grace is beyond any imagine. He wants me to focus on the present, prepare for the future, balance the DO with the BE. Yet, don't ever forget where I came from. The only difference between them and me isn't perfection, or my faith or my opinion. It is simply His grace.

I want to love others unconditionally. My family is first. That shouldn't be confused when others think I don't love them...but they come first. Jenna #1, J.T. #2

I think about how I am going to mold J.T.'s future. EVERYTHING I do will effect him. Everything. I can't grasp it (Well and the whole "Dad" thing...Jenna likes to do "Do you feel like a Dad yet"...I just shake my head no...how can I, he will pop...what's that honey, you want me to use a different word?...escape out, soon or later ;-) ... and I am sure in that moment I will be fully aware of what I am responsible for...it will come quick). I really can't grasp, everything I do...my attitude, my facial expressions...and I swear what I am thinking in my head...he will know. "They" say that babies can start hearing and remembering your voice in the womb. I hope he didn't hear some four letter words...LOL. Or my frustrated voice. I hope he heard how I made his Mom laugh. How I hugged her (and then him) and said I missed and loved her. How I spoiled her just a little. How we read books to one in another (ok Jenna does most of it to me...even one night while I was painting) preparing for him.
But the pressure is still there in my mind. I want to stand like a stone brick wall before moving so I don't make a mistake when he is born. I want to work tirelessly to make sure he is the very best J.T. God wants him to be. It isn't what I want him to be. I mean, if he wants to play with trains, and trucks and cars and drive quarter midgets by five years old. I am ok and fine with that. But if he wants to be the best chef in the world or the best screenplay writer or the best pastor or best CEO or CFO. I want to support him and work tirelessly to make sure he has every opportunity to be that. To be what God intents him to be. But even more so. I want to block any sort of negative thought or doubt, I could place in him to go away. I want to push every chain that has drag me down...and break it. I don't want to continue the chain, the downward spin into nothingness. I want the best for him.

I know it all starts with me. I want him to see me as an example. I want him to see how I treat my wife with all the love I can possibly give. Treat her the right way. I want him to KNOW our love story. (I love hearing other couples love story). Not let anyone run over me. Tell me I can't, you shouldn't, why even try? I will not let them get to my son. I can't, I won't let the devil win. It isn't in me.

Ok, so enough ramblings...I hope it make sense to anyone reading this. And I love you, God loves you, Jesus loves you. Jesus saved me...but more I serve the LORD.

Be safe, keep it on the track and all my love!

Extreme Makeover : Forst Home Addition

Hello all,
Boy a lot to write about lately...but today we are going to have a guest writer...even if she knows it or not...LOL

My wife Jenna wrote a very nice e-mail to some of the family/friends on an update of...well everything. Mostly about the house and preparing for a little change in life...ok a lot.

I added some comments in Italic...because I can ;-)...Enjoy!

Good Morning to everyone! I hope you had great holidays spent with family & friends. Tom & I are doing really well. We have been working really hard on getting our house ready for our little baby boy. Tom tore up the kitchen floor & found hardwood underneath. We got that refinished (Hired someone...thank goodness) & saved a ton of money, as opposed to getting a new floor. We (Tom) then painted the kitchen white & put down trim. I scrubbed up the cabinets and it has really made a huge difference. The kitchen doesn't look as dated and is nice & clean with a smooth floor safe for our little peanut to crawl on. :) (I believe we have hit the "nesting" stage of pregnancy)

Then we moved on to the laundry room. This was a bear. (<--- Nomination for "Understatement of the Year 2011") There was some water damage from the water softener leaking [Because Tom was busy racing and doing other things...or just ignored it! ;-) ] and Tom had to take up some subfloor and replaced with mold resistant concrete board that had to be cut by hand. I have never seen a man work so hard. I feel so blessed to have him as my husband. Once the subfloor was down, we put in new linoleum that looks like tile, painted the room white, put some shelving up to add storage, got a new water softener (well, new to us, but used from a friend of mine's parents) with iron filter and new water heater (The old one was from 1974). It has made a ton of difference the iron is not in the water and it makes it so much easier to clean the shower & tub! (And keeps Jenna's hair from turning reddish orange) We've been able to get up almost all the rust stains. It's really great!

