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

Just saw on Hoseheads main page that Brian Brown uses Ostrich Engines? Any other big names run this engine? I've never heard it before. I thought Brownie ran Wesmar?!

He's ran Ostrich for at least the last couple seasons. Lee Nelson from DesMoines is the engine builder (for many teams in K'ville for that matter).

Many Knoxville teams run Ostrich as Lee is in the pits @ Kville weekly to help them out with any issues that could / may arise.

Wasnt Lasoski running a bird at the short track nats? Lees stuff is top notch in my book,very knowlegeable, and approachable He has some overseas customers, but, a good portion of his customers would be Knox regulars I imagine, most of his clients run his stuff and put it to the test in his own backyard, Knox isnt for week engines, I believe Brown has been running his stuff for a bit now.

A buddy of mine from Sioux City ran Ostrich engines in his mods & Late Models earlier this decade. He was very pleased with the performance and the service.

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

^^ I guess I should say LAST decade, like 2000 thru 2004..

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

Lee Nelson drove ,and won the 360 nats in 1993? maybe not the largest name in engine building nationwide today , but, he is still building a nice product.

We have ran Ostrich engines for last five years, Can't beat the service or quality, Lee is very accesible

when you have a question or problems, He is a hands on engine builder, so he knows exactly what is happening!

Lee was the only motor builder in the country that would talk to me about a engine when i was over in IRAQ he is a great person to deal with and he builds one of the best engines in sprint car racing...

nick guernsey

lasoski wasnt at the short track nationals. he was outlaw racing at Lowes that weekend. Most people have good luck with ostrich engines, as long as they make it through tech inspection.

My Ostrich Engines went through at least three post race inspections with both Sprint Invaders and Knoxville. Always passed with no question. He constantly learns new things and stays up with all the latest changes - heck, he develops many of the latest changes. Does all his own machine work, has his own dyno and is the only builder I've been satisfied with - of course I haven't used anyone else since about 1994.

hmmm, i didnt say EVERY engine he builds wont pass tech. I bought an Ostrich in July 2008, won with it at Knoxville the second week I had it, and was promptly DQ'd for illegal heads. after i had specifically asked Lee Nelson if it was legal. his engines run thats for sure, but im not the only one that has had that problem.

Why dont you blame the guy you bought it from instead of Ostrich?

"The winner ain't the one with the fastest car, it's 
the one who refuses to lose."

how did i know that would come up. well when i was thinking of buying the engine, i specifically called lee nelson and asked him about the engine. asked if it was worth buying, would it run at knoxville.....AND IS THE ENGINE LEGAL? and Mr. Nelson assured me that the motor was good and would have no problem passing tech. so i took his word for it. i dont enjoy being lied to. especially when it costs me my first win at knoxville. the team that sold me the engine, compensated me after it was over. not saying they didnt have a part in it because they did, and they share the blame as well. but lee nelson told me a straight lie, he could have told me the engine wasnt close to legal and it would have saved me the embarassment of being a cheater. hope that answeres your question buddy....

We had Ostrich Engines for almost 10 years. Even after selling our 360 Sprint motors, we have a one of a kind Ostrich for our Sandrail. When we ran 410's, if it had been up to us, we would have ran Ostrich.

Lee is a good friend and his staff are great people.

how did i know that would come up. well when i was thinking of buying the engine, i specifically called lee nelson and asked him about the engine. asked if it was worth buying, would it run at knoxville.....AND IS THE ENGINE LEGAL? and Mr. Nelson assured me that the motor was good and would have no problem passing tech. so i took his word for it. i dont enjoy being lied to. especially when it costs me my first win at knoxville. the team that sold me the engine, compensated me after it was over. not saying they didnt have a part in it because they did, and they share the blame as well. but lee nelson told me a straight lie, he could have told me the engine wasnt close to legal and it would have saved me the embarassment of being a cheater. hope that answeres your question buddy....

sprintrj71

Have you ever heard of the 'chain of evidence??'

Perhaps the LAST time it left Nelson's shop it WAS legal.

If Nelson inspected the engine in front of you at time of the exchange (money for engine) and stated 'it was legal' I might find your complaint had some validity.

