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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2489076
04/28/18 02:37 PM
04/28/18 02:37 PM
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Even though Rachael and I arrived well after cars had started running down the track, the rest of our group didn't roll in until about an hour later. The Tuesday night drive had been fairly easy, and the decision to sleep in was a good one. Across the board, our entire entourage looked better than they had since Friday morning before we started packing to leave. We helped get the cars situated, then pushed Boone's trailer around to a position next to our pile of belongings on the uneven grass covered low spot just behind the lanes.
"This place is awesome!" Dale could hardly contain his smile.
"Yeah! I can't decide if it's the people, the facility, the weather, or just the fact that we all got some quality rest, but it just feels right!"
"So...we're just going to enjoy it, soak it all in, prep our cars, and plan on a 1:00pm hit in the all run third session?" Boone asked with a toothy grin.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement.
"I think I'm going to change the oil and run the valves on the Gremlin", Dale nodded.
"Rachael has to set the timing, and I'll probably put in a fresh bottle, just because, other than that the Valiant should be ready."
Everyone returned to working on their own cars, and after Rachael put the small block on 31 degrees, she grabbed Boone's camera out of the Duster and put it around her neck.
"I'm going to go shoot some more people and cars", she declared.
"By all means", I agreed, "I doubt you've made a dent in that memory card yet!"

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"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2489583
04/29/18 05:27 PM
04/29/18 05:27 PM
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The Wednesday track portion at Drag Week, going back to my Marathon analogy, is like hitting the half-marathon timers, and taking a second to look around and gauge how you are doing. Two of the four drives are behind you, and a solid pass that is close to the average you established on the first two days is what you are looking for. Most marathoners, unless they had something go terribly wrong in the first half, don't think, "I'm going to run the second half quicker". Likewise for Drag Weekers, usually they are pretty tentative on Wednesday and Thursday, just looking to maintain what they've already done. In a Marathon, the people you pass in the second half are usually slowing down or struggling, not because you sped up. The same is true on Drag Week, if you are moving up in your class on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, it's typically because your opponent is struggling, not because you suddenly found a huge increase in performance.

The next pair featured what was likely the heaviest Wedge powered Mopar alongside the lightest Hemi powered entry. Radar had the best seat on the property behind the wheel of his Fury to watch Jarrad Scott crush the wheelie bars on the blown Hemi powered, G-force shifted 62 Ranchero Gasser. It was on the bars so hard that the little beast pivoted in the air and came down pointed toward the wall. He was able to correct it and stay with the pass, but only due to the near four wide tarmac that Byron Dragway is famous for.

After the disappointment of accepting a 10.02 at Gateway, Frank Perkins and his Valiant were back to their nine second ways with an excellent, well hooked 9.94-134.7.

Drag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway28.JPGDrag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway29.JPG313-Byron-Wednesday-Drag-Week-2017-1.jpg21731386_10155785701837112_2582489884909475996_o.jpg

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2490778
05/02/18 07:43 AM
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Terry Keifer's 67 fastback fish rolled off the line soft, then kicked out a little fuel soot as the boost hit and really started to move just after the 60 foot clocks. The front shocks were extended all the way to the stripe as the twin turbo big block A-body made the best pass ever in three Drag Weeks, 10.42-133.5. Terry and his crew wasted very little time hooking up the trailer and heading for Wisconsin, as we watched them drive out the gate before we had even put a car in the lanes!

Matt Blasco and the Dirty Drag Week Dart, also on their third drag week attempt, were heading in the other direction ET wise. After leaving the first two tracks with time slips in the 7.7-185 range, the 8.17-171 at Byron didn't seem all that encouraging. While he would maintain third place comfortably in Pro Street Power Adder, it was definitely not the Swinger's best day at the track.

