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This motor is also equipped with a Wilson
Manifolds sheet metal intake and Wilson’s
shear plates, adding even more power to the
great combination Ron developed for us. This
was a new motor combination for us. We
didn’t have time for any in car testing
and Friday’s first round was qualifying
was it’s first run ever in the car. Hutter,
of course, had Dyno tested it so we knew it
was going to give us more power than we had
before. So, as great as it performed this weekend,
we know that there is more to come once we
learn what the motor likes and can tune to
match it. Our program is still in its
early stages of development and we have every
expectation of being a strong contender in
the 2005 season.
On Friday, we ran first round qualifying at
2:00 p.m. in the heat of the day. We
ran a 6.636 at 211.93 mph in the left lane
and were in the sixth spot. We went back
to the pit to do some tuning and our between
rounds routine. We knew we would improve
in the next session, but it rained for the
second round. It was cancelled and they
called it a day at 9:00 that night.
The team is working together great now. If
one person is busy, another pitches in right
away. Everyone has specific duties but,
at the same time, no one is on their own. We
confer with and respect one another’s
opinions. Most decisions are made with
group input and Billy is great about respecting
the team consensus, while at the same time
having no trouble making the tough calls.
On Saturday, we were back at the track by
8:00 a.m. to have the team photo taken for
the Best Engineered Pro Car Award. Although
the whole team is involved, we have to say “Way
to go” to Bob Birchmeier and Billy Dingman,
who are responsible for most of the engineering
in the car. An additional “Thanks” goes
to Jerry Haas for building us a great car. After
the photos were done, we worked in the pit
until final qualifying at 2:00, which was delayed
by rain from 11:00 a.m.
For final qualifying we had the right lane
and ran with Carl Baker. I hadn’t
been in the car for several weeks so I really
needed to drill the light to see where my reaction
time was. I went .006 red giving me a
gauge to use for the elimination rounds scheduled
for that
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afternoon. I knew the car had
a great run but I didn’t suspect we were
number one until Carl Baker told me at the
scales and the crew confirmed it when they
picked me up.
Eliminations were supposed to begin at 4:00
but rain delayed us until about 6:00. The
Pro Stock cars spent most of the time in the
staging lanes with their covers on due to the
imminent threat of rain. These are not
machines that take well to water. Three
sets of Pro Stock cars ran first round and
then I was in the water and doing my burnout. The
next thing we knew, the race was shut down
for oil and rain at the far end of the track. We
pushed the car off the track and under the
stands for the short term clean up but then
went back to the pits and closed shop for the
day when the rain got heavy. They called
the race for the day and told us to return
on Sunday morning for the rest of eliminations. We
were back at the track by 8:00 a.m.. and were
scheduled to be in the fuel lane by 10:30. It
rained by then and the race was called until
October 9th.
I want to close by saying “Thanks” to
everyone who has lent their support and assistance
towards getting us here. Thanks to all
the staff at Wilson Manifolds who shoulder
the extra load when the rest of us go off racing
and everyone at the Winter Park Race Shop. Thanks
to Ron Hutter Racing Engines, Comp Cams, Red
Line Racing Oil, Frank at AFT clutch, Matt
from Lenco, and all the Pro Stock Teams who
gave encouragement when we didn’t qualify
and their congratulations when we did.
I’ll write again after Epping and let
you know what happens.
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