I made it to, and through, DTRP. I can’t say it was the best experience ever but after much drama, I did come away with a positive feeling about the place.

After Spencer, I had a pretty good feeling about the car and the people in the series. Some of the talk after the show was about the next race and I was encouraged to try and make it. Once I got home and looked over the damage, I made a few comments saying I’d like to go if I could find tires and some extra cash. Amazingly, I immediately got an offer for a set of tires and a couple of donations. So I spent a few days getting the car back together and fixing the clutch, added up what I had to work with, found some help and a place for the boy, and decided to give it a shot.

In case anyone doesn’t know, DTRP is a LONG way from New Haven (not as long a way as Lancaster, PA however). I left at noon on Saturday and got to the track about 3 to find a ton of haulers stacked up in front of the gates. The pit passes were a little higher than Oswego but not as high as Spencer so I wasn’t too surprised at the gate. Something I figured out a little too late is that you have to be assigned a pit there. After a trip back out the gate I got a spot parked next to Billy Gleason, a guy I met after I pinched him up into the fence at Spencer in hot laps. Billy’s a pretty good guy and he and his family were a lot of fun to hang out with.

After unloading the car I chased down Joe Mancuso, who had made me an offer I couldn’t refuse on a set of tires. Then things started to go wrong. Since I was changing them by hand and the track moves things along pretty quickly, I missed the first hot lap session. Fortunately, Kelly showed up in time to get me ready for the second session. Another fun fact about Lancaster: It’s a maze. I headed out to run hot laps and drove past the track entry and had to turn around and come back. Since I wasn’t following anyone I just followed the road and got on the track. Where a different class was practicing… So I got yelled at and got off the track and lined up with the rest of the Super Stocks. Hot laps started off well enough. The car was loose and the track is wicked rough. I was bouncing all over and trying to keep the car pointed straight. Just as I was starting to settle in and see what I had, the car shuts off. That’s when it occurs to me that I have no idea where to get off the track. I stopped next to one of the cornermen and asked and he said turn 3. So the truck pulls up and pushes me around. We go by a spot that looks like a good place to pull off but it’s in turn 2 so I continued on and pulled into the gate I originally come in through. It was obviously the wrong place and I got hung up before I went over the steep hill. The tow truck eventually got me straightened out and told me to go ahead, obviously missing the fact that I needed to be pushed for a reason….

When I got back to the pits we discovered I had run out of gas. So I bought 5 gallons at $10 a gallon. No wonder I run pump gas. We got the car fired up and took out some stagger and made sure everything looked OK for the heat. I started the heat second to last and finished last. It was pretty uneventful and I did what I could to learn the track and figure out how the car was. I learned I was slow and the track was rough. As we pulled off at the end I also learned that the clutch wouldn’t disengage. It turns out that I blew the o-ring in the throwout bearing. Not something I could fix at the track even if I’d had a spare. So I talked to Joe about getting a push for the start of the feature figuring that I’d run a couple of laps and pull off. He said it was OK so we did what we could to tighten the car up and hoped for the best.

It seems that I can bump start the car in first with the starter and synchro through the gears without too much trouble. So I got on the track and let everyone by since I was starting last. Probably not my best decision ever since it got the tires covered with crap. We got lined up and took the green and managed one lap before I braked too hard going into one and looped it. Unfortunately, I ended up facing uphill and couldn’t bump start it. The push truck got me going again and the rest of the race went well enough until lap 20. I was starting to get used to the track and working on a decent line and even managed to hold onto the tail of the field for a bit. And then I got on it too early between 3 and 4 and started to go around. I had it mostly saved but ended up heading for the end of the inside wall. Given the choice between the wall and another spin, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and let it go around. And ended up pointed up hill again. A couple of laps later someone lost a motor and I got pushed off again. The rest of the race actually didn’t go badly. I was starting to almost get a feel for the track and actually passed a car (he did have a flat and pulled off right after that).

So I finished. 9th. Not a stellar showing but I’ve had worse. And after the night I had it felt like a win. I brought home $100 and some bonus money so I only lost about twice what I made. All in all I’m not disappointed. Am I not disappointed enough to head back? We’ll see. I have a busy several weeks coming up.

I have a lot of people to thank for letting play for the last two races. Kelly and Vera for not only putting up with me but driving to both tracks and buying passes to do it. I couldn’t have done it without them. Also Dad for showing up at Spencer to do the same thing. Joe Mancuso went above and beyond to get me there and the wackyracer, Jerry Harding, bought me fuel. Above all, my girlfriend Catherine for not only letting me do this but actively supporting and sometimes indirectly sponsoring me.

