Drag Racers: Check Out American Nitro

We love this movie.

In fact my 3 year old son loves this movie so much he begs to watch it everyday! He even loves to watch it more than his other favorite movie, Disney's Cars .

This video has some great footage of old dragsters and funny cars, along with interviews of the then young Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen. There is some great footage of Jungle Jim, Tommy Ivo and more! It really is spectacular!

If you love nostalgia drag racing then you will love the DVD American Nitro.

Visit www.AmericanNitro.com  to see a sample of the video and to order your copy today.

I have to share this story of what happened when my 3 year old son couldn’t wait to watch it one day.

He was begging to watch his “Funny Car” movie as he calls it. I was working and his Dad said he would be in to put the movie in just a couple minutes – that wasn’t fast enough.

So my son decided to do it himself.

When my husband went to put it in the DVD player, he noticed the case was empty. When he asked our son where it was, he pointed to the DVD player saying he already put it in.

My husband shrugged, hit “play” and then heard this awful racket. When he opened the DVD player he found that the DVD was broken. Taking it out he asked our son what happened.

In his eagerness to watch it, he had snapped the DVD while pulling it from its case. He asked us to fix it. When he was told it could not be fixed he began to cry so hard and was so depressed as if you had just killed his dog.

He begged for us to try and ended up sobbing on the couch when we showed him we couldn’t. It was so heartbreaking to watch.

I knew what I had to do, so I ordered him a new DVD and told the company of the plight of our son. I thought they would enjoy hearing about their biggest “Little Fan”. Bill at American Nitro was so touched, he is sending our son a really neat T-shirt to wear while he watches his favorite movie.

So thanks Bill!

You do not want to miss this movie. So visit www.AmericanNitro.com to order your copy today!

I Managed To Let It Go

Last Saturday started out like a typical Saturday around our house. It’s race day and this time it was my turn. Because of our little one we only race one car at a time.

We decided to try a new transbrake button in my car to help me with the red lights. It was a longer button mounted on the floor next to the shifter. The idea was to help slow my very fast reaction times down, allowing me to leave off the flash instead of having to hold back on the tree.

My husband loaded everything for me which I greatly appreciate. Though I know he is trying to help, I also know he would rather do the work than be inside watching the munchkin.

As usual, when I haven’t been in the car for awhile I start to get a defeatist attitude which makes me not want to go as much as I do want to go. Have you ever felt that way? Where you really want to go, but feel like you are so rusty that it it’s a waste of money and time because you feel you won’t be competitive? That’s how I was feeling. This race was a more expensive race to enter and with the larger payout meant that better racers would be there. I felt defeated before I had even left the house.

This attitude starts to poison your whole outlook on everything, ultimately making you a rather unpleasant person to be around. I felt so awful in my head I even wanted to get away from myself. This of course started to cause little arguments to pop up between my husband and myself. He wasn’t feeling very positive either and was in a bad mood to begin with himself. Well, we clashed like two thunderstorms. He said something to me that was really awful and mean and rather than lose it, I just got in the truck and took off with race car in tow.

I never like to leave like that or let someone I love leave like that as I know how precious life is and how someone you love can be taken away from you in an accident to where you never see them again. So for me to leave like that was very significant since I never like to do that. Well, after gunning it up the street I realized I forgot my cell phone. Shoot! OK, I didn’t say “shoot”, but I try and keep this G rated. So I had to find a place to turn around and head back. It was so embarrassing. I stormed in, picked up my phone and left without saying a word.

All the way to the track I was plotting my escape from the marriage. Feeling like I no longer wanted to be married to such a heartless man, tired of the put downs he says in anger and frustration and forgetting all the wonderful things he does for me.

When I got to the track I focused on getting my car ready, but wouldn’t you know it, it wouldn’t idle for me. That figures. With some help from a fellow racer we got the hood off and managed to straighten it out. Being the good friend, he knew I wasn’t feeling “right”, so he called my husband and told him the trouble I was having with the car. He was there in no time.

When I saw him and my little man, all was forgotten. We were so relieved to see each other and happy that we just let our previous feelings fall by the wayside. He was my husband, we have a little one who is healthy, we were doing what we love and that’s all that matters.

The race didn’t go as planned, I went out in third round by breaking out by .001 and the button made my lights way too late. It even stuck once! Though things didn’t go as planned racing wise, we enjoyed some nice time sitting and eating our picnic dinner he packed, playing with our son and visiting with friends.

At the end of the night we were best friends again and nothing was ever mentioned of our fight and my departure. Sometimes it is best not to over-talk matters. Sometimes it is best to just let things go. Marriage can be a hard partnership to be in especially when we are feeling “off”. Love is what allows you to let it go and go on loving the person you fell in love with.

Lesson learned.

