That was fun, getting a chance to visit with Rachel in the staging lanes, and lining up side by side with the 2 67 Plymouths. Sorry I messed up her game by asking her to let me deep stage. At least I got a .038 light out of it. (on a .400 pro tree) And I got to the finish line first.

"Rachael just broke down in the staging lanes" was the text I received from Opal, just as I was preparing to drive to the lanes in the Valiant. That scared me because I was worried that she hadn't took the beams to officially finish Drag Week yet. I parked in the back and made my way under the tower to see the Belvedere pushed back from the water box and on the right side, out of the way with Rachael and Skippy both flat on the ground looking under the car.
"Did you break in the water, or did you stage the car?" I asked her as soon as I walked up.
"No...I staged, then it broke when I hit the nitrous", she explained.
"Driveshaft?"
"Yeah, I could hear it clanging into the exhaust when they pushed me back off the track, but the back u-joint is intact so it's in the front."
I turned to Skippy, "We're going to need a floor jack..."
"Already called Boone, he's bringing one", he interrupted.

While we wrestled with getting the Belvedere off the ground, on jack stands, and the driveshaft removed, they were steadily working through the remaining SME cars, including those who were fortunate to make it back to the lanes for a second hit, like the Ogles, Clark Lamb, and about twenty others. Still, when they finished up, and took a break to prep the track for the all-run session, the track time break down looked like this: The "Class cars (148 still running)", were on the track for two and a half hours in their first session, the SME cars (92 still in) were on the track for an hour and two minutes! In that time however, Clark Strong would manage to run an 11.501-116.6 in his yellow 69 Road Runner to hold down the final spot in the Street Machine Eliminator class Quick 32.

Has to be one of Bob Brehms pics. LOL.Trying to talk him into a neat $800 lense for this year.

Did a quick count, KSJ:
I've used 50 Bob Brehm pictures in the story so far! His facebook page is a treasure trove of great Drag Week pics. I can't believe his trigger finger wasn't ready to fall off by the end of the trip.


Five sets into the all-run session, they had a car broken at half track, so we used the down time to push the Belvedere across the front of the tower, and back into the pits. The traffic was more difficult to navigate than before because all the ricers had moved in and were preparing for their opportunity to drift into a concrete barrier at high speed. From the looks of the cars most of them had brought out, it was more a matter of when, than if.

Bob has ridden with me the last four years.I think last years total photo count was close to 2200 pics.

We are nearing the time in each year's story when I start counting down the Mopars at Drag Week based on their finishing 5-day average, and one of the disappointing things about Friday at St. Louis was the fact that our Hemi B-body count went from 3 down to 1.
16 cars that turned in time slips at Cordova, didn't at St' Louis, and we know that includes the "Off Route 9" who got disqualified. 4 of the 9 were running "exhibition" on Friday, so we know who they were, but that leaves 5 disqualified cars along with 7 that were simply broke and couldn't make it. I don't know which group Mike Chenoweth's 70 Hemi Road Runner or Rick Callahan's 69 Hemi Road Runner fell into, but both of their cars had slowed considerably from the pace they set int the first two days, so they seemed to be suffering mechanical woes.

We will concentrate on Chenoweth's Limelight '70 first, which was attempting a 5th Drag Week. Unforunately, this year makes Mike and Road Runner's 4th DNF. Hey, let's face it, she's a big brutal car that makes a bunch of Horsepower...so stuff gets torn up!

The Hemi's best year was 2010, when a 10.71-129.3 Average was good enough for 4th in Street Race BB Normally Aspirated.

This year:
Day 1: 10.91-129.5
Day 2: 10.94-129.0
Day 3: 11.65-124.7
Day 4: 11.21-121.3

Somebody out there knows what befell the beautiful bird, but I haven't heard the story yet.

Rick Callahan and Dave Dudek's times in the world famous black 69 'Runner were falling off even more precipitously than Mike's. A thundering opening shot on Monday, which showed promise for a podium finish in SSBBNA quickly turned into just limping in for a finish that never materialized back at Gateway.

