My weekend record for July 31/August 1.

Friday evening was the "Club Clash" series. More for fun and practice than anything else (trophies, no pay-out, but the season champ gets a gold card for next year). 4th race of the year, only one has been completed due to rain-outs. This Friday was no exception.

There are two classes in this series, "Top Street" for 10.50-13.99 dial-ins, and "Hot Rod" for 14.00 & up. I run the '57 in Top Street and the Camaro in Hot Rod. I won the Top Street race they managed to finish, and the other two only got through one round (both of which I won), so I'm in first place in season points in Top Street. Hot Rod was rained out before completing a round. So, for Friday I was 1-0 for the night.

On Saturday, it was the Summit ET series. I'm running two classes in the '57 in that series, "Run Tuff", a street-car type series, and "Pro ET", a tranny-brake allowed, no electronics class (I just foot brake). I went into the weekend in 2nd place in both classes. I was leading Run Tuff season points until the previous race when I bulbed first round and #2 went on to win to go 5 rounds ahead of me. In Pro, #1 is killing everyone - he only needs to show up to the last 2 races to win the season championship.

I had an easy time first 3 rounds of Run Tuff. In Pro, I won my first two, then had a -.002 RT in the third round, so was 2-1 in that class. I went on to win Run Tuff in 7 rounds, and since the guy in first place went out in the first round (everyone was pretty amazed at that), I went back into first place by 2 rounds. My two rounds in Pro were enough to keep me in 2nd place (barely).

So, a 10-1 round win-loss record for the weekend. If I've counted correctly, in all the series I've run this year, the win light has come on in my lane 71 times.

There are two more race dates left in the Saturday ET series. The top season finishers qualify for the Division 5 race in Topeka, and I believe I've at least clinched a spot on the track team.

 

Nice record. Congrats.
(If you don't red light, you're not trying!)

 

congrats on doing well after making the jump from sportsman! i may do the same next year

 

Assuming I do go to Topeka, I'll probably stick with Sportsman. The car should run right at the 12.0 min allowed Sportsman dial-in, and I'm not quite confident enough to mix it up with the Pros at the division level. I've lost twice at the home track to the #1 guy, who is simply on a tear. I'll leave the task of cleaning up in the Pro class to him and the other tranny-brakers. Running against them has made me a better racer, though, I'm sure.

 

I'm gonna try to mix it up with those guys out here next year but in pro here to go round you need about a .03-.04 package max to go rounds

 

In the Pro final Saturday the winner (to whom I've lost 3 times out of 3 this year) had a .034 package and the loser (and points leader) had a .038 package.

 

Congrats, sounds like you've been on a tear of your own!! I know Brandon and i have talked about it, but your only as good as your competition, so you will and have definately become better playing in pro and running the guys your running when in no box!! Dont get nervious running divisonals in no box, heck, see if the track manager will allow you to double enter/if that's even possible anymore for the ET finals track vs track race? Personally i took it as a mission and befreinded our multi class and multi time class champ and started pitting with him, to see how he runs his program and i learned invaluable info from that man which has paid off big dividends for me due to the increased/faster learning curve.....now if i could just get a car to stay together for me i'll be all set LOL!! but i'll start a new thread for that

 

The track hasn't had trouble filling the team since the Finals were held in Brainerd. Topeka is never a problem, so even if I "qualify" in two classes, they'll ask me to pick one (seen it before). I know at least one track that had trouble filling their team had one racer that raced Pro and Motorcycle, so I don't think it's a division rule.

I started pitting with winners several years ago. Couldn't tell you all I've picked up from them. How to use (and not use) a weather station was a big one.

 

That's what stinks, i had every intention of finally getting back to a ET final this year since it's within driving range and car woulda ran right vs running where your at but with the latest engine demise, slow/stagnet sales this year with banks tightening up the leash on lending/home prices-equity taking a dump, i just dont think it's gunna happen, have'nt been to one yet that did'nt cost under $1500 and that'll pay to get my heads fixed LOL! So we're just in survival mode for the rest of the year....so this winter, set out your fan and blow ALL the snow and ice you can muster my way

 

i've got kind of a silly question for you guys but figured i'd ask, ever had a day where your car would run .01 of itself to the eighth and be .08 difference to the quarter? happened to me in cordova, car was 7.84 or 7.85 to the eighth all day and between a 12.47 and 12.55 to the quarter, didn't make any sense to me.

my sister will qualify to go down to topeka this year but we're both starting school up at ISU so i think we'll be waiting a year of two, gonna try to get her qualified in sportsman within the next couple years and get me there in pro. be fun to see both of you guys there so i can kick your @$$'s lol jk

 

I'd guess a fuel supply problem.

Take a day off and come on down to Topeka! The worst day racing is better than the best day studying. . .

 

we'll have to see, i didn't sign up for points this year so unless they're really short i don't think i'll be going lol.

