LED bulbs . . .
and a little philosophy

2/12/03

Calling them like I see them. . .

want to start off this month by saying a few things that are not related to my main subject. Number one, I want to welcome JW Performance Transmissions as the new sponsor of my monthly column. Tracy and John Winters must be brave souls, as I have been known to ruffle a few feathers in the sport and I am glad they have signed up to support (but not necessarily agree with) the point of view I have.

Number two, I want to apologize to the readers of DRO who patiently wait for the new edition and the new articles. I was late this month but I was hammered by the flu bug last week and got behind in my "real job," so that meant I was behind in getting this story written as well.

Number three, those of you who know me either from the track or from this column know I have a fairly "different" view on the way things should be. This is not only about drag racing but also about life. Basically, I see our lives as something we need to live to the fullest every day and not waste time worrying about whether we will have "enough money" for our later years. How someone gets so arrogant as to think they will even have later years is beyond me.

Personally, I am not going to sit around doing nothing so that when I am old and immobile I can take that "big trip" I have been saving for. Sorry, I am going now while I can go without my cane and nurse. I got a lot of my spirit for life from my mother. She worked at my racetrack concessions for 15 years and I learned more about her during that time than I ever knew about her when I was home. She was the hardest working, bravest person I have ever known. Cancer took her from us last month. One of the last things she told me was "Don't wait too long to do what you want to do; you may miss out on the fun you could have had!" Thanks, Mom! She always told me that I should do things my way, just as she ALWAYS did things her way. She was a great person and I am little bit less now that she is gone. She is home now and pain-free, and for that I am thankful.

NHRA AND THE L.E.D. CHRISTMAS TREE BULBS

While it was a rule change made with the best of intentions, I think it created as many problems as it may have cured. The original change from incandescent bulbs to LED's was made to prevent reruns in the sportsman categories due to a burned out bulb. This is fairly common when the Nitro cars are in attendance as the vibrations they create destroy regular flood lights.

The problem is: They are going to need to allow delay boxes in Pro Stock. When those guys are going red and the racers who usually get off the line with .440 to .460 lights are going better than .410 every round it means over half the races in Pro Stock will now be determined by a red-light! Wow, how exciting. Jeggie is probably wiring a Mega 450 in that Cavalier right now! I have not been able to see any detailed results of the sportsman classes, but I imagine the Stock and Super Stock guys were really struggling.

The LED's light up instantly and the drivers will have about .02 to .03 quicker reaction to this instant light source. The old style incandescent 150-watt floodlight actually took a .01 or so to reach the "fully bright" state. This meant the racers were slower to see the light. LED's have been tested against regular incandescent lights in the tail lamp bulbs of semi-trucks. The driver behind the truck with the LED brake lights reacted about .03 quicker in stopping tests. It will take some getting used to for national event drivers, that is for sure. Local track owners and divisional races will probably stay with the older lights that cost about $9.00 each when they burn out rather than opt for the over $800 LED update to the Christmas tree bulbs.

Why not put the Pros on "instant green" and let us see who really drives the best? No red lights that way (of course they can always leave before the tree is activated, I guess!) Check out my newest project car in the "Back-2-Basics" tech story and stop in every couple weeks for updates. (It is in our Special Section this month, but beginning with our March issue will be in the Tech Section on the DRO table of contents.) I think you will enjoy this project.

See you at the races this season, I hope.

jok@racingnetsource.com

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