I’m not sure yet what the future holds for this season. I’m discovering I need a lot more track time. Sitting out for 3 years has not done me any favors. Especially trying to figure out a new car on unfamiliar tracks. I’d like to go back to DTRP and Spencer but RoC is more of a priority since I’m at least familiar with the track and it’s close. I also want to support the NYSS guys in the hope that I’ll run the whole season next year. Unfortunately, time and money are both a little scarce this summer. We’ll see how things work out over the next few weeks. I have some ideas…

Well we made it to the Spencer race. Surprisingly the car wasn’t too bad. The clutch slipped and kept me from really getting up to speed and a little tangle put me out with a broken tie rod but I’m pretty impressed with the way the car felt when it did run right. The motor seemed to be holding up much better than I expected. It stayed cool and was way more than the clutch could handle at least.

As for the track, I learned that mirrors are pretty much mandatory but otherwise it’s not a bad place to run. It’s relatively smooth and the car seems to like it. I think with some adjustments and decent tires, I could make some decent laps. The guys I met down there all seem pretty decent and the racing was good.

So since the damage wasn’t too bad and I think I have most of the stuff to fix the little things that aren’t right and Joe Mancuso made me an offer I couldn’t refuse on tires, I guess I’m going to DTRP (Lancaster) for the show on 6/23. I hope to make it to test & tune at Evans Mills next Wednesday to make sure the clutch is working properly and all the rest of the bugs are shaken out.

Well it’s loaded and ready to go. Or as ready as I had time for anyway. I’ve driven it far enough to get it on the trailer so I have no idea what will happen once it hits the track. But as they say, no guts, no glory.

I’m told I might have some people coming to watch and/or help. Whoulda thunk it? I’ll be glad of the help and hope I put on at least a respectable show.

It’s got brakes and moves under its own power. Kelly came over and helped with the brakes and toe so it’ll stop and stay pointed straight. I even scaled it. The numbers aren’t pretty but I’m just not in a position to do anything about it. I’ll see if I can squeeze a little time in to do something about it tomorrow but I’m not counting on anything. I still need to put numbers on it. Since I didn’t have the cash to buy some until too late I’ll be doing them with duct tape again temporarily.

So I’m going into a race Friday with no track time on the driver or the car, old tires, a sick motor, and messed up corner weights. And I’ll be up against some of the best SS cars and drivers in NY. Am I crazy? I’m hoping to just keep it together and run as much of the feature as I can. now that I’ve gotten it this far, I’ll be able to find out where I’ve missed and hopefully have it more prepared for some DTRP and SL2 shows and RoC. Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll get my motor fixed and a tire sponsor by July.

So it’s black and it runs. I’ll spend the next couple of nights trying to get the last few things worked out and see what I can do about a trailer. I’ve had a couple offered but neither has showed up yet. I’m pretty sure I can make to to Spencer Friday. The trick will be to keep it running and not look too bad. I’d have liked a chance to shake it down but I’m just out of time.

I spent the last few days on an ill-conceived but much needed vacation to Boston and Maine. We met up with my friend Rob and took in some cool sights, visited a few breweries, and stopped in at Bentley’s Saloon. A good time was had by all.

So I was going to give up. But I managed to clean up a motor I had sitting around the shop. It won’t be pretty or have a pile of power but it should run. So I’m still going to give Spencer a shot. We’ll see how this weekend goes. I plan on painting it if nothing else. I may end up with duct tape numbers and a few missing pieces and I may just miss it but I’ll be close. Anyone want to come lend a hand? I’ll be in the shop all weekend.

So I’m done, at least for the foreseeable future. It turns out the sleeve in #4 wasn’t put in right and dropped by .010 or so and the head gasket won’t seal properly. So I’m looking for a new block or another sleeve and set of gaskets and bearings. Since I was cutting it pretty close on budget already, I’m guessing it will be a while before I can get it back together. On the plus side I have more time to finish the chassis and make it something closer to pretty. If someone decides to throw me some cash I might make it to the 6/8 show at Spencer but I’m not holding my breath.

