A sugar buzz and a look at the good stuff and bad stuff this season
11/8/06
 Jeff Burk Photo |
Caution, this column, is being fueled by left over Halloween candy. That is correct. I am just starting this month’s edition, after Halloween. Folks, I am late. Missed my deadline. Is not the first and certainly will not be the last time that this will happen. My poor editor is reading this and cringing that I wrote that it is not the last. Hey, stuff happens.
That little slogan could be used to describe our year in a lot of ways. Stuff happens. Good. I like it. Let’s run with it shall we?
You are all too familiar with the early part of the season and how more than a few events were rained out. The Goodguys and NHRA were both victims. This is what we call bad stuff happens. Both sanctions regrouped and staged successful events to finish out their seasons. At this writing the Goodguys’ VRA series will be wrapping up their season at Famoso. You also are aware of the lawsuit involving Goodguys and Famoso Raceway. Last month, or, maybe the month prior, I can’t remember. I mentioned we would have some dates for next year from the Goodguys. No dates. Only a footnote on the schedule stating, Vintage Drag Racing schedule to be determined.
Ok, this just in! Just today I heard from a reliable source that the Goodguys and the Bowser family who run Famoso Raceway, or whatever it’s called, AAA something-or-other, will meet Monday after the Goodguys finals and talk, no attorneys will be present. So, stuff is happening on the Goodguys/Famoso front. Great! Lets file that under good stuff happens.
Next we need to congratulate the Nostalgia Pro Comp Association for getting their rescheduled finals in and getting those All Important champions crowned! In case you have been sleeping under a pile of “stuff” the NPCA is a Midwestern group that runs nostalgia events and lets nostalgia fuel dragsters and nostalgia fuel funny cars race in their 6.50 index class. I know they run other classes that warrant our attention and we will get there, don’t worry. Their season finals were originally scheduled for Sept. 23 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL. Mother Nature stepped in (bad stuff happens) and forced a re-schedule that was contested at Bowling Green and everyone is thrilled! (Good stuff happens). Congrats to all of the champs in this first season of NPCA drag racing! Super Eliminator, 6.50 Index, John Dunn. Pro Comp 1, 7.00 Index, Richard Edwards. Pro Comp 2, 7.50 Index, Troy Coker. B/Gas, 8.50 Index, Rob Davis.
How many of you have seen the photos of the nostalgia top fuel cars from the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion? (Lots of hands up.) What about those tires coming apart at speed? Not good. This has been a concern for many years now and seems to have gone from bad to worse as of late. I can’t remember a tire taking off a canard as happened (bad, bad stuff) to Jason Ritchie. Nor what Adam Sorokin rode out. The tire taking the rear-end uprights off of the top and bottom frame rails on one side (BAD, BAD stuff).
I ran into someone who, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest thinkers our sport has known, Tom Jobe. That’s right, THAT Tom Jobe. Of the fabled Surfers. He’s a Santa Monica guy still, and happens to shop at the same grocery store as me and The Things. Anyway, he is obviously concerned for Adam’s safety and we brainstormed in the aisle between whole wheat wafers and smart dogs (hey, it’s a “healthy” grocery store). We talked tube size, wall thickness, weld rod and finally tires. Tires. Them stupid little tires. Did Tom or myself come up with anything Earth shattering? No, I just wanted to drop his name because he is such a great guy and is always a pleasure to talk to.
The tire debate has waged on for a long, long, time. M&H has done a good job with supply and racer relations for quite a while but I’m COMPLETY against what they have announced as a requirement for the Goodguys finals. They will require all nostalgia top fuel cars to have 10 pounds of air in the tires on the starting line and they will have an air tank handy to enforce this. Hopefully they will meet with the AA/FD inc. association and bring this to about 8 pounds.
It is unfortunate the occasional “chunking” issue has come to take canards off. It’s all about safety and isn’t it time we looked at a 14” version of this tire to dissipate the heat better? Someone said on a message board that it’s good a tire took a canard off, the cars are ugly with them. The cars require them to run the speeds they do. What’s next, people wanting lay down, 3-point cages because the sit up 6 points are ugly? Stuff Happens -- how about safe stuff please?
So, we have been talking about “Stuff Happens” but what about Fluff Happens?
Not long ago I was sitting in the “Executive welders lounge” reading National Dragster. It was a column by my buddy Phil Burgess, asking if any of you (us) have ever acted out the race driver thing in your everyday lives. What is about to take place now is plagiarism, the greatest form of flattery (at least for those of us looking for race passes). I need to add that if I had kept the issue and not sacrificed it to the recycle gods I could have scanned it and put it here and made my life easier. Instead I’ll make up what I can’t remember. (My thanks and apologies to Phil Burgess.) Ok, How many of you on your way to work try to “leave” on the soccer mom at the light next to you? Can it matter she has 3 screaming kids, a cell phone and makeup to contend with? No matter, you feel like (insert your reaction time god here) when you squirt from the light. How about this one? (And yes, I have done this.) When driving a stick have you ever “staged” using the emergency brake handle? Did you tell the cat at the dealer that after you put the pump all the way on, took your foot of the clutch, it tried to pull you through? Water in an intersection? Of course you spin the tires, feather the throttle and do your best Jungle Jim imitation. If you don’t, you are reading the wrong column. Fun stuff (Fluff) happens here.
Well gang, I’m surrounded by empty candy wrappers and have an uncontrollable urge to peek out of my curtains to see if the neighbors are watching me.
Stuff Happens! If any stuff happens to you and your team and you want the world to know, let me know at my DRO email. 
 utterback@dragracingonline.com |
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