Darrell Stong gears up for powerful showing during this weekend’s Columbia Cup

Darrell Strong has a few annoying chores he has to do as a first-year unlimited hydroplane owner.

Like making sure his race team has plenty of bottled water, Gatorade and beer for race weekend.

“But, I see all of the other owners doing the same thing,” he said. “So that’s OK.”

There was the time in June where maybe he bought too much beer at the Guntersville, Ala., race in June.

“In the Bible Belt, you could tell these people were not happy we were buying so much beer,” said Strong, who purchased two unlimited boats and the requisite equipment that goes with it in the off-season.

As he talked to the Herald on Thursday morning, Strong’s two race teams — the U-8 Miss Tri-Cities and the U-9 Pinnacle Peak Consulting — were setting up camp in Lampson Pits, preparing for this weekend’s HAPO Columbia Cup.

Strong, meanwhile, was setting up off site for the annual karaoke contest — a contest that one of his drivers, Corey Peabody, won last time it was held in 2019.

“It was the only way Corey got this ride,” joked Strong. “It’s really a feather in his cap.”

Jokes aside, Strong and his wife, Vanessa, have built what looks like an outstanding operation, with a first-rate shop in Auburn.

“We’re still building part of the shop,” he said. “It’ll be done by October.”

The two boats he purchased are exceptionally fast.

The U-8 is the former Ellstrom Racing hull, one of the newest (completed in 2015) that had sat idle for a few years when Erick Ellstrom decided not to race it.

The U-9 is an older hull, but still is one of the fastest in the fleet. Previously owned by Mike and Lori Jones, the boat won the national high points championship with Andrew Tate as its driver.

With two boats in hand, Strong grabbed Peabody to drive one, and hired Brian Hajny to be crew chief for both teams.

Strong then stepped aside to let his people do their work. It was up to Peabody and Hajny to start putting crews together.

Then Peabody and Strong got J. Michael Kelly — Peabody’s childhood friend — to drive the other boat.

Strong also was able to hire Mike Hanson, the U-1 HomeStreet Bank crew chief, to help with the U-8 setup in the off-season.

And Jeff Campbell, the retired crew chief of the U-9 under the Joneses, started to help with that boat.

“He was retired,” Strong said. “But he was promised, through Mike Jones, to get the boat set up and race ready.”

Campbell — who worked with the legendary Budweiser team back in the 1990s — would then step away and go back to enjoying retirement.

But a funny thing happened.

“Jeff started hanging out with the crew at the shop, and he saw how much fun they were having,”. Said Strong. “He said, ‘I want to go racing with you guys.’ He is in charge of the set-up for the Pinnacle Peak boat. He functions as the team lead there.”

As a kid, Strong would race his bike down to the Columbia River from his Pasco home whenever he heard the loud roar of the boats on the water.

He grew up loving the boats. His first date with Vanessa was at the boat races.

So when he had the chance to be a sponsor, he jumped at it a few years back. But being a sponsor didn’t allow you to make any race-day decisions.

So becoming an owner was the next step.

He hasn’t regretted it yet. Not event the money being spent.

“The budget to adhere to has been blown out of the water,” Strong admits. “But there area lot of first-year costs, such as setting up the shop. We won’ have to worry about that next year.”

He talks about the first competitive heat race in the opener at Guntersville in June.

“Both boats were in the same heat,” he said. “It was a great thing. You were just kind of excited for both Corey and Mike.”

The difference between being a sponsor and an owner he says that as an owner, you’re always nervous.

But Guntersville was great. As it should be. Kelly won the final, while Peabody was second.

“It was fun to see the boat we named Miss Tri-Cities win at a place probably 2,400 miles away,” Strong said. “It was a blast.”

As for this weekend, he’s at his home course in front of all of his friends. Strong says he doesn’t feel added pressure to win this race.

“I think we all feel real excited,” he said. “We have two VIP tents. But I’ve been too busy to think about any of that. I’ve been on TV a lot this week.”

But he says his goal is to show up and look professional.

“Look like the team to beat,” he said. “But the favorite has to be Jimmy Shane.”

Shane, who won the Gold Cup in Madison, Ind., earlier this month, did so in the team’s older hull.

This week, the team is bringing down the newer hull from the shop in the Seattle area.

But if Las Vegas made odds for this event, five of the eight boats entered would have legitimate shots a winning the Columbia Cup come Sunday evening. That includes both Strong boats among those favorites.

“If there is any added pressure (because it’s his hometown race) I don’t feel it right now,” Strong said. “But we’ll be ready.”

There is no Seafair race next week to cause teams to conserve equipment.

“We have a month and a half, almost two months, before the San Diego race,” Strong said. “Our claim to fame is we have the most propellers. We’ll bring out new ones for the final if we need to.”

Obviously, Strong would like to win this weekend. But even if his team doesn’t, he’s having a blast.

“You’re out getting to run a team the way you like to,” he said. “It’s fun getting to know everyone on the crew, and their families. It’s fun getting to talk to a lot of people.”

So he’ll keep getting the water, Gatorade and beer — with no complaints.

Qualifying is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday.