more wisdom from tim mcamis

Holy crap...that's funny...and true. You watch some of the drag radial, even PDRA stuff, some of these groups look like a goat screw. No clue about what they are doing. Even people getting run over. Other guys I know who have been doing this for awhile - they know how to do a burnout, backup and stage without a bus load of helpers. The stories I could tell from watching stuff at the local track even.

Yes I know there are some situations where it helps to stop and get your stuff set just before going into the pre-stage. But find someone who has a clue to do the job.

He is a riot....lol

Very accurate and I agree with all he said. I have raced by myself and with a crew. If the car is working good, I don't need anybody. Its nice to have someone to get you just past the water so you don't sling water in your wheel wells. The main thing I want is for somebody to watch and tell me when something did not go right. Most times my girlfriend is my only crew, and granted she does not know a lot of technical stuff but she has saved me a couple times, just by being observant. One time the guy ahead of me lost a bolt out of his car on launch, starter did not see it, and I would have run right over it. She caught leaks twice in the burn out and had me back out. This spring I lost an engine on a night run, she saw the puff of smoke, and she was trying to get the starter to stop the race, while they already sent the next pair down and one ran through the water I left. Couple times I did match races with back up girls, no they were not necessary, but is was kind of neat.

I wonder what he REALLY thinks
He is spot on, especially looking at some of the Vids on You Tube

X2

So I don't need to buy all my buddies flat brimmed hats and black hoodies and tell them to hang out at the starting line because I am lonely?

"You don't need 37 m***********s up there..." is as far as it took before I started laughing.

TIM MCAMIS 2024!!!!!!!!

Love it, Tim's wisdom is great, years of racing experience.....No holding back Tim........."when the Pre stage light Comes on you're in the right phucking place, it's no that complicated"

just watched NHRA Pro Mod,,, no one holding the car, walking them in and so on.
Same deal with Larson no BS on the line!!

I agree 100%! Never understood why you need 20 people to come up and open the doors, stick their head in, fondle something, then stand behind the car for it to make a pass. If the thing isn't ready to run before it hits the water box, then you need a new hobby.

Yeah some of these guys act like the starting line moves every time they go up lol.

It is out of hand, and so much of it is acting like the big boys and being stupid. But...(there's always a but)...in some of these cars with scoops, nets, HANS, funny car cages, drivers low in the car, full face helmet, etc, visibility is really poor. Bottles and other stuff need to be turned on, adjustments made, etc. before turning the top bulb on. For some. it's a legitimate necessary part of the process. For most, it probably just silly.

Great vid

What adjustments really need to be done after the burnout?
Does the wheelie bar height change that much after the burnout? Why can't you just set it at the trailer beforehand...seems like if you've done enough testing, you'd know where they need to be before the tires get hot. I've worked w/ some fast grudge cars in the past and we never did a thing to them after the burnout.
A 1/4 turn valve where the driver can reach it eliminates needing someone to turn on bottles.
No matter how poor visibility is in the car, after you've made some passes you should have a feel for where the car is in relation to the beams.
I think for the vast majority, it's silly. You have a bunch of people in your "crew" wanting to feel important.

Winner! Winner!

Also, didn't know how Tim M. pronounced his last name until watching that vid. "My name's Tim McAmis... rhymes with McAnus."

When I need a chuckle, I watch his Pro Mod Starter kit video, cracks me up now that both my cars have all that stuff. I usually am a 1 man show, but my girlfriend came and helped me in the pits and staging lanes last time. A few of the racers commented to me afterwards, about her attire and stature, got me to thinking that maybe she’d be enough of a distraction if I had her helping me back up after burnouts. She wouldn’t have a clue what she was doing, and I wouldn’t pay attention anyway, but the distraction to the other fellow might be priceless..... I know, I’m a pig. Jim.

I've always wondered, Don't these people have a level garage floor at home?

I agree. I love that one.

You are assuming nothing is changed or adjusted from the time the car is put into the trailer until it is on the starting line, or even from the last run - ride height, tires or pressure, suspension, weight, balance, how high the bars need to be for the desired pitch rotation, the offset in heights to make the car go straight, etc. Bars are used for tuning, not just to control wheelies. Especially in a car that is on and off the bars for much of the run.

Ahh, brings back a funny memory. I was invited to visit B1wes, and drive the car a pass or two. I have a routine i follow for burnout and staging. I get the tires up to speed, and as soon as i see smoke let go of the linelock and go almost the whole distance to the beams, and quickly. I usually am within six inchs of the prestage when i stop. Without asking, or letting me know, this guy jumps out in front of Wes' car during the burnout, to "guide" me into the grove. I don't need a guide, didn't ask for one, and wasn't going to let this guy mess the run up unless he got run over by me. At the last instant this guy figures it out! And jumps out of the way just in time. The run went flawlessly

The problem lies with the tracks.. NO ONE needs 20 people up to
the starting line.. the tracks need to set rules to allow X number of
people at the line per car(per class of car) and no more than that..
if you dont need the people they dont belong they... one of the worst
tracks I know of was SGMP.. was a 10" tire class and there must have
been a hundred guys hanging around the starting line.. the track asked
1 maybe twice for people to move back from the line(no one moved)
but the still sent the cars... myself I would have run the cars until the
line cleared... the most I have ever had at the line was me and the wife
and most times she didnt even come to the line.. I did it myself