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"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2491305
05/03/18 07:23 AM
05/03/18 07:23 AM
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The two baddest small tire, stock suspension, street driven, normally aspirated Mopars on the planet struggled to get the grip they needed at the Indiana facility. Monday's 9.30s couldn't be found, despite both cars running nearly the same mph they had earlier in the week. The 9.57-141 was especially harmful to Paul Cornman and his Demon's chances in Street Race Small Block NA. They had started the day with just a few thousandths in hand against Jason Tabscott's high flying 70 Camaro, and despite multiple attempts, would leave for Great Lakes seventeen hundredths down.

Randi Heinselman's Hemi powered E-body gave up a tenth to the sun soaked Byron launch pad, eventually accepting a 9.42-143 for his efforts on Wednesday. 2017's event had to be bittersweet for Randy and Connie, as they finally had enough power on tap to outrun Vince Rasch's 69 Pontiac Firebird for the first time in four years, but Curt Johnson's 582 Chevy powered fox body was rewriting all the marks for Super Street Big Block NA.

Drag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway151.JPGIMG_0639.JPGDrag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway41.JPG24-Byron-Wednesday-Drag-Week-2017.jpg

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2491571
05/03/18 04:19 PM
05/03/18 04:19 PM
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Stopped by, first time in awhile, and am looking forward to catching up on this thread later. Thanks for putting all the time into it!


Rich H.

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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2506485
06/10/18 06:21 AM
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We were enjoying our Wednesday at this legendary little track, and the same could be said for the Mopar crew from Alberta. Both Ross and his buddy Ron made multiple passes while at Byron, and they were determined to make sure one of those were side by side. Much like Dale and I at Gateway, it took some effort in the lanes, but it looked as though they had it worked out until a car right ahead of them stalled and was pushed out of the way. Not to be denied, Ross gave them the "I'm just an old guy from Canada" routine, acting like he couldn't figure out to back the Road Runner into the burnout box until they lost patience and sent the guy he was paired with on a single and brought Ron's black 69 Dart alongside! Now, I'm not saying that's exactly how it went down, but that's how it appeared from my vantage point. The end result was that the big block powered B-body put a whippin' on the clean little small block Dart.

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"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2506633
06/10/18 03:33 PM
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Squirrel brought his A/FX Chevy II to the line late in session one, and the blown 427 seemed to be down a bit on power, yielding a 10.35 at only 124 that was a tenth and 5 mph off his efforts of the first two days. Jay Grabiak's 55 ran a 10.23-129 two cars behind him to up the stakes.
The 62 is only legal to 10.0, so Jim and Dan couldn't do anything about the pair of high eight second machines leading the A Gas class, but they needed to find a way to hold Jay off if they wanted to maintain a podium finish. When Jim won the class in both '15 and '16, Jay and the 55 had finished second and third respectively and Jim was only holding a 6 hundredths lead over the first two days, so it was clear that the Sierra Vista boys were going to have to wrench on the vintage Mark IV to find some power and return for the all-run session.

Clark Rosenstengal and his 2010 Camaro seemed to lead a charmed life at DW16, taking the SSSBPA win despite losing a head on his Steve Morris built twin turbo LSX, and recording a 7.99 five day average. 2017 was proving to be a monumentally tougher task however, as the class had exploded from twelve machines to twenty-seven! Quality in the class had also taken a huge jump, with thirteen of those competitors running in the sevens or eights.
Steve Morris had been riding with Tom Bailey in Sick Seconds 2.0, but had switched to Clark's co-pilot when Tom lost the engine at Gateway. He was backing Clark up from his burnout when the track officials ran out with mops to clean a few spots. Clark shut the Camaro off a few inches from the stage beam and waited for the clean up process to end. Every racer has an internal clock in situations like that where you begin to contemplate backing up for another burnout, but when the starter gave the all clear sign Steve and Clark decided to just put it in the beams and go. The decision bit them as the drag radials never really grabbed the tarmac, and after a few soft pedals, Clark just cruised to a 9.44-129. As he hit the stripe, Lohnes put out the call for Street Machine Eliminator to come to the lanes.

