five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Backed my way in again. Last (7th) points race of the season was Saturday, I was in 3rd place 4 rounds out of first going into the day. Went out in the 4th of 7 rounds, a guy two rounds behind me won it and came around me up to 2nd, leaving me 4th - the track takes 3 from this class to the finals, but this new #2 isn't going.

This will be the 5th time I've gone to the Div 5 race, and I've only earned my spot out-right twice. But, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

brandoz28

iTrader: (1)

Congrats, I'll be going as my sister's "crew chief". I didn't do enough racing this year to be in the points. She's racing in the high school class, she'll have the flat black lumina with the white and pink flames on it. (Don't leave teenagers unattended with spray paint and a lot of masking tape). Hopefully next year I'll be able to go with my Berlinetta.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I'll be bringing the '57 and running in Sportsman. They are allowing 12.00 this year, so I won't have to sandbag this time.

Which track do you run at?

brandoz28

iTrader: (1)

Eddyville IA, we're new back into NHRA this year, we've been IHRA for quite a while. One of the main reasons that we switched was that the Division finals got moved from Cordova over to Martin, MI. That was a trek, but the ole' lumina is a champ and made it all the way there and back.

Trevor86TA

Congrats, I still have the copy of the Dragster from a few years back when you won! Do it again. Good luck!

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Thanks. I'd like nothing more.

I still have that issue myself (among several others. . .).

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Friday time trials were close to a disaster. First run, I intended to up the jets and run the valves since I couldn't get to that back home, but they called Sportsman before I could even start. So, I decided to run it as it was and see how it would do. Off the line the thing bogged something fierce, had to double-pump it just to get going - horrible RT, bad 60', didn't feel like it was pulling as hard as it should after that.

Back in the pits, I jet up and adjust the idle - felt much better in a run around the pits. Started to adjust the valves, got one side done, went to start it to warm it up before running the other side, wouldn't fire. No spark. 2nd time in 3 weeks this happened to me (first time the MSD box got wet). Tried a fellow racer's 6AL, still wouldn't fire. Pulled everything out, picked up an Accel HEI distributor and Super Coil from O'Reilly, got it running again. Missed 2nd Sportsman TT, snuck in with the Pro class. Tried to stall up higher but it was pushing in the beams, still bogged, but not as bad, still bad RT, ran a 12.33 @ 109 with a 1.82 60' - knew there was more left there. Next was a "Gambler" jackpot race, paid my $50, dialed a 12.32 figuring I'd try stalling up more at prestage and let it push into the staged beam. Paired with a 9.79 '60 Vette, had my best (but still .018-worse) RT of the day, took .008 stripe on a double-break-out, me scrubbing 8 mph and still running a 12.28 (would have been a 12.23 based on 1000') and breaking out .02 more than he. Day over.

Saturday started with rain. Thought I'd try the "normal" progressive linkage instead of the 1:1. Since there wouldn't be time for the Gambler's race, they decided to do a "baby race" - dial for TT, best package w/o breakout or red light would split 80% of the $25/racer entry. First TT at 1 p.m., air is cooler but very humid and wind changed from tail yesterday to head wind today, similar bog with "normal" stall, bad light and 12.68 ET. So much for money out of that. Put the 1:1 link back on, jetted up one more step, fellow racer loaned me some hollow squirter screws in case that was contributing to the problem, manually adjusted the rear drums hoping it would hold in the beams better. Entered the 2nd TT "baby race", dialed another 12.30, stalled it so the secondaries were opening, brakes held, and it ran great all the way down the track to a 12.315 - with a -0.006 RT. Closest to green I've been all weekend, and I'm red. Oh, well, at least I have an idea now how to run Sunday morning - first round of eliminations at 9 a.m. with no TT. Supposed to be warmer with a slight head wind. I suspect there will be a lot of break-outs first round, then won't be able to run the number in the 2nd after waiting for Pro and Super Pro to run two rounds.

AlkyIROC

Just keep telling yourself that everyone else is in the same situation. Stick your finger in the air, write a number on the windows and go.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Yep, when the weather is goofy, every racer out there is poking and hoping, so just do your job on the tree and wheel the finish line and hope it's good enough.

think i heard tomorrow is supposed t be nice for you guys, so good luck.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Yup, that's the way it goes.

Headin' for the track now. . . !

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Back in the hotel to check out.