But then YOU could have altered it too ....and upon being caught ....blamed Nelson.

The only 360 driver I have EVER heard called 'a cheater' in our part of the stands btw is that Swenson guy (yellow X) that was caught at Knoxville and some ASCS race too and was DQ'd by both.

R.A.

S.H.S.

In referance to the Knox lagit 360, I attended the King of the 360's at East bay a few years ago, upon completion of the night I quickley drew to the tech area to see just how in debth inspection they had? upon teching a engine(specifically the heads) to my understanding (I didnt want to be a pushy jerk on the sideline) the go/ no go, gauge was a simple ruler type item placed in the intake runners, Im a bit troubled to see how effective the ruler would be to correctly measure intake port runner CC's upper and lower wall porting could be alterd with no considerable red flag (to my understanding) ,In Lees defence, I believe alot has been changed in the way teching the heads are currently inspected, am I correct?(I dont run Knox or a 360) anybody running competitively (in 360's) knows exactly what was going on a few years ago, I would only assume, the engine might have been something assembeled a few years ago, your not the only one, I get a kick out of Swenson's deal a couple years ago, It was the "Brodix tournament of Champions" lol, kinda ironic , and perhaps funney for some of us? at anyrate, Engine builders build for thier customers, thier just as competitive as the drivers and owners want them to be , regardless, your win is a win, if you had the field covered? so be it!, im pretty sure you ran the motor prior without winning correct? I think of it this way, the competitors not being teched and not in a top five, proubly have the same sh#t going on as yours, lets face it not everybody wanted to dump a set of heads(and teardown) that are virtualy unsellable since the tightning of the inspection. you still won,(70% of the fans dont know the differance) no biggy, good topic, Id proubly have a different sight fom your shoes im sure. good luck

he was the last to touch it an he vouched for that. i had the motor for 8 days on the night i was DQ'd. why would i make myself illegal on purpose knowing that if i won it wouldnt stand??? that makes no sense. next time ill call you out of the stands detective and let you go through "the chain of evidence". i have no complaint, it happened a year and a half ago and its over now. just saying, my opinion is the guy builds a good motor. but i would be careful because i wouldnt trust him.

I specifically discussed with Lee a stack issue that had been a sore topic the week prior to my visit, I believe it was on a mill that wasnt build by him and he understood the dillema (now, stacks are much easier to change mind you) he knew the trouble with the item and (I believe) warned the owner , Every engine builder can have a bad testimony , (most of us would never put our name on something abused as much as a race engine) however, My testimony is good, my mill runs great,and well worth the buisness with Lee and crew at Ostrich race Engines!

he was the last to touch it an he vouched for that. i had the motor for 8 days on the night i was DQ'd. why would i make myself illegal on purpose knowing that if i won it wouldnt stand??? that makes no sense. next time ill call you out of the stands detective and let you go through "the chain of evidence". i have no complaint, it happened a year and a half ago and its over now. just saying, my opinion is the guy builds a good motor. but i would be careful because i wouldnt trust him.

sprintrj71

Did you pick the engine up directly from Nelson or not?

Very simple question to answer ......yes or no.

It must be a 'yes' since according to you 'he was the last to touch it and he vouched for that'

Common sense would tell the average person if you weren't getting it from Nelson personally at the time, ('of last touch') it would be pretty impossible for Nelson to be the last to 'touch' it unless it floated from Nelson's loading door to your pick up.

Yes ask for our detective help anytime ........for figuring out tough equations .... like doing due dillegence ..... as you didn't.

You come on here and bad mouth Nelson that has had dozens of winners in both classes at Knoxville and other tracks and has never had a DQ that I or anyone else on here have heard of.

R.A.

S.H.S.

clint garner has lost a win because of an ostrich. he was the first one in my trailer on that night to say sorry buddy your not the only one. and im pretty sure the team i bought it from didnt pull the heads off in their shop and hog them out themselves and then re-assemble the motor. obviously i didnt mean nelson was the last person to physically touch the engine, he was the last one to be inside of the thing. he didnt put his sticker on the engine because he knew it wasnt right.