Welcome to Dy1an Racing

Yes, I did find the time to update my web-page. I'm sorry for taking so long to get the job done, with my family, work and racing I have little time to do anything else. Please read my summer 2004 story. Thanks Jim Delarye, see you in 2005.

Summer 2004: Wow what a summer this has been for the Delarye Race Team. The first major event of the summer was the birth of our son Preston James Danyel Delarye on June 2, 2004. Michelle and the girls and I are very happy that we had a boy this time. He means the world to me, but will never take the place of Dylan. I try very hard to keep Dylan’s spirit alive with all we do. Like our Race Car and our Relay for Life Team and our Race for Kids Sake Dinner, I feel in time that as Preston, Ashley and Courtney get older and learn who their big brother Dylan was, that they will understand why we did what we do. In the future I know that my wife and children will be working with me to help families with children with Leukemia.

We did not Race until July 10, 2004. That was our first night out for the Dy1an machine at Kalamazoo Speedway. With our new engine in place we went to do our thing. As luck would have it we finished second in our heat race. At the start of the 50 lap feature, we started second row inside, which is a good starting spot. On the first lap the pole setter spun out which gave us the point; we had only gone to test the car for the Klash which was the week after. Before I knew it we were running out front and the car looked good. What a way to test, with 20 to go Andy had worked his way thru the field and with some yellow flags, it was a John and Andy show with Jeff coming on strong. With 10 to go Jeff passed Andy, John had a fair lead at that point. Then as you would guess the yellow came out with 3 laps to go, I did not know if we could hold them off. It was very exciting to watch this unfold, as he got the green flag, John held his line and let the Morris Engine do the work and we took the checkered flag for the WIN!!!! Wow what a night for only going to test. The crew guys did a great job of working on the Dy1an machine that night. As for my brother John not driving all year long, he was up for the challenge. Way to go John.

Klash 2004 is our big race of the summer. We knew that the Dy1an machine would be good, but a little unsure about the new format for this summer. Testing the night before went ok, we tried several things to make the car good for the long runs, and felt ok leaving for the night. I did not put new tires on for this, trying to save some money and planning to run the new practice tires for the day of the Klash, fast time the night before does not pay too well in my book. Day of the Klash we test on new tires and were seventh quick on the scoring board, and as you would know it that was where we qualified the Dy1an machine. This year they did something knew, the top fourteen cars drew for their starting spots and we drew number seven. We could live with that. In the first 75 laps John worked his was up to third and the car was looking good. We did our 10 minute pit stop and sent John back out for the second 75 laps. We started third and as he took off I could tell that the car was not good. Something went wrong with the car. I surely felt like I let the team down. John drove his heart out to finish in the eighth place, we were not happy, it turns out that my rear stagger opened up and there was nothing we could do. Over all we did make enough money to cover the tire bill. We did learn from this mistake and hopefully will not make it again. John and the Dy1an machine will be back in 2005 to put us in the Klash. Having hopes of putting this phrase to rest “hey did you lead 196 laps and broke with 4 laps to go and lost fifteen thousand dollars”.

August 18, 2004, Summer Sizzler at New Paris speedway practice night. We get to the track mid afternoon get setup to take a few laps and debug the car. Things go good, John was happy with the car on old tires form last year; we were not the fastest but on the other hand were not the slowest car either. I have a hard time spending four hundred dollars for fast time. John and I talked over our game plan for the next day, Rob Morris and I picked out our race tires and a set to practice on. Next year I will have one more set of wheels so that I can have all the tires ready to go the day before. We left the track at a good time to get home and get some sleep before work and the big race.

August 19, 2004. Race day, it was a very nice day not to hot and not to cool. John and I arrived at the track around 2:30 with food for the crew. They are Jeff Carper, Jason Mullins, Mark Lafontaine, Mr. Ken and Rob Morris. I want to thank them for doing all that they do for us, giving up their time to go Racing with John and I. We could not do it without them. We unloaded the car and went to work, we put on our new tires and John gave the car a lap or two, not to bad, we felt like we had a car that would race, If John gets out after hot lapping and does not say anything bad, I know he feels the car is good. Qualifying time, John drew number 54 which put us towards the tail of the pack, 57 cars were on hand for the sizzler that day. We qualified in the seventh spot, not to bad. They inverted 14 cars, so we started third row outside, 20 cars started the 100 lap race for 20,000 to win. In 2002 we finished in seventh place driving in a port city car. In 2003 we finished in the second spot and qualified third fastest with the Dy1an machine.