First round, DA is about the same as last TT, but humidity is higher and baro lower. Went ahead and dialed the same as it ran last night, other guy in a 70's Cuda from KC dialed 12.04 - figured he was sandbagging. I leave, we're both green, I pull away, back off at the traps and scrub 10 mph, take .11 stripe. Turns out he cut a .145 light, ran a 12.17, to my .010/12.47. Whew! Made it past first round! I would have run a 12.39 based on 1000'.

They'll run 2 rounds of Pro and Super Pro before we run again, so we'll check out, load up the suitcases, and head back to the track. Probably won't be back on line until after it's over. . .

Trevor86TA

How many rounds did you go? I checked the NHRA site when I got home to see if you were listed as either of the finalists...Curious to see how you did.

Trevor

IHI

iTrader: (1)

heard it's been raining since 11am today...dont know if it's stopped and they were able to continue.

Trevor86TA

I guess I should have read the whole page here rather than just instantly scrolling down to the winners.

http://www.nhra.com/2007/summit/div5/index.html

AlkyIROC

NHRA results are always slow. I prefer to go here

http://www.dragracecentral.com/Serie...ventFilter=897

Round one winner in Sportsman
L530 SPMAN Tim Larson, Littleton CO, '57 Chevy

He lost in the third round

brandoz28

iTrader: (1)

the weather was so crazy this weekend out there, it was hard to dial anyone, people were breaking out or running way off the whole day today. We were surprised to see an Altered running in the high school class...I don't know how you qualify that as a street car, but o well i guess, they put the throttle stop on to slow it down to low 11's and keep it above the ET break.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Things like this are just ignorant, and they wonder why car count goes down almost annually. Too much B.S. flying around that the tracks themselves can control but chose not to....at least they did'nt have any top alcohol cars or nitro cars running HS

Personally I'm waiting to hear back from my friends how the entry to pay out ratio is, round money, if it's top heavy pay structure or not, etc...if it's like all the other ET finals I've been to, this will be another race that gets overlooked and we'll travel to a big bucks somewhere instead.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

NHRA coverage is pretty poor.

Yes, won the first and second round with dial-ins that the car couldn't run, but I pretty well tatoo'd the tree both times (at least for me) and won handily. First round was at 8:16 a.m., 2nd at 4:41 p.m. - rain, crashes, running 2 rounds of Pro and Super Pro between Sportsman 1st & 2nd round, etc. 3rd round, I was paired with a guy I've raced twice at Bandimere, both since August; he didn't make our track's team so was racing for Pueblo. I won the first time we met and he the 2nd, so I figured we were even and it was my turn again - but, it wasn't to be. He had the same RT I had 2nd round, and mine was about the average of my first two opponents', so that was the end of my weekend.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

During the mid-day rainstorm, I was back at the tower where I had been watching the racing when a bolt of lightning struck 3 seconds away (the old flash-to-bang thing - I always count when they look close). That must have been close to our pit area, I said to those around me. After it stopped raining, we went back to the pit and discovered the lightning had struck a fellow Bandimere racer's enclosed trailer (the 2005 Div V Sportsman champ) 3 pit spaces from us. The path to ground was his trailer and truck tires, truck frame, and an extension cord he had left on the ground close to his trailer. Pieces of asphalt were blasted out from these spots. He thought his extension cord had survived because it wasn't hot and the asphalt chunk that was blown out was, but I told him to check the LED in the female end of his cord - sure enough, it was completely toasted.

He and two other of our guys were in standing in the open rear door of the enclosed trailer next to his (the next pit space farther away from me) at the time. Several others were near by. To say the least, this created a bit of excitement. But, other than the extension cord, nothing was damaged but asphalt & nerves.

That was the only bolt that was anywhere close to us. I had seen a couple of flashes earlier, but hadn't even heard the thunder. There wasn't another strike anywhere around us after that.

Oh, he went out the next round. His car slowed on him. Hmmm, wonder if the lightning did something afterall.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Super Pro pays $3000 and down to eighth finals, Pro pays $2000 and down to eighth finals, Sportsman $1000 and down to quarterfinals, or something like that. I believe Pro entry is $75. 3rd round losers get $25, and another $25 for each round win until the payouts take over.

Plus $3500 if the class winner shows up in Pomona.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

That is a good pay structure, or at least one i would attend to race for