Then Tom turned the closet in the kitchen into a pantry. We have had a little help from some friends of my family & some friends from church, but Tom has done most of the work himself. He is an amazing man! After the pantry, we were off to the most exciting & fun part, the NURSERY! We painted the paneling white (That sucked in paint like a towel to water) & the top of the wall a pastel green. I called the color Easter M&M green, but Tom says it kinda looks like Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream green. The closet doors & door to the room were painted a baby blue. Our room theme is Noah's ark. My cousin is coming over tomorrow to help me put up the decals. (She did and the room looks wonderful, see below) Then the room will be finished and I will send out pictures sometime soon. I really think it's a wonderful nursery. I am honestly so happy with how our little house has developed, I wish everyone could see it. It has truly become our home, combining both Tom & my decor. (Trust me...my decor...not worth saving, I do have racing stuff still up and it looks wonderful!)

Subbing has been very slow since the holidays, but it has given me the opportunity to clean & organize every room in our home. (aka...cleaning up 6 year old dust bunnies) It is amazing how much room you need to make for such a small little boy coming into your life, but we are so blessed to have him on his way. And I'm sure subbing will pick up here shortly (No truer words spoken, she is currently subbing as I type) so I need to take advantage of the time I have to get ready for our little munchkin.

The attached pictures (See below) are 2 face pictures (side and front view) and of course, his little foot (Not included). The ultrasound tech said that our little boy is approximately 3 lbs & 10 oz. In the front picture of him, I swear he has Tom's chin, but Tom says there is a shadow & it's too hard to tell right now. The tech also said he had a little bit of hair. I wonder if he'll be blonde like his daddy or brown haired like his momma. It is still so cool to feel him move. I was just about spot on with where I thought he was positioned. He is head down already, which is great because I was upside down and Tom was trying to come out shoulder first. (When we were born) There isn't as much room for him to move around, so we are both pleased that he is preparing to come out the correct way and maybe, we won't have to have a c-section as both of us were delivered this way. I feel his little toes in my ribs sometimes and I found out I was correct during the ultrasound. So far it hasn't been bothersome. Once, I got passed the getting sick part, I feel like I've had a great pregnancy. I have very little heartburn. I do get short of breathe sometimes, but I really feel blessed compared to some of the horror stories I have heard. We have a little less than 10 weeks to go. The baby shower is being thrown by mom, but is here in Michigan (Jenna's Mom lives in Arizona). She is very excited to get the opportunity to do this, since she was so far away during the wedding and didn't get to help as much as she would like. Plus, she is bringing herself and my grandma with her, which is so exciting to have them both here for the shower. We are...blah, blah, blah..she then explains where the baby shower is and details and possible names...which we will keep you folks hanging a little longer. and so on and so forth... Well, I think that's all the updates for now. We love you all very much. Tom & Jenna

And that ends our visiting guest writer today.

In other news....

The racecar looks pretty in the garage, under scrap pieces of shelves, drywall, plywood, and cement board. :-) In other words...awesome because I get to be a Daddy!

The next karting adventure will be January 26th.

NASCAR Daytona testing has begun.

Waterford Hills tentative schedule is up!

And somehow I turn 30 next month! Right about the time the Super Bowl is played!

The Karting Adventure 2011

So, there we were...all four of us. We came from great distances...Armada, Ortonville, Troy...battled the bitter cold (35 degrees). We came dressed warm. Almost as if we were going ice fishing...but more exciting. We were in a foreign land of Sterling Heights...