Special Motorcycle Night at Edgewater Sports Park

Edgewater Sports Park is going to try a Wednesday Motorcycle only night starting this Wednesday, May 12. Times are 5:30PM - 10:00PM.

This is where you can bring your motorcycle and run it on the track. Please pass this on to all bike lovers out there especially the young people.

This is a great place to run your bike and race your buddies instead of racing on the street. Street racing as we all know is extremely dangerous and puts innocent people at risk.

Remember, real racers race on the strip, not the street. So come on out to Edgewater Sports Park this Wednesday for motorcycles only.

If there is enough interest, then they will continue the Wednesday program, so come and show your support. Friday test and tune nights for both cars and bikes are still on as well as the Saturday night race program.

For more info please visit their website: http://www.edgewaterrace.com/

Save 20% off of any NHRA DVD

You can save 20% off of any NHRA DVD - including titles:
NHRA Racing: The First 50 Years
Wild Rides DVD
NHRA’s Greatest Races
And more!
Order now through April 18, 2010 and get 20% Off any DVD order.
Just enter the code "TAX" at checkout.

Win a New Snap-On Tool Box

Racing Junk is giving away another Snap-On rolling tool box.
If you never seem to have enough room to store your tools then this tool box is what you need. Plus it looks cool!
To enter, click ad below. Good luck!

Top Fuel Trivia

Here are some interesting tidbits about Top Fuel. Impressive to say the least. The info is a few years old, but is still relevant as they make even more power today! I would love to drive one, just once. Once is all my body probably could stand! I doubt my body could handle the negative G's when the parachutes at the far end deploy! Still, it would be a thrill of a lifetime.

One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the Daytona 500.

It takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 6,000+ horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels.

Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.

With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition.

Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry: methodology and technology by which quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions are determined) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro methane, the flame front temperature measures 7,050 deg F.

Nitro methane burns yellow... The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After halfway, the engine is dieseling from compression, plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 deg F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph (well before half-track), the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.

Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence.

Top fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light! Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.

The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.

Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimate $1,000.00 per second.

(My note: It is said the average cost to operate a top fuel car, paying for crew, equipment, fuel, etc. is approximately $10,000 a pass. That is why it takes about $2 million dollars a year to have a competitve car!)

An example of a top fuel dragster elapsed time is 4.428 seconds for the quarter mile (11/12/06, Tony Schumacher, at Pomona , CA ). An example of top speed record is 336.15 mph as measured over the last 66' of the run (05/25/05 Tony Schumacher, at Hebron , OH ).


Putting all of this into perspective:

You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter 'twin-turbo' powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a top fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and pass the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.

The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him.

Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1,320 foot long race course.

Makes you want to drive one, doesn't it? I know I would love to!

Racing Junk To Give Away Snap-On Tool Cabinet

Racing Junk is giving away a new Snap-On rolling tool cabinet!
This would make a great Christmas gift!
Click on picture below to enter. Good luck!

NHRA & ESPN to show a 10 event Pro Mod Drag Racing

It’s about time that Pro Mod, a fan favorite, starts to get some air time.

You can see the article here: http://www.promodchallenge.com/index.php/news/17-las-vegas-news/199-nhra-announcement

According to Pro Mod Challenge, there will be 10 half-hour segments airing on ESPN2 in 2010 on a tape delayed basis.

Since they will only be 30 minutes, half of those will probably be pre-empted by other sports running into overtime. Nothing against other sports, but I really hate it when I set to record or sit down to watch racing, only to have it not on yet and then shortened to make up the time because the previous sports event ran into overtime. That is the problem when ESPN chooses to show your sport of choice as tape delayed (which I can understand) but choosing to show live other sports that can go longer than expected. To prevent this they should show all sports as tape delayed and take out the fluff of people talking giving their personal take on the game or whatever. When you are waiting for your sports event to come on, you find yourself shouting at those commentators, “Who cares what you think!!!!! Just show my racing! #@$#%”

I also wish ESPN would show other drag racing venues other than just NHRA big races. Sportsman racing, class racing, special events and even bigger bracket races can be just as much fun to watch.

As you can probably tell, I am not very fond of ESPN’s coverage of drag racing.

Picking the Right Torque Converter

By Don Terrill (c) RacingSecrets.com


What needs to be decided and in what order:

1. Converter Size - This is physical size of the converter - the outside diameter. Choose too small and you'll end up with too much stall. Choose too large and you'll end up with too little stall or a converter that's very inefficient (high % of slippage).
2. Stator - A one-way clutch that creates torque multiplication. It's about half the diameter of the entire converter and located right in the middle. The stator decision will set many of the converter's characteristics.
3. Fin Angle - Placed towards the outside of the converter, these fins can be bent to fine-tune the stall speed of the converter. Radical changes in fin angle may point to the need for a different stator or maybe even a different size converter.


