Now that Chris and I have actually been able to spend some time with the car, it needs some regular maintenance. This is something Chris and I (okay, mostly Chris) have been not really looking forward to. Chris wanted to make sure he remembered every little item on the to-do list and got everything safely put back together at the end of the day. I watched for moral support… from the living room.

The car needed an oil change, tires rotated, valves lashed and a fix for a minor transmission leak. Chris set out to take care of all of these and in keeping with the spirit of automotive maintenance, our previously competent tools conveniently broke. Chris went to jack the car up with the floor jack and it seemed to refuse to lift anything — or more accurately, anything that it lifted didn’t stay lifted. Our defiant jack sent Chris to Google to find out what problems could arise with a jack and found that this particular floor jack has a tendency to spontaneously break the valve inside and will only become more defiant with each attempt to fix. Apparently we are purchasing a new jack. However, when is this maintenance getting done? We found a neighbor with a floor jack, a snazzy one at that, and Chris was able to get all of the work done. Soon after, we got the same jack. Nothing is ever easy in this sport.

This week the graphics will be done for the car. We will give it a ginger sponge bath before the Chris dives into that project. Check back soon for pictures of the final makeover of the car! It’s going to look great.

This past week Chris came up with this great idea of heading to Woodburn, Oregon (just south of Portland) to watch the divisional race of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. This would be the series that we would be racing in the future. We thought it would be a great opportunity to check out the competition and how these divisional races work. We want to make sure we have all the bases covered before we enter our first race. And this seemed like a great step!

Sunday morning we headed out bright and early for the three-plus hour drive to Woodburn. We arrived just in time to see the first round of the alcohol classes. Woodburn is a great track (with some amazing food!) and a perfect ice-breaker for us — so to speak, it was over 95 degrees. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the cars run and paid close attention to those running in Super Comp. We soon realized that we could do it and only boosted our confidence. After the first round, we trolled the pits and observed the Super Comp operations. It was quite interesting to see.

We returned to the stands to watch the rest of the race. Sadly, in the final round of alcohol funny car Jason Rupert and Brian Hough were racing for the win and Rupert took a hard turn to the right. He crashed the car head on into the guard race about 100 yards from our seats. The body tore off and ended up on the return road while the chassis bounced around on the top end of the track. Luckily Rupert made it out of the car safely and on his own. Here is a link to a series of photos taken of the crash. It is fascinating to see the progression and to realize how luckily he was to be properly secured in the car. The most interesting part is the shot where you see a 16 second time in Rupert’s lane. The time was stopped by the safety crew crossing the finish line from the other end. It is amazing that it took less than 15 seconds for the crew to make it to Rupert after the crash. If you are someone who is interested in a more “high action” view, here is the link to a video on YouTube. However, I must post a warning that videos like this aren’t easy to watch. Although accidents like Scott Kalitta’s are absolutely heartbreaking, it’s situations like these that hit home for me. The pro classes are so far removed from the sportsman classes, that it is hard to relate. Either way, it’s only one more reason to triple check every nut, bolt and buckle before each run. Thanks to all of the safety crew who are out there day in and day out. They really make the difference.

EMDUB

Chris and I knew going into this adventure that we had a lot to learn. Super Comp is a class that we knew little about. But from everything we had researched we knew it was the right class for us to start out in. Although Chris has pretty extensive automotive knowledge, my knowledge of the topic is much more general. And by general I mean I can find the steering wheel, pedals and radio knob in most, but not all cars. With all of this in mind, Chris and I knew that we didn’t know what we were getting into, but were willing to take the leap anyway. Friday proved to be one of those days where all of our unlearned lessons came to a head.

After a 4:30am wake up call on Friday, Chris and I headed out for a test and tune at Bremerton. We were both quite eager for this outing after our test and tune at Pacific Raceways only a week and half before. We had our goals in mind and were feeling quite comfortable with the car. Bremerton Raceways is an hour and half drive with trailer, mostly because we cannot take the ferry. We made it to the track at about 8:15am and as we drove down the narrow two lane road to the track we began to realize that there were no other cars. At most test and tunes, as well as races, there is a long line up outside the track gates before they open up for the day. We pulled up to closed gates and looked at each other with confusion. Simultaneous we pulled our BlackBerry’s (otherwise known and our “CrackBerry’s” for our disgusting addiction to them) and looked up the Bremerton website. I had added these test and tunes to my calendar in February and was fairly confident that we had the right date. As a chronic double-checker, I was astounded by my lack of preparation. Chris had checked the date on the website the day before, but not the time. After some handheld electronic research, we found out that Friday test and tunes are from 4-9pm, unlike the 9-5pm on Saturdays. I must have entered the event wrong on my calendar. WHOOPS. Lesson number one for the day.