I’m trying to get the car to Spencer for practice Friday. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion the the racing gods are unhappy with me though. Part of the problem is the fact that I just plain waited too long. The time just went by without me noticing. But even so, I took a couple of days off and got right to it. Things seemed to be going OK for a while. The motor went together without too much trouble, all my parts showed up in time (and I could afford them), and the body work was going well. Then stuff started to go wrong. I dropped the motor in and the mounts didn’t line up. The headers didn’t fit. I filled it with water and the radiator, water pump, and intake all leaked. The lines and hoses were all the wrong length. The switch panel grew legs. Someone cut my shift linkage. The car slipped off the jack and trashed a rocker panel. The battery didn’t fit in the box. And I couldn’t get any oil pressure.

I finally worked through most of that and got the motor running. Oil pressure good, sounds nice, carb needs adjustment. Until I noticed water seeping out of the back of the intake. I figured I just needed to put some thread seal on one of the bolts so I pulled it out and water geysered out of the hole. Which wouldn’t have been too surprising if the motor was up to temp. So it turns out I’ve got a cylinder bleeding into the water jackets. Block? Head? Gaskets? I’ll find out tonight. If it turns out to be non-terminal I’ll keep trying for Friday but if the block is junk I’m done probably for the season.

Even if it’s just a head gasket I’ve still got a pile of work ahead of me. The street headers run straight into the x bracing and I can’t route around it. So I’ll be putting the crossovers back on. And the new radiator is bigger than the one I built the mounts for so I’ll need to cut that back off and rebuild it. And a new shroud to go with it. And a duct. And I need to add 200#.

If I can’t get it done for Friday I may try to find a third member for Evans Mills and run it there Saturday as a shakedown. Or I’ll try to get it to the 5/25 show at Spencer and see if they’ll let me run. Or both. If the motor’s not junk. If I have it done by then. If…

Well, now I’ve done it. I’m on the NY Super Stocks roster so I guess I’ll have to make it to the track. In all seriousness, I was planning on making as many of these shows as I could. Should be fun to try out some new places. Unfortunately, I’ll be out of town for the first race at  DTRP but I expect to be at the 6/8 show at Spencer. This ought to be a learning experience. I’m planning on making it to practice and maybe a race there so I have at least a few laps under my belt before I try to take on these veterans. Anyone from Central/Northern NY want to come join me so I don’t feel like such an outsider?

Speaking of practice, I’ll be heading up to Evans Mills to shake down Jason’s second car next Wednesday. His girlfriend will be running it this season and since he doesn’t fit in it he’s asked me to work the bugs out before he turns her loose. Should be a good time. It’ll be good to be behind the wheel again.

I did some work on the car. It’s starting to look like a racecar. I’ll be calling the motor guy today to get my heads fixed and hopefully get the car over to Dad’s this weekend to get the frame fixed so I can finish the body. If I can keep on track, I should be able to have it together and shaken down for RoC. Who’s joining me?

I went down to Spencer last Friday night with Jeff Merritt. I’ve never been there and I came away with some mixed feelings. The track is nice and the people are friendly. And you can bring your own beer (regrettably not in bottles so no #9). The racing was a little sedate although the Legends did put on a pretty decent show. The Super Stocks were a surprise and a bit of a disappointment. The car count was low. It was opening night and I’m sure there are unfinished cars out there (including mine) but I’d have expected more based on the $100 to start and new “open” rules. I’ve mentioned it on RaceNY and I’ll say it again, I think the requirement for a HANS and to buy fuel there is going to cut into the counts. $450 for a set of tires you can’t use anywhere else isn’t going help either. Probably another reason people stayed home was to see what the rules looked like. I was surprised to see the second place finisher sporting an aftermarket body. I didn’t get to take a close look so it’s possible that the roof was steel but the pillars looked a lot like the one’s I ran. I guess some people take a broader view of stock than I do.

The racing was interesting. From what I can see, there’s only one groove and with mirrors the only way to make a pass is to knock someone put of the way. Which is pretty much what Jim Steffenhagen did. He obviously had a much faster car but made almost every pass on the inside, usually after a bump to loosen them up. Considering how fast his car was, his comments in victory lane were a bit misplaced. If his car was junk, I’m not sure I’ll bother showing up for when he has it running right. I’m not a big fan of racing for second.

I went up to Evans Mills Saturday night to watch Jason, and as usual, something went wrong. I’m not sure what kind of curse he’s stuck with but he can not get a break with that car. He has yet to finish a race in it. He looks pretty fast when it’s running and straight so I’d love to see him do it. Maybe this weekend. To add to his troubles, I followed him home and he blew a tire on his trailer. Here’s hoping his luck turns around soon.