Jeez its cold……

You know, I really do hate the cold. Nothing works right in it. Not truck doors, car washes, laundry machines, playground equipment and even yours truly…… Before we get any further, let me introduce myself. I’m Kyle “Gump” Luetters. Originally from Garden City, Ks. I recently moved out to North Carolina (a.k.a racing heaven) from Lawton, Ok. During my time in Lawton, I loved and lost, sampled great BBQ, took several cream pies to the face, made Danica Patrick mad and graduated with a Bachelors in Communication. While attending and snoozing in school, I produced an award winning documentary and was the Creative Director and On Air talent at K-LAW 101. I loved being a country music DJ and the best part of my job was that I wasn’t on until 3 so I could sleep in and I got off at 7 in the evening so I had plenty of time for other shenanigans. Ever since I was a youngster, racing has always been a huge passion of mine. My Mom often said I had the talent and ability to become a Doctor or even President but blames my Dad for taking me to a race track at a young age. I was hooked from the get go. The sights, sounds and smells all hooked me and from then on, I was the biggest little race fan you ever saw. The cool thing about being on the road with the Outlaws is that I actually get to work with some of the drivers that I grew up admiring. It was odd moving across country. I had only lived in the Midwest and have always been just a quick drive from home (you can never beat Mom’s ability to call out for pizza. Man, that woman can dial the digits.) The move out here was scary, between dragging all of my earthly belongings in an old trailer, riding at breakneck speed through a mountain tunnel and the overbearing winter storm I was trying to out race. I am happy to say I made it all the way here and nothing broke and I beat that storm by about 23 minutes (Note: the storm got me back when it came time to unload the trailer.) I started my first day of work with a printer paper box full of my belongings and was about as wide eyed as you could imagine. Eventually, I got settled into cubicle life and the complicated desk phone that goes along with it. One of the things I am looking to working on the most is my writing. I either tend to write to little or ramble on like my Grandpa after Thanksgiving when he starts telling stories about when he was MY age. The other thing I am looking to bring to this venture is Podcasting and multimedia services. Lets face it, everything has already moved to the Internet including all the bugs (no pun intended.) I’m hoping to bring more fans to our newly redesigned websites through Podcasts, video casts and more interactive features like this blog. That being said, feel free to comment on this blog and send emails to [email protected] Since I’ve already talked about what I want to do in my role as PR Coordinator a little bit, lets talk about the blog. I intend to use this blog as a way to document my unique opportunity in being with one of the greatest motor sports tours in the world. The places, people and thoughts will all be captured and saved here. It’s also a way for you to get to know me. Despite being relatively young (seriously, I tell people my age in dog years so they will allow me to purchase “adult beverages”) I do have quite a bit of experience in the game of life and a ton of hilarious stories to go along with it. Speaking of funny stories, you are probably wondering why my nickname is “Gump.” I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had a few nicknames over the years and most have been rather embarrassing. I probably will not share those unless I take a blow to the head or I am black mailed into spilling the beans. “Gump,” came from my new boss and a new co-worker. For the purposes of this story, I shall refer to them as “Tenacious D” and “Special K.” The office was busy at work trying to come up with the nickname for me. “New Guy,” “Newb,””Meat,” and more were being kicked around. I told the story of how I used to be well known for my ability to race up the steps while track announcing at the Lawton Speedway, which prompted the crowd to shout, “Run Forrest RUN!” It was at that point that “Tenacious D,” had a lightning bolt moment and turned to “Special K,” and myself and proclaimed, “He shall be called GUMP!” Funny stories aside, I really am looking forward to the amazing opportunity that I have been afforded. Since I am a racing fanatic, I can think of no better career path than that of living, breathing and sleeping racing. Several folks know that this is my passion and the reason why I came out here. That being said, I look forward to a tremendous season and future with the Outlaws. I also look forward to sharing my thoughts, observations and stories from the road as we travel this great country and beyond. I hope you enjoy the blog and will check back often. As I type this, “Tenacious D,” and “Special K,” are debating what will be on the iPod as we travel down to Florida to kick things off with the 40th Annual Dirt Car Nationals presented by University of Northern Ohio. Check back as we update from sunny Florida!!!! Check out our new World of Outlaws site.