Competition In memory of Nowel (HVAC)

[MCrossley]

I do not know which forum to put this under so if this is not a good spot please move it moderators; but I am 2 days late in posting I for some reason thought it was December 9th but it was the 7th that we lost our good friend and diesel mentor. I was reading South Bend Clutch's new thread and was thinking about the good times many of us on this forum have had in the past at all of the May Madness events, October Showdowns etc. with 'ol HVAC So I thought I would say we miss you Nowel...



Here are a few memorable pictures for me. Sorry for those of you who have no idea who or what I am talking about but if you do some searching for posts by HVAC you will find some very funny and good stuff back in the days when 400HP was very cool

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I sure miss him. The tribute page I did for him after his death is still up - http://www.brooksidepoa.com/hvac/ along with the guestbook of those that signed in. There's 102 entries in the guestbook including a couple recent ones.

 

[Winspeed]

Rght on Mike!

Seeing those pictures brought a smile to my face. I miss that crazy ******* a lot.

 

[DRAG DIESEL]

We had this one going Mike in the "other" forum, https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145807 :it does seem more aproprate here...

 

[crawler]

The Competition Forum is exactly where a thread about Nowel should be.



R. I. P.



Later,

Wes

 

[MCrossley]

Thanks you know I never even thought to look in that forum. Glad to see there was someone else thinking about him too...

We had this one going Mike in the "other" forum, https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145807 :it does seem more aproprate here...

 

[Bob Wagner]

Thanks for the post Mike, HVAC lives on

 

[csutton7]

thanks Mike----was thinkin of the big lug nut the other day---chris

 

[BPINE]

I got to spend some time with Nowel last night as I was replacing my rear bumper (don't ask) bashed my knuckle on my HVAC hitch cover. Just like my old buddy always making me bust myself up working on something for him.



Steve I still check the site from time to time, kind of glad it is still there.



I think about him everyday when I walk by a phone here at work where I used to call him several times a day.

 

[DHRA]

How did he get anything done? How many people on here have said they spent crazy amounts of time on the phone with him?

He would be so proud of where the DHRA has gone. His dedication in helping us get started was awesome. When I tried to repay him for his investement, he asked that we just keep it and give him a "lifetime" membership, in which we were honored to do.

It was awesome in Houston (DHRA Nowel Thomas World Finals) to hear them say his name on the PA, see it on the flyers, and I made reference to it on Guns-n-Gears last week. He does live on through all of us. Miss ya bro'.

 

[csutton7]

Eric--no doubt he was excited about the DHRA ---he was able to get some things done on his truck, cuz us knuckleheads would bust our knuckles, huh Blair and Mike, to help him--how he got other stuff accomplished I'm not sure---we'd be working on his truck or someone's truck(yes mine too) and that phone would ring constantly--I think his only peace was when he went out for beers and dinner with us---he is sorely missed, but deeply remembered----chris

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

The first time I ever talked to Nowell on the phone I think it was at least a half hour. . . hadn't even met him yet!



I recogize that tool belt in the 2nd picture Mike. That's the one Nowel used when he installed the boost elbow on my '01 up there at Willyslover's that time.



Remember the flat tire problem on the way down the mountain? That was one mean chunk of metal impaled in one of his new Pirelli tires.



Nowel was a great guy and sure do miss him. Glad I made it to the '03 Bullydog event in Aberdeen and was able to visit with him a lot that weekend, which was the last time I talked to him. We emailed a lot just before he headed out on the trip to Texas 'cause I was thinking about going along. He was hoping I would go so I could help with the driving.



Vaughn

 

[MCrossley]

Yeah I worked out of that toolbelt on the red rocket many times over a couple of years... I remeber the tire day that was a nasty piece alright... Yeah the morning I got the call in the early AM was quite shocking to me it became a wirl wind after that. Hey Vaughn I will be in Issaquah WA this week, where abouts are you in relation? Would like to at least say hi and see what your up to...

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Hey Mike I saw your other post about being up this way. . . I'm 225 miles to the east though. Would be nice to cross paths somehow though. I am headed to Portland right after Christmas, on the 27th I think.



Vaughn

 

[JR2]

Nowel sold me my first box and set of injectors. . it was Nowel who was on the phone with me when I was installing the injectors. Nowel sold me my gauges and reccomeneded a new transmission guy in Canada who was having a group purchase on torque converters. I owe my start in diesel trucks to him and I miss him. . I still have his stickers on the side windows of my truck and I will have them there till they fall off on there own.

 

[TomGolden]

First time I met him was just after I got my truck, and went to my first "meet" - down in Modesto at Brandon's quickie lube shop.



Nowel got my my injectors, exhaust, fuel lines, first fueling box... . I am thankful I lived close enough to have met him and raced with him a few times. I also attended his memorial service.



Race on, my friend.

 

[1dslram]

Too few memories, gone way too soon. I still miss him at the events and on the phone.

Bruce

 

[BrandonF]

I miss him too and think of him often.