Questions that need to be answered:

1. Desired Stall Speed

2. Engines Torque Curve

3. Weight of Car

4. Transmission First Gear Ratio

5. Rear-End Ratio


Converter Nazis - Be warned, converter companies may not be thrilled with your request to pick your own specs. Here's a conversation I had with torque converter company in Indiana - I'm dying to name the company, but I'll restrain myself. I called to order a custom converter and was prepared to give what size,stator and fin angle I wanted - I was asked what made me think I knew more about converters than they did? I asked what made them think they knew more about my car than I did? Smart response? Guess not, they refused my request for a converter - "No Converter for You!!!" -What jar-heads.


How did I know what specs. I needed? I had a lot of experience with their converters and knowledge of their coding system for stators and fin angles - I also knew what a change to either would do to stall speed and efficiency. How? A long talk with one of the guys in their shop.


Advice for the torque converter industry - Print stator and fin angle specs in your catalog. Then explain the characteristics for each. It's the smartest thing Comp Cams ever did - listing cam lobe specs in the back oftheir catalog. We need a Comp Cams for the converter industry.


Freshen-up warning: Sending in a perfectly good converter for freshen-up can be risky - even if you don't request a stall speed change. If internal clearances are altered while welding the converter back together, the stall characteristics can change. Like I've always said about carburetors, if you've got a good one, don't turn it loose.


Summary:

1. Work with only one converter company

2. Let them pick your first few converters

3. Learn about their converters, stators, fin angles,etc.

4. Start picking your own converter specs


More technical tips:

http://racingsecrets.com/

http://speedtalk.com/store.html

My Notes: Talk to racers whose cars are very consistent. Find out what brand of converter they use and why. Then find out who services them if done locally. We have someone we use locally who will cut open the converter, show you the inside, discuss with you the options and if time allows, do it right then. He will then weld it up and you can take it home with you. This is of course depending on how busy he is. It is quite interesting when you blow a converter to see the damage inside. Visually seeing it can help you understand how it all works better.

ENGINE TIPS:Picking the Right Carburetor

By: Don Terrill (c) from Racingsecrets.com

Comparing carburetors by their manufacturer's cfm ratings is the number one mistake racers make when picking a carburetor. In the old days it was easy -Holley was the only game in town. Today, with more competition has come more methods for rating carburetor air flow - It has become very hard to compare apples to apples.

I recommend that you don't even look at CFM numbers.

What needs to be decided and in what order:
1. Air Flow Path Dimensions - Venturi and Throttle Plate diameters
2. Type/Series - 4150, 4500 (Dominator), etc
3. Manufacturer - Holley, Barry Grant, etc
4. Linkage Style - Progressive, vacuum, 1:1, etc
5. Booster Style - Down Leg, Annular Discharge, etc

Number one on that list is by far the most important decision you will make.

Questions that need to be answered:
1. Engine Size - More cubic inches = more cfm (size)required.
2. RPM - More rpm = more cfm (size) required.
3. Application - Racing on limited tires and need to kill some lowend? Try a larger carburetor. Got'er hooked and need some more lowend? You got it, try a smaller carb.

Never, and I mean never: Loan or get rid of a good carburetor. They all have their own personality and some are just better than others.

My notes: I agree with the never get rid of any carburetor comment. I did once. I let go of a decent carburetor because it didn’t work for my current application. I now wish I had it back as it might work for my current setup. Sigh.

AutoZone’s Loan-A-Tool

I’m sure more car repair jobs would be done at home if you just had the right tool.

Buying a specialty tool though for just one use isn’t very frugal.

If you could only borrow one.

Did you know that AutoZone loans out specialty tools?

They offer over 60 different types of tools for all sorts of repairs.
It’s easy. Just leave a deposit at the store when you pick up the tool. When you're through, just bring it back, and they will refund the deposit.

For a complete list, click here:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/inourstores/lat/latLanding.jsp

Click here for a store locator: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/storelocator/storeLocatorMain.jsp

NHRA Mobile Launched

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has recently launched “NHRA Mobile”, a mobile application that will bring live racing action from all 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events into the mobile devices of NHRA fans’ hands.

NHRA Mobile will be anchored by the live timing and scoring that will give fans access to real-time results, news, blogs, track overviews, race schedules, team reports, points standings, and more.

This is great for those who like to use their mobile phones for keeping up to date on the latest. Young people especially seem to be the largest group that do this. In fact, recent surveys identify NHRA as having one of the youngest fan bases among major sports properties in the United States.

If you like to keep up with the latest on NHRA racing on your mobile device, then click here: NHRA Mobile launched.

Engine Building Secrets Book

Engine Building Secrets

by Don Terrill

Don’s qualifications:

• 3 Winston Cup Poles
• 5 Winston Cup front rows
• 2 Winston Cup event records
• 1 Winston Cup track record
• 8+ NHRA national records
• Over 100 Fast times at local tracks
  
  

Who will benefit from this book?

