NHRA Racing

[Bense468]

There was some good racing out there today. Very close to a few records being broke. The weather is bitchen for them. Hopefully it does not rain for tomorrow.

[Sandbar Junkies]

WAS COLD AS HELL LAST NIGHT BUT THERE WAS SOME GOOD RUNS.

[Bense468]

Thats when they run the best. Warm motor cool air= max hp

[Craig]

4.52 for Millican eek!

[shreddz]

I got burned by the 7 pm curfew! Last round of alcohol dragster qualifying started at 6:30 pm (late because of all the Top Fuel oil downs). They ran a couple of pairs of TADS, then some guy goes and crashes... They cancelled the rest of the session. I was strapped in and ready to go! I just KNOW that I was gonna pick up a tenth in the cool evening air. Oh well, I ended up qualified 8th with a 5.47, 259 mph.
TAD final order (http://nhra.com/2003/events/race01/results/friday_tad.html?#frqualifying3order)
If you are at the races saturday or sunday, stop by our pit and say hi!
-chris
Peen Rite Top Alcohol Dragster

[Sleek-Jet]

Chris congrats on making the cut.
To bad they don't have the Alchol cars on TV.
Kick ass in the eliminations. devil

[Craig]

Congrats Chris, I'll be watching the round results for you this weekend :)
As a side note are you Alcohol guys required to run a certain amount of divisional meets to be able to run the Nationals, like the other classes?
[ February 08, 2003, 06:07 AM: Message edited by: Craig ]

[shreddz]

Craig,
Yes, Alcohol teams are required to earn grade points by running divisional races just like the rest of the sportsman classes. A driver earns 1 grade point for each division race attended. Grade points accumulate over the course of a year. To enter a national event, you must have at least 1 grade point, and sometimes 2.
Sleek-Jet, the Alcohol classes will be televised, just not this weekend. Look for it Feb 15th, 7pm PST on ESPN2.
-chris

[RP]

Chris,
Are you running today? Your sitting in a good spot... far from bump spot... nice job! Good luck and see ya ou there.

[Craig]

Thanks Chris! You guys going to come over here for the Phoenix race week after next?
The Lucas A/FD is cranking! Those guys seem to have a tough time going four rounds without dropping a cylinder or two though :(
Anyone see that Bob Glidden is filling Crew Chief duties this weekend for Msark Pawuk? Like to see Bob on the recieving end of some current success. Billy Gliddens kicking butt in the street car series at least.
OK, wild guess here, come Sunday it'll be Dixon, Bazemore and Alderman on the podium :D
[ February 08, 2003, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: Craig ]

[XClutchboy725]

You Alcohol guys take too long to stage your car! :D :D
Alcohol is for drinkin' Gasoline is for cleanin' parts......Nitro is for racin'!!
J/K.........congrats on making the cut!

[Craig]

Hey Jeff, who did you used to spin wrenches for in the T/F ranks?

[shreddz]

Ouch! I got my nuts handed to me in a sack! I got beat in the 1st round, 5.45 to 5.50 :mad: cry . Oh well, there's always gonna be another race. Lucas is probably gonna take the trophy. Craig, I won't be at the National in Phoenix in two weeks because the alcohol cars don't race at that event. BUT, I will be there the weekend after that at the division 7 race.
Xclutchboy, yes alcohol is for drinking, and I think that I am gonna go have some right now :D !!!!
-chris

[Sleek-Jet]

To bad chis, better luck next time.
Are you going to be in Vegas for the Summit.com Nats in April?

[Craig]

Well, at least it was a pretty good run, even though that's of little consolation :( I forgot they stopped running you guys at Firebird last year. That sucks, that's always been one of my favorite classes. You don't have to have a 2 miilion dollar a year sponsorship to run but I guess it'd help :D I realy liked it when the rules encouraged some of the odd ball combos, twin engine nitrous, small block Chevy etc. I remember sitting at Pomona watching the Jordan Brothers win TA/FC in a Ford powered flopper 10 years ago! OK, so he won it on a "First or Worst" scenerio with Brad Anderson :)
Craig
[ February 09, 2003, 06:46 AM: Message edited by: Craig ]

[XClutchboy725]

Craig:
Hey Jeff, who did you used to spin wrenches for in the T/F ranks? I did the clutch for Bobby Baldwin. Scott Graham is a very good friend of mine. he was Bobby's crew chief. Now he is Melanie Troxels crew chief.

[Craig]

Cool, that seems like it would be a blast. Of course I've seen those freakin' clutch plates come out after a run. I don't know which would be worse, the clutch guy on the bottom end man!
Do you have any idea what kind of money the average team guy, not the Crew Chief, makes on a well financed fuel team?
How about Kalitta, 4.48 @ 332 mph eek!
[ February 09, 2003, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: Craig ]

[Bense468]

How about Kalitta, 4.48 @ 332 mphYeah that was a nice pass. Kind of un-expected. The races were nice again today.

