[h=2]Thursday, June 15, 2017 by Tara Bush[/h]HRPT 2017-Day 6: June 15- St. Louis, MO to Indianapolis, IN (234.7 miles)
After a short stretch of highway, today's route took us down historic Route 40 through a bunch of small towns in Indiana. The route was really pretty and the weather was perfect. A rainstorm blew through overnight and beat down the heat for most of the day. We picked up Jacob at a gas station by the dragstrip and hit the road.
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Coming through!![/TD]
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We went through Brownstown where a local farmer on the route built some incredible car fountains in his front yard. He said he had just finished it two weeks ago.He had no idea the Power Tour was coming through and that he was an instant roadside attraction. He offered anyone who wanted to pull their cars in the yard to get them in the pictures. Tara wants to come back in a week when the zinnias in the bed of the old truck bloom.

There was a side benefit to everyone stopping, or at least slowing down to look at the flowers. It provided a prime opportunity for burnouts and we saw at least two good ones before we headed down the road.


Further down Route 40 was Casey, Illinois. Tara saw traffic backing up and had a shortcut planned to get around it. Unlike last year's shortcut, this one did not involve dirt roads. She didn't mention that Casey was famous for making "world's largest" objects and that several of them were on her shortcut. We turned off the route and about 10 cars who were not with us blindly followed her. They were glad that they did. We passed the world's largest pencil and stopped in front of the world's largest wind chime and world's largest rocking chair.

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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]I don't want to be here when the world's largest granny gets back[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]World's largest wind chime[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]One big ass No. 2[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]More big stuff in the works- largest gavel and baseball bat[/TD]
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We all got back in the cars and headed down the Route to Terra Haute, Indiana. Lori found our lunch stop at a place called Fifi's Lunch Box. It may have been the best of the lunch stops on the Tour. As an appetizer, they had fried hash brown casserole balls that were really good. The BBBLT's were loaded with bacon (hence the 3 B's). Jacob got their signature burger which is served between two square glazed donuts.
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Brazil, Indian[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Cool old courthouse[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]"Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases..." (actually, it's just a diner)[/TD]
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We got to the venue, Lucas Oil Raceway, around 4 pm because we forgot to account for our return to the eastern time zone. Jacob found a great pair of parking spots up front by where everyone had to pass by to get to the midway. This was the first venue without any shade whatsoever. At first, it was fine because it was still cool and cloudy, but it didn't take long for the sun to come out and start cooking. I may have looked goofy. but those blue cooling towel thingies fell pretty good draped over your head on a hot day (especially if it has been soaking in a cooler full of ice water all day).

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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]The '56 Nomad next to us was really tricked out[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Very Sheik (yes, I meant to spell it that way)[/TD]
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Ken and Bryson didn't run with us because they got "display" parking for their Magnacharged GTO in front of the Magnuson supercharger vendor tent on the midway.
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Bryson displaying his car- Ken just drives it for him[/TD]
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Jacob and I did the daily rounds and bought our T-shirts while Tara cleaned the car. Since the midway was on the back side of the dragstrip, we took the opportunity to watch a few cars rip down the strip.


The crowd eased up around 6, but there were still a ton of cars to see, so Tara and I got in the car, hit the A/C and did some drive-by car viewing before heading to our hotel and dinner. Tara still had leftovers from Fifi's. The rest of us ordered Chinese delivery to the hotel (it's not a chain, so it's within the rules).
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Super Cobra Jet[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]Pontiac Star Chief[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]The license plate is "1 ONR"[/TD]
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[TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]1967 Stingray 427[/TD]
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I can't believe how fast this week has gone. Tomorrow is the last day and our longest route. Tara wants to be sure we have time to stop and check out the scenery, so even with the extra hour we gain back on the way to Bowling Green, we are leaving earlier than ever.