Day 1: 10.26-132.2
Day 2: 11.67-117.4
Day 3: 12.12-116.0
Day 4: 13.22-106.4

Not trying to beat a dead horse, just still attempting to bring you the real, unedited experience that was Drag Week 2015. Friday didn't start out as a bad day, it was a crescendo of bad decisions made over the last eight hours of the event that left many of us very frustrated. The best way to describe this building discontent is to continue to show how it unfolded in real time.
While I was in our pit area with the Belvedere, John sent a text to Opal to go ahead and take his 11.00 time slip to the tower. This was in direct response to two announcements by Brian Lohnes about the need to make the Quick 32 ladder as quick as possible. The first announcement was made at 5:41 pm right after the final all-run session started, the second announcement was only eight minutes later.
I walked back to my Valiant in the lanes, just in time to watch 4 of the cheaters, and 4 cars who hadn't been able to make the drive use "The Exhibition lane" again to fast track under the tower for their third hit of the day, while we were hanging out, barely moving forward. I walked over to talk with John, and his feelings, and those of the drivers around him pretty much mirrored mine.
"So you decided to just turn in the eleven flat?"
John pointed to the second story balcony of the tower, "You see that mess? It'll take her who knows how long to get through that, and they've been calling for the quick 32 SME time slips for ten minutes now!"
I looked up and realized that there were probably thirty racers lined up at the door, attempting to turn in their final runs.
"I just got the call that today is official at 6:20pm", We heard Lohnes boom over the loud speaker, "not that we are going to stop running, just that it will go in the books as the final day."
Others were mumbling around us about the lack of passes. "I bet they are going to cut the lanes off fairly quick", John suggested.
We had only moved up a few more car lengths when Lohnes once again took to the mic: "The lanes will close in ten minutes! Ten minutes until we cut off the back of the lanes!
At that point the discontent became more of a fervor, as those around us began looking at their cell phones, and slamming hoods shut, as we began to realize that this was going to be the shortest all-run session in the history of Drag Week!
"It's 6:05... they are closing the final session lanes just an hour after they closed the SME lanes!"
"Yep", John agreed, with a grim look on his face, "and look over there".
I turned to watch the cheaters and broken cars returning up lane seven for their fourth run of the day, while those of us trying to move up in our class were still waiting in line for our second.

Around 6:30pm, Lohnes was still harping about the Quick 32 ladder, and Freiburger who had rejoined him in the booth after an extended absence chimed in, "We have a long line of racers trying to turn in slips, perhaps we need Lonnie Grimm to get up there and fast track any SME racers to the front of the line so we can finish the ladder!"
"How hard can it be?" I looked at John, "I used to build a ladder for ADRA eliminations in fifteen minutes!"
"I just don't understand why they haven't gathered up all they need yet, they've been calling for those time slips for a solid hour now!" John shook his head.
"We are going to run through the bracket race pretty quick tonight", Lohnes assured the locals over the loud speakers, "after all, these are street cars that just drove a thousand miles...so they don't need twenty minutes to cool down between rounds!"
"Good grief", I looked a John, "That's NHRA announcer code for: we are gonna hot lap the crap outa you guys"!

Doc McEntire pulled his SeeRed Camaro into the beams for his final pass, and an attempt to not only win the Pro Street NA class, but to beat Eddie Miller's five day average from the year before. It wasn;t to be as the Powerglide let go again just before the 60ft clocks, and he coasted to a 30 second ET.
John was in the next pair, and it was clear from the last ten sets or so that the track was greasy, beat up, and nearly impossible to get grip in the first twenty feet, but they were in such a hurry to finish us up, they had no plans to touch it.
As if a cruel joke to end the torture of sitting in the lanes, John went red, then the board didn't light up with an ET or Mph. I was already in my car buckled up, so I was left to ponder if the timing had malfunctioned, or if he had actually left before the tree activated. They held the next pair a considerable amount of time afterward, so I was left to question it even more.
My final pass in the Valiant was nearly as anti-climatic, as I struck the tires at 6:57pm, three hours after my first pass, lost .11 in the 60ft and ran 10.700-125 to round out my DW-15.