In the light of this set back, Chris and I decided that we had already put in so much time and effort that we didn’t want to head back home without racing. However, the first obstacle would be to get the 30 foot trailer out of this dead end. The solution: Emily walking behind the trailer with a walkie-talkie for a mile and a half as Chris backed the trailer up until we were able to turn around at a construction site. Now headed in the right direction (forward, that is) we set out to kill six and half hours. So, we headed to a local diner and had breakfast, again. Neither one of us very hungry, so it proved to be fruitless. But as we were leaving, a woman and her daughter asked if we were the owners of the huge trailer outside. With panic in our hearts, fearing that we had hit something or vice versa, or even worse the trailer had been stolen, we confirmed that it was our trailer. They simply wanted to take a few pictures of the car for a family member who was stationed in Iraq. He had apparently been quite a racing addict and spent most of his free time at the track in Bremerton before he was deployed. After the photo session, we locked the trailer back up and headed to a nearby (or so we thought) park to waste some more time. After a good half an hour of wandering around narrow roads along the Puget Sound, we finally find a park and walked around for a while. We finally concluded that a movie would be a great way to kill a couple of hours.

We headed back to Bremerton and found a theater that had a convenient showing of Hancock. After quite a skillful maneuver with the trailer, we managed to take up half of the parking lot. After the movie we decided to walk down a couple of blocks and try and find a bite to eat. We found a great sushi/teriyaki restaurant that might have been the highlight of our trip to Bremerton. Finally, it was approaching a reasonable time to head to the track and hop in line. The gates opened promptly at 3pm and we headed inside. Bremerton, unlike many other tracks, does their technical inspection as you enter the track. This is fine for all of the street cars, but it is a royal pain in the behind for anyone that runs a non-street-legal car. We have about 30 seconds to fill out the tech card from the cashier station to the tech station. We then have to open up the trailer and escort the inspector through a crowded and fully loaded trailer as he attempts to look at all of the SFI dates. We have finally gotten a hang of it and have everything prepared ahead of time to speed up the process. However, not everyone is as clever as the Williams clan and tend to clog up the tech lanes. We finally find a place to pit and set out to get ready to race.

One of the largest problems I have encountered so far has been getting strapped in to the car in a timely manner. We usually head to the staging lanes and wait until a lane or two ahead of us runs to get strapped in. But lately, we have been at test and tunes where all of the car with slicks require no restraints. Therefore, I am the only person that takes five minutes to strap in and end up holding up the cars, not to mention stressing myself out beyond belief. So, on Friday we decided that there were few enough people at the track that we could strap in at the pit and be fine. Thank goodness we did because the starter seemed to take a liking to us and held all other cars the moment we hopped in the staging lanes. We were able to get a total of six runs in on Friday night and never waited more than four or five minutes in the staging lanes. This was quite a pleasant surprise considering the unwelcome treatment we received from the starters at Pacific Raceways.

Now, a little number talk for those of you who pay attention to those all important stats. Our first run was a solid run and marked our first run under our index (8.90). We had yet to be able to break the barrier and we finally managed to do it! In fact, all six runs that we ran on Friday were under 8.90. Try as we might, we couldn’t get over our index. Run one and two were in the middle 8.80’s and great passes.

Our third run was a doosey. Everything was fine until I left the line and the car launched harder than I have ever felt it leave before. Then instead of shifting at mid-track, it hit the rev. limiter and stuck in first gear all the way down the track. The car ran a 130mph quarter mile, but to me it felt like a stroll in the park. I should have reached down and put it in second gear, but I was so nervous that I had broken the car that I didn’t take the time to diagnose the problem. Chris and I had a quick conversation on our handy-dandy radio and concluded that some person (who will remain unnamed) forgot to turn on the CO2 bottle. Therefore the car did not set the throttle stop, which lowers my RPM shortly off the starting line from 5400 to 4800. Then at mid-track (at a time in which we have set on the car) the car shifts to second and picks up speed and RPM. Interestingly enough, none of this happens without the CO2. Another important lesson learned.