At the start of the Race all the cars seemed to be pacing themselves to save tires for the end of the race. John made a move to the bottom groove and rode there until about half way into the 100 laps. I could see some of the drivers were ready to make their moves. Mike Garver started on the pole, he also has Morris Horsepower. As matter of fact he has several parts from our old engine in his car. John made his move and took the lead. As we stood in the infield watching the race unfold, I had to stop and pinch myself; we were really in the lead. Once John got out front he took off and opened up a good size lead. We thought he needed to slow down some and save tire for the end, under a yellow we got the message to him. We had one close call when a lap car bumped into us in turns one and two, they needed to get that car off the track, I think he could not see from sheet metal damage, or that driver really needed to pull off the track him self, come on use your brain. With nine laps to go Andy made it thru the field and was on our bumper after the restart, I really enjoy watching John race with Andy, he is the man to beat. We have a lot of respect for Andy and his crew. They are one of the best in the business. As the green flag flew it turn in to a John and Andy show, maybe because I was only watching that part of the Race, All of my crew and I know Andy’s crew were on the edges of their seats so to speak. I had not been that nervous since the Klash 2001 when we were leading. I think Rob wore out a ten foot strip of grass pacing back and forth. I could only pray that John would be smooth and hit his marks. Andy got close enough coming off turn four to give John a shot to the bumper with 6 laps to go, that only told John to pickup up the pace and he did just that. Four laps to go, I looked up at the board and had to close my eyes, I could not take it, I just prayed for the win. I believe that someone was riding with us that night, and his name is Dylan Delarye. In the closing laps I could see that the Dy1an machine did have enough tire and car to pull Andy, he did race us clean as we would have him. John kept his cool until the last lap when he came off turn four for the checkered flag, I could see the white smoke rolling off the rear tires taking the checkered flag, and winning the Summer Sizzler for 20,000. He looped the car in turns one and two and let the smoke fly then proceeded to the front stretch and did another white Smokey burn out, I could not even see the car threw the smoke, Jimmy Johnson had nothing on that burn out!!! I know John has always wanted to do that. This win did not seem real at the time. I will remember that moment and that night always.

As we stood in victory lane with our big check in hand and all of our friends around us, I could only think how good life can be. Our team had accomplished a goal that we set out to do, and that was to win a big Race. We spent the rest of the night talking on how the race went and about some of the events that took place during the Race. I felt good that John let Rob drive the Dy1an machine off the track. That gave Rob some glory, being the engine builder. As it went a Morris engine lead all 100 laps that night. We loaded up the car and headed for the shop, I think it was about 4 am before I went to bed, it was a dream come true for us.

We will see you in the spring of 2005 for another Race Season.

Thanks for 2004

Jim Delarye

I would like to thank all who made our 2003 race season a great year. It started with a good show at Kalamazoo and Angola and finish with a very good run by my brother John at New Paris Speedway, coming up one spot short of a 20.00 payday, wow that would have been nice.

In 2003 we met a car owner/driver named Andy Jack and his Father Taze. Together they have raised thousand of dollars for the Children’s Leukemia Foundation. This I feel is all in part of my son Dylan. In knowing them, I learned that they also had lost someone to Leukemia. I can no say enough about good about Andy and his race team.

In 2004 their will be a few changes in the Delarye Race Team. The first thing is that we will have a new crew member in June of this year. Yes, Michelle is pregnant again. This will make number four for her and me. We do not know if our new crew member will be a boy or a girl, but we will pray all goes will. This will make this Race Season even more of a challenge. I will need to be at home with my family.

John and I do plan to start on an Enduro car for 2004; I will be looking for sponsor help. I pan to use the project as a money maker for the Children’s Leukemia Foundation. If you are interested in donation money or parts to this project just let me know. I will need all the help I can get. The reason for this project is that John and I drove for a friend, Brett Audette last summer and really enjoyed it, it takes you back to when you first started Racing. I guess if I can finish the project this year we will next year.

The Superlate will run a limited schedule this year as we did last year. John and my team are very comfortable with that. I hope all my crew members return for next season, I would like to personally thank them for taking time out of their lives to help the Race Team. I race not just for the love of the sport, but the bottom line is that I love my son Dylan, and he is not here to enjoy it with me. I am driven for all to know him buy having his name on my car, and working for one common goal to win, and for all to get along and look at the big picture for 2004. Life is good if you can wake up in the morning and live each day as it comes.

