This last weekend, I went to Brainerd for the Street Car Showdown. I won this race last year, and also won the points championship for the season, so this year I received a Gold Card, for free entry. It's kinda tough to miss this event with that, but somehow I just haven't been that enthused to go racing. In the past I had to always make a mad thrash to get the car ready. This year, all I had to do was put the battery back in, tighten down the rocker arms, and reinstall the carb. I took care of all of that about 2 weeks prior to leaving. I've had a new hood for the car, and have put off getting it finished for years. My girlfriend has been bugging me to get it done for a few months, so with less than a week to go, I decided to work on it. Got it "good enough" to get it in black primer, and install it on the car. Once on the car, it fit worse than i thought, but it was better than the old hood. Glad I didn't paint it, since it needs more work.

Loaded up the car on Wednesday, and headed to the track Thursday morning. Arrived at the track around 9:30am, and waited for the gate to open at 10:00am. Once the gates opened, we found our pit spots, and setup camp. we were one of the first though the tech lines. We have 5 cars in our group. After tech, there is nothing going on but bench racing, and a steak dinner.

Friday is test day, but rain almost all day put a dampener on that. It finally cleared up later in the afternoon, and the track crew was able to get the track dried, and called cars to the lanes. I had already made the decision to NOT make a pass, if they called us. Just too cold, and didn't feel safe on a green track, but it was hold just fine for everyone. The decision proved to be the right call. just as Manual transmission cars arrived in the staging lanes, they shut the track down, because of wind.

Saturday, the skies cleared up, and the track got going fairly on time. I headed to the lanes around 10:30am. Blew the cobwebs out of the car, and ran a 9.069 @ 147.86mph. Exactly what it ran last year. Second pass of the day, and as I was getting ready to do my burnout, I see the track guy spraying bald spots on the line. I'm thinking "Great, this will be a wasted run", as I see him smearing the traction compound with his foot, and it looks like grease... Nope. I was rewarded with my best 60" I've ever had at Brainerd, with a 1.299, and my fasted pass ever at Brainerd with a 9.028 @ 147.65. My third and final pass of the day, was almost identical to the fist pass, and ran a 9.066 @ 147.86.

Sunday, Eliminations day. The air felt good, and not wanting to break out, I dial a 9.02 on the car. I get lined up against a tough racer in the class, and he runs a Mustang with a Lenco. He is dialed in at 11.65, so I have a small wait. As my light goes down, I see his red light come on! I ran the car out, and run a 9.074 @ 147.05. My thought of the air being better was off. I go up for second round, and right away, I'm told I get the bye, going into 3rd. Run the car out to a 9.052 @ 146.56mph. Third round, I'm paired up against a 14 second Camaro. Before my light even begins to come down, I see he also has redlighted, so again, I run the car out, and have my slowest pass of the weekend, with a 9.08 @ 146mph. This puts me into the semi finals with only 3 cars left. One of the cars, I raced in the final last year, and the other is a tough competitor as well, and I know I have to race him, as we both have had a bye round. Wait around for a call to the lanes, and when they do, I make my usual tire check. Left side good. Walk around to the right side, and it's FLAT!!! Not yet on the rim, but it has ZERO air pressure. Put the air pump on it, and its barely keeping air in. With no time to fix it, and not taking any chances, I hop on the golf cart, and tell the other 2 remaining competitors that I'm out, and they can just run the final now. Totally bummed at this point, but I'm not one to risk it and wreck my stuff. We load up, and come home.

Once at home, I got the car in the garage, and removed the tire. Having beadlocks made it easy to removed the slick, and find the problem. A one inch piece of wire, or nail was stuck in the tire, and also punctured the tube. I'll get it fixed tonight, and yesterday, i cleaned the entire bottom of the car, and looked everything over. It will be ready to go again soon.

Here is second rounds bye run:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo95X6OlA70

Running good! Too bad about the nail, you'd might have won again.

Again, too bad about the flat. The thing that always impresses most about your videos is during your burnout/staging process it always looks the same like the car is on autopilot.

That sucks about the tire, but it still sounds like a good weekend!

Thanks Dennis. It's not easy to stage a stick car, but I'm trying to get a system that works for me down.

Bummer. I love your car!

bad luck on the nail . Always a fear as we drive through the burnout competition pit on return road . Its clean until it isnt .

Tex

Car looks and runs great Jeff! Sucks about the tire! I had that happen at Cedar Falls once...Except mine didn't go flat until we got home.

That car is freaking beautiful, what an outstanding build.

Sorry to hear of the rotten luck with the tire!

Definitely enjoyed the post, thanks for the writeup.

That is a beautiful car. Are you running a single dominator and spraying it?

Yes, single Dominator built by Thumper. No spray, all motor.

Looking as great as ever, bummer about the luck with the tire but totally understand not risking it for one pass. Decent first outing of the season!!

Jerico I stopped running tubes years ago because when you get a flat, you are screwed.

Tubeless you put a plug in it and go on. I have ran plugged slicks a whole year without problems.

We have put many plugs in slicks between rounds in the staging lanes. The plug kit stays in the golf cart at all times.

It's the first time it's happened to me in 25+ years of racing. Stick cars like the extra stiffness of the tubes.

Car looked great in the video. Sucks on the wire but it happens unfortunately. Sounds like you had a good weekend though, better than my week in the frozen tundra for sure.

Jeff, great job! Only a freak incident kept you out of the final. I am impressed with your ability to make a stick car work like you do!

Such an awesome car. I went to Norwalk once with my 69 Dart and brand new slicks, ran over an 8" long piece of all-thread and destroyed a tire on the track. I was so bummed.

How do you currently do it if I may ask?

Once I light the prestage bulb, I put some pressure on the brakes, and hold the line lock. I then bump the car in. I have one video that the stage light is flickering on and off quite a bit. I try to stage as shallow as I can. Staging the car consistently like this has helped me go some rounds.

Use to do the same thing only used the linelock with slight brake pressure to go into prestage as well just to have the feeling.
Creeping into pre & stage with the linelock on so it wont roll back and fore.
Had like a brake switch thing installed on the clutch pedal as well controlling a rev limiter so when both stage lights lit full on the throttle at the preset rpms.

Then let go about both (linelock and rev lim) buttons and the clutch pedal all at the same time.
Once used to it, it went pretty well. Ran about high 8's this way.