Racer - Even if you don't build engines you can use this information to help your engine builder take you to the next level. It also includes info on how-to tune at the track. I'll show you how I track tuned at Winston Cup races. On the same subject I also include the Weather Dyno software to help you.

Want to learn engine building - If you want to start building racing engines, why learn the hard way. I can get you building competitive racing engines right of the bat. Don't spend years and thousands of dollars learning what I can teach you over a weekend.

Engine Builder - Ok, I know you are going to be the hardest to convince. I know that all engine builders have pride, I have pride too, but remember that we all came out of the womb knowing nothing about engine building, we had to learn it from someone. I think one of the hardest things for a person to do is accept the fact that they don't know everything and that other people can help them expand their knowledge.

**Click Here to take you to the list of all products offered including this one called “Engine Secrets” listed at the top of the list.

Monster Mash Bash At Bluegrass Raceway This Halloween

Here’s something for your bag

Bluegrass Raceway is offering a fun night of racing that sounds like fun for the whole family.

There are some really cool events being offered for both the racers and the kids!

The entry fees are reasonable, the purses a nice amount and there are some fun things for the kids to do.

We are going to try and go – hope to see lots of families there!

Here are just some of the highlights:

• Quick 16 Race
• 32 Car Shootout for Pro & Super Pro
• Wheel Standing Competition
• Trick or Treat For the Kids
• Prizes for Best Costumes: Adults and Kids
• A Chili Cook-Off
• Live Band & DJ

And More!! Click the link for more info and times:

http://www.bluegrassracewayinc.com/images/BGRHAlloween.pdf

If you are looking for something different to do for Halloween that is fun and at a reasonable cost, then check out this event!

Life As A Car Girl – I Was Born Loving Cars

Having six older brothers definitely helped, but they really aren’t into cars that much. In fact out of six boys and one girl, guess who is the one that races cars?

When I was a little girl the two toys I enjoyed playing with the most weren’t dolls and tea sets, they were horse statues and cars. I grew up loving horses which will be a different story for another time, but I also grew up loving cars. I had a few Hot Wheels and Matchboxes that I wish I still had today. I only had a few and I am assuming they were the cast offs that my brothers didn’t want. I didn’t mind though, I had my own cars to play with. I also would “borrow” my older brothers’ cars to play with at times, which would always end up with me getting shoved aside as my brothers would come and re-claim their cars. I would scream, mom would yell wanting to know what’s going on, my brother would exclaim that I was taking his stuff again and in the end we all ended up in tears and in trouble. I was planning on giving them back. I was!

I would have to say that my very favorite toy though was the combination of horses and cars. One Christmas, I received a pickup truck that was pulling a horse trailer with two horses inside. I loved it! It combined both worlds perfectly. I could unhitch the trailer from the truck, take the horses out of the trailer, haul stuff in the back of the truck – it was great! I really miss that toy now. I know I would still play with it today if I could find one like it.

My poor mother. She tried desperately to get her only girl to wear dresses and play with dolls. Fights always ensued between her and I over her wanting me to wear dresses, to act more ladylike and me wanting to be, well, myself. I can’t imagine the money that was wasted on dolls and tea set and dresses that were either never played with or would end up being a sacrifice for some experiment my brothers and I would dream up. Barbie wants to be an astronaut? Then she should be duct taped to some bottle rockets!

I wasn’t the only girl around who wanted a Barbie Corvette, but I was the only girl around who wanted it with more horsepower options, a five speed, a tow package to haul horses of course, and I did not want it in pink! I thought only sissy girls drove pink cars! Pink has never been and still isn’t my color. To say the least, I never got my Barbie Corvette. I guess my mom knew that the Ken doll would never get to drive and she didn’t want to be responsible for me learning how to be the next Evel Kneviel on four wheels.

Her distaste for me being a tomboy was a little hypocritical of her though, now that I think of it. After all, she is where I get my love of racing from! She was the fastest driver I have ever ridden with and I know my family would back me up on this. She only liked to drive the big V8’s and she had only one speed – fast! My father bought her a nice V6 smaller car once. He thought she would like it better because it was cheaper on gas, smaller and easier to maneuver, which would have made her commute to work downtown easier. After she drove it one day, she came back and threw the keys to him and said she wanted her old car back as this little thing didn’t have any power. She was horrible on gas mileage. She would floor it when the light turned green, pass other cars like she was heading for the finish at the Indy 500 and then slam on the brakes and slide to a stop when the light turned red. If the eggs survived on the way home from the store, it was a miracle.

Shirley Muldowney had nothing on my mom. I know Mom would have put her on the trailer in a heartbeat. All you would have had to do is hold up a sign at the end of the track that said “SALE” in big letters and you wouldn’t have beaten her to it.