Michelle and I plan on doing our Relay for Life this summer in July. I will be looking for people to walk. I will post details on the relay on my web-site later this spring. We really enjoyed this event last summer. If you are a suvorior of cancer or know someone who is or maybe you are like me someone who has lost someone to cancer. This is a great way to remember them and their families.

I will see all at the Race Track.

Thanks Jim Delarye

I would like to say Thank You again to you all for helping us get through the hardest time in our life. Everyday is a challenge to get through but with time and love we have our good days and bad ones. As most of you know we had baby Ashley on January 8, 2003. She is a real blessing; we see so much of both Dylan and Courtney in her, but at the same time only see her, depending on what she is doing. It is hard to believe that she is already 4 months old. By the end of the summer the prediction is that she will be into everything as she is already rolling over, and Courtney well she has been into everything for a long time. She totally loves her baby sister and enjoys being the big sister; she says she has lots to teach Ashley.

Well the reason for this letter is to invite you in keeping Dylan’s memory alive. I find myself in everything that I do trying to keep his memory with me. Last year I was invited to the Relay for Life in both Kalamazoo and Niles. Not knowing what to expect I didn’t stay very long. It is an event that will stay with you forever and really touches your heart. I remember the clinic calling and asking if I wanted to decorate Dylan’s luminary. At first I didn’t know what a luminary was Diann told me it was just a bag that they decorate for each kid and than they have a lighting ceremony at Relay. At that time I was having a bad day and asked Diann to do the bag for me, which she did. This year I plan on doing then for him. For the Niles relay Cindy (sister-in-law) was on a team and invited us to walk in Niles. She purchased luminary bags and we all got together at her house and decorated them. I remember at the walk it was very stormy. We were walking around the track and out of no where my brother Kurt runs right by us. At first I thought he was just being a little silly, but come to find out they were cleaning up the bags and getting rid of them. Kurt came to the rescue and saved our bags. We put a lot of work into them and wanted to keep them.

Relay is a 24 hour event to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. It is an event that brings people together in raising money to find a cure for cancer. I heard on the radio one day that half the women and one-third of the men that you know will be diagnosed with some form a cancer. This sounds very high to me. I always saw programs on TV and said, “how do those people get through what there kids have to go through”. I think everyone has seen the fund raising shows or the tele-a-thons and says to them self’s, “that won’t happen to me.” Believe me it can happen to you and life if forever changed because you become one of “those” people.

So here is your chance to do something to help. It could be this year that the cure is found. But without money to help with research nothing will change. So I am asking each and everyone of you to help out our team. I am putting a team together to help raise money. There are many ways that you can help. No amount is to small, so help make this a success. Our team name in DY1AN.COM, We used the one in Dylan’s name because this is how it is on Jim’s race car.

Well back to Relay, it is July 18-19, 2003 in Centreville Michigan, we already have 15 team members it really helps when you have a big family. If you would like to become a team member I have set the goal at $100 for each member to raise. There are lots of ways to raise money.

1.) Selling luminary bags, they are $10 each (your first purchase can be a bag in memory of Dylan) I think it would be really neat that everyone purchases a bag for him and decorates it in memory of him. And if you have kids what a fun project for them to do and at the same time remembering a little boy that had it so hard. Just think 10 bags and you’re a member. I really push the bags because of the lighting ceremony that they have, it is something that I can’t explain, you just have to see it. And yes, it brings tears to your eyes.

2.) Yard signs, the going amount on these are also $10, just let me know how many you need and I can pick these up at the meetings.

3.) The easiest way to raise money is by donations and some people would rather just make a donation and not have to worry about anything else.

4.) Get creative and have a bake sale, garage sale or car wash. Really anyway you want to raise money it is up to you.

So come and join our team and make this a success for us this year. We need lots of people to walk the 24 hour walk, so sign up early if you want a certain time. We plan to have lots of fun for an event that means a lot. So sign up today and we are on our way to finding a cure.

Call me today and become a team member or if you just want to make a donation do it know while your thinking about it, remember every penny counts!! Thank you all for your help and we hope to see you in July for the big walk.

Take care,

Love,

Michelle Delarye

Our phone # 269-483-7705

Mailing Address for Donation:

Write the check to either American Cancer Society or Michelle Delarye

613 Heath Avenue

White Pigeon, Mi 49099

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP IN MAKING THIS TEAM FOR DYLAN

Thanks for visiting our web-site and check out the Delarye race team at the "KALAMAZOO CLASH" in july this summer.