After the fourth run we started to few drops of oil on the rear end of the car and our pit area. Chris and I both panicked, knowing that the car has a mandatory diaper that holds twice the amount of oil in the car (and therefore could not overflow). Where could the oil be coming from and would Chris and I be able to diagnose and fix the problem? We went through all of the pieces of the car and realized that we hadn’t emptied the puke tank in ages. This tank is designed to catch anything that comes out of the engine (i.e. water, oil, shrapnel from engine damage). Sure enough, we opened it up and it was full. After draining it, the problem was fixed! Whew, tragedy averted and lesson learned!

Runs five and six were just about as good as we could have asked for. We were using our calculations and plotting our next run with ease. In fact, our final run was a 8.899, just one thousandth off of our index. What more could you ask for??

This was by far the most successful experience we have had in car since we purchased it. Everything went so smoothly (once we were at the track) and more importantly, we knew what we were doing. We were able to use the equations that Jack and Jenna had offered us and actually calculate what our set up needed to be. We adjusted to the track and the weather and were able to see how far a change in the throttle stop or the dead stall could take us in terms of ET on the track. It was such a great learning experience and gave us the confidence to really be able to be competitive in this class. On Friday we set a goal to enter our first race before the end of the year. Chris and I are both dead set on not entering a race until we feel comfortable and confident in the class. We don’t want to make fools out of ourselves at a race, but mostly we want to put in the hard work before we throw ourselves into a competition setting. Winning is not a priority for us, but being competitive and knowledgeable in Super Comp is. I’ll be sure to keep you all up to date on when we enter our first race.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Many of you have requested a schedule for our summer racing. I’ve gathered some dates from various Test and Tunes that we will be attending. Here is our schedule:

Friday, July 25th – Pacific Raceways from 5-10pm
Wednesday, July 30th – Pacific Raceways from 5-10pm
Friday, August 1st – Pacific Raceways from 5-10pm
Wednesday, August 6th – Pacific Raceways from 5-10pm
Saturday, August 9th – Bremerton Raceways from 9am-5pm

These are all Test and Tunes that we plan on attending, but obviously schedule conflicts come up. Therefore contact Chris or me if you are interested in attending to make sure we will be there. Remember that both of these tracks charge admission for attendance. It is usually about $10 for an adult.

Thanks again for your support!

EMDUB

Being rusty is bad news in the world of drag racing. Rust is dangerous for the car, trailer, tools and all other metal parts. However, a rusty mind is just as hazardous. It’s been three months since Chris and I ran the dragster and the comfort of routine was not present to calm us. We knew we needed to get back to the track; both to help us get comfortable racing again and to scratch that racing itch that bugs the both of us constantly. So, we decided to hit the track at Pacific Raceways for one of their Wednesday night Grudge Matches.

On Wednesday, Chris and I loaded up the trailer and headed out to Pacific Raceways. We both had a nervous knot in our stomachs. Racing at a new track is always scary. Pitting can be difficult if you don’t know where you are supposed to go, especially with a 30 foot trailer. Luckily Chris is quite talented at maneuvering the heavy load. The next item on our list was to check out the track. We found the Tech point, staging lanes, starting line, finish line, both turn offs and the return road. This is something that Jack Beckman was insistent on, both during the class and during my time with him at Bremerton. Jack walks the track at any and all races; as should ever racer, no matter how fast or what class they are running.

With the recent loss of Scott Kalitta, there has been a huge surge of racers inspecting the track on their own before they race. I find it beyond ridiculous that it takes such a tragic accident to convince racers that it’s their responsibility to make sure they know the track backwards and forwards before hitting the starting line. In an article on CompetitionPlus.com Tony Pedregon was interviewed about his confidence in NHRA tracks and their shut down areas. Competition Plus reported, “Defending Funny Car world champion Tony Pedregon told U.S.A. Today that he’s personally taking a walk through the shutdown area prior to this weekend’s NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio before he makes a lap down the strip in qualifying. The champion said he didn’t realize such a chore was his responsibility.” That last sentence infuriated me more than anything I’ve ever read on drag racing safety. And trust me, it’s a common topic on the many racing blogs and websites. I am astonished that someone as educated, experienced and proactive in the safety of the sport of drag racing (not to mention, someone who has been in some of the most terrifying accidents in the sport) would allow himself to be quoted in saying that checking track conditions for safety is a chore and should not be his responsibility. Most drivers pack their own chutes, mix their own fuel, and check their own safety gear and harnesses for the specific reason of being in control of their own destiny on the track (as much as they can). Therefore, why would the track set up/conditions be any different? This is such a horrible model to set for the up and coming racers who dearly look up to those racing veterans, such as Tony Pedregon. Although no one can deny that it is NHRA’s responsibility to provide safe tracks, such an important undertaking should be double checked by every driver.