 

Brandon, what was the WIND doing down there, we've been fighting crazy winds here at home as well, and i'll just say it's been tough to dial and lots of break outs/too slows and it's all been in the air and wind on the track. Corodva has always been a tough track to dial anyways with the river being right behind it and i've watched my weather station do severe upgrades/downgrades in 30 minutes time...i would'nt put too much stock in the car having issues, i've seen and been watching that happen all year with this crazy weather we've been having.

 

wind was real calm all day, didn't have a weather station to check it out so i couldn't tell you what the rest of the weather was doing. gonna throw some more parts at my white car this week and then might bring it out to CFR to come play before the end of the season lol.

 

Haven't had a repeat of that weekend. Sorry for the long-winded post, but have 5 racing days to update:

Weekend of 8/7-8, had the Friday and Saturday versions of the ET (Summit qualifying) series. Friday I stunk it up in the Street class and gave back the stripe to a .1-worse light in the first round. Also ran a "Trophy Jackpot" class, first year I've run it. Regular entry fee to run, if you want into the jackpot you pay an additional $10 in the staging lanes before 1st round. Box and no-box cars can run, they keep us separate for the first 3 rounds then ladder us based on closest to dial w/o breaking out in 3rd round. I got paired with a box car in the 5th round and treed his butt good. Made it to the final, got beat by a guy who is 3-0 against me this year. But, by the quarterfinals I was the only one left who bought into the jackpot, so I got the pot. Also moved up to 4th place in season points in T/J (1 through 3 are box racers).

Saturday was Pro and Run Tuff again. In Pro I lost to a long-time nemesis in the 3rd round, which sealed the season championship for #1. A pit buddy of mine and multi-time season champ won the race and moved ahead of me in points, as did the #3 going into the day, so I'm in 4th place now with one race left.

My son was home for his last weekend before returning to school, so he raced the Camaro in Run Tuff while I ran the '57 double-duty. We normally go to the right lane, for some reason first round he pulled over to the left and ended up being paired with #2 in points - he didn't even know who it was until he heard it on the PA (I didn't say anything to him, that's for sure). And, even though he (my son) got treed, the #2 in points broke out, so 2nd race in a row #2 went out first round. My son & I both won our first three rounds (the next two red lit against him, I had to race). He was complaining about the car pushing in the beams and causing poor lights, so I suggested something he could try next round. Since he was close to his dial-in while I backed off for an easy win and was well off my dial, I warned him we might get paired up in the 4th - wouldn't you know it, we did, and the winner got a bye into the 5th. I told him to just race and not worry about it (even though I would go 7 rounds ahead of #2 by winning this round). We lined up, took off, I wasn't catching him, he took the stripe, and my win light came on - he cut a perfect light on me! I backed off a bit on the tree because I really didn't want to red light, but the Camaro picked up on him and he didn't back off enough at the stripe (it had been dead consistent the first 3 rounds). I ended up losing in the 6th (car fell off), so I'm 7 rounds ahead of #2 with "normally" 7 rounds per race day with one race left, but the kicker is due to bonus points, if I go out in the first round of the last race and #2 wins it, he'll win the season championship by one (1) lousy point (to put that into perspective, we have 4453 and 3743, respectively, right now).

This past Friday was Club Clash again. In the '57 I screwed up and bulbed 3rd round (against the series sponsor, who normally doesn't race that well) and dropped to 2nd place by one round. In the Camaro I went 5 rounds and moved up in points, but only to the top 15.

Saturday and Sunday were "King Street" races. Have to run 12.75 or better so I have to give the '57 a 50 shot to get under that. Laddered first round based on best TT ET (2 shots at the track), Saturday I got paired up with the same guy as the last race back on July 4th and gave up the stripe to his .007 light but tire-spinning slow ET (bangs head). Sunday morning was cool with a good tail wind, the car ran the quickest it has all year. 2nd TT I forgot to flip the nitrous switch on, launched, figured out the screw-up after shifting to 2nd - weather changed drastically, I don't have that much nitrous data so I had no clue what to dial first round. Which, it turns out, was against the same guy again, 3rd race in a row! This time he went -.003 red, which was a good thing because I was .14 off my dial. After that things went a little better - got a broke single, break-out win, hole-shot win, another break-out win, before losing to the eventual winner in the semi-finals.

Season tally is 94 round wins to date (haven't added up the losses. . .).

 

Hopefully your son used the loss to you and really took in what the timeslip told him so he dont make that mistake twice LOL!! never EVER knowingly take more than .02 at the stripe over your competitor unless he breaks at the starting line, .01 is ALOT safer, but also harder when your first learning it.

 

It was only the 2nd time he'd had the Camaro out this year, and the last pass he made before returning to Wisconsin. When he ran regularly, he rarely took too much stripe.