We lost my mom to cancer when I was nine, but I am thankful for these fond memories I have. All that work at trying to get me to be more ladylike did stick and I can only hope to be half of the lady she was. So thanks, Mom for passing on your love of speed. Like a true lady, I always check how my makeup looks in the mirror before I put on my helmet to race.

Protecting Your Children’s Hearing At The Track

I love the sport of drag racing and I love the fact that my son, now 18 months old loves the race cars and the track. I hope someday when he’s older he’ll say with pride that both his mommy and daddy drag race and he gets to go with us. I hope we’ll be viewed as the “cool parents” someday. One thing I hope we won’t be called though, are the parents who don’t love their child enough to protect him from the dangers of the loud noise from the sport.

I am shocked everytime I go to the track and see babies and young children there with their parents who have no hearing protection on. Many are right there along the fence next to the starting line! Last week I witnessed an engine explosion on the starting line. There along the fence, was a young baby in his mother’s arms, I’m guessing to be around 9 months old. This cute little baby had no hearing protection on and was right in line of the debris path from this explosion. Luckily, none of it hit them, but I shudder to think what might have happened. I wonder if this mother realizes just how lucky they weren’t hurt or worse. Even still, the noise from the explosion was enough to damage anyone’s hearing, especially a baby’s. No one would argue that the drag strip is a very loud place to be. The noise level isn’t high just in the pro ranks either, even the local bracket racing scene can be very loud.

It is so sad sometimes to watch young children and babies shrieking, crying and cupping their little hands around their ears trying to block out all the loud noise. Many children who aren’t used to this level of noise just cannot handle it. Other children who aren’t crying and seem to be enjoying it are having irreversible damage being done to their hearing. Why is it that these parents seem oblivious to the fact their children are being harmed? Is it because they are ignorant or is it that they just don’t care?

Many adults who have been around racing for years will tell you their hearing has suffered greatly due to the noise level these cars put out and every racer I have met has shown their disgust for parents who refuse to protect their children from this hazard. I have received many compliments from other racers who thank me for protecting my child when they see him wearing his headphones. It’s obvious that I care about his health and safety. When out for a stroll through the pits, I notice the other parents who do protect their children’s hearing and we often times nod to one another in a knowing, appreciating way. We agree that we don’t want our children to grow up partially deaf like we are from a sport we all enjoy. I noticed these same parents along with myself, keep our young children away from the dangers of the starting line as well and we watch the racing from a safer distance. We are alert and cautious when in the staging lanes with our children and we leave the staging lanes promptly when the cars start to pull out.

Our son has been going to the races since he was 8 weeks old and he has always worn good headphones. I have always insisted upon it. I make him wear it whether he wants to or not. He knows it is not an option. I recommend good quality headphones designed for children over ear plugs. Headphones are more comfortable than ear plugs and offer greater protection. Ear plugs can work loose or fall out and aren’t made for the small ears of children.

No one likes to wear the headphones for hours straight so it’s imperative that you get away from the noise periodically. If you are racing, pit your vehicle farther from the line than usual so when you aren’t racing you can sit back, remove the headphones and relax a little. If you are a spectator, find a quiet area where you can sit and relax and remove the headphones for a rest to the head.

You don’t have to stay away from the track just because you have young children. They can be included in the fun if you just use a little common sense. If you have a child who you want to bring with you, but is afraid of the noise then allow him to get use to it gradually. Have the child wear good ear protection and slowly, in increments work your way closer to the cars. Back off if he shows any fear. Leave when he’s had enough. Over time he will adjust. It may take several trips to the track and the willingness to leave when it all gets to be too much for the child. Your goal is to have them enjoy the sport as much as you do, not grow up to hate it or be afraid of it. Just remember though, they’re babies who need your love and protection.

I know some children don’t like to wear hearing protection as it can get uncomfortable, but you must insist upon it and be diligent in making them wear it. Wear hearing protection yourself. Showing your children you wear it too makes more sense to a child rather than just telling them to do so, but not caring enough to protect your own hearing. After a while they will get used to wearing it and will later thank you for it when they still have their hearing and are purchasing hearing aid batteries as Christmas stocking stuffers for you.

Are You Too Hard On Yourself?

I am. When I race and when I screw up, which can seem to be pretty often, I am harder on myself than anyone else is. There have been many times I wished I had remembered to put a paper sack in the car to wear over my head when I came back up the return road. One of these days I may do that just to give the guys at the time slip booth something to laugh at.

I must think that everyone including the guy getting popcorn saw my mistake and must be laughing hysterically at me. What do I think they are going to do, boo me or something? I must really think that people care what I did enough to laugh at my mistake. Therein lies the mistake, that most people, one, even notice and two, that they care.

