Final Day!!

Jacob Bridgeman taking a power nap before starting the day!

The guys posing with Dr. Marks and their first place trophy!

The guys bringing Sundancer out to charge!

Whitney George and Sydney Harrell pulling Sundancer II, which is being driven by Hillary Colbert, to the starting line!

Sundancer at the starting line ready to start racing!

Sundancer II taking its first lap of the last day!

Today is the fourth and final day of our solar car adventure here in Dallas! Our guys placed first in their division yesterday, but unfortunately the girls placed second for Day Three . Both of the cars are still in first for the entire race with Sundancer having 317 total laps and Sundancer II having 273! The winners of the overall race will be announced to night at the closing banquet and we will be sure to let everyone know the outcome as soon as we find out!

Lunch Time!

Catherine Marsh, Luara Brandon Parker, and Whitney George securing a few loose wires on our array while Sundancer II charges!

On a hot day the best way to cool down is eating ice cream, so we would like to thank the staff for the ice cream and popsicles they have been providing to all of the teams!!

Mr. Reese making sure Jay can't get any more hat penalties!

Jay posing with Dr. Marks after we "secured" his hat!

Every day at noon, teams competing in the Classic Division must take a two hour break. During this time we set the car up to charge, make sure everything is working properly, and take a little time to cool off and eat lunch. We were having a typical break today until Jay Alford got a one lap hat penalty, so know he is walking around with his hat taped to his head and a sign saying "I Jay, got a hat penalty"!

Day Three!!

Last night while the girls weren't looking, the guys thought it would be funny to make a few modifications to the car including duct taping their initials on the front!

The girls raising Sundancer II'S array so it can charge up!

Hunter Powell, Trey Franklin, and Tyler Wilson accepting their trophy!

Suzy Reese and Sydney Harrell receiving the first place trophy for the Classic Division!!

The guys getting Sundancer ready to get on the track!

The Houston Lady Racers taking Sundancer II to the starting line!

Tyler Wilson wishing Nolen Hood good luck!

Sundancer and Sundancer II were both awarded with first place trophies for Day Two this morning at the Driver's Meeting!! The guys have completed 188 laps and the girls have a total of 167! We will make sure to keep you posted throughout the day!

Trey Franklin zooming around the Texas Motor Speedway!!

Jay Alford and Mr. Reese helping the Liberty Christian team fix their car so they can continue racing!

Sundancer II getting back on the track after a mandatory two hour lunch break!

Our Mission Control center!

Despite Sundancer's breakdown earlier, our team is still going strong! We have clear skies and both cars are running fine! Sundancer II just resumed racing after taking a mandatory two hour lunch break and will hopefully be running till the end of the day. As soon as the day ends, all team will participate in a parade in Roanoke, which is located a few miles from the Texas Motor Speedway!

Day Two!

Adam Chandler lifting Sundancer's array while Jacob Bridgeman secures it with the array prop.

Tyler Wilson and Cory Clark airing up the tires before the Drivers' Meeting starts.

Nick Callahan triying to catch a few more minutes of sleep before heading out to the track.

The guys posing with their judge for the day, Guntis.

Dr. Marks starting the Drivers' Meeting by doing team roll call.

The guys' first place trophy for Day One.

The girls posing with their first place trophy!

Jay Alford pulling out of Pit Row!

Sydney Harrell driving in her first race!

This morning at the daily Drivers' Meeting, Houston was awarded with two first place trophies for Sundancer and Sundancer II!! We had a slight breakdown with Sundancer but we have it back on the track and racing again! We'll be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the day!

End of the Day!

Our team showing their "skills" by converting an equipment table to the dinner table!

Adam Chandler and Hunter Powell angling the array so Sundancer can get the most sun!

Sundancer II posing under the Texas Motor Speedway Sign!

Hunter Powell raising the car to help angle it towards the sun!

After three hours of racing, our car is off the track and charging for tomorrow! Both Sundancer and Sundancer II are unofficially in first place in their divisions, and we will find out who officially won the first day in the morning!

Race Time!!

Nick Callahan and Dustin Pounds going over strategies with BB Turman while Adam Chandler checks the tires!

Sundancer and Sundancer II lining up to start the race!

The guys adding a few last minute touches to Sundancer before putting it on the track!

Sundancer leaving Pit Row about to start its first lap of the race!!

Sundancer and Sundancer II have both started racing and are still going strong despite the cloudy skies!! We will only be racing for three hours today, but we'll race from eight to five for the rest of the week! Our team is so excited to have finally started the race and hope all of our hard work and training will pay off!

Getting Ready to Start the Day!!

After we arrived at the speedway, the team started unloading the trailer and setting up our work area!

Communications manager, Trey Franklin, getting our battery box in order for the race.

Daniel Worthey and Jay Alford showing off their handy man skills and building a table for some of the tools!

The guys arranging some of their equipment on our newly built table!

At two o'clock this afternoon our team will finally start racing!! We will spend the first half of the day finishing scrutineering and then Sundancer and Sundancer II will hit the track. Our cars have already made the move from the hotel to the Speedway, and we have spent the first part of the morning setting up our work areas in the garage. We will keep everyone posted on the progress of the race and will be updating the blog several times a day.

Scrutineering and Opening Banquet!

Laura Brandon Parker qualifying to drive!

The guys at Station One: General Scrutineering which is where the judges make sure the teams build their cars according to the rules!

The guys lifting Sundancer during the Tilt and Turn test to prove the car can withstand forces put on it!

The Houston Lady Racers proving that not only the guys can lift a solar car!

Hillary Colbert preparing to start the Breaking Test!

The guys completing the Slalom Course which determines if you can drive in the race!

The girls starting the Electrical Station!

I think the guys thought we were tailgating instead of going through scrutineering!

This morning, our team woke up bright and early to make sure our cars were ready to start the first day of scrutinnering! (a series of tests our cars must pass before being able to compete) Sundancer and Sundancer II have passed all of the stations for today and will only have to complete two tomorrow morning. We will also start racing tomorrow afternoon!! After scrutineering ended, all of the teams gathered for the Opening Banquet to celebrate the start of the race and to help the teams get to know each other! We would again like to thank everyone who got us to this point, without your support we would have never made it this far!!