The Western States Racing League visited southern California, April 26-28, 2002. We attended the NAPA Auto Parts 500 at California Speedway on April 28th.

In the upcoming pages, you will see many many photos which were taken during the weekend events. The photos were shot by Paul E, Bob B, Lee H, Dave T, and Rob G. Thanks guys for sharing your photos with the league!

Above is a shot of all the participating WSRL racers on Saturday at the go-cart track. Frank and Keenan joined the festivities later in the weekend.

In all following images, the names are listed from left to right in the photo unless otherwise noted. Please click on the orb below to see that category of photos.

Photos taken at Paul's Home

Go-Cart racing on Saturday Morning

The Scenic Tour through Laguna Beach and Dana Point

Our evening at Dave & Busters, in Irvine

Photos from The Winston Cup Race

Photos of Mountain West Motorsports Team members

Some comments by the weekend attendees....

Trish said.... "Paul, I think I speak for all of us when I say this weekend was by far the most incredible experience we've ever had. Not being members of either racing league (but having formerly raced with some of the drivers), we couldn't have felt more welcome. Thanks again for being our host (and a fabulous one at that!) and we look forward to seeing you in Vegas! "

Rob commented.... "Paul, Just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you put in, to get us all together this past weekend. You are undoubtedly, the most unselfish human being I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Thanks so much. I had a great time, bud. Also, it was great to meet everyone face to face finally. This whole group of people are all, really special. And I don't mean that as in the "short bus". "

Bob had these thoughts..... "All I can say is, "Wow, what a weekend!!" From Friday afternoon 'till Sunday at midnite the fun never stopped. When I was driving down there I was trying not to get my expectations up... I mean, you never know what everyone is going to be like and if everyone will get along and all. But the experience far exceeded my expectations and even my most hopeful imaginings. You guys are one hell of a bunch. Paul, Thank you so much for all of your efforts and hard work. All of the activities were an absolute blast. The go-carting was a riot! Dave and Busters was amazing... but I shoulda stuck with billiards. 8 of us sat at the Daytona machine and went at it... Talk about rubbin'!!!! What a blast! But next time we gotta find a game Trager REALLY sucks at! Even the "Special Bus" rides were fun. Just B.S.ing with everyone about this or that... But the best parts, for me, were when we would start talkin' about racing. Swapping stories and discussing racing lines and grooves and setup adjustments... you know... "Shop talk"... And watching the qualifying with a dozen knowledgeable NASCAR fans was a unique experience unto itself. It was a very cool time. Meeting up with all of the guys was a great experience. Getting to hang out with everyone was a ton of fun. "

Doug said.... "Gents... and Ladies.. who attended this inaugural and most joyous event... all I can say is ditto to Paul's, Bob's, Rob's.. posts and well you get the idea... It was unbelievable how people of all walks of life can get together and co-habitat over a short period of time when they have a common interest... I just wish the rest of the world could get along like we did this past weekend... maybe the entire world should be race fans!"

Mike K commented.... "I was a bit apprehensive going into the weekend, didn't know if I was going to fit in with everyone. It turned out to be the best time I've had in years! Again (as everyone else), I wanted to personally thank Paul for his efforts. You gave us a weekend to remember for years to come. I've told several of my co-workers about the adventure and they couldn't believe someone would put that much time and effort into something for a group of people, half of which you have never officially met. My hat's off to you for a damn good job! As for the rest of you jokers, it was a barrel of fun! You all were a great bunch and I look forward to seeing you all at the next WSRL event."

Mike M's thoughts... "OK, I've been to two other of these get-togethers with my old league and, that's why I had pretty big expectations that this was going to be a blast. Well, Let me tell you all that I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I think this one eclipsed the last two by a wide margin.
Thanks to Paul, everything went like clockwork and all we had to do was enjoy each others company and have fun finally meeting each other face to face. What a bunch of class guys. I'll now see each and every one of you in a new, better and more accurate light.
Thanks to Victor, Ted and Bob, I haven't laughed so much the last five years all toll.
To the guys that couldn't make it, start saving your money now for next year in Vegas. I guarantee you won't regret it. This was a weekend I'll never forget. Thank you Paul."

Dave said.... "Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Thanks again Paul for all your hard work, things couldn't have went any smother, thanks to all your planing.........who said you were anal? It was nice meeting everyone, your all great people, and it was a real pleasure. Like Mike said, this by far was the best sim-racing get together I've been to of the 3 I've attended. I look forward to do it again soon."

And finally.... Paul's thoughts.... Before the "big weekend", I had hoped that it would go well and that we'd all have fun. Boy.... I had no idea. I never imagined that we'd have THAT MUCH FUN!!! It was incredible, unbelievable, and honestly.... beyond description. It was exciting as hell to meet everyone, and I was thrilled that we all got along so well. The camaraderie amongst the group was unbelievable. I can't remember when I've had that much fun!!! The weekend was a lot of effort, but well worth it! Now that I've had the experience of organizing this type of activity for us.... I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Speding the weekend with everyone was worth every penny and minute of lost sleep.