About 5 years ago I found myself in a position where I was counting on my Son to much in the shop and at the track and missed a few races because of it. I looked at my racing program and I had a choice to either quit or man-up and be more self-sufficient. I bought and modified a few shop tools to make engine and transmission installs easier as I don't have a lift and work on the floor and last year lost 55 pounds to make life easier. Turning 60 this year I got a laugh listening to a group of 20 something racers begging for help to go racing. To make things easier at the track I stalled an alternator, 8 gallon fuel cell with a trap door so I don't have to remove the fiberglass trunk lid, and replaced my fiberglass doors with steel doors and wind-up windows so I can drive it in the trailer and climb out the window. My bracket car is now a one man show and now I will be trying to do so with a BIGGER challenge this year in a car that won't be raced quit so often, my heads-up car. Now I am back to fiberglass doors and for the first time in my life NITROUS. Switching bottles, checking pressures, between round tuning, and data reading. I don't or won't go back to relying on others to race so are there any tips that you nitrous guys can pass on to ease the transition?

Been doing it for the past several years, no problems, and I got 10 years on you..Plus, I'm not as "High Tech" as you. All "old School" here. The most High Tech I have is an Open Trailer and a winch.....

One man show here, too. Open trailer, come alongs, planning on going into the 8's all motor. When I was younger, I had my best friend wrenching with me for a few years. He moved to Florida, I moved to North Carolina. Been working as a mechanic since 16. Never really relied on anyone else, at work or at the track. I work out of my garage, no lift, lots of jackstands. Best advice I can give is to keep accurate records of everything you do, ask lots of questions, do your best to decipher all the info you get. Figured out long ago, at the track, the faster you go, the more people see you as competition, and will tend to give wrong advice. Lost 50 pounds last year, but found 20. Trying to get rid of that again. Will be 57 this month. Keep at it. Life is short...Go fast...

My engine builder generally goes with me....He is a big help, but I have, and do go, to the races on my own throughout the season depending on his availability. If its a points race, I have to go regardless. I have made it as easy on myself as I can with certain gear I keep in the trailer and how I set everything up.

My biggest issue is getting the trans out when it needs to be removed as I have no lift either. I struggle, but it comes out.

I raced on my own for 7 years with an open trailer...Since owning an enclosed, other than the extra trailer maintenance, life has been a lot better...Everything is where it needs to be, and it really helps.

Pretty much a one man show here also. I can do it on my own, but its always nice to have an extra hand. My brother and I are partners, but with his work schedule, it makes it tough for him to get as much time off work as I can get. A lot of the time when we go to a 3 day race I will be by myself on Friday, then he shows up on Saturday morning. I can load and unload the car without help, and pretty much set up pit on my own. I'm no help to ya with the N02 data stuff, but I got to believe that if you keep good data(log book)and get a good base line tune up, you can come up with a routine that you can do on your own without any help. I've always found it funny that my help would show up after all the hard work was done..lol

I turned 66 and it is getting tougher, so I understand the moves to make life easier! I run my own deal, no help with the car, just the wife video taping some times. If I raced a lot I would go with a bigger fuel cell and E85 for at least three rounds per fill, a magneto, dual 16V batteries, removable drivers door, low maintenance motor and run 10.00 or slower. I had a good combo in 97, but wanted to go fast and started chasing ET. My hat is off to the other guys that race in my ET range or quicker, and enter all the classes they can. Lots of work to keep it going.

I raced for years by myself... just had to get
into a retinue for every round... was nice when
the wife would come with me

Have always been a one man deal. Since 1978. Dual entries at bigger $$ events. Can't help with any nitrous info. I would think solid shop prep, to anticipate track issues, still trumps.

I'm 61 and do it by myself. Enclosed trailer so I crawl through the window to get the car out. Everything comes out and goes back in trailer in a set spot. Takes about 1 hour to break down my slide-in camper (hillbilly motorhome) and load everything. Car is low maintenance at the track. Hinged deck lid so fuel fill is easy. I can get the hood off by myself. If it breaks big, I go home. A hoist in the shop is a must have. For the price you can buy one used, mine was $750. I do all my own motors, trans, axles. Fortunately my health is good and pulling that stuff when maintenance time comes around is not an issue.
Doug

My Daytona running 8's was a pain but doable. The big thing with it was the front end had to come off to load so I bought a 6 foot pair of aluminium ramps and mounted them on the rear door so that wasn't necessary anymore. A close Friend of mine that rents the spot next to me at PRP is also doing some heads-up racing so he is going to show me how he made his nitrous bottle heater so I will have that to help out. I am going to get a mother bottle so hopefully I can fill a few bottles at home to take care of that issue. Norwalk has really fair prices to fill bottles so even though I don't race there real often that will help out too. Steve at Induction Solutions offers a very nice flow tool so that should help also. Trying to read up on how to do progressive nitrous controller settings so I won't be totally blind on my first few test n tunes. I wish I would have taken this venture a few years earlier. Lol

Wait a second, if you are going heads-up racing, don't you need at least 6 guys to help you do a burnout and stage the car?

lol...this ^^

I have been a "one man band" for as long as I can remember, but I do have a couple of racing buddies that we try and pit together so we help each other when needed and that helps a lot,,I also have a enclosed with tools, spares and anything else I can think of, if I break anything serious then it's load up and go home if I am local or hang out with my bud's, BS and drink beer for the rest of the weekend,,a home it's a 24X24 garage with out a floor hoist but engine hoist and engine stand, I do almost everything my self except engine machining and I put it all together, I have a son that is just starting to get into racing cars after spending numerous years racing quad runner's and mini-mod dirt cars so I am going to start showing him the rope's and get him started,,oh, and I just turned 60 so it's not as easy as it once was.

DAM!!!!!!!!!!!! heck I won't even be able to make a pass. What the heck was I ever thinking???? For Sale. 1974 heads-up garage art piece.

I usually operate by myself but try to go the same time as my race buddies I use a enclosed trailer also and only bring what I need.


When I'm the only one that goes racing ( buddies busy that day) some reason I go more rounds. Lol

LOL

I have a crew of 2, sometimes 3 if the backup babe wants her butt photographed. The 2 regulars are vital to me doing rounds. In the pit it takes 2 to remove the front clip so we can access the engine, my crew take care of servicing the car while I deal with the in pit visitors. Once on the line 1 crew does the pressures & locks me in when it's my turn to race. The other is checking the competition n checks out how they run, react etc... Most race days we run into the finals, without them taking care of Bussiness we wouldn't be there.

Doable of course as noted above, easier to get things done and more fun than one if you have a side kick or two, but one "can" do....

I have always been a one man show. But always pit by my buddies. We help each other when needed.

John,
If Scott quit I'd quit...From the bottle bath along with keeping correct bottle pressure in the car,reading the data logger,changing the progressive controller along with changing the tune-up with the lap top and constantly reading the plugs is a lot for one guy to do....Didn't even talk about the normal/regular stuff !!

It's not as easy as some think to run fast with a small tire in a street legal type car !!