Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I do have a foosball table in the foyer of my office???

I stopped about 120 miles west of Muncie in Wes Laf for the better part of the late '70s and early '80s. 

Not sure I was intellectual enough for Ball State!

"As long as I can have a fast boat, a margarita 
machine and can light my hair on fire, I'll be just 
fine."

Jason Giambi

I just knew it!

I've got one at home since that's where my office is.

I used to shoot the pull, but now I shoot a variable speed, three man tic-tac.

So much more fun.

Are you going to be at the parade at the Perris Fairgrounds Saturday?

i ran "prop" in go karts with amyle ascitate (That is why i did not try to answer your science question as i was afraid to spell  as i have badly butchered the spelling of what we called "bananna" oil) and did not really feel the effects. but then i did not feel that nitro helped much either. a mixture of gas and methanol when running gas classes and a mixture of methanol with a little gas when running open classes in the winter seemed to work for me. painting on a little xylene helped the tires and a little in an aluminum fuel tank was ok too.

Methanol and Propylene oxide (5 - 20% by volume) is a whole different Geraldo.

A casual visual inspection (prevalent throughout most facilities) will not detect the "prop" additive and a cheap hydrometer used to test Specific Gravity in the hands of cousin Goober is just as ineffective as they as very close (.796 to .83 respectively).

"Race gas", nitrobenzene, benzole, acetone...too volitale to realize significant benefits of "prop"  however, methanol or nitromethane... 

Just keep it away from oxidation, paint, perspex, neoprene...

"As long as I can have a fast boat, a margarita 
machine and can light my hair on fire, I'll be just 
fine."

Jason Giambi

That was the plan...however, a client passed on four tickets to the KC - Raiders game and I've got a 12 year old that has seen more than his fair share of sprint cars this year.

I'll never drop my pull/push...unless it's to fire off a quick snake!

"As long as I can have a fast boat, a margarita 
machine and can light my hair on fire, I'll be just 
fine."

Jason Giambi

How about a maximum wing angle to unhook the cars? Easily checked with an angle finder and all current wings are all legal. If you compare the wing angle of last couple of years vs. the mid '80's the wings are on a lot more aggressive angle. The wings used to be a lot more horizontal where as now they are stood up which plants the cars and requires the big horsepower to counter act all the drag they are producing.

Old schooled with a spin shot. Guess you're not afraid of change.

Too bad you can't make it, I could have introduced you to the aroma's of turn one.

Up to a direct question?

Would you be for or against an unlimited engine rule?

not to discount your opinion but where on the wing would you take the reading? what happens if the wing is set legaly at the teams trailer but the ground is not the same angle where the inspectors check it? what happens if you set the angle with the wing forward and then the driver pulls it back and the angle gets greater when it is teched? (i know driver should have moved it forward again, but that is one way to beat the rule, make it read low forward and rise quickly going back unless yo propose to eliminate driver controlls on wing.) all thse rules you guys are wanting with the intent of getting racing back to the excitement of when there were less rules.

RULES? we don't need no sting'kin rules!

Let's look at this from a different angle.

If you want to unhook the race cars.

Flatten out the corners.

Not to easy for the drivers to keep those cars locked down on a tight 3/8 mile bullring with (6) to (8) degree banking...CZ

I will be there November 17 for the USAC/CRA show, so if you've a couple of rain checks...

My fear with the unlimited engine is the adverse affect on the smaller, local programs. I do feel that a "run what ya brung" format does have a place in the future of sprint car racing. Where and how???

Parity is a joke, we penalize success instead of reward it. Innovation, creativity...they need to be brought back into sprint car racing. Relax rules, encourage some free thinking, allow for adaptive innovation, reward success...may make things interesting.

"As long as I can have a fast boat, a margarita 
machine and can light my hair on fire, I'll be just 
fine."

Jason Giambi

Wish I was in condition to talk about this on a public message board right now , but you know how it is when Friday afternoon's are mandated for "Foosball, Cocktails, ****, and to Play 2002 WOo on the Ten Foot Screen"

See you on the 17^th and talk to you Monday.

Thanks,

Don

They need to go to a smaller tire and get rid of the 410 limit. They tested a 16" wide tire and said it was too hard to get power down... that was the point. It's going to take a substantial change before car owners actually start saving money on their motor programs. The current tire didn't put a dent in engine cost or lap times, either will the proposed wing rule. 

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

I am sure a few of you can answer this one so......what tire does most of the work through the corners????? If you are gonna mess with stuff...mess with the proper stuff.....

Removing cockpit adjustable devices is not gonna change the overall racing, any engine rules will just push the cost up more, at least at first, and putting on bicycle tires will just make it so kids wont have tires on their bikes (gotta get my race tires somewhere!!! lol)

Also, if people want to change rules like for the top wings, do so earlier in the year. Those of us with small budgets get killed with these over the winter rule changes. I would love and will be finally getting a new top wing but doesn't look like I should yet, since to do so now may be just an exercise in pissing money away if it wont fit the new rule.