I find myself apologizing to my husband for letting him down. He is always telling me I haven’t let him down and that I should just have fun. I am having fun, just not as much fun as I could be if I wasn’t so hard on myself. I often times hear myself making derogatory remarks about my driving to others in a joke form. Like I’m poking fun at myself, but not in a nice way. That can get old to others. I must sound pathetic like that one round of racing will mean that we won’t eat this week or something. I never thought of myself as a drama queen, but even I get sick of tripping over my bottom lip. One side of my brain is telling me, “You dufus, you have no business being out here.” and the other, more rational side is screaming, “Come on, it’s only racing! Have some fun! Everyone screws up.” You know, things I tell other people.

If I have a bad light or I red light or if I let a guy get around me at the stripe I am always kicking myself and saying I have a great car that has a lousy driver. That is a terrible thing to say and if someone else other than myself had said it to me I’d be fighting mad. So why do I let myself get away with it? Because I have done it for so long I believe it has become a habit. This is a very bad habit that needs to be stopped. Why? Because it is affecting something I love, racing. It’s also affecting the people I love around me like my husband and friends. I’m not sure why I have started to be like this, it may have something to do with my past. I’m not going to waste time however, digging up the past to try and figure out why I feel this way. The past is the past, let’s let it lay there and move on. I can’t change what happened in the past, but there is one thing I do have control over – my thoughts. I must change the way I think which ultimately changes the way I react when things don’t work out at a race.

I know I am always saying encouraging words to other racers who may be having a bad day, so I need to start extending the same kindness to myself. Realizing that everyone has a bad day, that everyone makes mistakes and that my mistake couldn’t possibly be the worst one ever made would be a good first step. Good, seasoned racers have lost every way there is to lose a race. So I must remind myself when I make a mistake that cost me the race I can say with great pride that I am becoming a more seasoned racer - a veteran with more experience than I had when I pulled into the track today.

I also need to remind myself of the times I did really well. I need to tell myself in order to be good, you have to make mistakes. Simple as that. The more mistakes I make then ultimately the better I’ll get. I hope that those of you, who do the same thing, beat up on yourself harder than anyone else does, that you also learn that life is made up of successes and failures. We have to fail so we know when it is we’ve succeeded.

Besides, giving someone else like those in the stands or another racer something to laugh at is a good quality to have. I like to think that when I screw up I bring joy to someone else.

Beat The Heat Charity

Here is a charity I recommend looking into. Since we are involved in drag racing I have been looking into this for our area. If you are in the Cincinnati, Tri-State area and are interested in starting a local Beat The Heat program with this area’s police departments, contact me and see if we can combine our efforts. If you are interested in joining a program in your area or starting one up, contact the Beat The Heat listed on their home page or talk with your local police departments. We need to get these kids to stop racing on the streets!

Beat The Heat –

Goals: To help EDUCATE the young people of our communities about the real problems of illegal drug and alcohol use, To EDUCATE everyone to the horrors of alcohol or drug impaired driving, To promote a better understanding between the Police and the communities they serve and, To EDUCATE the general public about DRAG RACING, and encourage everyone to not race in the street.

BEAT THE HEAT, INC. is a "Cops and Kids" oriented program which brings the young people together with the Police Officers who are there to help them. It gives both groups an opportunity to closely interact with each other so that each group can learn from the other things that will really make a difference for both groups in the community.

The theme of our program is "RACING FOR EDUCATION". Three of our four goals state specifically a goal of some kind of education. Many of the problems of our society today stem from the fact that many people are lacking in education. We can only make an attempt with the adults to get them to use their heads and think before they do something. However, we CAN get the attention of the young people and they are very capable of learning. We try to encourage those young people to STAY IN SCHOOL AND OFF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.

BEAT THE HEAT INC. also offers alternative extra-curricular activity for those youngsters who may not be able to make the sports teams in high school. Handicap Drag Racing is a sport in which ANYONE who can drive can participate on a fair and equal basis with everyone else. Your only limitation is your own ability to learn the technique and DO IT!

This sport is also one in which WOMEN can participate and, indeed, excel in direct competition with men. There are many, many women who Drag Race and several of them have advanced even into the VERY elite group of persons who drive the ultimate machine, the Top Fuel Dragster, at 300 Miles Per Hour.

With the advent of NHRA's new JR. DRAG RACING LEAGUE younger fans are now able to participate in Drag Racing at a very early age (8 years old).

There are many very good racers who are physically impaired and they are able to participate in this sport using their ability to drive and their competitive nature. They don't have to race in their own special class. They race and beat anyone who shows up in the other lane.

Participation in this program is a great deal of FUN. We invite everyone to participate and enjoy the good fun and fellowship. Check out the schedule of upcoming events and try to be there. You'll be glad you attended.

BEAT THE HEAT, INC. is a non-profit corporation recognized as tax exempt by the State of Texas and the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. ALL donations are tax-deductible.

This information came from the Beat The Heat's homepage. Check out http://www.beattheheatinc.org/ for more information.