I parked beside the Belvedere, and walked over to where Aaron and Boone were cleaning the gasket surfaces and injured piston on Dale's 440.
"Where is Dale?"
"He went with Darren to a Machine shop to get the head fixed", Boone informed me.
"Where did he find a machine shop that's going to help him after hours on a Friday night", I asked, somewhat incredulous.
"Some elderly guy had been talking to him for the last hour or so, and even volunteered to help. Then when they checked the head out once it was off, he told them to follow him to his shop so he could fix it", Aaron shrugged.
"Sounds like Dale's luck", I shook my head, "I didn't figure there was any chance he'd find anyone tonight!"
I looked at Boone, "Have you turned in your slip yet?"
"No. You ready to head up?"
"Yeah, grab your camera and we'll head to the tower."

I looked over at John's Valiant. He had it jacked up and was removing the side pipe exhaust for the first time in two Drag Weeks. He needed to find a way to cover the tenth he was going to be forced to dial down from his average, and unlike many of the hitters in the SME class he hadn't sandbagged to allow a cushion.

There is no way that the cheaters should have been allowed to continue making passes. And there is ESPECIALLY NO WAY that the cheaters should have been given a preferred lane.

Here is the thing: these guys got caught cheating. If they hadn't been caught, how many legitimate racers would have unfairly lost to them? Who would have spent all the money, worked thru the whole thrash to get ready, then suffered through the whole grueling week, making the whole drive, then lost to someone who didn't make the drive? If they can't make the drive, it's not a true Drag Week street car.

Billy, do you have a list of cheaters to share? Or is that a secret to protect the guilty?

We walked up the back stairs of the tower to the second story balcony, and walked past a long line of people waiting to turn in their slips. The line was so long that we ended up in the stair well leading up to the third floor, and we sat down on a stair with a group of ten or more stragglers also at the back of the line. None of us were moving at the time because the Drag Week staff was busy trying to put the ladder together, instead of filling out our final slips. So we sat in the stairwell and talked about our Drag Weeks, just moments after it was over for most of us, and emotions were still raw.
"I'm not happy, Boone. It's frustrating that I couldn't get it back in the 30's after Indy!"
"Yeah, well you improved your average by almost three tenths over last year, and your best run by nearly a tenth, so I think that's plenty to be happy about! You could be me, I came here hoping that converter change would net me a ten, and I slowed down!"
"Well the Barnyard Viper is a fan favorite and you've finished three years in a row!"
"Not good enough...I want a ten." Boone lamented, shaking his head.
I pointed at the base of the stairs just below us, and we listened in as Joe Barry (Third overall), Tom Bailey (Winner) and Dennis Taylor(brought three cars he built himself, his daughter ran eights) were having a similar conversation.
"I'm just really discouraged", Joe let out a heavy sigh, "I sunk a bunch of time, effort and money into improving the '56, and to leave here with nothing to show for it. At least last year I had one six!"
"Yeah", Dennis agreed, "Last year we won Gasser with the Ranchero, so this year we put a blower on and break the thing. Then all the problems with the Nova...not what I expected for sure!"
"Look at me", Tom Bailey chimed in, "I build a whole new car...stretched, narrowed, lighter, and work my tail off all week to run times the old car was capable of!"
I looked back at Boone, "We hot rodders are a sick bunch."
"Yeah", he laughed, "Never satisfied, never truly happy, always looking for better, faster, more!!!"

The track (and us) sat idle for an hour before they finally announced the cars in the Quick 32 SME bracket race. With the advantage of hindsight I looked back at the live feed from 2013 and 2014, and found it took them an hour on both occasions to accomplish the same thing. Seriously, this is an issue that needs to be addressed! Once they called the competitors to the lanes, those of us in line to turn in our slips started moving in the direction of the tower suite once again.

The solution could be as simple as opening a little earlier, letting the SME cars go FIRST on Friday, for maybe two hours, and have the Quick 32 determined as a result of only that session, then open the track for the class cars for the rest of the night, they could even run class cars between the opening rounds of the bracket race....and maybe just a little common sense on who gets the "fast lane" during class car runs.

Scott!!!
You're alive! How's Kim. The Grandkids? The Belvedere?

I agree with your suggestions, I agree that it should be a simple fix. I just hope they recognize it as a problem. I spent ten years helping with Arizona Drag Racing Associaton, and Arizona Super Street Association races. The ladder shouldn't be that difficult, especially when you have the first four days as a general guideline already.

Joel.
Four or five of the "Off Route Nine" are known, and very publicly apologized. I hold no ill will towards them, they made a poor choice and were disqualified. The guys who broke, and simply wanted to make a pass on the final day, I have no issue with that either, I just think that access should be limited to one hit like it has been on previous Fridays.