[Craig]

What a bummer though to go out to the number 16 qualifyer :( Dixon looked good. Always wondered how much effect the "downhill" slope of Pomona really had? Two weeks and then it's the smell of Nitro!!!! :D

[ACCEPTENCE]

Craig:
Cool, that seems like it would be a blast. Of course I've seen those freakin' clutch plates come out after a run. I don't know which would be worse, the clutch guy on the bottom end man!
Do you have any idea what kind of money the average team guy, not the Crew Chief, makes on a well financed fuel team?
How about Kalitta, 4.48 @ 332 mph eek! I tell ya that oil comin out is freakin hot and the main caps are smokin, not to mention the clutch dudes dust in your face while on your back. Oh and should I mention top end guys left and right steppin all over ya.
Worse crew job?????...bottom end man!!!

[Blown 472]

shreddz:
Ouch! I got my nuts handed to me in a sack! I got beat in the 1st round, 5.45 to 5.50 :mad: cry . Oh well, there's always gonna be another race. Lucas is probably gonna take the trophy. Craig, I won't be at the National in Phoenix in two weeks because the alcohol cars don't race at that event. BUT, I will be there the weekend after that at the division 7 race.
Xclutchboy, yes alcohol is for drinking, and I think that I am gonna go have some right now :D !!!!
-chris Question for you, why do the alky cars leave with the motor rung out and the fuel cars leave at an idle??

[BILLY.B]

shreddz:
Ouch! I got my nuts handed to me in a sack! I got beat in the 1st round, 5.45 to 5.50 :mad: cry . Oh well, there's always gonna be another race. Lucas is probably gonna take the trophy. Craig, I won't be at the National in Phoenix in two weeks because the alcohol cars don't race at that event. BUT, I will be there the weekend after that at the division 7 race.
Xclutchboy, yes alcohol is for drinking, and I think that I am gonna go have some right now :D !!!!
-chris And with that "NEW" lite weight paint job no less!!! :D At least I don't have to repairs yours like I do GASPARRELLI'S. cry All and all it looked like the car ran good eek! ,so good luck at the divisional. I heard Morgan Lucas got beat in the final, close race though. Oh well there 's always next time :rolleyes: . Take care Chris.. Billy-B :D

[Craig]

[/qb][/QUOTE]Question for you, why do the alky cars leave with the motor rung out and the fuel cars leave at an idle?? [/QB][/QUOTE]
Someone correct me here if I'm wrong :D
Alky cars run a convetional style clutch and the fuelers run a centrifugal clutch.

[Blown 472]

They all run clutch discs with floaters.
[ February 10, 2003, 06:27 AM: Message edited by: Blown 472 ]

[shreddz]

Billy B.,
The paint job is AWESOME! Everyone commented on how nice it looks. And the new pipe (chassis) is working great. I ran some some of the best 60ft times of the weekend in TAD (0.913-0.914). But as everyone knows, a drag race is more than 60 feet!!! We have a good idea of what needs to change in the tuneup to get the car to run hard to the finishline.
Craig and Blown,
Both blown alcohol and injected nitro dragsters use clutches that have floaters and discs. The injected nitro cars use a purely centrifugal clutch where the faster the clutch spins, the more clamping force is applied. Alcohol cars use a clutch that is a combination of centrifugal and spring pressure. The clutch has a base load provided by the springs and counter weights that add clamping force as the clutch spins faster. The clamping force of both of theses clutches is controlled by adding or removing weight from the clutch fingers.
Why do the alcohol cars leave the starting line with the motors revved up? As best as I can figure an alcohol motor just doesn't make much torque until around 7000 rpm. So if you leave the starting line at 5000, the motor get's into it's powerband that much quicker. Nitro motors (injected or blown) don't have a problem making power at any rpm :D so they leave the starting line at ~2500 rpm.
I usually stage between 4500-5500 rpm depending on track conditions. At Pomona I was staging at 6000 rpm.
-chris

[Tinkerer]

Isn't it also to keep heat in the engine on alcohol cars.

[=PAYED CA$H=]

THUMBS DOWN FOR MORGAN LUCAS.........ITS ALL ABOUT TONY BARTONE TAKEN HIM OUT IN THE FINAL. HE BETTER GET COMFORTABLE WITH THAT HAPPENING IF TONY'S RUNNING. BAD BOYS FROM NEW YORK 1 FOR 1 AND COUNTING. :D eek! :D eek!

[=PAYED CA$H=]

Sunday
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Results for Final Round
POMONA, Calif. - SUMMIT FastNews - Results of final, round 4 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 43rd annual K&N Filters Winternationals:
W/L Driver RT ET Speed
(W) Tony Bartone (Roger Dean Racing A/FD) 0.039 5.262 266.74
(L) Morgan Lucas (Lucas Oil A/FD) 0.016 5.292 273.05
Just a quick note about Bartone. He became the first driver in history to hold the national ET records in both Alcohol Dragster and Alcohol Funny Car. Never been done before today. Amazing again. Bartone takes the win in the quickest side by side Alcohol Dragster in history and man was it close. Tony Bartone's MOV: 0.0078 seconds (approximately 3 feet). Lucas took the lead at the start and held it until about 1000 feet into the run. Bartone accomplished this with at least one hole out.
:D :D :D