I’ll disclose right away that I didn’t get many pictures and video of the cars in attendance as I was showing my kiddo around the event.
With that out of the way, this was my 21st DSM Shootout and a first for my little girl. She turns 7 next week so it was perfect timing. Last night we had a hotel in Amherst Ohio and she was super excited to get to the track. We woke up bright and early and headed out.
Rain immediately caused delays at the track but they were able to dry it within an hour or so. We did end up leaving at 230 as the heat was pretty brutal and kiddo was ready to tap out. Halfway home she wanted to go back, but I played it safe.
I learned many things. First off, kiddo LOVES EVOs with a passion. She wanted to look at every EVO there. She said “daddy when I’m older I want an EVO or a 1G Talon for my first car” so I’ve got a situation haha. She watched some GTRs snap off 7 second passes as well as a fox body Mustang running mid 7s with a 4g63. She loved the sound of the cars and was impressed at how these cars could cover ground so quickly.
She was also VERY proud of her Boostin Performance t shirt. We matched! She got tons of swag from various vendors. Shout out to Forced Performance, Xona Rotor turbos and Exedy clutches for hooking up my kiddo. She immediately went home and sticker bombed her buggy with all her stickers and wanted to show her mommy her FP cup and other goodies. She never stopped smiling. So, time for cuteness overload.
The Mirage took over 600 miles of usage this weekend and averaged 51 miles per gallon with absolutely zero hiccups. The new Silverstar Ultra headlights are the truth and greatly improved night driving as well. I truly love this car, and safe to say she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Call it my Mitsubishi bias but it’s just a great little car. It looked nice parked next to Nathan’s new alumiduty F250. Plus kiddo got to learn how to properly wax a car.
All in all this weekend was more than just cars and hobby. This was a serious bonding experience for my kiddo and my friends. This is one day where so many like minded individuals converge in my home state and we are like a big family. My daughter blended in so well and the big names in the community made her feel at home by giving her cool freebies and chatting it up with her. It melted my heart seeing her say “look at that 1G daddy” and “that’s a nice EVO daddy” she was just into it. Kids are a big blessing and it’s so special to share memories like these. I started going with my brother when I was nine years old. So this is me passing the torch to her. This tradition won’t ever die within me. These DSMs are a massive part of who I am. Safe to say my little girl feels the same.
Thanks for reading!