Thursday:

So, after waking up to vibrating water pipers from the motel room next door after a restless night of sleep on the floor, it was back to the track! As morning was upon us, the cars and trailers started rolling in getting prepared for some racing.



At 8:30 am we had a driver's meeting where Tim and the track instructors gave safety guidelines and expectations as to what the day may look like. Shortly after, the groups split off. People familiar with the event were allowed to prep their cars while the noobs had to sit through a very informative driver's training. The great thing about Willow Spring's driver's meeting was that it was based on DRIVING... not "how do I go around a racetrack?" They taught us mental notes and driving techniques that could be applied to our everyday lives... you know, like dodging traffic and entering on-ramps sort of stuff. Ok, kidding, their main point was that each wheel has friction circles and as you drive their constantly changing. Depending on how you maneuver your car, will determine how much grip your tires will have and how quickly you will swing around a corner. If you're like me, who was actually paying attention during that part of the lecture, you would have disregarded everything you learned by braking in the middle of a sweeping turn, spinning 270 degrees around into a ditch, covering the exterior and interior of your car in dirt, nearly pulling off your bumper, getting rocks stuck in your tires, and leaving 3 of your 4 front plastic wheel-well molding inserts at the end of Turn 2 and Turn 4. Let's just say I had some technical difficulties and quick repairs that ended my day of racing. Regardless, I had an amazing time. Road Racing was just like Autocrossing, but so much more relaxing. There aren't many opportunities where you'll be put in a situation where you can drive your four-banger 110 mph down the straight away.



And not only that, but watching all of the Mopars going down the track was an amazing spectacle as well. Sam Posey's Challenger made an appearance and to see that thing race in its domain was amazing. Hearing it's exhaust as it rumbled the concrete beneath your feet with the fresh smell of race gas was a memory I'll remember for a while. Add in the fact that there were a pair of dueling Wing Cars fighting over who's going to be the first one to enter Turn 1! Now that is something you don't get to see every day. Despite all that, seeing all of the old cars at the track made you think that this may have been the feeling people had when watching the Trans Am races 40+ years ago.





However, if road racing isn't for you or you don't want to be like me and destroy your car, there were still other ways to have some fun. At lunch, there was a segue into head's up drag racing. We're not talking about going off the Christmas tree when it turns from yellow to green. We're talking about head's up drag racing off of the drop of the hands. Old school... or what I would assume is "Old school" because I'm only 24 and never lived that era. I must say, I'm a bit of a corner's guy, but I can appreciate some good racing. Mopars and "others" battled it out eliminating each other one-by-one finally getting to the final showdown. The last race had a 2015 Hellcat up against a convertible A-body Barracuda. Don't let that little guy fool you, he was packing a 408 stroker and some drag radials. So, at the drop of the hands, the Barracuda gets the hole shot as the Hellcat is spinning the tires all the way through first and second gear. As the cars are roaring down straight black-top the Hellcat is whining and thundering its way ready to pounce on its fishy prey not too far ahead. The finish line was a photo finish as both competitors thought they had won that race. As the judge explained it, the finish line was about 12 inches wide. At the start of the white line, the Barracuda was ahead by about 1/4 of a quarter panel and at the end of the finish line the two cars were neck-and-neck. Victory goes to the A-body! Representing the little guys! Sorry for the bias...



If drag racing wasn't enough for you. Everyone also got the opportunity to run some parade laps. This allowed driver's to run around the track at 55 mph or less and drive along with passengers. It was a nice way to break up the day and have the experience of running a race track at a considerably less risky situation.

All together, this track day was a success and I must say, I look forward to doing it again next time, hopefully with the Dart.

Pictures from Thursday - http://s1127.photobucket.com/user/muumuu101/library/Spring%20Fling%202016/Thursday