The past week has been a fun-filled one, including talking to several members of the media about last week's win, visiting a Childhelp Village, and moving into my dorm at Duke.

I have known for a while that Monday, August 17 would be a busy day. It was my last day at home before heading south on I-95 for my home the next four months. Our win on Saturday only made last Monday busier. First on the list was The Morning Drive on Sirius/XM, where team owner Bill McAnally and I talked about winning in Colorado with show hosts Miek Bagley and Pete Pistone.

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In addition to speaking to a few different writers that day, I also had to get my life put into boxes so that I could head to Durham, N.C. Needless to say, Monday night was a late night.

I woke up early Tuesday morning to head south, but I didn't head directly to Duke. The first stop was at the Alice C. Tyler Village of Childhelp East, which is located in Northern Virginia. The facility is a whopping 260 acres and is a complete residential center for severely abused, neglected, and at-risk children from age 5 through 14. At the village, children eat, sleep, go to class, hang out with friends, and grow as individuals.

I can honestly say that I fell in love with the place. I met about 60 kids, each one with their own story and their own smile. Seeing the amount of work that the staff puts in to help these children move past their traumatic experiences and be able to have a happy life is truly the most inspirational thing I have ever witnessed. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend time with the children, sign a few autographs, and put smiles on their faces.

In talking about the facility the last few days, a few people have asked me what the most touching part of it was. That's a hard question to answer, because I can honestly say that the few hours I spent there had a huge impact of my life. However, the best way I can verbalize it is this: At one point during the day, a boy who looked to be no more than 10 asked me if driving race cars was scary. I answered his question with a brief, "no, it's actually a lot of fun," but couldn't move past it in my head. The experiences of some of those residents, some as young as five, are far scarier than any wreck could ever be, and dwelling on that sure puts a lot of things into perspective.

Leaving the village was a bittersweet moment for me. I was sad to be leaving, as the residents there, as well as the staff, made me feel so welcomed. It was sweet in that I've never felt more inspired to help someone with something.

Wednesday was spent in meetings in Charlotte, N.C., as I am continuing to work on opportunities for 2010. I was also able to catch up with a lot of friends and visit Simpson World to pick up a few items.

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I can honestly say that the few hours I spent there had a huge impact of my life.

”

-- PAULIE HARRAKA

Thursday was move-in day! I drove up to Durham that morning and began carrying my boxes up to my dorm. This year, I am rooming with a good friend of mine. We share a hallway with eight more of our friends and our room overlooks the main quad at Duke, so we're in a perfect location.

About the time I got all of my boxes in to my dorm I had to head back down to Charlotte. I was afforded the opportunity to be a guest on ESPN2's NASCAR Now. The closest ESPN studio to me was in Charlotte, so that's where I had to go. I had a two-and-a-half hour drive down and a two-and-a-half hour drive back, all for two-and-a-half minutes of TV time. That's right, two hours in the car for one minute on ESPN! At the beginning of this blog, I said that I would do my best to give you a bit of insight into the life of an up-and-coming driver and a Duke student. That's about the best insight I can give. ESPN time is just not something you can pass up.

After the interview it was back up to Duke to unpack. After getting my closet, desk, and refrigerator situated, I hung a few items on the wall, including an American flag, a plaque from our 2008 championship at All-American Speedway, a few national championship flags from my karting days, and a shadowbox of the poem "Footprints." Although I couldn't squeeze many trophies into the dorm, I did bring my first national championship eagle and one of my world championship cups.

With all of that done, I was able to spend Friday and Saturday catching up with friends and getting back into the swing of life at Duke. Sunday was spent doing activities with the Catholic Center and starting schoolwork. We held a welcome cookout at the Falcone-Arena House, which is a house right off of campus that is owned by the Duke Newman Catholic Student Center. We had about 200 people! A few of my professors e-mailed assignments that were due in class on Monday, so I had to get those done, as well.

Have a great week!

Paulie Harraka, a native of Fairlawn, N.J., is a student at Duke University. He is a member of the Drive for Diversity program and races in the Camping World West Series for Bill McAnally Racing. Harraka won the 2008 track championship at All American Speedway.