If you are a fan, come and enjoy the races. If you can't do that, stop coming. I want as many people as possible in those stands every night, but not at the expense of the guy who came for the first time and hears nothing but you bitching about "how bad the sprot has gotten" "The way it used to be" is not coming back. All we can hope for is that we are allowed to continue to race spriint cars for as long as possible and that we will have a good time doing it.

Found a couple of tickets lying underneath one of the grandstands dated 11-17-07, so you're covered. (Some poor Screwball is going to be pissed, when he can't find his tickets.)

If a potential fan had walked into the PAS last Saturday night, just as the main event of the evening was starting (Lets Get Ready to Rumble!) and watched it, he would have walked out as a Fan. Thanks to the PAS for providing a great multiple-grooved, virtually dustless, main event track.

"My fear with the unlimited engine is the adverse affect on the smaller, local programs. I do feel that a "run what ya brung" format does have a place in the future of sprint car racing. Where and how???"

I think the "Steel Trap" Needs to take a careful look at the basic premise~~ that it's cheaper to build H.P. if any combination of exotic fuels, cubic inches, engine configurations and aspiration were legal. Then the "Where and How" might become clear.

With an open engine, the current rules for car construction, safety, tires, etc, might be just fine.

The Big Time Drag Racers~

Spend around…. $7.50 for One Horsepower.

The Big Time Sprint Car Racers~
Spend around…. $53.00 for One Horsepower

An old friend of mine was fond of saying "Man! That thing was really picking-them-up and laying-them-down just like the Wild Woman Shits...... right before she blew"

Back to work, talk to you later,
Don

Exactly one of the points that is killing the sport. I along with just about everybody on this board will be at the races we love. Just cause we have spring fever already before the first snowflake even begins to fly here in the Midwest I personally care when alot of my friends and heroes that put there ass on the line day in and day out in sprint cars or they money they spend to get to look up at a sparcely packed grandstand. Beleive it or not when the fans stop comping the racing will suffer. I think some of the old school traditions are gonna have to come back to put people back in the stands as nobody wants to see teams with all the money and all the cutting edge equipment start on the front rows period. To me if its a "pissing contest" about money lets forget the cars and just let those guys play some poker on the trophy platform, hey it would save on tires and equipment for sure and would surely put most to rest on the safety issue. Now thats way out of line but just tryin to make a point. You know theres been many awesome Knoxville Nationals I can remember but probably one that easily comes to my mind was 1990 when Bobby Allen won the race which was great cause "Scruffy" is a hell of a guy and a great innovator ,but who can remember that over the bad ass come from behind Alphabet running Doug Wolfgang that stole the show that night running the nonqualifier program after a qualifying night crash, running the friday night program , Then Saturday running the D,C,B, and placing a 5th in the A it had to be one of the most exciting racing being a Wolfgang fan. I always said had he of pulled off the inevitable and won they would of torn the place to hell celebrating that night. Underdogs, Controversy, and Unpredictablility is 3 main ingrediants in a great racing season in any sport not just auto racing. I dont know how many times Ive heard from some of the top guys starting on the front row " Well they should of won" doesnt make things very exciting. In my earlier post when i talked about banning cockpit devices and cutting the wing down it just puts things on a even keel where some nights even the best teams cant hit there ass, Theres several mechanics with alot of talent let them show it again instead of rellagating them to be parts changers. Guess the setup in the pits and be happy with the adjustments why let em change it on the track? As Kinser was overheard telling Scott Gerkin a few years back after his dominance with Karl - get the damn car close thats your job- Ill do the rest thats my job. Couldnt be said any better. Just for the hell of it why dont the Outlaws try an old format just to see the result I can remember the first 1200 lb nationals at Knox. Damn it was like the racing in the old days it was full of Drama, McCarl and Droud crashing and almost fighting then dualing it out on the track in a exciting race, Droud winning, Terry going like hell with a junked out gar and goin faaast! Several drivers running out of fuel, fans in the stands fighting about who was the best, I tell ya we stayed till 3am to finally hear who won with the taped on weight issue. It was an exciting night when a bunch of us are bench racing that story rises to the top Who knows maybe nothing can or will be done to change but then again alot of us can hope?

My proposed rule for 2008 is if you are caught (in the stands) cheering when someone crashes hard, you are taken down to the track, put in a sprint car crash simulator (a bare chassis cut off at the motorplate with a seat and belts) loaded in the back of a push truck, and dumped out on the track at the speed of about 75mph.

www.Numbersusa.com  

G-dude got one better.         I asked one of our good friends Roger Rager what it was really like to crash a sprint car.   He told  he had turned enough over in his carreer  and for me to get one of my buddies to drive down a gravel road at about 90 and to get in a 55 gallon drum and have it fall out the back of the truck.   OUCH!  no i didnt try it but I agree  then again we gotta realize in the society we live in its a gladiator sport.   I dont much get to mad at seeing little kids cheer crashes cause at those ages you realize dont understand the effects of a crash,   mentally economically and physically.   You get older you start realizing its your friends out there which is scary in open wheel racing when its not if its when the big one is coming.   

here is haud testing the prototype for the wright one sprint car crash simulator.

Did an engine Explosion cause the flip? Or was it one of the rare "I just lost it, and I ain't got no excuse." things?