So You Want To Drag Race

Since I have been helping out at our local track, I’ve noticed that every week there have been a few people who come in and want to try their hand at drag racing their daily driven street car for the first time. I will always encourage a new person to give it a try, especially a young person. Drag racing tracks were invented to get young people off of the streets where racing is dangerous and onto the strip where it can be controlled and is much safer. But anyone at any age that has a driver’s license can race! So get out there! It is a lot of fun!

If you want to race your street car here is some advice to get you started.

The really neat thing about drag racing that other forms of motorsports can’t say as easily is that anyone with a driver’s license can race. And you can race on the very same tracks that the pro’s race on! The concept of racing your car is basically the same as racing the professional’s car. The main difference is speed.

I first recommend you attend some races at your local track to just watch. Don’t just sit in the stands though. A spectator entry gets you access to the pits, too. Walk around and look at the other cars. Observe the other drivers and crews. Pick a car or two you are interested in and watch them throughout the night to get an idea of their routine and how they do things. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most racers are very happy to help and if you happen to get someone who isn’t helpful, ask someone else.

Then I would talk to the track personnel, either the guys who check the cars over before racing, called tech or at the front gate. Ask for a list of rules and if they have any notes they can give you for new people who want to learn to race. Tell them you want to bring your car down and try it and are looking for advice. Most track personnel are happy to help and have literature that you can take and read.

At local tracks they usually have two days or nights per week they are open with the occasional third day for a special race. One day will be for what is called test and tune. Test and tune is not a race day, it is where anyone can bring any car to test it and see how it will run. Usually everyone pays the same flat fee and you are allowed to make multiple runs within the time that the track is open. I recommend you come first on these test and tune days to get some practice before trying out on a race day.

When you arrive at the track you will pay your test and tune fee at the gate. They will then give you what is called a tech card. Take your car and the tech card to “tech” where the track personnel will look over your car and make sure it is safe to race. Ask the front gate where tech is if you are not sure.

Once you arrive at tech, fill out your card and hand it to one of tech guys. Once your car has been approved they will hand you back a slip that was attached to your tech card that has your car number assigned to you. Keep this piece of paper with the car at all times as you cannot make any runs without it. Tech will write your car number on the windshield and on the right front window of your car with a special shoe polish like marker so the tower personnel can read it. Leave this number on the car throughout the night. Then find a place to “pit”. A pit space is where race cars park. Just be sure not to block entry to someone else’s pit space and you cannot park in the staging lanes.

The track will usually have a schedule of what kind of car runs when. They will separate street tire vehicles from the race cars that have slicks. Slicks are the rear tires of race cars that do not have tread. Racing slicks cannot be driven on the street and are designed to help the tire grip the track on takeoff, hopefully reducing tire spin.

Though the basics are the same, since you will start out racing your street car you won’t have as much prep work to do before or during the race as other faster cars do. You will however want to make sure the tire pressure in your tires are the correct amounts, that the oil and coolant levels are good and do not run down the track with your air conditioning on. Running with the A/C on not only slows you down, it drips water on the track making it slippery and dangerous for the faster cars. Do not run if your car is leaking any type of fluid for safety’s sake.

Then you want to listen to the track announcer call for street tire vehicles to the lanes. Some tracks have radio station frequencies you can tune your radio to hear the announcer. When he calls street tires to the lanes he will state what lane numbers they want you in. The lanes are numbered and one lane will lead you up to the right side of the track and the lane next to it to the other side of the track. Find out which numbered lane takes you to what side and pick whatever lane you want to try first. The street cars will all line up in the lanes and when ready the track will start pulling them out two by two. Move up as the car in front of you moves up. When you get up closer to the top of the lane get ready to hand your run ticket that tech gave you to a track official who will punch it with a hole punch signifying this is your first run of the evening. Then wait for him to wave you forward. Your card will be punched everytime you make a run.

You will then pull into what is called the water box. This is where race cars do their burnouts. A burnout is designed to not only clean off any rocks or debris from the rear tires, it is also designed to heat them up to help them “stick” better upon takeoff. Learning to do a good burnout is crucial to racing a car and can take coaching and practice. But since you are driving a street car that is most probably a front wheel drive car you will not be doing a burnout. If you tried doing a burnout with your front wheel drive street car, you could end up causing damage to your car and engine. So I would recommend you drive around the water if you can. Then line yourself up straight with your rear tires on the outside edge of the water.

If you have a rear wheel drive street car and you want to try a small burnout then ask the guy in the water box to tell you when to stop after pulling through the water. If you are doing a burnout you want to be on the edge of the water not in it. The idea of the water is to get the tires a little wet so they will spin. Watch the starter, the guy who sets the Christmas Tree (the starting lights) he will motion for your burnouts to start. You want to hit the throttle fast while holding the brake, but do not over rev the engine. This is where help and practice comes in. Do a burnout to about ¾ of the way up to the line. If you are not doing a burnout, accelerate hard up to the line to heat the tires up. Just be sure not to overheat your brakes or over rev your engine. Be prepared to not do it right the first several tries and ask for help and advice from other racers. Stop when you are ¾ of the way to the starting line.

