A Day In a Boy's Life

On Sunday, I accompanied Leo to the Fontana Auto Club Speedway. His buddies from the GTR shop in Rancho Cucamonga were going to be racing their Mustangs. It was so windy and cold that the other two girlfriends present stayed in their cars while their boyfriends worked on a featured Mustang for the duration of the event.

It looked beautiful but it didn't feel like it.

I hadn't been to the track in years. The last time I was at this specific location, Leo raced his 2000 silver Mustang against his brother's white 1999 one and his brother won the quarter mile. Leo was obsessed with a capital O with his Mustang when I met him in 2001. Before our first date, I asked him what kind of car he drove because I lived at the dorms and wanted to distinguish his ride from all the other people getting picked up at the turnabout on Saturday night.

 

"I used to drive a little Honda," he said.

 

Oookay, I thought. I didn't ask him again what he currently drove because I thought he didn't understand me. But he had. His plan all along was to pull up in his almost new convertible to impress me. It was too early for him to know that I preferred Jeeps.  

 

Leo's Mustang in 2012.

I hated his Mustang for the first couple of years we dated. He spent more time and money on that car than he did on me. After listening to Leo talk about wanting custom tires, even I contributed to the Mustang's improvements by giving him $200 for his birthday towards his first set of rims. That was true love right there because I was just a college student working in the residence hall making nothing. I did make sure to point out that the front passenger tire and rim were mine, just in case we broke up.

 

That damn Mustang also caused Leo to miss an event with me and made us late to my friend's wedding. Leo knew weeks, probably months, in advance about a wedding my family was going to attend and I wanted him to come with me. He promised to show up for the reception because he was going to work on the car in the morning. Well, Leo is no mechanic. Whatever work he completed was made possible by following a Mustang manual. When the reception hour crept closer and closer, I called him to get an update on his ETA. But Leo had broken parts and tools that he couldn't replace anywhere. I know he tried the best he could to fix his car but he never made it to the wedding reception. I felt like I had been dumped sitting at the party with my family and grandmother who came from Mexico specifically for the wedding. I was all dressed up and had no one to dance with.

 

Probably a year later, Leo worked early on the Mustang the day we were supposed to drive an hour to the desert for my friend Maria's wedding. I was ready to leave two hours before we planned on heading out but Leo hadn't even showered. When the driving hour arrived, I threatened to go by myself; I was not going to miss that wedding. But he begged and said he was going to be ready in five minutes. So I drove to his place and picked him up and if I remember correctly, we took my car because I was not going to take any chances "testing" the car and and Leo's labor skills. In short, we arrived to the wedding just as Maria and her man were exchanging vows. Leo knew he cut it close. I was so mad that his Mustang was getting in the way of our plans and ever since then, Leo has never worked on his car on the same day we have somewhere to go.

 

Leo has since bought another vehicle, more comfortable for all the driving he does for work. But he's been working on the aging Mustang lately as a hobby. He never planned on racing it on Sunday because it's been over heating along with other repairs that need to be made. But he still wanted to participate in the manliest activity of them all. When he invited me I didn't hesitate. I threw on my mini jean skirt over black leggings, recently bought Nine West flats from Ross, and a yellow long sleeve under a turquoise winter vest. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of myself. It seemed too girly to ask my boyfriend to capture me next to his Mustang while the rest of the guys watched. I acted like a reporter instead. Although there was a real one on the premises already.

 

Apparently, 5.0 Mustang and Super Fords Magazine was doing an article using one of the guys' new 2013 stock Mustang GT. Tom, the photographer and Mustang tester, provided wheels and suspension to compare speeds. First, the GTR guys exchanged the stock tires for nifty 18 inch wheels and then Tom gave the Mustang about three good runs.

Putting new wheels on.

Bad-ass rims.

Custom carbon fiber hood. Why do I know this? To the left of the Mustang you see a Saleen.

The Saleen's ass.

 

My apartment isn't this clean!

Tom from 5.0 Mustangs Magazine ready to hit the pavement.

 

There it went!

Guys being guys, waiting to hear the reviews from Tom.

 

There weren't only Mustangs at this race. This Focus is as old as mine. I asked the GTR owner if he would supe up my ride like that one so I can get to work faster.

The Focus spun out during a run.

Test number two: better suspension. Tom cut three seconds from his original time by adding a special suspension system. That's a lot in the racing world. Ask Danica Patrick.

My main man enjoying the show.

Yes, even girls raced. I saw women driving their Nissans and Mini Coopers. The girl wearing my favorite color was messing with her tires' air pressure while some fools with a camera and microphone interviewed her. But check out Big Bear in the background!

Leo riding with an experienced GTR driver. He admittded being a little scared before the adrenaline took over.



 

I took video of Leo and his friend during the run. The driver had to slow down after the initial turn because the car before him spun out, hence a dude waving a flag at them. If you look closely, you can also see the featured Mustang spinning out behind them at the end of the video. The noise you hear is the wind. If you think it's annoying, be glad it wasn't you standing out there.