He is a big teddy bear. LOL You would think he played in the NFL if you ever just saw him though. Love ya Chip

John, I hear ya on trying to do it alone. I do come to the track myself and I can mostly handle the dragster removal from the trailer, warm up and all the other [censored] that takes place prior to the car going to the lanes. I do have some guys that will show up, and that is extremely helpful. However, if they show up, they show up after TT#1.

My biggest pain is trying to pack the chute, return to the trailer, put it on charge, look at the weather, do the tires and make it back to the lanes. It’s not an issue early in the day, but when they call round robin it is almost impossible. I usually go up without a charge and by those rounds, I know what the number should be.

With a new car and setup, it will be tough. I would be more than happy to help if I am out of competition early, just stop by.

Bob

That's how I did it with my Daytona (wall hangers) but the only pain in the butt thing about it was the front-end over lapped it so it needed un-zuezed and slid forward every time. Trying to keep it fun and easy so I have more time to BS. My black car is so easy a monkey could race it and its spoiled me.

Well I ran Division stuff for years by myself. From loading to driving there to unloading and racing the car. Removable door makes driving in a breeze if that what you want. I winched my car in 99.9% of the time. On the odd occasion it was driven in it was usually a weather thing. I never put my car up at night it has always stayed outside unless in climate weather was in the forecast. It can be done you need to be organized.

If you have a car that HAS to be towed to the lanes obviously racing alone is a mute point. Our old heads up car and the new TS car I will need help. The heads up car was my son all the time with occasional help from others as well. The new TS car will likely be my and the wife. Running divisional stuff takes 4-5 days and most folks do not have that kind of time off. SO she will help with the tires and getting me to and from the lanes and the rest will be on me. Maintenance etc. The plan is to be organized and efficient. No choice if I wanna do this stuff.

I have never had a problem loading a car on a trailer, never had anyone to guide me up, seems when I watch people load with a person guiding them ,they don't know where the car is suppose to be positioned on the trailer. I winch my barracuda into the enclosed trailer now, getting to old to wiggle over the bars and out. So much easier, just hook it up and push the button.

This. I don't bend as well at almost 63

Dragster= help. I can do it by myself, but it's much nicer if I have help. As someone else said, it's much more fun when 2 people are focused on the right outcome.

I bought a race car thinking my wife would get into it. It could've been fun, but sorry, no.

Then it turns out here you have to pull out of the lanes onto the track at a 90* angle and back into the water. With the rear end of the car up in the air so no vis out the back window, all belted in to where I couldn't turn around to see out the door, not to mention my car and 5-10 others all thumping, I wasn't able to pull it off by myself. Not without pissing everyone else off, anyway.

The water is in a depression made in the asphalt that people kept saying I should be able to feel but I never could. If you back up too far, there's a cinder block wall to let you know. I just gave up after 2 or 3 T&T attempts.

From reading a couple replies here John............like the winch is too much trouble and having to slide the front end forward to get door off pins is too much trouble..........it appears you may be veering off into the wrong kind of racing here. EVERYTHING about heads-up racing is too much trouble, too much work, too much money, too much waiting around at the track and just generally TOO MUCH all around. You gotta LOVE IT to do it. Heads up racing is usually in your blood and it's definitely not for everybody.

Simple and easy........so more time to BS.........yeah, right. Let me know how that works out.......LOL!!!

I may surprise you Monte as I don't give up or quit easily. Remember the average bracket racer has to go 7-8 rounds and most heads-up racing is a 16 car or less field and only 3-4 rounds. I'm just looking for some tips to make the NITROUS side of the equation a little easier or shorten the learning curve. I don't or won't let my racing program rely on others. 40 years in this sport and a divorce and heart attach hasn't slowed me down or made me miss a race season yet. I don't have to win to have FUN. I have 3 cars so I will be hitting the track almost every week from April 1st to the 2nd week of November.

Raced my small tire, heads up, Nitrous Duster for years by myself.

Always nice when someone goes, but not necessary.

The bottle bath, flow tool, multiple bottles, easy access to sparkplugs, quick release fittings, quick release bottle holder, mounting bottle where you can turn on from drivers seat, big gauge to easily read bottle pressure, etc, all help.

Didn't have a data logger, but used a Dual FAST A/F meter to help with tuning.

Once I had a good handle on the tuneup, I would just coast over on the return road and pull a couple plugs to avoid having to be towed up and back.

Never had an issue turning it around between rounds by myself.

Won my class last year, and was the only Mopar in it!