With this in the forefront of our minds, Chris and I made sure to drive the track and return road on our four wheeler. We even found a safety worker who took me for a personal tour of the track, pointing out the grease, kitty litter and fire extinguishers at each turn off. It is comforting to know that these men and women dedicate so much of their time to the safety of the racers. We thanked them over and over for what they do, knowing full well that they aren’t thanked often enough. We then went back to our trailer to unload our car and supplies to get ready to race!

Our first pass was a little rushed and therefore my reaction time was not up to par. However, as far as first passes go, we made a good run. We did a 8.95 at 166 mph. The track was not quite as good as we had hoped and the car got out of the groove a little down track. The weather was unbearable at 5:30pm, with a temperature of almost 90 degrees and close to 60% humidity. The car could hardly cool down in the staging lanes from the drive from the pits. By the time I was ready to run, the car was already hotter than it was supposed to be. All of which contributed to a less than perfect run.

Our second run was postponed until a couple of hours later due to the array of street legal cars running, most of which had little or no knowledge about their car. Many oil downs, broken transmissions and clutches, and one scary crash into a side barrier later, we made our second pass. Now, this pass was not our proudest moment. I got my worst reaction time ever (a number that should be seen only in my log book) and a 9.03 at 162 mph. My dad received some unwelcome criticism from the starting line crew on my driving skills. After looking at the data, we found that the track simply wasn’t holding our car. We chalked it up to the fact that there were a number of delays and a large accident right in front of us, all of which affect the track. I was most frustrated by my reaction times and decided to figure out what was going on in my head. I sat down for a practice session with my travel tree. I realized that I been thrown off by full tree (where the three amber lights flash individually) that they run at these test session. In Super Comp they typically run a pro tree (where all three amber lights flash at once) and therefore, that is what I had been practicing. So, I spent 10 or 15 minutes practicing my reaction times with a full tree, while my dad reviewed the data in hopes of improving the run from that end.

Our third and final pass was significantly better than the previous two. My practice paid off and my reaction time was a solid .094. Nothing to brag about, but light-years better than my other two times. We ran a 8.94 at 165 mph. Although the track still wasn’t completely solid, we had all of the factors on our end in place and the result was a pretty good run. We knew that this was not going to be our best test and tune, especially with the lack of practice in the past three months. However, we accomplished what we needed to do, to get out there and race! On the way home, Chris and I turned to each other and simultaneous said, “I loved that!” We both have such a passion for this sport and it’s amazing to be able to do this together.

But before I wrap up this blog, I must tell you about our adventure with the trailer battery at the track. After our last run, at about 9:15pm, we decided to pack up and head out. As we are packing up, we notice a lightening and thunder storm heading our way. We picked up the pace slightly and then quickly realized that they had shut down all racing and were sending people home. We managed to get everything packed up and tied down before the rain hit. The only task left to do was lower the trailer back on the hitch, attach it all and head out of town. Except the trailer wouldn’t lower, in fact the entire trailer battery was dead. By this point it was pouring rain and we were soaking wet without a clue in the world on what to do. Chris’ quick thinking concluded that we could attach the dragster charger to the trailer battery (and by attach I mean Chris holding them in place) while I attempted to lower the electric trailer onto the hitch. After a long endeavor we managed to get it lowered and attached to the truck. I can’t tell you how pleased we were to be on our way home and out of that storm. In the morning we came to find out just how dangerous that storm had been, as it was all over the news. Chris did a little diagnosing on Thursday and found out that it was actually a fuse in the truck that blew and therefore wasn’t charging the trailer battery. Luckily the truck can be taken to GMC to have that fixed, whereas if the problem was in the trailer, it would be up to Chris to fix that wiring. Hopefully this was all be straightened out by the time we head to Bremerton next Friday.

Check back for an update from Bremerton!