Its not about us. Its about drama and magazine sales.My first year 145 started and I think 80 finished in 07.
.The routes have gotten easier to cater to the unlimited class etc.Now its 400 cars probably.The rule infractions by alot of people the last few years is ridiculous.I still go but dont enter because my stuff is slow.LOL But I still go because Ive made many great friends.I will say I had a great time at RMRW the 2 days I watched at Bandimere and GB.No jackets,guitars but there was money to be won and it felt like DW 07 when I first went.Rant off. I feel better. lOL

Boone and I had moved out of the stairwell as the line of racers began to make their way in and out of the tower suite, showing their pictures of the last checkpoint and turning in Friday's best time in order to receive the fifth, and sixth Official Drag Week Time Slip that represent a successfully finished week.
We found ourselves peering though the back door window of another suite so we could watch the first round action. In the first pair Steve Eden bailed out Drag Week, and bracket racing newcomer Micheal Peevey and his nitrous assisted BBF 73 Ranchero by taking a car and a half to break out by two hundredths.
The second pair was Clark Lamb's Barracuda up against Scott Brown's LS powered 53 Chevy.
Clark's light was significantly better to which Freiburger commented, "The left lane was .167, but the right lane had to get an eviction notice! What?...no?"
I elbowed Boone and laughed, "NHRA announcer Lohnes is explaining to automotive journalist Freiburger off mic that you aren't supposed to give reaction time info over the speakers during eliminations!"
Lohnes announced Clark's deft use of the brake pedal to an 11.50 on his 11.33 for the win, while Freiburger was still mystified as to why he was being corrected, "What? I missed it, what happened there?"
Lohnes glossed it over like the pro that he is, but for me it was comedy gold, and I was laughing out loud...standing on the back balcony of the tower...while 30 or so other drag weekers looked at me like I lost my mind.
I turned my attention back to the third set. The black third gen Camaro with the red hood left nearly at the same time as the patina 63 Chevy II wagon. That was a problem for the wagon because it was dialed 7 tenths slower, but at least there wasn't a comment about it from the announcers.
Ken Passerby made quick work of a 4th gen Camaro with his trusty 70 Nova, the same car that had carried him to a Division 7 NHRA Stock Championship a decade earlier along with a pair of National event wins.
"If this were on a sportsman tree, I'd have money on Ken", I looked at Boone, "but I don't know about a pro tree."
"Passerby just laid down an .082 light on the four tenths pro tree, best of the round so far", Lohnes announced over the loud speakers.
"Well...OK then", Boone shook his head.

Lohnes is the next Dave McCelland,The guys a racing dictionary,

Easy, Don.
He's a great announcer, NHRA is lucky to have him. His enthusiasm for the sport, and desire to improve will take him a very long way. I'll have to see how he develops over the next five years or so before I put him on par with McClelland or Bob Frey, especially in the knowledge department, as that takes time. Those guys were enyclopedias!

Brian did the "Top Ten Mopars of Drag Week" article this year for Mopar Muscle, and it was full of mistakes, inaccuracies, and omissions. I brought it to his attention as soon as it came out on HotRod.com, but it was not corrected when the magazine hit the news stands.

I'm not picking on him, he's great for Drag Week, and I hope he continues to do it.
Heck, John Hindley told me in a text the other day that my story is "running about 80% accuracy" (which I took as a complement), but I'm not publishing it in a national magazine!


The engine described in the article for the Gremlin, is the engine in the Charger, with the exception of the claim of a roller cam. Every Gebhart Mopar on Drag Week runs a flat tappet. So I come on Moparts and tell everyone the truth, that Dale has a stock, unfilled 440 block with stock caps, and a stock 3.75 crank, and Brian puts an article in a magazine that says it has a 512 low-deck!

Suuurrrreeee Billy.... and my car is packing a 340. Says so right on the rear quarter

There's an interesting balance, between telling a good story, and getting all the facts right. The older I get, the more I appreciate a good story.

Carry on....

So Jim, how much of this is just a good story and how many of the facts are right? :-)

See you in Columbus,

Bill

http://www.hotrod.com/features/1605-9-second-altered-wheelbase-chevy-ii/