Ok...anyway. Team Forst was in action (Emmanual's - "Eman" idea, not mine) at the Kart2kart two hour team endurance race on December 29th. It was an evening event. It was a simple idea. Four guys who like racing, or have in the past raced anything from dirt bikes to snowmobiles to Mustangs to Big Red Tractors to...probably toy cars and slot cars, put together a team and race. Our goal was simple, don't look like morons...LOL

Strategizing a bit, we went with heaviest (That would be I) to lightest. I was going to start, and frankly I won that by a lot! (And note, Vidhyesh - "V" had to get out his iPhone at this point to convert from kg to lbs...I prefer weighing myself by kg from now on.) We pulled Kart number 17...no idea how fast the kart was, but we knew it was not as fast as #9 or #10. Those karts had half to a full second on all the karts, and it would show.

Luckily for us I strapped into the kart and was sitting first on the grid. Worked the belts tight and away we went for qualifying. 40 minute session. We would do driver changes to practice and give everyone time to practice and feel ready for the race. After the first lap...some other karts were still in the pits...I would say...advantage!

My quickest lap until a switch to V was 29.13...now that isn't much based on a pole time of 27.66. But that was good enough for ninth out of 12, good for our team, my teammates went faster. Eman turned a 28.93, good enough for 7th. I also will note...I never beat the 30 second barrier prior to that day. I felt pretty good after the session, my foot was a little fatigue, but nothing too bad.

Our only hiccup in qualifying was getting stuck in the pits during the driver swap between V and Scott. The stop was about 16 seconds slower then the other average stops during qualifying.

We completed 76 laps during qualifying, 3rd most. We were quite happy with that stat.

So to review qualifying...we didn't look like morons...7th out of 12, not bad for first timers.

Before the race cap...We did all dress for cold. The warehouse in which this place is run...indoors, is definitely not heated and to keep out that bad exhaust gas (CO2) the dock doors remain open in the back. So long thermal under jeans, and two long sleeve shirts was the dress code for me. Plus racing gloves, racing shoes and of course my All-American helmet with markings of getting out of my rolled over car...yep, better avoid the crazy driver! The other guys had winter gear as well, mostly snowmobiling attire.

To the race. We started Formula One style...it was cool. This driver does need to learn on how to push the green pedal down a little harder at the start. Everyone keep their cool to start, nobody going backwards, but I was soon running 8th and then 9th. According to the nice racing chart provided by Kart2Kart, by lap 12 I made a lap time of 29.09, and ran some consistent times in the 29s. Even had a lap of 28.93 which matched Eman's qualifying time.

I remember being tired about 10 minutes into the driving stint but everything kinda goes numb after a while. You get into the zone, listening to the engine, trying to keep the revs up. Watching the line of the driver in front of you trying to go just a little quicker. Watching the pit board, with lap times, and trying to stare at the screen for placement. I was very happy with the place, just not the place on the track. We were as low as 10th, before other drivers started to peel off for driver changes.

When the driver change occurred, I jumped out helped V get into his seat and belt up and pushed him away. My legs were close to jello but my smile was perfect. I grabbed a quick drink to join the other members out near the pit board. We were 5th. We had a great pit stop, it worked out well.

Vidhyesh had a good run, not the fastest, but it seems he was passing cars on a regular basis.

Scott took the karting over for the third stint, he went fast, the track seems like everyone was getting more aggressive. More bumping, etc. But he turned in the team's fastest time of 28.60.

Eman took the last leg. We were 6th at that point. We were a lap ahead of the team behind us and a lap behind the team ahead of us...follow?

With about 8 minutes to go the kart ahead of us broke something. They got a new kart, and something was wrong with that kart too. So we finished 5th. Kart #9 and kart #10 finished first and second, 9 laps ahead of us. #10 spun twice and was still 6 laps ahead of us. The last place team was 24 laps down.

So again, we did pretty good for the first time team. 5th out of 12...similar to the first my first time out at Mid-Ohio.