When Dave Schroeder finished his burnout a few cars later, he upped the ante on Clark for celebrity help with backing up and staging the car as Jeff Lutz stepped in front of the blue Corvette at the sixty foot mark. It was a task often performed over the years by Monte Smith, as co-driver and cousin John Ens prefers to watch from the back. Dave was lucky to have someone with as much experience as Jeff, because he was quick to give Dave the cutoff sign when he noticed something wrong just as the nitrous assisted monster was backing across the beams. There was a small amount of liquid on the windshield and some spots on the track, and usually at most races this would mean a push back to the pits, but Lutz and Enz were frantically working to save the attempt, Lohnes and Freiburger had everyone hyped up in the stands and on the live feed, and the starter and crew were willing participants to help out. Lutz grabbed a roll of paper towels and dabbed at the top of the engine while the track workers took a torch to the starting line. Someone handed Lutz a wrench and he appeared to tighten a fitting and give the all good sign at nearly the same time the starter decided the track was also fine. The entire process from cutoff to restart and stage took just over two minutes, and like Clark, Dave put the 66 in the beams without another burnout. Unlike Clark's Camaro, the Vette features monstrous slicks out back, so even though it bucked around a bit and made a hard move towards the wall, Schroeder was able to corral the 872 inch beast and salvage a nice 7.04-199. Granted, an all six second week was undoubtedly a goal, but finishing and winning was everything for the Canadian duo, and given all the problems that have prevented them from making it to Friday in previous drag weeks, they were going to take that run and load up for Wisconsin with a healthy car and a healthy lead.

Drag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway173.JPGrosieandmorris.jpgjeffdavejohn.jpg

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2506667
06/10/18 04:27 PM
06/10/18 04:27 PM
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Very cool stories Billy, really appreciate the time you put into this.


1970 Challenger, all aluminum 528 Hemi, HDK suspension, Tremec 5 speed manual
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: ProSport] #2506731
06/10/18 06:35 PM
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: JERICOGTX] #2521724
07/14/18 07:17 AM
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2521974
07/14/18 11:49 PM
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Hey Jeff! Has it really been a month? Longer? Wow.

The Street Machine session was twenty minutes in, and as Dale buttoned up the Gremlin, Boone roped him into assisting on the Ruster. Boone's investment of a rebuild and a roller cam into the 440 Source low deck 512 was not paying the benefits he had expected, and he was laying the blame directly at Dale's feet.
"Dave thinks the popping at the top end is lack of ignition, not fuel, so I want to swap from the 6AL and blaster 2 to the 7AL2 and HVC coil", Boone explained.
"Dave is an idiot who should be paying more attention to the Valiant, and less on giving advice", Dale retorted with a smile as I was within easy earshot.
"I also want to throw more jet at the carb, and the nitrous system", Boone persisted.
"So we are really doing this?" "Right now, less than an hour away from the final session?" You've ran 137 the last two days, that's within a mph of the Valiant, and two mph faster than last year!" Dale let out a slow whistle and shook his head with his hands on his hips, "I just can't make you happy!"
"I've got a SR headed, roller cammed 512 and I'm supposed to be happy about running slower than a conventional headed small block?" Boone tossed his hand up, and raised his voice, "I should be blowing that Road Toad in the weeds!"
"HEY", I spun around and pointed my right index finger at him.
He laughed, then quickly added, "It was a term of endearment!"

Since we were already into the SME session, we figured Derik would be the first from our entourage to get a run, but Rick's impatience got the better of him, and somehow he managed to sneak his 71 Swinger through the lanes to lay down an 11.42-115.78 which was his best pass of the week so far. Derik went 14.73-95 in the GMC a few pairs later and both guys were satisfied with those time slips, so we had two down, and four to go.

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"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2521977
07/15/18 12:11 AM
07/15/18 12:11 AM
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Nice of you to post an update, waiting for the coffee table book to be published!


