Skydiving At 80 Is One Reason My Dad Might Not Be Like Yours

Have you ever done something crazy for a milestone birthday? Perhaps you took a trip, maybe went axe throwing, or threw a big party. But have you ever jumped out of a perfectly good airplane to celebrate another trip around the sun? Well, that's what my dad did, he went skydiving.

By the way, this isn't the first time he's done it. This started when he turned 60. I guess he liked it so much that he went back and did it on his 70th, and 75th as well.

When I told people I was going to make the trek to see him celebrate his 80th in the sky, everyone asked me the same question - are you going to do it too? I gave the same answer every time - Hell No! I mean, I talk on the radio every day, that's enough excitement for me. Talking on stage in front of thousands of rock fans is all the adrenaline I need.

This isn't the first time he's done some high-adrenaline activity. In the early 90s, he raced late-model stock cars. That lasted four seasons before his throttle stuck and he smashed the car to pieces when he slammed the wall.

Here's the funny thing, I think I can count on one hand the amount of times he's flown in the past 30 years. Like me, I'm not crazy about flying. I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm not in control. I like to be at the helm driving or riding.

This jump was supposed to happen last weekend, but bad weather pushed it to this past Saturday, which allowed me to make it on the actual day of his birthday. I'm glad I was able to watch from the ground, but now my daughter wants to jump out of a plane.....ugh!

Happy 80th, Dad!

What a great day for racing! Saturday's Roadkill Nights was a huge success, with the stands packed with muscle car enthusiasts. I was one of them and couldn't have asked for a better day of drag racing on the M1 Concourse. Everyone from wrestling legend Bill Goldberg to former RIFF Rock Girl Cristy Lee and the Roadkill crew were on hand. It was indeed a fun afternoon of racing off Woodward.

The racing action started early Saturday morning and continued through the evening, with a special demonstration from a couple of Top Fuel cars that wow'd the packed crowd. Also, a mid-60s Chevy 2 posted a time of 4.85. That's fast! Plenty of Dodge power was on hand, from Chargers to Challegers and everything in between.

Thank You to the folks at Dodge for again including WRIF in this great event. It's truly become one of the must-attend car events throughout the summer. Whether it is held on Woodward or on the Concourse, racing fans witness an awesome show of horsepower all day. 

I've said it before, but it bears repeating that this is one of the greatest summer events for any muscle car fan. If you weren't there this year, plan for 2025!

Check out some pictures from the all-day event below.