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Luckily, there wasn't quite enough light for my digital camera, so there are no good photos of my on-track experience. Here's what happened. On the first lap I leave on the converter, spin the tires hard and cut a stellar 1.05 light. When I get my ticket, I find the Camino has run a sluggish 16.366 at 81.18 mph, allowing the trans to shift automatically. I go around and immediately get back in line. When its my turn again, I do a still weak but better burnout, stage carefully with the trans in manual low, leave from an idle on the third green and take it through the traps in second gear at about 4500 rpm. I'm rewarded with a .798 light and the car picks up to a 15.53/88.07. We go back to the pits and check the timing, which is right on at 36 degrees.
Then I turn the keys over to Bret Kepner, aka Mr Dirt. It isn't bragging to say that Bret is one of the best doorslammers bracket drivers around, so I am a little nervous. I tell him not to worry; hit it as hard as he can but that he probably won't be able to cut a good light. I'm thinking to myself while I'm speaking, "That's right, you idiot, give advice to a guy who has won track championships, set National Records in Stock Eliminator and runs a drag racing school. Will you just shut up!" Bret stages the car. The bottom light flickers as he eases in. He leaves on the last green. When the board lights up in his lane it shows a 15.36/88.50 lap and when he gets out of the car he shows me the slip. He cut a respectable .557 light. The little voice in my brain screams out, "Kill the SOB! No one is that good," while I mutter some congratulations and swear never to allow him near the car again. He then looks me dead in the eyes and says, "The bad reaction times you got weren't the car's fault, there is a problem behind the steering wheel." The little voice says forcefully, "He must die." We then adjourn to the pits where I find out that Weckman's
'Vette dropped a seat and is through for the night. We decide to repair
to the nearest roadhouse to salve my wounded ego and plot new strategy. |
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