A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2521980
07/15/18 12:28 AM
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"This is the car that I really, really, really, really like because I've always wondered why more people don't do it! This is the Plymouth now known as 'Primal Scream', and what is it? It's a bracket car! This is a bracket car being driven by Kimberly. These guys just bought this Mopar, swapped the gear ratio, and brought it out to Drag Week! It's a stripped out bracket car, tin interior and everything, it's got a big block in it, and it's just the coolest thing in the world! I've always wondered why more bracket racers don't literally just hook up the directionals, headlights and taillights, throw mufflers on, pull out some gear and show up for Hot Rod Drag Week...well these guys did exactly that! This car was painted twenty-five years ago and still looks that good! Freiburger has no idea why I love this thing so much, but I love it because it's the most grass roots way you can show up and compete in this with a car that's relatively fast! Kimberly goes 10.31-129!"

That was the call as Jim and Kim's 72 Satellite made their first run at Byron. Brian Lohnes was alone in the announcer's booth for a time and just couldn't resist bragging on the beautiful red B-body!

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"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522045
07/15/18 09:20 AM
07/15/18 09:20 AM
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Jim and Kim's Plymouth wasn't the only B-body in SME, it wasn't even the only 72 Satellite! Steve Moberley's beige four door had completely escaped my notice until he lined up directly behind "Primal Scream" at Byron, and while the forty-five year old machine had survived a life of utilitarian work as either a taxi or squad car (had to be one or the other, right?), unfortunately the high twelve second beast didn't finish Drag Week 2017, bowing out on Thursday after a posting a best of 12.72-104.

Clark Strong's 69 bird continued to hold down a spot around 20th in the SME Quick 32 with a solid 10.77-125 at Byron.

Drag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway143.JPG21741249_10155786410307112_137359899329184745_o.jpgStrong Byron.jpg

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522090
07/15/18 12:23 PM
07/15/18 12:23 PM
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I kept waiting for updates. Think the 4 door 72 was basically stock 318 with spray if I remember correct. I sure don't have your memory!

Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522303
07/15/18 10:04 PM
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I was ready when the call went out for the final all-run session, but it was still hectic attempting to reach the lanes. The small grassy area we were pitted in was directly behind, and lower than staging, but featured only one small road as it's entry and exit. It was as steep as it was narrow, with a rapid incline, so management had placed a volunteer at the opening to direct traffic, and he was pulling cars from both our lot and the regular pits in an alternating fashion, six to eight at a time, to fill the lanes.
Walt Herr's eight second 69 Camaro was pitted next to the entrance, and the line formed so quickly that he was trapped in his pit spot. When they cut off our line from advancing I left him a hole, so his trunk monkey gave me a thumbs up and motioned for Walt to pull out. Then I heard that sickening sound gm starters make when they are about to toss parts on the ground or rip teeth off the ring gear. One attempt and he let off, the second attempt was no better. His crewman tossed his hands in the air, and motioned me on as our line was moving once again, but I refused, knowing that they couldn't push it up the hill, and if I went on he might have to wait for fifty more cars. On the third attempt, Walt laid on the starter mercilessly, and after hacking and banging through 5 or 10 revolutions the big block finally came to life. He gave me a big smile and a wave out the window as he jumped into the line and I followed him into the lanes.
Once staged, he walked back to the Valiant and greeted me with his fingers crossed. "If it'll just start one more time and I get a good pass, then I will change it out", he shook his head. "We picked up a new one last night, but we were so worn out, we put it off until today!"
"I know how it works", I smiled, "it seems like there is never enough time to get everything done, and the schedule gets tweaked as we go along!"

The Byron track is very unique, and like most of the competitors on Drag Week I'm guessing, it was my first real look at it as I watched a few sets before buckling in. From the stands you don't realize how wide the racing surface actually is, despite Lohnes' history lesson about four wide racing at this facility in it's infancy. Approaching it for the first time, you understand why it makes for such a great venue for the crazy World Power Wheel Standing Championships year after year! The shutdown and return area kicks uphill which is not entirely unique, but the first turn comes up pretty quick and it's the only one, if you need to use the rest of the asphalt shutdown you are required to drive past the single left hand turn and do a u-turn before the sand trap. The already wide racing surface feels even more expansive in the shutdown as the right side wall disappears, and is replaced by a manicured grassy area. The effect of this is that drivers feel compelled to treat the singular left side exit more as a big sweeper on a road course than the exit off a drag strip. Most national event style NHRA facilities have walls that actually kick up higher after the finish line, with narrow exits that force you to turn at nearly a crawl. In that context, it's quite easy to remember the drag strip etiquette that has been pounded into our heads over and over by NHRA officials for thirty years: The car in the lane nearest to the exit has the right-of-way, always. The car in the far lane must wait to exit second or have clear visual confirmation that they have room to exit safely before turning. The crux of this rule is to prevent the car in the far lane attempting to take the first exit and turning in front of the driver in the near lane who may be heading for the second exit, or possibly even the sand trap!