My Dad is 72...runs his low 10 sec Dart all by himself...loads it...unloads it...fixes it...pulls motors...rebuilds motors...pulls trans...rebuilds trans...all of it...by HIMSELF....and is not slowing down. He says if he cant do it himself....he shouldn't be doing it in the first place...LOL

I can race by myself , either with my Dart or my driven to the track D150. However most of the time I race with my friends and there is always some one I know at the track to give me a hand should I need it and vise versa as I am always ready to give a hand to someone if needed and do all the time.

I can relate to that, being born in 1945 your dad has two years on me I don't do paint, body work or upholstery as well as automatic trannys any more due to not having all the proper selective thrust washers needed to set the racing 727s up properly. I do assemble motors and put them in the car and do most of the other dutys needed to race my cars All my enclosed car trailer and the last three car hauling trucks before them had winches on them Way better to be able to rely on your self only instead of having to ask for help at the track from a stranger you don't know when you race by yourself

I'm really cool, people like to help me LOL!

i am not sure how much your spraying but i use two of the big bottles mounted in the car..the pressure stays stable longer..and doesnt drop off as fast as you make hits..
i dont spray a whole lot..but i usually have enough for the 6-8 rounds. and less dealing with heating to get psi.
they are heavier to install and remove..but less trouble at the races.
i also winch my car in the trailer..i have a pulley to compound the speed .. my winch has a progressive activation so it doesnt jerk when you first hit it...then it ramps up..and with the pulley you need more cable on the reel since it goes to the car and back.but it pulls twice as fast up into the trailer...the progressive activation is nice too..wouldnt do it with out it...
fwiw.

I CAN do it, especially at a track day or autox. But I welcome all the help I can get. I have been a one man band my whole life but as I age I like help.

I don't doubt that, but in a "go as fast as we can" heads up class. After a run with a nitrous car.....you have to get it back, look at some plugs, look at the data, make tuning changes, cool the car, swap the bottle, pack the chute............all this is assuming nothing goes WRONG. Nothing against bracket racers, but this ain't bracket racing, where usually between rounds you cool, maybe change the dial and charge the battery.

The first few trips will be a good bit of work, until you get the tune dialed in and learn what the car WANTS. After that, it is just learning how to make it go faster. Depending on how much you spray, whoever you choose to have help you with your system, is going to want to see some plugs after a run. NOT one or two, but the SET. This pretty much mandates towing the car back, or pulling the whole set at the end, which is a pain. When you first get started, you will need to buy plugs by the case and you will go through a LOT, to do it right and get the tune right. After this, you may be able to just look at your problem holes after a run, but you WILL need to look a SOME after every pass and driving it back, KILLS the plug reading.

Even the Street Outlaw guys........although you see them drive the cars back on the show.........when we are testing, we tow back, to get the tunes dialed in. It's just part of it, if you spray it hard and are anything like leaning on the tune. And if you aren't leaning on it pretty good, you likely are not going rounds, because you can bet the OTHER guys are leaning on it.

Best things to do are build the headers, so that the plugs are a snap to change and have some tools to do JUST that. Sockets welded on extensions, whatever you have to do. Design bottle bracket and place it, so you can change bottles in seconds, NOT a few minutes. You will need a hot water bath at the trailer and keep extra bottles heating in it all the time and ready to go. We have a little pouch in our car, by the bottles, that holds the bottle line wrench, any tools to swap bottles and the temp gun to monitor bottles. The nitrous line needs a ball valve within reach of the driver. At the stripe, kill the motor, shut ball valve off and purge the line empty. If not, you will be replacing plungers in nitrous solenoids like candy. And they are 40 bucks a pop.

Setting up a nitrous car is NOT tough, it just needs to be easy to service, turn around and be well thought out.

Some race HARD doing this. We have put pistons in between rounds. Changed gears, trans, converters, just whatever needs to be done. Of course we are usually a long way from home and we go to RACE and do whatever is required. I realize you are talking more local, home track heads-up racing, but if the strategy is "put it in the box" if it requires more than just routine between rounds stuff...........you may not race much. Because "stuff" is GOING to happen, no matter how well prepared you are

My wife goes with me about 80% of the time, she's always liked going to the track, she can be excellent help, mines a easy car to race though, Ive moved around the country quite a bit and raced at a lot different tracks and have never been at a track where help isn't offered if it looked like someone needed it. Ive made lots of very good friends over the years either helping them out, or them giving me a hand if I needed it. Think that OP though is talking more about a car that is really hard to run without 2 people, never been in that category.

yes i can, i do it regularly. i dont understand all the people that i see with 12 second cars that have to have a spotter for the burnout box, and to line them up on the line, and push the car around, if you cant find the water box and you are too stupid to know when you have heated the tires up enough you shouldent be there- i understand on a fast car but not the slower ones. it doesent take three people to unload a car either, sorry for the rant.