We will begin 2012 with a bang January 26th, the next enduro. Eman, said something about it being cold or something. We will be looking for kart #9 or #10 and hopefully improve our position. Of course...no Waterford Hills regular were there this time...we will see next time.

So until next time, be safe and make quick driver changes!

A Merry Christmas to all..

Merry Christmas from the TF American Racing Team. Hope you all have a wonderful time with friends and family.

God Bless and keep it on the track!

Random NASCAR and Dreams...

Kurt Busch is out of a ride after a "mutual" split...right and I am a 140 pound linebacker for the Detroit Lions. It is so sad to see a driver lose his ride, not because of lack of talent or results, or because of injury...no the spoiled brat can't keep his emotions in check. What a waste.

NASCAR has just become like all the other sports. These drivers have more cash in hand before they ever sit behind the wheel. Where is there motivation? Sometimes it seems better just to keep the sponsors happy and you can drive in the middle of the pack for as long as you can prop yourself up to the wheel. (Michael Waltrip anyone?).

Post-Earnhardt (Sr. that is), is so much different then pre-Earnhardt. Drivers drove for the glory of winner and beating others, didn't matter the prize money. Now they approach this as a job, not a fun professional hobby. Its sad really. Even other sanctioning bodies are the same way. ALMS, Grand-Am and even IndyCar are buy-a-rides, not the best talent racing against others (Milka Duno, anyone?). You can tell this a lot when other drivers, Stewart, Kanhe, Robby Gordon, etc...drive in events outside of NASCAR, and they seems to have more fun doing that then Sundays at the track.

That is why I like Waterford Hills, and Dixie and Auto City for that matter. Guys devoting most/all their time and money to racing. It is in their blood. Some others drive because it is a hobby, only pick a few events, as cash and time allows, but still respect the sport. The first time someone shows up to Waterford Hills paid to race...I am out of there!...lol. And yes, I am sure there are some ride buyers, but the more drivers the merrier. Waterford Hills does a great job regulating everyone to race. No one place is perfect, but I haven't found anywhere better.

It would be a cool dream to build my own racetrack. Back in the woods, a 1.42 mile road course, with 13 turns, elevation changes, big run off areas. An 1/8 mile and 1/2 mile oval for fun, maybe a dirt pit for demo derby cars! Garages on the grounds for me and 30-50 of my closes friends. Races every weekend from March to October...ah a guy can dream, can't he.

Until next time, keep the tires on the road, even in the white stuff.
God Bless.

70 years ago...

...was the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day remember those who have served out country. All gave some, some gave all.

God Bless

A Failed Go-Karting Enduro Trip

So, the task is simple, gather 1-3 friends and go race a go-kart for 2 hours. With qualifying, driver changes and strategy. Simple concept...of course if we actually GOT to race this blog post might be a little more interesting. We were on the waiting list and well...everyone showed up for the Nov. 26th Kart2Kart endurance race.

Our Team

Scott S. (officially car chief of TF American Racing...if he likes it or not) and great friend and now former co-worker, who knows his way around a car, but prefers only going straight (i.e. Has a 1/4 mile Mustang...topping out at over 500hp).

Vidhyesh K. - former co-worker and wicked fast in a go-kart

Emmanual V. - co-worker and wicked fast in a go-kart

And somehow...when we do race on Dec. 29th...I feel like I will be the anchor. I feel it has a little bit to do with the 60-100 pounds I add to the kart versus everyone else!

We did stick around for a little bit. And watched a little practice, before I headed to my weekly visit to the Home Depot for home improveement materials and tools (future blog entry). There were fellow Waterford Hills racers there. Jon Horgas and Jacob Carpenter ended up taking the win (info via Facebook). Also there was Dennis Baran and Bill Wise. All open wheel drivers...hmmm...interesting, light and nibble karts and the open wheeler drivers are driving them.

Goal - finish in Top 5...out of 12 teams...when we race on Dec. 29th. Can't wait!