With the luxury of hindsight, and sitting here at my PC watching the replay of the live feed, I realize that wasn't happening at all during Hot Rod Drag Week's 2017 visit to Byron Dragway! The sweeper was just too inviting, and many Drag Week competitors are street car guys without much racing experience, so I have watched set after set where the guy in the right lane crowded over towards the grass on the right then swung left at twenty, thirty, some times forty mph using the generous curve to take the best line, often ahead of the near lane car. That's all fine and dandy if it was indeed a road course curve and the car on the inside is expected to brake harder to maintain his line, but what was happening was that the car in the left lane was being denied the option to drive past the turn, and this led to quite the experience on my first pass as well as a competitor who spun out, nearly repeating the carnage that befell the Schroeder-Ens Team a year earlier.

As luck would have it, I was paired with Walt and his Camaro. I navigated around the burnout barrier and a track worker directed me back into the water. The burnout felt decent, and I was comfortable as I eased the Valiant into the first stage beam after purging the nitrous into the engine a couple of times. I was concentrated on getting the launch rpm right where I wanted it so I was dead late on the tree and Walt was out on me by four tenths before the Valiant moved. The Hoosiers seem to spin a revolution and the front tires barely left the pavement, and while I contemplated that result, I was late on the nitrous button, like after the 60 foot clocks late! The 428 screamed to life and I worked through the two shifts perfectly, and the shift light was on bright for the last 100 feet of track. I lifted at the line and cursed myself for waisting so much ET at the hit. I reflexively squeezed the brake pedal, but didn't really apply pressure until I noticed that the curve was coming up really quick. I braked hard enough to set myself up to take the curve fairly fast, when I suddenly noticed that Walt was already starting his turn at a much lower speed and our paths were on an intersect course! I crammed into the new rear discs harder than I ever could have with the old drums and pointed the Valiant at the Camaro's broadside using the old adage of "aim where they are, and they will be gone by the time you get there." The end result was that he took the corner a good forty feet before I arrived, and to the casual observer everything appeared well within the bounds of a safe exit, but my heart was in my throat for a couple of seconds!

I would've been thrilled with the 9.76-138.5 run last year, heck, I probably would have been happy with it on Monday at Cordova, but following the 9.43 at Gateway, it felt incredibly disappointing! Looking back now, it's the 7th quickest pass the Valiant has made, but as the old Steve Earle tune laments, "I ain't ever satisfied"!

Valiantbyron.pngDrag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway153.JPG

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522353
07/15/18 11:37 PM
07/15/18 11:37 PM
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The pairing that I alluded to in my previous post was a race featuring Dennis Taylor's high flying 55 Chevy gasser called "Bad Rattitude" in the right lane, already on it's second set of front wheels, and the equally unique 69 Triumph TR6 of Ed Olson with a big inch, turbo charged Pontiac for power!