 

trying to teach my sister how to take the stripe has been pretty tough. especially since i'm finally starting to figure out. i like to tighten it up pretty tight....usually .02 or less....a lot of time its turning into less here lately

 

Saturday's loss in the semi's i gave it back by .0033, I just calculated it out and he got it by 1' 5" so there was alot of room left that i screwed up

 

What speed/ET differentials are we talking about here? In the '57 I only ran two cars all weekend that were less than a second quicker than me.

 

sometimes up to 3 seconds eighth mile... from my 7.9x at 84 to their 10.8-11.0x 62-65. well i've played both sides of that game and its tough!

 

I tried to tighten up my stripes this weekend. On Friday, it was the last race in the Trophy Jackpot series, in which I had moved up to 4th place, 4 rounds out of first (but needed 5 rounds because I didn't have perfect attendance, worth 100 points vs. 101 points per round win, typical 7 rounds to win per race night). In front of me, 1st round, #'s 1, 2 & 3 all went out. I was paired with a 21-year-old multi-season-champ whose number I've had recently. I knew I didn't cut a very good light (I've had trouble with that Friday nights this year), but I was running him down. I went around him about 1200', backed off until he caught up where I wanted him, then got back into it - and his win light came on. I figured I broke out due to a poor light. Got the time slip, confirmed the RT issue, but found out I was .07 off my dial, he was .11 off his (told me his car sputtered half track), and he took the stripe by .0019 sec - based on our MPH's, that's between 3.10-3.27 inches. Turns out they stopped racing after 4 rounds due to curfew, so I couldn't have taken over first place anyway. But I dropped down to 7th place, less than one round behind 6th place. They award 6 places at the end of season banquet - not signing up until the 2nd race of the season cost me perfect attendance and the podium. I ended up 5 bonus points ahead of 11th place, 1513 to 1508, to give you an idea of how tight it ended up being.

In the Street class, I won all 4 rounds, moved from tied for 24th place to alone in 13th place, with a shot at #2 in the season finale in 2 weeks (6 rounds behind him, and he's talking about going hunting instead of racing, so if I win 6 and at least 5 more than #'s 3-12, I'll move up to 2nd). #1 is out of reach of all of us.

Saturday/Sunday was a local version of Super Chevy (the SC promoters and the track had a falling out 3 years ago). On Saturday I entered the bonus (jackpot) race, and lost 2nd round in a double break-out without taking the stripe (translation: I got treed and didn't back off enough). Sunday I was entered in the Bracket II (no electronics) and DOT classes. DA was the worst it's been all year, went over 10k ft by the time eliminations started. They were calling DOT back to the lanes for the 3rd round while I was in the lanes waiting to run 2nd round of BII. I screwed up and anticipated the light and bulbed in BII. I was getting the light on everyone, racing the stripe well, taking .009-.03 in most rounds. In the .009 MOV round, I put a 1 on my dial as well (which happened to also be my worse RT all day - except for the red light). Got a bye into the finals, car slowed down, but I kept the same dial-in I had for the previous round. Had the better light in the final, was pretty far ahead of a 2-1/2 second faster car, backed off but didn't hit the brakes, took the stripe, and his win light came on. Turns out I took .1 stripe and broke out by .04! The car picked up .04 in 60' alone over what it had done all day, even though DA was still over 10k ft. Based on 1000', would have run .09 quicker than I dialed. Not sure what happened, although on the drive home I discovered it had thrown the alternator belt.

So, 13-4 over the weekend, did a better job at the top end, still need to work on the whole package.

No racing next weekend - Arm Drop Live is in town and I'm going to my nephew's wedding. Next race is the big summer season finale Sep 4-5, I'll be running in 3 of the 5 classes - leading points in Run Tuff (need one round to ensure season championship), in 4th place in Pro (I can catch #2, #1 has it sewn up and just happened to win the Bonus race and Bracket II this past weekend), and as already mentioned, in 13th in Street with a shot at the podium.

 

Hey, if ya dont give any back once in awhile, your not keeping it tight enough, same goes with going red, if ya aint goin red once in a great while, your slackin Sounds like a great season overall, and the points chase sounds like any other track, it's almost ridiculous how tight these races have become when ya pay attention to points and see how it all plays out in the end, but that's what makes us all better racers.

Good job this season!!

 

At the beginning of the month I started dreaming of making the podium in every class I registered in. That won't happen now, of course. But, I'm assured of the podium in Run Tuff and need to maintain in Pro (one race left), in pretty good shape in the Club Clash in the '57 (in 2nd place, with three races left), am at the mercy of those attending the last race in King Street (will be in Topeka for that race - just heard one of the closest racers, who won't be in Topeka, broke his crank this past weekend), need to do a lot better in two others (one race left in Street, 3 left in the other Club Clash in which I run the Camaro). Whew!

And that's not counting the Fall racing series. . .