Now you want to slowly approach the first stripe on the track. If you have been watching other cars run then you know there are two stages – pre-staged and fully staged. The first stripe is the pre-stage. When your wheel hits the pre-stage beam it will light the very top bulbs on your side of the Tree. When these top bulbs light up on your side, stop and wait for the other car to light his if he hasn’t already done so. When the other car’s top bulbs are lit you are both Pre-Staged. Then you want to ever so slowly creep about six inches till the second set of yellow bulbs are lit on your side. When the other car’s second set of bulbs are lit you both are now Fully Staged. At this point the starter will flip a switch to start the tree. The next bulbs to light are the three yellow bulbs from top to bottom. When you see the last yellow bulb flash on, stomp hard on the accelerator. You’re off!

I recommend leaving at an idle the first couple of times till you get comfortable leaving the line. Then you can do what is called footbraking where you have your left foot on the brake and you rev your engine up to usually no more than 3000 rpm depending on your engine, which will allow you leave harder and faster.

Once going down track you want to obviously keep in your lane. Oh and by the way, you must be wearing your seat belt. You should know where the finish line is. At least I hope you scoped that out before you started. Once you pass the finish line, de-accelerate slowly and find the turn off. There are rules to turning off. Usually whoever is on the same side of the turn off or gets to the turn off first turns off the track first. Keep this simple rule in mind as you do not want to turn in front of another car as you may very well be t-boned in the side. Always be aware of where that other car is for safety’s sake.

Be sure to get off the track fast. You don’t want to linger as the next pair of cars are waiting their turn to run. When you turn off the track and start to come back up the return road you will want to stop off at the time slip booth to get your time slip. This piece of paper will show you both your car’s run and the other car. Find your car number and look at that column of numbers. It will give you your reaction time (expect that to be bad your first time out) and the other times and mph increments down the track. You will want to keep this time slip and compare it to the other runs you will be making to see how you are improving. Once you have your time slip, go back to your pit space and wait for the next session of street tires to be called to the lanes.

That’s it. Feel the adrenaline rush? It’s a neat feeling isn’t it. And it only gets more fun from there as you get more comfortable with what you have to do and as you get better. Expect mistakes and don’t be embarrassed when you make them. Everyone makes them, even seasoned professionals. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and strike up conversations with other racers. You’ll make some great friends at the track.

I’ll cover more details of learning to race later. Till then, keep the most important rule in mind – have fun!!!

Car Numbers & Dial Ins

Over the weekend I was asked to help out in the drag strip’s tower as one of the workers had a relative who was seriously ill. They helped me try and learn the system with a crash course in it. Being in the tower gave me a new perspective of racing and made me appreciate more the hard job they have up there, especially working with the computer system they have.

One thing I noticed that is a big problem, is being able to read the car numbers and dial in’s. They sit approximately 80 feet from the line I’m guessing and trying to read shoe polish and people’s writing from that distance is a real challenge even with binoculars! Most regular racers do a good job, but there are some that are so bad, we have to ask the starter to tell us and that can hold up the race.

For those who do not race often, please understand how important it is that the tower be able to read your car number and dial in. It needs to be written on the top right side of your windshield and on the right side of your car, on the window if it’s a door car. They need to be written on the right side of a dragster and bike as well, not just on the windshield. The numbers need to be big enough, dark enough and legible. Some just slap on one coat of shoe polish for the night and it can’t be read from that distance. Please go over your numbers a few times with the polish and make sure it’s dark enough and written big enough. Using white or bright yellow or green polish is preferred over red and blue, especially at night. If you are using led lights, make sure they are turned up during the day and turned down a little at night.

If the numbers are put on the side of a dragster or bike they should be a contrasting color to the paint. Having numbers matching the color scheme of the car or written in script look real pretty, but they are extremely hard to see from the tower especially at night. Metallic numbers also are hard to read at night with the glare of the track lights.

Another issue are cars that have more than one car number on them. This is where a car may have more than one driver who has a permanent number. Make sure that the number(s) not being used are clearly marked out. You cannot see one swipe of shoe polish from the tower. Use a piece of black electrical tape or something that draws a line clearly through the number not being used so the tower knows which car number you want to use.

I have learned how important being able to read those numbers are and realize I need to make my car’s number bigger. Keep in mind, that if the people in the tower cannot read the numbers, they have to ask the starter to read it to them and that holds the cars up on the line as they have to enter the info then or re-enter incorrect info. That all takes time causing the hold up. So be considerate of those in the tower doing their best to get numbers right and remember to always check your dial in before you stage.