Dennis and the 55 got out first, as Ed spooled up, so even though both cars ran nearly the same ET., 9.14-152 for the '55 to an 8.93-152 for the TR6, Dennis hit the stripe well ahead of the Triumph and dumped the laundry. The 55 slowed hard immediately, but Ed let the little roadster settle down for a couple hundred feet before he really applied some brake. Watching the live feed replay in slow motion and overlaying my own shutdown experience over the scene you can see the exact moment that Ed comes to the realization that Dennis is going to exit and he's going way too fast to avoid him. To Dennis' credit it appears that he was watching Ed and had prepared to keep to his lane if necessary, but Ed bombed the brakes, lost the rear end on the Triumph and flat spun into the 55's lane and off into the grass! Had the right lane wall extended all the way down the return, the awesome little TR6 would be a crumpled mess, but Ed simply collected his thoughts for a moment and drove back onto the tarmac before the Ambulance and track safety crew chased him down!

triumph.jpgtriumph 2.jpgTriumph 3.jpgIMG_0630.JPG

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522381
07/16/18 01:01 AM
07/16/18 01:01 AM
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aZLiViN
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I Live Here
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Joined: May 2003
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Wonder when that lil smallblock is going in for some “updates”....

Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2522919
07/17/18 01:03 AM
07/17/18 01:03 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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MoparBilly Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Phoenix, AZ
Much to the delight of the Dodge social media crew that was following Paul Castiglione and his big block 72 Challenger all week (or perhaps they arranged it), he was paired with Sean Devine's red 16 Challenger Hellcat for one of his runs. Paul got the better of the match 10.77-123 to Sean's 10.99-125. As I made my way back to the pits, I saw Michelle pull the purple Duster around the burnout barrier, and a few of our group push her back into the water. She ran 11.22-120 for her best ET of Drag Week 2017, and checked off one more box on her way to finishing.
I parked the Valiant, crawled out, and opened the trunk to turn off the bottle. Lohnes was already giving the "thirty minutes until the lanes close" call and I shook my head as I noticed Dale and Boone still working on the Duster.
I walked over and slapped Boone on the back, "You guys thinking about maybe putting your junk in line!"
Boone nodded, then commented, "Like I told Dale this morning, if it ain't right, it's just a waste of time!"
"It's right, right now! This thing is going to fly!", Dale raised up with a crooked smile and pointed at me. "What about you? Surely you aren't going to settle for a .76! The Gremlin's getting ready to lay down a .50, and all your lead on us for the week is going to evaporate!"
"It's pretty greasy and warm out there", I pointed at the tree, "plenty of guys slowing down later in the day, so I think your chance for a fifty is long gone!"
"Watch me big brother, watch and learn!"

paul vs hellcat.jpg21762702_1596011210442233_2450688984841075725_o.jpgDrag-Week-2017-Byron-Dragway156.JPG

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2017: The Experience. [Re: MoparBilly] #2523930
07/19/18 03:52 AM
07/19/18 03:52 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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Joined: Jan 2003
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"You going up again?" Boone asked me as Dale jumped in the Gremlin, and fired it up.
"Not sure I really need to", I shook my head, "rather see Dale run first!"
"We're running out of time, might as well follow me up and take another shot at it!"
I just nodded as he closed the Duster's door and fired up the 512. He started to move the car, but Billy grabbed the passenger door open to get inside for the 200 foot ride into the lanes. Boone just shook his head at me as he finally drove away.

After just a moment's pause, I joined them, putting the Valiant in the lanes. The atmosphere reeked of desperation, most of the guys making passes at this point either had two or three bad ones already, or were like my brothers and were just squeezing in the lanes at the last minute. Dale was sitting one pair behind John Faraone's Aussie Valiant Charger, which was currently leading the "Fastest Mopar" competition, and really only needed about an 8.50 to maintain that, but he was also firmly entrenched in second place for the unlimited class, behind only Schroeder's Vette.
The silver twin turbo wedge did an awesome burnout but then failed on two attempts to come up on boost, so he idled down to a fifteen second pass, with less than ten minutes to get back in the lanes for a final pass to stay in contention.

Dale and the Gremlin pulled alongside Dennis Taylor and "Bad Rattitude" 55 for what had to be the Gasser's 4th or 5th attempt at the eight second run that he desired. Dale ran a nice 9.49-141.5, outrunning the Chevy to finish off a long day of wrenching, and I heard Lohnes announce that we had just seven minutes until the lanes closed when I pulled my helmet on.

Johhnfbyron.jpg21740970_10155786409567112_1418535482074059080_o.jpg

"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" 4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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